Non-Fiction and Biography Book Reviews

Tom P's Fiddle - A True Texas Tale
by Sherri Knight

Bascom Hill Publishing Group
Paperback
ISBN# 978-0-9799120-7-8
Suggested Retail Price: $16.95 or as low as $16.95 from Amazon.com!

Thomas Powhattan Varnell lived in north central Texas in the late 1800's. It was little more than a decade after the Civil War when there was the law of the city and the law of the land. A man had to keep his wits about him or he could easily wind up dead, as Tom P's father had found out when he was ambushed and murdered on his way home one day. Tom P, as Varnell was widely known, was a bit wild, but his mother always believed he would grow out of it. Then one fateful night, Tom P and his friend George were attending a small party when Tom P's penchant for bedding any willing female finally caught up with him. The father of the young vixen caught them en flagrante and took an axe handle to Tom P and started to beat him with it. George came to his rescue by tossing him a .45, which Tom P. used to put a halt to things and killed his attacker. The prison term he got was rather lenient, considering everyone thought Tom P had raped the girl before murdering her naturally outraged father. But the reputation for wildness stayed with Tom P. the rest of his life.

Its a true story with lively embellishments by author Sherri Knight. It shows us the realities of life on the prairie at the dawn of the twentieth century through the story of this complex young man who made wonderful music on his fiddle, but could be totally ruthless when he felt wronged or threatened.

It's All Chinese to Me: An Illustrated Overview of Culture and Etiquette in China
by Pierre Ostrowski, Gwen Penner

All Out Press
Paperback
ISBN# 978-0-9784409-4-7
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $24.95 from Amazon.com!

With the 2008 Olympic Games looming, this book introduces you to China. Brimming with simple pen-and-ink comic book-like illustrations, the authors bring home the simple concepts they try to convey. You'll learn about the earliest history of China and the many facets of Chinese culture. If you're planning to visit for the Olympics or for any other reason, you'll find a great deal of valuable insights into the Chinese people here.

Lake Boats: The Enduring Vessels of the Great Lakes
by Greg McDonnell

Boston Mills Press
Hardcover
ISBN# 978-1-55046-463-4
Suggested Retail Price: $40.00 or as low as $24.98 from Amazon.com!

This glorious coffeetable book tells the story of the giant ships that traverse The Great Lakes and the amazing men that sail on them. The book shows these enormous cargo ships in big, rich color photographs and show not just majestic images of lumbering behemoths, but also the men and machines that make them go. Author Greg MacDonnell uses the 23 page introduction to tell the history of these ships from the dawn of the Industrial Age to today through the story of one ship in particular. Massive and overwhelming, its amazing how beautiful MacDonnel makes these ships appear.

Tom P's Fiddle - A True Texas Tale
by Sherri Knight

Bascom Hill Publishing Group
Paperback
ISBN# 0979912075
Suggested Retail Price: $16.95 or as low as $16.95 from Amazon.com!

Thomas Powhattan Varnell lived in north central Texas in the late 1800's. It was little more than a decade after the Civil War when there was the law of the city and the law of the land. A man had to keep his wits about him or he could easily wind up dead, as Tom P's father had found out when he was ambushed and murdered on his way home one day. Tom P, as Varnell was widely known, was a bit wild, but his mother always believed he would grow out of it. Then one fateful night, Tom P and his friend George were attending a small party when Tom P's penchant for bedding any willing female finally caught up with him. The father of the young vixen caught them en flagrante and took an axe handle to Tom P and started to beat him with it. George came to his rescue by tossing him a .45, which Tom P. used to put a halt to things and killed his attacker. The prison term he got was rather lenient, considering everyone thought Tom P had raped the girl before murdering her naturally outraged father. But the reputation for wildness stayed with Tom P. the rest of his life.

This biography of an amazing character is a true story with lively embellishments by author Sherri Knight. It shows us the realities of life on the prairie at the dawn of the twentieth century through the story of this complex young man who made wonderful music on his fiddle, but could be totally ruthless when he felt wronged or threatened.

The Storks' Nest: Life and Love in the Russian Countryside
by Laura L. Williams

Fulcrum Publishing
Paperback
ISBN# 978-1-55591-629-9
Suggested Retail Price: $16.95 or as low as $10.89 from Amazon.com!

Americans know so little about Russia, its history, and its people that its always a blessing to find a book that gives readers a fresh perspective on that vast country. This is the story of Laura Williams, who grew up in Colorado and moved to Moscow in 1993, just after the fall of Communism and a time of enormous turmoil in that part of the world. There she met a reknown photographer and naturalist named Igor Shpilenok and began to work with him at the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve near the eastern border of Russia. While working with Shpilenok and living in the village of Chhukhrai for an entire year, Williams learns about the people in the reqion and how they live.

Williams writes on a very personal level here. While in Russia, she also wrote a series of "letters from the cabin" that you can find online. The book is filled with the life stories of many different villagers, so you get a small taste of the culture as well as their everyday living conditions. And, of course, you learn about the fascinating Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve and its inhabitants as well.