I really enjoyed reading Lord Alanbrooke's War Diaries -- six years of daily impressions from the fellow who managed World War II for Britain. I now have a much better understanding why the British and Americans were fighting the Germans in North Africa and why the first Allied invasion of Europe took place in Sicily and southern Italy. Although Britain was already at war and had broken the German military code, it seems unlikely its leaders had any advance warning of the Pearl Harbor attack. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Britain sustained devastating defeats in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma leaving India and Australia vulnerable. Of course, Hilter's invasion of the Soviet Union was the turning point.

As Churchill's principal military advisor, Alanbrooke kept a daily account from September 1939 to August 1945. He describes the Dunkirk evacuation in May 1940; the nightly German bombings of London that continued for many months after September 1940; the defensive measures Britain took to guard against attack; the German defeat of France; and meetings with American allies to plan the invasion of Europe and the defeat of the Axis powers.

Alanbrooke dined with military and political leaders virtually every day and attended many meetings with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Eisenhower, Marshall, Dill, and Montgomery. In a typical entry (January 24, 1944), he tells of Churchill

". . . discussing Stalin's latest iniquities in allowing Pravda to publish the bogus information that England was negotiating with Germany about a peace. He said: 'Trying to maintain good relations with a communist is like wooing a crocodile, you do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it on the head. When it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile, or preparing to eat you up.'"

Alanbrooke described the major role he played:

"The whole world has now become one large theatre of war, and the Chiefs of Staff represent the Supreme Commanders, running the war in all its many theatres, regulating the allocation of forces, shipping, munitions, relating plans to resources available, approving and rejecting plans, issuing directives to the various theatres. And most difficult of all handling the political aspect of this military action, and coordinating with our American allies."

He struggled to keep military strategy intact at Allied war conferences held in Washington, D.C., Casablanca, Teheran, Quebec, Moscow, Yalta, and Potsdam. Later, Alanbrooke inserted the following after one of his diary entries:

"According to [Eisenhower] when we stood on the bank of the Rhine on March 25th, I said to him: 'Thank God, Ike, you stuck by your plan. You were completely right, and I am sorry if my fear of dispersed efforts added to your burdens. The German is now licked. It is merely a question of when he chooses to quit. Thank God you stuck by your guns.' I think that when this statement is considered in connection with what I wrote in my diary that evening, it will be clear that I was misquoted. To the best of my memory I congratulated him heartily on his success, and said that as matters turned out his policy was now the correct one, that with the German in his defeated condition no dangers now existed in a dispersal of effort. I am quite certain that I never said to him 'You were completely right', as I am still convinced that he was 'completely wrong', as proved by the temporary defeat inflicted on him by Rundstedt's counter stroke, which considerably retarded the defeat of Germany."

Alanbrooke also took time to ponder the meaning of war:

"The suffering and agony of war in my mind must exist to gradually educate us to the fundamental law of 'loving our neighbor as ourselves'. When that lesson has been learned, then war will cease to exist."

His perceptive remarks ring true today. If you have the time, this book is definitely worth reading. The editors provide a useful introduction (including short descriptions of friends, comrades, politicians, and soldiers), a carefully prepared index, a handy list of abbreviations, and 8 pages of photographs.

This premier publication is perfect in every way. It contains the most beautiful collection of photographs of Santa Fe's distinguished Warbonnet paint scheme. From its inception in the 1930's to the present day, this book characterizes an American railroad's graphic identity with dramatic detail. But, it does more than that. It is written with dramatic feeling and is distinguished by a prologue from the Hollywood TV and film star Michael Gross. This isn't just a train enthusiast book. It's a small portrait of Americana. The astounding design by Leland A. Knickerbocker still lives today even after the Santa Fe has since merged with the Burlington Northern. Thanks to Dan Pope and Mark Lynn for capturing this timeless part of our history.

Lovely photos of some common and some uncommon areas of the city, and the printer seemed to care about quality!

This book inspired one of the best vacations I've taken (while closest to home!)exploring the waterfalls of NH. The directions and descriptions are accurate and easy to follow, and the falls themselves are exquisite--even in dry August weather, when we saw them. This will be a gift to friends, to be sure. Experienced hikers will appreciate it, but it's suitable for beginners. Not many geriatric hikes, however.

Authors and editors have done a great job. Ideas and aspects are novel and they are presented for the first time in comprehensive book form.

by: Murphy Henry for Bluegrass Unlimited
First, the cast of players: Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Scott
Huffman, Craig Smith, Rickie Simpkins, Jack Lawrence, and
Tony Williamson. These guys are the heart of this CD. But
Daniel Gore, who composed all but two of the songs, is the
soul of this most unusual recording even though he plays
mandolin on just three numbers. "Ways That Are Dark" is
described as a "musical companion to Horace Kephart's Our
Southern Highlanders, a book first published in 1913. Kephart
wrote stories about the mountain folk who lived in the North
Carolina highlands, using the words and expressions of the
people themselves. When Daniel Gore read the book, "every
story sounded like a song." So, he set out composing words
and music to some of the stories. Like Kephart, Gore speckles
his songs with unusual mountain words and phrases, for
which he thoughtfully provides definitions. The surprise is
that Gore was able to transform these songs into a successful
bluegrass CD. There are two reasons for this: the songs are
extremely well-crafted, and Gore chose some of the best
team players in the business to bring these songs to life.

Compacting a story into a song is not an easy task. Making
the song fit the bluegrass style is even harder. Daniel Gore is
a master at both. As a songwriter, his use of a chorus is
brilliant (and bluegrassy). While the verses provide often
complicated details of the story, the chorus gives you the
story's essence and a musical resting place. However, if the
musicians had been less talented, these songs could have
withered on the vine. Craig Smith provides a tasteful tour de
force in how to play the melody of a song Scruggs style.
Peter Rowan is in his element singing "Ways That Are Dark"
and the "Killing of Hol Rose," which echo some of his own
fine story songs. Jim Watson and Scott Huffman, with their
down-home accents, are completely at ease with the North
Carolina dialect and never make old-time mountain words
such as "cheer" ("chair"), "hyar" ("here") and "spile" ("spoil")
sound forced or disrespectful.

This unique CD is for you folks who appreciate the art of
storytelling in song and for all who like well-played bluegrass
music. I, for one, can't wait to read the book. (Elephant Rock
Records, P.O. Box 20041, Spokane, Wa. 99204) MH

This is a really really really funny book. Really. There are not that many books that will make an adult and a child snort milk out their noses, but this is one.

It is also a very useful book to defuse any bedtime terror left over from inappropriate television viewing. If your child is scared of vampires, this book will make it better.

I bought this book for my Western Civilization class and I was very happy with it. The authors did a great job. Particularly pleasing was the way the book before each chapter had the timeline for all the events covered in that specific chapter. This helped one get a better grip on what happened first and what came after that. I would recommend this book.

"What do I read Next" is an excellent resource. Every question I had about genre, its success, and its latest trends were answered. The authors were incredibly thorough. The 700+ page book is divided by genre, such as Mystery, Romance, etc., then dissects each genre by category. It defines each subgenre and category. It classifies each text that has been publshed that year. Next the author analyzes each genre. The latest novels are identified and described. The genre is examined by category to explore the latest trends, developments, reviews, and other issues concerning romance. I loved this book because it provided a wealth of information for Final Paper. I would definitely use it again.

What If is a work of "alternate history" in which author and Israeli-Palestinian conflict expert Daniel Rosenfeld speculates how history would have been different if, back in 1890, historical people and events had taken a different path in the second rise of Israel on the way to becoming a nation state. What If is a substantial, entertaining, and thought-provoking speculative novel that will especially appeal to those with an interest in the present Mideast conflict.