Constant Librarian

Not the very best, but definitely in the top five., Aug 13 2003

This is an extremely eclectic recording, but IMHO, Maddie's gorgeous song "I Live Not Where I Love" alone is worth the price of admission. My other favorites on the CD are the full length version of "Thomas the Rhymer," the two Christmas carols and "Somewhere Along the Road."

I agree with another reviewer--the butchered version of "Montrose" should not have been included. "Stookie, a theme from a British children's TV show, is a nice touch. Even Steeleye Span can be annoying. (Does TV corrupt everything it touches?)

A Lovely Book, April 16 2003

I'm the happy mom of a beautiful girl from China and I heartily recommend this book.

The story is sweet, completely realistic and the illustrations are magnificent. I cried when I read it. My seven year old was completely indifferent. She only likes books about princesses at the moment.

To those who object to the fact that the story includes a lesbian couple, fine, don't buy the book. But I can only quote from John McCutcheon's wonderful book and song "Happy Adoption Day" in the CD "Family Garden"

Some families come different
And some come the same
But wether they're singles or pairs
You're always at home
You're never alone
As long as there's someone who… Read more

Good Popular History, Mar 26 2003

This title is an eminently readable social history of the potato's influence in Western Europe and the United States. It's full of fascinating facts, e.g. innante prejudice about food sources that came out of the ground delaying acceptance of the potato in Europe.

The book's greatest strength is the lengthy and sympathetic description of the Irish Great Famine of the 1840's. I am somewhat familiar with the secondary historical literature of the period and can confidently say that Zuckerman has thorough grounding in the sources and has fairly presented them.

There are some problems: the book could have been better organized, it skips too lightly over the origin of the potato in South… Read more