Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

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Pity the poor Chawla family of Shahkot, India--their son, Sampath causes all kinds of trouble for his family, culminating in a Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, but in a village like Shakhot, hullabaloo is a way of life. Indian writer Kiran Desai begins her first novel with Sampath's birth at the tail-end of a terrible drought. His mother, Kulfi, half-maddened by heat and hunger, can think of nothing but food: "Her stomach grew larger. Her dreams of eating more extravagant. The house seemed to shrink. All about her the summer stretched white-hot into an infinite distance. Finally, in desperation for another landscape, she found a box of old crayons in the back of a cupboard and ... began to draw.... As her husband and mother-in-law retreated in horror, not daring to upset her or the baby still inside her, she drew a parade of cooks beheading goats." Sampath's father, Mr. Chawla is a man for whom "oddness, like aches and pains, fits of tears and lethargy" is a source of discomfort; he fears "these uncontrollable, messy puddles of life, the sticky humanness of things." This distaste for sticky humanness will prove problematic for Mr. Chawla later in life when his son grows up to become a young man possessed of a great deal of feeling and very little common sense or ambition.

Mr. Chawla's frustration comes to a head when Sampath loses his menial job at the post office after performing an impromptu cross-dressing strip-tease at his boss's daughter's wedding. Confined to the house in disgrace, Sampath runs away from home and takes refuge in the branches of a guava tree in an abandoned orchard outside of town. At first family and townsfolk think he's mad, but in an inspired moment of self-preservation Sampath, who had spent his time in the post office reading other people's mail, reveals some choice secrets about his persecutors and convinces them that he is, in fact, clairvoyant. It isn't long before Mr. Chawla sees the commercial possibilities of having a holy man in the family, and pretty soon the guava orchard has become the latest stop along the spiritual tourism trail.

Take one holy man in a guava tree, add a venal father, a food-obsessed mother and a younger sister in love with the Hungry Hop Kwality Ice Cream boy and you've got a recipe for delicious comedy. Mix in a rioting band of alcoholic monkeys, a journalist determined to expose Sampath as a fraud, an unholy trio of hypochondriac district medical officer, army general and university professor, all determined to solve the monkey problem, and you've got a real hullabaloo. Kiran Desai's delirious tale of love, faith, and family relationships is funny, smartly written, and reminiscent of other works by Indian authors writing in English such as Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh, Banerjee Divakaruni's The Mistress of Spices and Shashi Tharoor's Show Business. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

Sampath Chawla was born in a time of drought that ended with a vengeance the night of his birth. All signs being auspicious, the villagers triumphantly assured Sampath's proud parents that their son was destined for greatness.

Twenty years of failure later, that unfortunately does not appear to be the case. A sullen government worker, Sampath is inspired only when in search of a quiet place to take his nap. "But the world is round," his grandmother says. "Wait and see! Even if it appears he is going downhill, he will come up the other side. Yes, on top of the world. He is just taking a longer route." No one believes her until, one day, Sampath climbs into a guava tree and becomes unintentionally famous as a holy man, setting off a series of events that spin increasingly out of control. A delightfully sweet comic novel that ends in a raucous bang, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard is as surprising and entertaining as it is beautifully wrought.

Customer Reviews:

A delightful novel.......2007-08-19

This is the story of Sampath "Good Fortune" Chawla, an idle young man who spends many hours dreaming in the tea stalls and singing to himself in public gardens of Shahkot. At the post office he spends time reading the mail instead of working and soon loses his job. Then he decides to take permanent residence in the fork of a guava tree in a marvellous orchard upon a hillside and become a hermit. Unfortunately his family quickly realise that Sampath could make their fortune and so a stream of worshipers start visiting Sampath's tree, asking for blessing while his parents, in a nearby tea stall, sell flower garlands, fruit, incense and souvenirs.
In a witty and sharp prose Ms Desai mocks pious devotion, official incompetence, domestic tiffs, young love, marriage customs, sacred monkeys and the novel is a delightfully funny satire of the customs of India.

I don't like stupid people........2007-04-10

I realize this book is supposed to be a comedy. And if you like Homer Simpson, or Phoebe and Joey from Friends, you may love this book. But stories about people who are completely stupid irritate me. I hate Homer Simpson, and I didn't like Phoebe and Joey from Friends, either. If you hate stupid people, you will hate this book.

This book is filled with people who are so stupid, it certainly would explain why India is a third world country.

However, I've read other books by Indian authors and I know India is NOT peopled entirely with idiots.

I don't need to reiterate the plot, as plenty of other reviewers have done that for me. I will only tell you this book is not funny. Quite frankly, I'm baffled why this author is so celebrated, as The Inheritance of Loss sucked also, although for different reasons.

Skip this. If you want a good novel by/about India, read The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami, or anything by Thrity Umrigar.

May be the Carson McCullers of the 21st Century.......2007-01-07

Ordinarily, a twenty-something year old writer cannot very well delve deeply into the character or soul of the lead characters. But, this is not an ordinary book written by an ordinary writer.

Young Desai elicits many of her origin country's (Indian) mannerisms in this delightful farce about her native people's askance perspective of a simple boy (Sampath) whose Forrest-Gump-like maturation emerges into a world of prophecy and surreal mysticism. His life remains basically the same, but the "others'" changed perspective delivers him from simpleton embarrassment (failure at school and work while attempting to become part of Indian society) to his family (the Chawla family of Shahkot) to being the revered worldly saint of the Indian press - who report his pithy witticisms espoused by he while living in a giant guava tree with his beloved soulmates -- monkeys.

The book's vision delightfully dances about Sampath's human frailty to emerging into the godly world within an unsuspecting orchard for the first 120 pages. Thereafter, the book's tone turns drastically to cynicism toward Sampath's ardor as his godly route bedevils the adults and bureaucrats around him. Their intrusions compel Sampath to be extracted from his wonderful life of simpleton whose quest for happiness is to extol his life's value to those he most adores -- the monkeys who join him in the great guava tree in the guava orchard.

Good intentions deliver bad results as the child-like simplicity of Sampath cannot co-exist with the regimen of Indian adult life. The believers, who wish to keep their iconic leader in the tree, must take a back seat to the requests of safety, rules and regulations enforced by the others - most particularly the bureaucrats. It delivers nothing but sadness for everyone involved.

Commencing with exhilarating humor for the first 120 pages, the book sinks into a deep funk for the last 90 pages. In an E.T.-like adventure, the adults -- those who are deemed normal -- ruin a wonderful and fantastic journey of a great and imaginative soul. Personally, I wished for a fantastic fantasy ending, instead we receive a fantasy ending, full of sadness and lorn.

This book delivers giggles and tears and ends with the latter. Even if it ends differently than I would have chosen, this novel is well worth a fun day's read.

Be aware, this is a "YA" book.......2006-11-21

For me, reading Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was a case of 'purchase in haste; regret slowly'. I missed seeing the "YA" notation in the editorial reviews, then I was thoroughly swept away by most of the reader reviews, so I was expecting another work on par with Arundhati Roy or Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I stayed with Hullabaloo for the whole ride, expecting a clever pay-off at the ending...instead, I felt taken for a ride. Maybe it's OK for Young Adult fiction (but my young teenage daughter has already moved into a more challenging reading level). I hope Inheritance of Loss will be better--I'll still give it a try.

Another charmer from an Indian story teller.......2006-06-27

Hullaboloo in the Guava Orchard is a beautifully written story of the simpleton- turned- saint type (see Forest Gump) and what happens when greed and exploitation intrudes into paradise. If you liked her Inheritance of Loss you will enjoy this one also.

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

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Everything I need to know
The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden
Growing fruit trees
Read it, but a word of caution.
Very Informative

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden
Stella Otto
Manufacturer: Ottographics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0963452037

Book Description

For every gardener desiring to add apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit to their landscape here are hints and solid information from a professional horticulturist and experienced fruit grower. The Backyard Orchardist includes help on selecting the best fruit trees and information about each stage of growth and development, along with tips on harvest and storage of the fruit. Those with limited space will learn about growing dwarf fruit trees in containers.
Appendices include a fruit-growers monthly calendar, a trouble-shooting guide for reviving ailing trees, and a resource list of nurseries selling fruit trees.

Customer Reviews:

Everything I need to know.......2007-08-23

After killing a peach tree and three cherry trees, I decided I better try to find out what I did wrong.

This book is pointing the error of my ways. It has all I need to know.

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden.......2007-05-12

Great! This book contains essential common sense information for growing fruit trees in a easy to read format.

Growing fruit trees.......2007-04-05

This book exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend it for anyone who wants to grow fruit for their own consumption. Other books we've tried to read were much too technical and always intended for commercial growers. Stella Otto's book is clear, concise, and chock-full of information. We loved it and feel confident we will now be able to better tend our 10 fruit trees.

Read it, but a word of caution........2007-01-01

This book is a great place to get started, and to finish if you live in USDA climate zones 8, 7, 6, ..., 1. But those of us who live in "low chill" winters, and low-heat summers: southern california, mid-to-southern florida, coastal climates with marine layers -- you need to digest this book and read further about what works in your area.

Very Informative.......2006-08-20

I found this book very informative and comprehensive in answering my questions and concerns with my trees and how to care for and protect them. I highly recommend reading this book to others who have equal concerns and interest in the care of fruit trees.

Kurt Schwitters: Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. 2, 1923-1936

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Kurt Schwitters: Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. 2, 1923-1936
Kurt Schwitters
Manufacturer: Hatje Cantz Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Kurt Schwitters: Catalogue Raisonne: Volume I 1905-1922
Kurt Schwitters: Catalogue Raisonne Volume 3 1937-1948 (Catalogue Raisonne)

ASIN: 3775709886
Release Date: 2003-05-02

Book Description

There is scarcely an artist working today, provided they use materials other than paint, who does not refer to Kurt Schwitters in some way. In his bold and wide-ranging experiments, his prodigious collages and ground-breaking environments, he can be seen as the grandfather of pop art, happenings, concept art, Fluxus, multimedia art, and even postmodernism--yet only certain parts of his immensely varied pictorial work have been thoroughly investigated. From the Dadaist collages to the final, partial incarnation of the Merzbau in the Lake District of England, Schwitters's oeuvre is here documented and properly acknowledged for the first time in a three-volume catalogue raisonn , of which this is the second installment. More than 4,000 works produced between 1905 and 1948, among them numerous previously unpublished, destroyed and lost pictures and paintings, are presented in this authoritative compendium, following worldwide research and a complete viewing of his artistic estate. The artist's works are ordered chronologically and then according to genre, and illustrated in black and white; select representative works appear in color. This second volume covers the years from 1923 to 1936, a period in which Schwitters added steadily to his Hanover Merzbau and in which his work reflected his struggle with international constructivism. The volume ends with his 1937 flight from Germany. This publication is edited by the Sprengel Museum, Hanover, with the help of Karin Orchard and Isabel Schulz on behalf of the Norddeutsche Landesbank and the Stadtsparkasse Hanover. Also Available: Kurt Schwitters Catalogue Raisonn : Volume I 1905-1922 Hbk, 10 x 12 in. / 552 pgs / 150 color and 950 b&w ISBN: 30-7757-0926-6 $250 Hatje Cantz Publishers Kurt Schwitters Catalogue Raisonn : Volume 3 1937-1948 Hatje Cantz Publishers

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Mixed Reviews
Early McCarthy
Great style, slow going
Signs of future brilliance
Not too shabby to be McCarthy's first

The Orchard Keeper
Cormac McCarthy
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Suttree
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The Sunset Limited

ASIN: 0679728724
Release Date: 1993-02-02

Book Description

An American classic, The Orchard Keeper is the first novel by one of America's finest, most celebrated novelists. Set is a small, remote community in rural Tennessee in the years between the two world wars, it tells of John Wesley Rattner, a young boy, and Marion Sylder, an outlaw and bootlegger who, unbeknownst to either of them, has killed the boy's father. Together with Rattner's Uncle Ather, who belongs to a former age in his communion with nature and his stoic independence, they enact a drama that seems born of the land itself. All three are heroes of an intense and compelling celebration of values lost to time and industrialization.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed Reviews.......2007-07-20

I must be reading McCarthy in the wrong order. Started with No Country For Old Men and loved it, his earlier books are much darker. Content was a bit confusing to me but the style makes you keep coming back for more.

Early McCarthy.......2006-11-10

I am informally studying Cormac having read his last works first, namely "No Place for Old Men", preceeded by the "Trilogy" and "Blood Meridian". His precise knowledge about the area and customs of his story and the minimilist language which he develops in the later novels is interesting to watch grow.

Great style, slow going.......2006-06-22

Having read McCarthy's last four novels I'm developing into a big fan. I don't know of anyone else with his mastery of the language and ability to write razor-sharp, spot-on colloquial dialogue. So I thought I'd give his first novel a try. The incredible descriptions of nature are there, in more or less full flower, and several characters are memorable. The problem for me was that relatively little happens. I kept waiting, and waiting, and although he tossed in a little bit towards the end, in terms of plot it's like a 250-page short story. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't looking for a beach book or Tom Clancy, but in truth it's nice to have someone do something every once in a while beyond walking through the woods. So it's fascinating as a stylistic exercise, but less than compelling as entertainment. If you're hoping for something along the lines of All The Pretty Horses, you may be disappointed. If you love fabulous use of language for its own sake, you won't be.

Signs of future brilliance.......2004-08-19

Cormac McCarthy's debut novel "The Orchard Keeper" is pure Faulkner emulation, from the multiple narrative viewpoints to the impressionistic prose to the laconic, slack-jawed dialogue. This style appeals to me, as it should to all Faulkner fans, but there is a certain sacrifice of substance to achieve the effect McCarthy obviously desired. The small details, the picturesque scenes, the dramatic situations he conjures are the work of a master, but these feel like mere window dressing when the characters are plumbed for depth, only to find the string is barely wet.

The plot could be described in a way that would be immediately enticing to potential readers: A boy named John Wesley Rattner (a Methodist?) growing up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee during the Depression, an essentially good kid who enjoys fishing and trapping, is told by his pious mother that someday he will find and kill the man who murdered his father. One day he pulls a man out of a wrecked car in a creek; this turns out to be Marion Sylder, a bootlegger who, unbeknownst to Rattner, happens to be his father's murderer.

As Rattner and Sylder, each completely oblivious to the other's relationship to Rattner's father, begin a friendship, the novel traces a twisting story among various members of the community, giving a clear view of life in a rustic setting that is well served by McCarthy's style. Looming in the background is a wizened old man named Arthur Ownby whom everybody calls Uncle Ather and who is like a legendary figure of nature, the human soul of the mountains, living almost as a druidical hermit and resenting any intrusion into his privacy.

The elements are all in place, but while I was reading this novel I couldn't help but think of a similar but better one that came out around the same time, William H. Gass's "Omensetter's Luck," which likewise offers a complex story in a shady, enigmatic tone but more distinctive and original characterization. "The Orchard Keeper" falls short of its goal, but it is an admirable effort that portends the brilliance that McCarthy would manifest in "Blood Meridian," possibly the best American novel of the 1980s.

Not too shabby to be McCarthy's first.......2004-02-04

THE ORCHARD KEEPER, Cormac McCarthy's first novel, explores the nature of new versus old ways of life. It's a novel on nature. It deals primarily with three men: John Wesley, a young man coming of age; Marion Sylder, a bootlegger; and Uncle Ather, a hilarious, elderly man who refuses to take any crap from anyone. While these three run into each other throughout the novel, they are also connected to each other in a way through which none of them are aware--through the death of Kenneth Rattner. McCarthy's novel appears to be more of a character analysis than a plot driven story. While a plot does exist, it is not incredibly strong nor prominent. It's more like a series of anecdotes. However, the character depth and symbolism found in the pages of this book are tremendously wonderful. It's definitely a book worth reading again in order to catch all of these symbols and meanings. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy analyzing works, not someone who is just looking for something pleasurable to read. It's definitely not like reading Harry Potter : ). For example, at the beginning of this work, the narrator jumps from person to person, telling part of each one's story with little or no signal of whom is being spoken of. You have to take your time to figure out who the narrator is talking about. This can be rather frustrating at first, so beware! However, if you can tolerate this writing style and don't expect much of a plot, the piece is rather enjoyable, filled with comic elements and brilliance.

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Makes me cry!!
Brings Back Memoies...
Deliverance
The Paperboy
A story about a hmm...Paperboy

The Paperboy (Orchard Paperbacks)
Dav Pilkey
Manufacturer: Orchard Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Makes me cry!!.......2007-09-05

Just wanted to add that we have this on video (The Scholastic video that pretty much brings the pictures to life) and the final scene of the boy and dog flying away to the moon (in a dream) makes me cry everytime!!! Just so freaking sweet. I'm tearing up thinking about it.

A really basic story, but also very sweet and I always enjoy reading about the boy and his doggy out on their morning delivery.Very peaceful scenario.

Brings Back Memoies..........2006-02-28

As a former paper-"person", this book was a wonderful step back in time. Wonderful illustrations, and simple but profound language. My 3 and 6 year olds love it!

Deliverance.......2005-10-27

It's a bad sign when a book published in 1996 already conjures up feelings of nostalgia. Remember paperboys? How kids could earn a little extra money by getting that crack-of-dawn delivery job that put a few more coffers in their pockets? Nowadays, many paperboys have been replaced with adults. Adults with cars, no less. Looking back at Dav "Captain Underpants" Pilkey's Caldecott Honor title, "The Paperboy", the reader is transported to those ethereal moments that exist for some kids even today just before the sun rises. It's a story about a boy, his dog, his job, and that's about it. No grand statements or surprising moments. Just a lovely look at a once common suburban ideal.

On the title page we see a dull gray truck leaving the loading dock of the Morning Star Gazette in (what most of us would call) the dead of night. It makes its delivery of a stack of newspapers at one of the many houses in a particular suburb. The first sentence sets the mood perfectly. "The mornings of the paperboy are still dark and they are always cold even in the summer". A boy forces himself out of his warm bed and makes some breakfast for himself and his corgi dog. After bundling the papers up, the kid and his faithful companion make the familiar route and think their private thoughts. Just as the sun is rising, boy and dog have finished their job and they return home just as everyone else in the family is waking up. The paperboy and his pet, however, climb back into the bed, "which is still warm" and dream of soaring through the night sky.

The book records each small action that the paperboy accomplishes with a small unassuming note of triumph. Sentences like, "It's hard to ride a bike when you are loaded down with newspapers. But the paperboy has learned how to do this, and he is good at it". Also, getting out of a warm bed to do a job is exceedingly difficult to accomplish sometimes, "but they do". Kids don't have to ford rivers or climb mountains to be brave. Just making yourself to do something uncomfortable or unpleasant can be heroism enough. Pilkey recognizes this and celebrates it with understated aplomb.

I loved the fact that the dog in this book was a corgi, by the way. There just aren't enough corgis in children's literature, gol durn it! Aside from Tasha Tudor's books ("A Time To Keep" comes to mind), corgis are the most ignored picture book dogs out there. This is hard to figure when you consider just how cute and cuddly they are. They're the world's only permanent puppies! So if you happen to be a children's illustrator and you feel you have a certain amount of clout in the publishing world (ho ho!), get the word out: We Need More Corgis.

The obvious companion to this book, right off the top of my head, is "The Adventures of Sparrowboy", by Brian Pinkney. In fact, if Mr. Pinkney weren't such an original author in his own right, I'd be mighty suspicious regarding all the similarities between these two books. "Sparrowboy" follows an unassuming paperboy who acquires the power of flight. "The Paperboy" follows an unassuming paperboy who at the end of the book dreams of flight. Both are African-American young men who live in suburban neighborhoods. If you're more interested in doing a full-on paperboy storytime, also consider Don Brown's, "Kid Blink Beats the World". That's a kind of paperboy heroism the likes of which we'll probably never seen again. "Sparrowboy" and "Kid Blink" would be obvious pairings, but the tone of "The Paperboy" has far more in common with Jane Yolen's well-regarded, "Owl Moon". Both books revel in the feeling children have when they are out in the mysterious night and no one else is awake. If you're thinking about having a storytime that considers the natural mysteries that come when the sun is gone, these two are obvious companions. Read alone, however, "The Paperboy" will still extend its quiet bravery to the children that read it. Even if they've never seen a paperboy before, they'll understand how great it can sometimes be to have a job of one's very own

The Paperboy.......2005-03-31

This story is a very in depth tale of a young paperboy who wakes up with his dog very early in the morning before anyone to deliver papers to his neighbors. This book is a wonderfully imaginative story for little children and adults alike.

A story about a hmm...Paperboy.......2004-08-25

Describes the morning "run" made by a paperboy and his dog.

Dav Pilkey has illustrated many books during his career including some of my favorites. The Paperboy's cool background colors give of a soothing feeling(very calming) which would be perfect for when your little one is angry or in a bad mood.

When the Paperboy gets up in the morning he, like eveyone, is still sleepy. But the Paperboy has to make his deliveries before he can snooze any longer. He and his dog, roll the newspapers up, put a green rubber band near the center, and go of to deliver the papers to all the friendly customers. When he is finished he continues on with his sleep. Zzzzz...

Also, have you even known a kid who took his/her job as seriously as the main character in the book.

The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden

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Excellent Book
The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden
Good, but not great
Berry Growing Basics for Beginners
I liked it

The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden
Stella Otto
Manufacturer: Ottographics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden

ASIN: 0963452061

Amazon.com

In the late 20th century, unfortunately, berries are seen primarily in the supermarket at certain times of year, and while this is welcome, it used to be that everyone had a few berry bushes in the backyard: some currants, some gooseberries and a few rhubarb plants. Stella Otto explains how to bring this tradition back and raise lush crops of berries and fruit with pointers on soil nutrition, plant nutrients and mulching that will make your home-grown berries the envy of folks who only see them in the supermarket. This mouth-watering book will get you going.

Book Description

Here's hands-on advice from a professional horticulturist and experienced fruit grower to help gardeners create an edible landscape. The Backyard Berry Book provided all the information that backyard gardeners need to grow strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, lingonberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, and kiwi fruit. Includes details on soil nutrition and testing; disease, pest, weed, and bird control; and trellis design. A trouble-shooting section and Seasonal Activity Calendar will help ensure success.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-05-14

I recommend it to anyone interested in growing fruit at home. The information about the different varieties of each type of fruit was very useful.

The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden.......2006-08-21

Very helpful. We have learned new techniques to try for our berry growing next season. Good source for information for the beginner and not so new gardener both.

Good, but not great.......2006-06-15

This book offers rather generic information on growing a variety of fruits, most of which will be old lore to experienced gardeners. While it would be difficult to be comprehensive with regard to varieties of given fruits, more attention could have been given to them. Also, more specific information on individual fruits and varieties would have been welcome, particularly with regard to site preparation and pruning. The illustrations are poorly drawn and thus not particularly useful.

Berry Growing Basics for Beginners.......2006-01-22

Stella Otto uses plain language and ample illustrations to cover the basics of growing small fruit. Her book contains separate chapters for strawberries, blueberries, brambles, grapes, kiwis, gooseberries, currants, lingonberries and even rhubarb in the backyard garden. The coverage of varieties of each fruit and varietal differences is good, which is why each fruit requires a chapter.

First the fundamentals of growing small fruit are surveyed, including site selection, stock selection, methods of propagation, berry botany, soil nutrition, pH, irrigation, and other cultural practices. Then pest control is discussed including organic versus non-organic controls and Integrated Pest Management techniques that reduce the need for chemical controls. Lastly there are charts, resource lists, and trouble-shooting guides provided in the reference section of this book.

Well worth consulting before planning your berry patch!

I liked it.......2005-08-03

OK, I gave it a 4, cause I'm not done with it yet, and I'm just not too sure. I do like the information, just more of some that I don't need, and would like even more of some I do need, but it seems like a good place to start. A good companion book for her to write would be what to do with all the berries, maybe some recipes, or preserving tips.

Average customer rating:

Filled with bad grammar . . .
Do Like Sister

Do Like Kyla (Orchard Paperbacks)
Angela Johnson
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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One of Three (Orchard Paperbacks)
The Other Way to Listen

ASIN: 0531070409

Customer Reviews:

Filled with bad grammar . . ........2005-05-28

This book was given to my son as a text book and I had to correct the grammar and incomplete sentences before I could let him read it. The title shoud be "Copy Kyla". The page that starts "Got me some . . ." should read "I have . . ." The pages are not numbered. Only two pages are free of grammatical errors. I gave one star for good illustrations and one star for the positive family life and small town atmosphere of the book.

Do Like Sister.......2000-08-11

Anyone who has ever had a brother or sister (or raised a few) knows how much younger children like to copy their older siblings. "Do Like Kyla" is a comfortable tale of one day in the life of two sisters. The younger follows the older through each step of their routine, painting a warm picture of closeness. My daughter enjoyed the simple text and colorful pictures of ordinary family life.

My Mama Had A Dancing Heart (Orchard Paperbacks)

Average customer rating:

Galoshes-Galumphing!
My Mama Had A Dancing Heart
A Lyrical Elegy for Dance
Love it
A lilting story

My Mama Had A Dancing Heart (Orchard Paperbacks)
Libba Gray
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Old Woman Who Named Things
Fireflies (Reading Rainbow)
All the Places to Love
Night in the Country
When I Was Young in the Mountains (Reading Rainbow Books)

ASIN: 0531071421

Customer Reviews:

Galoshes-Galumphing!.......2007-10-02

This book certainly expanded my three year old's vocabulary! She recently began creative dance and loves the book. You'll find her dancing around outside singing, "Galoshes-galumphing, Galoshes-galumphing, Galoshes-galumphing!" Lots of fun!

My Mama Had A Dancing Heart.......2007-03-11

This book is wonderfully descriptive and takes the reader through a beautiful journey through the seasons. It also emphasizes the influence special people can have in our lives. Recommended for readers young and old.

A Lyrical Elegy for Dance.......2007-02-11

This book is a treasure for all who love the melody of words, and the syncopation of the dance. It reads like a poem, and gives a joyous, yet subtly nostalgic, paen to the dance, and the love between a mother and a daughter. I bought it as a gift to the students I have who are dancers, to read to them, and to bring into the world of dance. It is truely a musical book!The scratched illustrations dance in their own right, too.

Love it.......2005-02-28

Nice art and poetry. It's one of our favorites. I love reading it to my children.

A lilting story.......2003-05-28

I first bought this book because I was fond of the author. Reading it the first time to my daughters' first-grade class, I cried. The author, Libba Moore Gray, perfectly captures the dance of the changing seasons and how the mother and daughter celebrate. After I finished the book that first time, a very rough-and-tumble boy asked, "Is that book poetry?" Of course it is! The best kind: the kind that reaches children.

Average customer rating:

Much Better Than the TV Movie!
Better than the movie
Aunt Batty and Eliza's Guardian Angel . . .
Excellent
You can't hide forever

Hidden Places: A Novel
Lynn Austin
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Eve's Daughters
Wings of Refuge
All She Ever Wanted
A Woman's Place: A Novel
A Light to My Path (Refiner's Fire Series #3)

ASIN: 0764221973
Release Date: 2001-07-01

Book Description

A deep yearning for home had led Eliza to Wyatt Orchards ten years ago. Now widowed with three young children, she faces mounting debts and the realization it is all up to her. But she has no idea how to run an orchard alone. When a stranger appears at her doorstep, Eliza guesses he is no different than the other out-of-luck characters searching for work during the Depression. But the familiarity with which Gabe tends to the farm raises unanswered questions. With a vulnerable heart, she is unwittingly drawn to his gentle ways. But Eliza also fears that Gabe hides a past and motives that could jeopardize all she has fought to attain for herself and her children....

Customer Reviews:

Much Better Than the TV Movie!.......2007-06-27

The title first caught my attention as a TV Movie, that seemed like a nice, romantic story, along with plenty of struggles for characters of its historical time, and included Christian inspiration. In my search for the book - which I knew had to be better than the movie - I was happy to find out that Lynn Austin is an author of so many historical, Christian novels. I am close to the end of Hidden Places, and don't want to put it down. I can't decide who my favorite character is: Aunt Batty, Walter, Gabe, or Eliza. This book is full of struggles and hope. It shows how the characters keep their Faith in those difficulties of life.

I recently bought another one of Lynn Austin's titles. I love her style of historical, Christian fiction. I am hooked on Lynn Austin! Keep on writing! We're waiting for more!

Better than the movie.......2007-01-10

This book was made into a Hallmark movie. The movie does not do this book justice. The book is much better and tells you things that are left out of the movie. The book is more in depth on the character relationships than the movie and gives you character background information. Excellent Read!

Aunt Batty and Eliza's Guardian Angel . . . .......2006-04-10

. . . and things not being what they seem. Lynn Austin weaves the consequences of bitterness, deceit into a satisfying tale of redemption and fresh starts. Lots of heart, some humor and a whole lot of trying to figure out why people do what they do.

Excellent.......2006-01-25

This is an excellent book. I could not put it down! I loved the characters. I am new to Christian fiction and am finding it just as good as other fiction out there and a more wholesome read.

You can't hide forever.......2005-08-08

I loved this book. In fact I have read it three times, and when I get it back (I lent it out) I will read it again. The main woman in this story was hiding/ running from God, her dad, but most of all herself. Eventually it all caught up with her when she found out that she could not make it without the ones who love her. Mixed in with it all is a beautiful love story that any girl/ woman would cry over (and I did several times). I loved this book, and one day when I have little girls, I know that they will love it to.

Average customer rating:

A Beautiful Book, Beautifully Organized and Presented
Un libro magnifico.
Florida's Best Fruiting Plants

Florida's Best Fruiting Plants
Charles R. Boning
Manufacturer: Pineapple Press (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fruit | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

100 Orchids for Florida
Herbs and Spices for Florida Gardens: How to Grow and Enjoy Florida Plants with Special Uses
Vegetable Gardening in Florida
Florida Fruit: Fresh Fruit for the Home - How to Choose and Grow Them
Florida Vegetables: How to Grow Them

ASIN: 1561643726

Book Description

Turn your Florida yard into a beautiful cornucopia of delicious fruit. You can grow many of the worldÂ's best-tasting fruits in FloridaÂ's subtropical environment.

Complete profiles of 80 native and non-native fruiting plants, ranging from the familiar, such as the strawberry and orange, to the obscure, such as the grumichama and jaboticaba.

Up-to-date information about the attributes, care, and use of each species.

Range maps, fruiting calendars, and selection criteria are presented in a highly accessible format.

More than 160 color illustrations and almost 200 color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

A Beautiful Book, Beautifully Organized and Presented.......2007-09-07

This is a visually stunning and imminently usable reference book. The author presents some eighty varieties of fruit that grow well in Florida. Most varieties are presented in two-page spreads which include all the basic information one would need (other than an actual taste test) to decide what fruit to include in plans for dooryard gardens, including but not limited to: a full-color illustration of the fruit and how it grows on the plant (most grow on trees); a calendar bar depicting when the fruit is ready to harvest, a map showing where in Florida the fruit will grow (dark green for where it should grow well, light green for where it may grow although conditions are not optimal, and yellow in borderline areas); a silhouette depicting the tree or plant with a scale to indicate the mature size; known hazards (e.g. spines, thorns, pollen, toxic seeds, and so on); soil types and conditions, and much more. There are also many photographs and illustrations showing the fruit cut open.

Of the varieties of fruit presented, I found a total of forty possibilities for growing on my property (central west coast of Florida, on the Nature Coast): thirteen in the dark green area, thirteen in the light green area, and fourteen in the yellow area.

Those totally committed to growing only Florida native plants may be bothered to find fruit like loquat (Japanese plum) presented in this book as it is sometimes considered invasive or a threat to become invasive. Any time a non-native species is planted, there is a risk of its seeds being carried into the wild, including by birds and wildlife. There are advantages to growing plants, including fruit, native to an area; in Florida, the list of native fruit that grows well might be a short list.

In many cases, the author presents representative varieties of the fruit, when in fact there may be hundreds of varieties. The book includes a disappointingly short list of nurseries and could be improved by including more information about where to purchase fruit trees and plants.

Nevertheless, I find no trouble in highly recommending this book. I was considering buying a copy and found it at my local library and decided to check it out and review it first. Now that I have done so, I believe this book would be a bargain at full price.

Un libro magnifico........2007-06-07

He puesto la máxima calificación a este libro por su relación calidad-precio, aparte de ser muy barato es bastante interesante puesto que tiene mas de 80 tipos de frutas tanto para climas templados, subtropicales o tropicales. Puede que no venga mucha información sobre cada tipo de fruta pero lo suficiente sobre su adaptabilidad al clima y suelo, características de la planta y del fruto en cuestión y requerimientos para su cultivo. Además hace mención a variedades y a muchas otras frutas. El libro esta pensado para los habitantes de Florida pero se puede extrapolar a otras zonas puesto que esta región tiene una gran diversidad climática. Quizás lo mejor del libro sea todas esas especies exóticas de las que realmente son muy poco conocidas y de las que hace mención. Otro dato importante es que el autor ha escrito el libro por sus experiencias y no por menciones a otros libros. También tiene como ventaja que es fácilmente leído por personas que no tienen mucho conocimiento del ingles y esta bellamente fotografiado e ilustrado.
En definitiva, un libro interesante por muchos motivos que os lo recomiendo.

Florida's Best Fruiting Plants.......2007-01-08

I have been using an older, standard book on tropical and sub-tropical fruit for reference when writing my weekly garden article. This book has only black-white photographs, and only covers a small number of tropical fruits. I was so pleased to find a new, up-to-date book, with color photography, and descriptions of many more varieties of fruit. Charles Boning's new book will be a classic, tropical and sub-tropical fruit reference book for many years to come. I liked it so much that I purchased an extra copy for my Master Gardener Reference Library!

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