I enjoyed this book alot, even though I am far beyond the target age for this book. It brought back fond memories of summers spent at our cottage in Northern Michigan. My summers weren't near as eventful as it was for the kids in Robert Lytles Mackinac Passage novels. I reccomend the entire series (so far numbering 3) to folks of all ages who just want to be taken to a simpler time and place. It was great.

This book is the vastly superior sequel to "Second Nature" and the characters of Lee and Hunter make a brief appearance here. The heroine of "One Summer" is Bryan Mitchell, who was first introduced in "Second Nature" as Lee's best friend. Bryan is a photographer who specializes in portraits of people and memorable faces. She is asked to collaborate on a book called "One Summer in America", and to spend the summer driving from L.A. to N.Y., documenting Americans at work and play. The other photographer contributing to the book is studly Shade Colby, who specializes in gritty, realistic photos. They spend the summer traveling across America, taking pictures and falling in love. I enjoyed their road trip very much.
Excerpt from the back of the book:
"The assignment: a fabulous coast-to-coast photo tour of the USA. The problem: straight-shooting photojournalist Shade Colby didn't believe in unity-he always worked alone. The catch: if he wanted this job, he'd have to spend the summer with Bryan Mitchell, a sexy society photographer who was as great a temptation as the assignment itself!"

Most people can enjoy stargazing as a hobby only when they are on vacation, away from the interfering sky glare of the cities and suburbs, and in the open country
where, on a clear night, they can see the whole sky undimmed and wonder about what they are seeing. This book is for such vacationers: people who know nothing
about astronomy and have little interest in its scientific profundities, but want to know more about what they can see in the skies. With a minimum of technicalities,

'Robert Claiborne takes the reader into observational astronomy by easy stages-first with the naked eye, then with the simple optical aid of binoculars, and finally with
the more sophisticated assistance of small to medium-size telescopes.

He tells the stargazer what are the interesting and beautiful objects he can see, and when and where to look for them during the four good stargazing summer months,
starting in June with the Dipper and the Pole Star and describing the constellations, stars, planets, double stars, galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, and other wonders which
are the subtly shifting tenants of the summer night.

This lucid and exciting book not only tells how and where to find particular celestial objects, and explains what they really are, but imparts its astronomical information
in relation to the amateur's stargazing experience rather than as a part of cosmic theory. With this book in hand, the whole remarkable universe begins to open up to the
viewer. Especially valuable is Claiborne's thorough and practical advice on equipment, both binoculars and telescopes. The appendix includes a catalogue of "marker"
stars and the Messier Objects ("easy" clusters, galaxies and nebulae) along with a glossary and an appendix giving the lore surrounding the names of the familiar stars,
constellations, and planets. Simple sky maps and diagrams supplement the instructions in the text.

This delightful book focuses of the essence of summer, as well as discovering it with all of your senses. The photographs truly capture all of the elements of the season: the beach, Fourth of July, ice cream, watermelon, baseball, and even county fairs. When used with the other season books by the same author, the reader gains a wonderful understanding, as well as a visual image,of the changes throughout an entire year. This book is a super resource for teachers!

I love the Amanda Pepper series, but I could have done without the moralizing in this installment. I love mysteries that transport you to another place for a few hours, not preach about the dangers of casinos, and the need for women to save more to avoid becoming the bag lady under the steps on the Boardwalk! Hopefully the author will get back to what she's best at...mystery minus the soapbox!

When Amanda goes on vacation in Atlantic City with her friend Sasha Berg, a corpse ends up in their hotel room. In this case Sasha is the leading suspect. In order to clear Sasha, Amanda has to scour the boardwalk and the casinos.

I have enjoyed all of the Amanda Pepper Books. HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION was no exception.

I am a devoted Nora Roberts fan, and upon discovering this book, I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to read it. I read the back of the book and was convinced that it would be great.
However, when I came home and began reading, I realized something was wrong. The plots wereweak and I did not get into the stories easily. There was no chemistry between the four couples, and hardly any romance that I have come to expect from Mrs. Roberts. I could not relate to the characters, as I usually can.
The last story ended so quickly, it was as if she had just scribbled those last few paragraphs on the way to the mailbox to mail it to her publisher.
I hope that Mrs. Roberts writes a more substantial book.

I enjoyed reading the two books in this volume (this book has reprints of Second Nature and One Summer), but I don't think I'm going to keep this book around. Second Nature featured Lee Radcliffe, a reporter for Celebrity magazine, and Hunter Brown, a reclusive writer of popular horror novels. Lee is determined to get the interview of a lifetime, but the time she spends getting to know Hunter makes her think about more than just her article. One Summer featured a friend of Lee's, Bryan Mitchell, and Shade Colby. Shade and Bryan have to work together on a photography assignment. They see the world in entirely different ways - Shade sees the gritty sides of life, while Bryan enjoys the fun she finds - but that doesn't stop them from becoming attracted to one another. Although I did have fun reading the books, I didn't think any of the characters were really all that wonderful. They were okay, but they didn't grab me, and they aren't enough to entice me to reread this book. I liked the fact that both stories were basically about the characters finding out a lot about each other because of the closeness their circumstances demanded. Still, the characters weren't really up to par, and there were occaisionally little things that bugged me (we never find out what the genre of the book Lee is writing is, for instance). A lot of the first book felt like "Nora Roberts' Advice to Writers" (Hunter gave a lot of writing advice and opinions), and the second book seemed to end rather abruptly. I think there are better Nora Roberts books out there, although, if you can find a cheap copy, this still isn't a bad read.

"Summer Pleasures" is a delightful omnibus of two related stories written by the amazing Nora Roberts in the mid-1980's. "Second Nature" and "One Summer" are both enchanting tales of summer passions and unexpected love that kept me captivated from start to finish. I am eternally grateful to Silhouette for re-printing Nora's older, out-of-print books so that I can have the pleasure of reading them all these years later!

"Second Nature" tells the story of Lee Radcliffe, a highly successful reporter for Celebrity magazine. Lee is determined to get an exclusive interview with notoriously reclusive Hunter Brown, highly acclaimed author of horror fiction and one of the nation's most popular authors. When Lee gets a tip that Hunter will be speaking at a small writer's conference, she jumps on the opportunity and signs herself up. But when Lee finally gets to meet Hunter, he isn't at all what she expected. He has the most intense and unnerving eyes that seem to see right into her most private thoughts and he is dangerously handsome.
Hunter is intrigued by the stunningly beautiful Lee, who wears a thin coat of confidence over an excess of ever-present nervous energy. Hunter decides to agree to the interview on one condition, that Lee must join him on a two-week camping trip in Arizona's Oak Creek Canyon. Not one to let a little adversity keep her from her goal, Lee agrees and her journey with Hunter begins.
But as time goes by, Lee finds it harder and harder to deny her intense attraction to Hunter. Not only that, but as she learns more and more about Hunter, she begins to fall for the complex, intelligent, sensitive, and passionate man he keeps hidden from almost everyone. Lee and Hunter inevitably become lovers, and their romance will surely entice and satisfy readers. It's not long before Hunter realizes he has fallen irrevocably in love with Lee. But when Hunter asks Lee to spend her life with him, she is overcome by doubts about leaving her work in L.A. and taking a step into the unknown. So Lee pushes Hunter away and returns to the life she knows.
Will Lee sentence both herself and Hunter to a life of loneliness and longing because of her fear of failure? Or will she follow her heart, take the risk and find a lifetime of love and happiness in Hunter's arms?
"Second Nature" is a wonderful tale filled with fascinating characters and breathtaking descriptions that make you feel as if you are right there alongside Hunter and Lee!

Though I really enjoyed "Second Nature", "One Summer" was my favourite of the two. Lee's good friend, Bryan Mitchell started her career as a photographer for Celebrity magazine, but has now turned to freelance work. When offered the opportunity to travel across the country and create a photo essay on summer in America, for Life-style magazine, Bryan is thrilled with the prospect. The only problem is she has to take on a partner if she wants the assignment, brooding and cynical photojournalist Shade Colby.
Shade isn't too pleased with having to take on a partner either, being a man who is happiest working alone. But because the assignment is so appealing, they both grudgingly agree to work together.
Unfortunately, Shade and Bryan have trouble agreeing on anything, and as they start their journey each grates on the other's nerves. But as time and states go by, Shade starts to appreciate Bryan's innate goodness and warmth, and learns to admire, if not agree with, her ability to look at only the positive side of life. Shade finds it harder and harder to control the raging desire he feels for Bryan and eventually he and Bryan can't deny their feelings any longer. Shade and Bryan's romance is filled with tenderness and affection as well as red-hot passion.
Though Bryan and Shade are both deeply in love with one another, neither of them seems capable of sharing those feelings. As the end of summer draws closer and closer, Bryan feels her heart break a little at the thought of losing Shade. Intending to make it easier on both of them, Bryan plans to fly home immediately once the assignment is done.
But will Bryan follow through with her plan and never let Shade know how she really feels about him? Or will fate intervene and give Shade the strength to show Bryan what's really in his heart?
"One Summer" is an undeniably great read. I loved both Bryan and Shade, and I found the storyline utterly absorbing. I was truly sad to see this story come to an end.

In short, "Summer Pleasures" is a perfect summer read that will give readers several hours of pure enjoyment. This re-print is well worth your time and money, so buy "Summer Pleasures" today and get ready for some hot and satisfying summer romance!

This is a book about college kids working at a resort in the 50's. They have a few goals: loafing on the job; getting drunk and having sex. This is it. The whole story. I managed to get to page 190 before I gave up. Not only is the story forgettable, characters enter in conversations without prior introduction. Then there are proof reading errors. As an avid book reader, I am willing to give any book a chance. Since I did, you don't have to waste your time.

Summer at the Resort is a time capsule. It preserves the peculiar hunger and greed, self consciousness and doubt of a generation poised on the edge of the Korean War, other Communist threats , and patriotic paranoia. As the young characters cycle between labor and lust in the resort world, they play out the dispair, cynicism, and fear that were gripping the larger socity.

In response to these stressful times, many young men who felt they would become involved in the war tried to live their lives to the fullest. The characters of this novel by their actions reflect not only the wild behavior of the era's young men and women, but that mind-set that gripped the nation. The author captures the inexperience, frustration, and awkwardness of young men suddenly exposed-as staff members at a summer resort-to more drinking and wild living that they had ever imagined. They soon learn that the resort's sex ratio of four women to each man doesn't always work in their favor, and thus their nightly search for pleasure is often aimless and unrewarding.

Small children's book with lots of nice pictures, fairly informative. The pictures are the thing here. If you're looking for in depth information, this isn't the one. But a nice keeper, especially as the years go by.

The excellent figures and concise text make this book very easy to learn from. Best used to gain a general overview of human anatomy, as many detailed strucutures are not examined thouroughly. Prepares the reader for further study of subjects presented.

I think "Summer Field" deserves the attention of serious readers; it is well crafted, and it gave me the feeling that it was written from the heart.