Books Reviewed in 2001
Here are the Book of the Month Selections
reviewed to-date in 2001. Interested in previous Book of the Month Selections? See our index by year since we started in 1997 or search on your own.
 December 2001: Tucker Peak by
Archer Mayor
This book has received a  rating from the Amazon.com readers
and reviewers.
This latest in the Joe Gunther detective series has
lots of new character development and plenty of plot twists and sidebar stories. We find
Joe Gunther as the regional head of a new police agency, the Vermont Bureau of
Investigation (VBI) investigating a series of burglaries at slope-side second homes at the
"Tucker Peak" ski area. Despite it's similarity to Tuckerman's Ravine in name,
Tucker Peak reads more like a combination of Mount Snow, Okemo and other ski resorts in
southern and south central Vermont.
Joe and others go undercover as ski area workers,
giving us a glimpse at the "back of the house" as it's known in the hotel
business. Mayor does a good job of identifying some of the economic and logistical
problems all ski operators face today while throwing in plenty of white-knuckle moments of
danger and suspense.
Joe's ongoing relationship with Gail Zigman is being
tested by her commute between Brattleboro and Montpelier in her new role as counsel for
Vermont Green, an environmental consulting firm. Keep an eye out for Linda Bettina in the
next Joe Gunther book. If she shows up again, I'd watch out, Gail.
I won't reveal who the bad guys are and what they're
up to, but I will say that this is one of the more even-handed treatments of the business
and environmental tensions in Vermont that I've read in quite a while.
Tucker Peak is a good read. I rate it as better than
the previous book in the series. Joe's new agency makes his crime fighting all over the
state far more plausible than in the previous editions and allows Mayor to introduce
tactical and strategic politics into the stories.
-- Doc
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order Tucker Peak from the Amazon.com catalog or search on your own.
 November 2001: The Woodcutter's
Christmas; Brad Kessler and Dona Ann McAdams
This book has received a rating from the Amazon.com readers
and reviewers. One reader wrote: Each year a New York family looks forward to the day in early
December when the Woodcutter arrives and sets up his Christmas trees on the sidewalk below
their apartment. Cheerful yet mysterious, the Woodcutter seems more at home with his trees
than with other humans. Every year, his trees sold, he packs up his truck on Christmas Eve
and returns to Vermont.
Then one year, the Woodcutter doesn't
show up. He and his trees begin to fade from memory until a Vermont vacation takes the
family past his home. A half-remembered invitation leads to a reunion and elicits the
Woodcutter's haunting and heart-warming fireside account of the Christmas that changed his
life. The Woodcutter's magical tale of abandonment, generosity, love, and redemption
weaves a simple but powerful holiday message: look for the gold beneath the grit, embrace
what - and who - has been cast aside.
A touching and classic celebration of the human spirit, this
beautifully-produced gift volume is illustrated with evocative original photographs by
Dona Ann McAdams.
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order The Woodcutter's
Christmas from the Amazon.com catalog or search
on your own.
 August 2001: Sally Goes to the
Mountains, by Stephen Huneck
Stephen Huneck has done it again....created another
delightful book about Sally, the black lab. Sally if off on another adventure -- this time
she is traveling to the mountains. (You may remember Sally from Huneck's previous books, My Dog's Brain and Sally Goes to the Beach.)Read about her
encounters with raccoon, rabbits, bear and her search for a moose. Internationally
acclaimed artist Stephen Huneck includes colorful woodblock prints of the Lab and her
escapades in the mountains.
This book has received a rating from the Amazon.com readers
and reviewers. One reader wrote: I bought this book for my
mom as a present. she already owns the other "Sally" books and loved this one
too. The illustrations are beautiful and very witty. My favorite is the giant moose with
Sally. The Sally books aren't just for Lab owners or childre--any pet lover will enjoy
them.
Treat yourself and buy this book for your favorite
child and yourself. Written for children 4 to 8 years old. You might even want to purchase
a few extras to give as gifts to anyone captivated by Labrador retrievers.
-- Dr. J
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order Sally Goes to the
Mountains from the Amazon.com catalog or search
on your own.
 July 2001: A Field Guide to
the Familiar: Learning to Observe the Natural World; written by Gale Lawrence,
illustrated by Adelaide Tyrol
Gale Lawrence's book has received a rating from the Amazon.com readers
and reviewers. One reader wrote: Lawrence, a naturalist and
newspaper columnist, knows a great deal about a great many things, and she parades her
knowledge graciously and triumphantly in this field guide to familiar wildlife. The book
is not an identification manual. Rather it collects short essays on topics ranging from
fall wildflowers to shooting stars. All are solidly researched and elegantly written, and
throughout run Lawrence's gentle humor and original insights.
Below is an excerpt from this well-written book:
Daisies and Black-Eyed Susans:
Learning to Observe Look-Alike Wild Flowers
 As roadside flowers
color up for their summer performances, two of the most familiar attract attention as
apparent variations on the same theme. Is a daisy a white version of the black-eyed Susan,
or is a black-eyed Susan a yellow version of the daisy? If you look closely at these two
flowers, especially if they happen to be growing conveniently side by side, you will see
that they are not the same flower at all.
Both belong to the composite
family -- their flower heads are composed of numerous individual florets -- but the
daisy's flower head differs significantly from the black-eyed Susan's.  Starting with the central
disk florets, you will notice that the yellow center of the daisy is relatively flat --
like a button with an indentation in the middle. The purple-brown center of the black-eyed
Susan is thicker and more cone-shaped. The ray florets, which look like petals, also
differ in more than just color. The white rays of the daisy are shorter, broader at the
tips, and more numerous. The yellow rays of the black-eyed Susan are more loosely spaced
and hang slightly downward.
....In handling the two
plants, you will feel some differences too. the daisy's stem is smooth, pliable, and
covered with small, deeply cut leaves that appear lacy. The black-eyed Susan's stem is
rough and hairy. It feels coarse to the touch, even a bit brittle. The leaves are bigger,
straight around the edges, and feel furry.
...Although these two wild
flowers arrived in New England by two distinctly different routes, they respond to the
same growing conditions and therefore frequently grow side by side. They like dry fields,
roadsides, and other waste places. The daisies bloom first, but the black-eyed Susans are
not far behind. Together they add some of the richest colors to our summer scenery -- and
remind us that similarity has a lot to teach us about differences.
We recommend this book to nature lovers everywhere!
-- Dr. J
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order A Field Guide to
the Familiar: Learning to Observe the Natural World from the Amazon.com catalog or search on your own.
 March 2001: Vermont Dogs; edited by Roberta Haskin
Dogs are important to all of us at Mile Square
Farm.....as you may have noticed from our recent book reviews. This delightful new book,
edited by Roberta Haskin, will make any dog's tail wag.  As spokesdog for
Vermont Only, I definitely give this book "Two-Paws Up." As I read about Hoss,
the 185 pound relative of mine, I was immediately sold on this book. My people, Dr. J, Doc
and Trout were especially pleased with this line: "You gotta be a saint to have a
Saint Bernard!"
The book is filled with wonderful stories about
Vermont dogs and the special relationship that can exist between dogs and their people:
one of companionship, loyalty, and love. The stories about my friends are written by their
people, by the dogs themselves and some by Roberta Haskin, a dog lover from way-back. Skye
Chalmers did a dog-gone good job of capturing the personalities of the 33 dogs, old young,
working, spoiled, neuortic, athletic-farm dogs to purebreds. Peter Miller, author of
Vermont People, has written a captivating foreword to the book.
I'm just a young pup, but the section of eulogies
devoted to departed friends, brought tears to my big brown eyes. Any family who has
experienced the loss of their beloved dog, like Mongo...my predecessor... will be quite
taken with the twelve touching memorial tributes.
You'll want to purchase this book for yourself and
for everyone you know who loves dogs. This book made me realize that the special
relationship between dogs and their people forms a lasting bond.
This book is a definite "Two-Paws Up and a
Multi-Tail Wag!!"
-- Ruke, The Mile Square Farm Dog
Source: Vermont Dogs, edited by Roberta
Haskin, photographed by Skye Chalmers, Silver Print Press, Waterbury, VT: November 2000.
 February 2001: Sally
Goes to the Beach; Stephen Huneck; Hardcover
Acclaimed Vermont artist Stephen Huneck combines his
brightly colored woodcuts with an endearing story of a spirited black lab, Sally. (You may
remember Sally from Huneck's previous book, My Dog's Brain.) Written from the dog's
point of view, you are sure to get into the spirit of a vacation trek to an island in the
ocean! The brightly colored prints show Sally diving in the ocean, riding boats, and
digging holes in the sand.
Amazon.com customers rated this book the coveted 5-Star Rating. One reader
wrote: "This book is great for anyone who loves to take
their dog with them. It gives you insight into what your dog is thinking while you're
packing for vacation, lounging on the beach, etc. Once again, beautiful
illustrations."
Treat yourself and buy this book for your favorite
child and yourself. Written for children 4 to 8 years old. You might even want to purchase
a few extras to give as gifts to anyone captivated by Labrador retrievers.
-- Dr. J
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order Sally Goes to the
Beach from the Amazon.com catalog or search on
your own.
If you would
like to review a Vermont book for us, send us email.
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