Books: Recently Received

The Call by Yannick Murphy (Harper Perennial 2011)
A novel set in Vermont features a family coping with a son's accident.

One Bird's Choice by Iain Reid (Anansi 2010)
A year in the life of an overeducated, underemployed, twenty-something who moves back home near Kingston, Ontario.

The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntas Press 2011)
A Jewish teenager in 1928 Massena is accused of murdering a child,

Helen Hosmer, The Spirit of Crane by Nelly Maude Case (ABC's of Canton, NY 2011)
A biography of a beloved teacher and administrator at the Crane School of Music.

Adirondack Roots—Stories of Hiking, History and Women by Sandra Weber (History Press 2011)
Essays and photos of Adirondack characters and places.

Enigma, A Literary Fable
Wynant D. Vanderpoel, Xlibris, 2010
An Adirondack man speaks with God and wrestles with his spirituality

Through These Doors, The story of a Small Business in the Adirondacks
Kathleen Larkin, Bloated Toe Publishing, 2011
Stories about Abanakee Studios in Indian Lake, NY.

The Underground Railroad in the Adirondack Region
Tom Calarco, MacFarland and Co., 2004, paperback 2010
Extensive text and historic photos.

The Loss of the Lake Champlain Bridge, A traveler’s story
Jean Arleen Breed, Bloated Toe Publishing, 2011
Poetry and photos about the bridge and people living near it.

Adirondack Mysteries and Other Mountains Tales
Dennis Webster, ed., North Country Books, 2009

The Global Forest
Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Viking, 2010

Haunted Northern New York, volume 4
Cheri Farnsworth, North Country Books, 2010

Murder and Mayhem in St. Lawrence County
Cheri Farnsworth,The History Press, 2010

Colorful Characters of Northern New York, Northern Lights
Dave Shampine, The History Press, 2010

Transfiguration—Poems
Pat Shannon Leonard, Xlibris, 2010

Adirondack Nature Notes, an Adirondack Almanac Sequel
Tom Kalinowski, illustrated by Sheri Amsel. North Country Books 2010

Pulling Strings, The Legacy of Melville A. Clark
By Linda Pembroke Kaiser  (Syracuse University Press, 2010)
The Clark Music Co. in Syracuse manufactured harps. Kaiser profiles the man and his music.

Contested Terrain, A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks, 2nd edit.
By Philip G. Terrie (Adk Museum/Syracuse University Press)
A well-illustrated history.

New York State Ghosts, vol. II
By David J. Pitkin (Aurora Publications, 2008)
Short accounts of restless spirits.

Postmortem
By Laurel Saville (iUniverse 2009)
A memoir of growing up in LA in the 1960’s with a fashion designer, Flower child, alcoholic mother.

Adirondack Enigma: The Depraved Intellect and Mysterious Life of North Country Wife Killer Henry Debosnys
By Cheri L. Farnsworth (The History Press, 2010)
A history of a late 19th century serial murderer, with drawings and crytopgrams in drew while in the Essex County jail.

Plants of St. Lawrence County, NY: an annotated checklist of vascular flora
By Nancy C. Eldblom and Anne M. Johnson (Bloated Toe Pub. 2010)
A comprehensive guide, meant to be used with other plant ID books.

Full Bloom--Short Stories
By Louella Bryant (Brown Fedora Books, 2010)
Short stories by a Vermont author

Chant
By Rick Henry (BlazeVOX [books] 2008)
Described as an "Oulipo romance", this short novel follows the Order of tones in a chant with characters known only by a letter name.

Get Off Your Knees
By John Robinson (Syracuse University Press, 2009)
Robinson, born a congenital amputee with shortened arms and legs, writes a memoir of his struggles and successes in life. Well illustrated.

Hawk's Surprise
By Maria L. Corse (so self-published I can't find any info, 2010)
A novel for middle school readers about how life changes at an
alternative school in the north country when a student rescues a young owl.

The Unknown Rockwell
By James Edgerton and Nan O'Brien (Battenkill River Press, 2009) Edgerton grew up in Vermont on the farm next to Norman Rockwell's home and modeled for many paintings. Photos.

The Adirondacks that are the Other Half of Me
By Mary Amelia Paladin (BookSurge, 2009) Vignettes that are memories of a lifetime of summers in the Adks.

Cornflower's Ghost
By Thomas Pullyblank (Square Circle Press, 2009) An historical mystery set in upstate New York, based on 200 years of Upstate history.

Adirondack Mysteries
Edited by Dennis Webster (North Country Books, 2009) Ten mystery stories, all set in the Adirondacks.

Stormwind of the North Country
By Jodi Auborn (Publish America, 2009) A Young Adult novel set in the Adirondacks. Teenager Kat runs away from home with her horse, Stormwind, for a month in the wilderness.

Historic Tales from the Adirondack Almanack
By John Warren, (History Press, Charleston and London, 2009) Short pieces published originally online. Topics range from earthquakes to snow mobiles to rattlesnakes.

Adirondack Mouse and the Mysterious Disappearance
By Irene Uttendorfsky, Spruce Gulch Press, Rome, NY, 2009
A chapter book for children set in the Adirondacks.

Sunrise, Sunset-Poetry…just for the joy of it
By Nadine McLaughlin, Graphics North, Jay, NY, 2009
The author's third poetry collection. Many of the poems celebrate living in the Adirondacks.

Terror in the Adirondacks, The True Story of Serial Killer Robert F. Garrow
By Lawrence P. Gooley, Bloated Toe Publishing, Peru, NY, 2009
A not-pretty part of history-the complete story behind the 1973 murders

Long Trail Winding
By Elisabeth Stevens, Goss Press, Sarasota, Florida, 2008
New and collected upstate stories

Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail
By Gerald Smith, Seaway Trail Inc., Sackets Harbor, NY
A color-coded guide to birding, from Pennsylvania to Robert Moses S.P. Author interview

Waterways of War, The Struggle for Empire 1754-1763
By Steve Benson and RonToelke, Seaway Trail, Inc., Sackets Harbor, NY
A traveler's guide to the French and Indian War forts and battlefields

Ghosts of Clinton County
By Gordie Little, North Country Books, Utica, NY, 2009
Twenty-seven spooky stories from Clinton County

Shadow Soldiers of the American Revolution, Loyalist Tales from Canada
By Mark Jodoin, the History Press, Charleston, S.C., 2009
Eleven short biographies, well-illustrated

The Great Financial Crisis, Causes and Consequences by John Bellamy Foster and Fred Magdoff
Published by Monthly Review Press
UVM professor emeriti Fred Magdoff analyzes how the United States arrived at and will recover from its present financial problems.

Adirondack ABCs by Joyce Burgess Smith, illustrated by Linda Davis Reed
Published by North Country Books
In detailed pen and ink drawings each letter of the alphabet is given an Adirondack icon, such as W is for woodpile.

Adirondack Detective, The Years Pass, by John H. Briant
Published by Chalet Publishing
Jason Black, private investigator, solves a mystery inside the Blueline.

Living Waters-Reading the Rivers of the Lower Great Lakes, by Margaret Wooster
Published by SUNY Press
Essays about the natural history and environment of the Great Lakes area. Author interview

Redcoat's Revenge-An Alternate History of the War of 1812 by Col. David Fitz-Enz
Potomac Books. If the British had won the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 would the United States have become a British colony again? Author interview.

All Mortall Things by Maggie Wheeler
General Store Publishing House. A murder mystery set in one of the drowned towns in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Freedom in the Wilds - An Artist in the Adirondacks, third edition, edited by Rebecca Foster
Syracuse University Press. Weston writes an history of the Adks and of his own adventures there.

Contested Terrain- A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks by Philip G. Terrie
Syracuse University Press. This second edition includes chapters on new developments and state land easements.

One Foot Forward - Walks in Upstate New York by Richard B. Frost
Bloated Toe Publishing. History, directions and commentary for walks in northern NYS.

Under an Adirondack Influence - The Life of A.L. Byron-Curtis 1871-1959 by William J. O'Hern and Roy E. Reehil (The Forager Press). A biography of the unofficial "Bishop of North Lake." Author interview.

Skin Deep by E. M. Crane
Random House. In this Young Adult novel Andrea Anderson learns to accept her life when she befriends a dog and a potter.

Considering the Asian Religions by Wade Wheelock
TEACH Services. A guide to understanding, evaluating, and appreciating Asian religions by a scholar and Unitarian-Universalist minister

When Thunder Rolls-The Underground Railroad and the Civil War by Irene Uttendorfsky
Spruce Gulch Press. A Young Adult novel set in Lewis County when families were helping slaves escape to Canada.

Chant by Rick Henry
BlazeVOX Books. An experimental novel structured in the form of a chant, an Oulipan romance.

Adirondack Attic 4-New York State's Mountain Heritage by Andy Flynn
Hungry Bear Publishing 2007: A collection of Flynn's newspaper essays based on artifacts in the Adirondack Museum. Author interview.

Actively Adirondack by Randy Lewis
Hungry Bear Publishing 2007: Reflections on Mountain Life in the 21st century, essays, poems and photos.

Adirondack Detective-A New Beginning by John H. Briant
Chalet Publishing: Briant continues his Adirondack mystery series. Author interview.

Twenty-five Interesting Historical Sites to Explore in the Lake George Region by Roger Fulton and Michael Carpenter
Part of the Common Man Exploration Series, 2007. Author interview.

Spitfire by Kate Messner
A middle grade novel about Benedict Arnold on Lake Champlain.

New York Patriots, a New York State Adventure by Dorothy Blackman
Short historical pieces for young readers.

Butternuts for Rexford by Tom Adessa, illustrated by Dan Gaylord
A high-text picture book for kids, set in the Adirondacks.

Adirondack Stories - Historical Sketches by Marty Podskoch
Single page histories with pen and ink illustrations by Sam Glanzman. Author interview.

The Kept Secret by Stan Wilczek Jr.
A thriller set in central New York State.

Notes from a Fire Tower- Three Poets on the Adirondacks
Glacial Erratica - Three Poets on the Adirondacks, part 2
by Elaine Handley, Marilyn McCabe, and Mary Sanders Shartle
Award-winning poetry chapbooks by an Adk. writing group. Author interview.

A Murderous Twist- Death Comes to the Adirondacks by Aileen Vincent-Barwood
A detective must protect her Adk. town from murderers and a mega-development of luxury homes. Author interview.

Wild Neighbors - A Window on Adirondack Wildlife edited by the Adirondack Explorer editors
A compilation of wildlife articles from the regional magazine, well-illustrated.

Messages from a Small Town-Photographs Inside Pawlett, Vermont by Neil Rappaport
Published by the Vermont Folklife Center. Vintage and modern black and white photographs in a coffeetable-sized text.

The Power of the Dark Goddess and Other Stories by George J. Bryjak
Myopic Moose Press. Ten stories of mystery and humor and 30 "flash-fiction" shorts.

Conversations at the Nursing Home- A Mother, A Daughter and Alzheimer's by Deanna Shapiro
PRA Publishing. Poems chronicling the author's mother's life and illness.

Waking Spirit-Prose and Poems the Spirit Sings by Shirley Cheng
Dance with your Heart publishing. A severely disabled author writes of hope.

Scorekeeping-Essays from Home by Bob Cowser, Jr.
University of South Carolina Press. Autobiographical essays exploring a sense of place.

Develop Critical Thinking Skills, Solve a Mystery, Learn Science by Dana M. Barry and Hideyuki Kanematsu
Tate Publishing. Short stories that introduce science concepts.

The Raven-An Adirondack Odyssey Across Time and Space by Mark W. Holdren
Powell Hill Press. Science Fiction set in the Adirondack Park.

Spirit Wolf-A Mystical Adirondack Journey by Mark W. Holdren Powell Hill Press. Fantasy set in the Adirondacks.

Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County by Peter Klein
Published in 2006 by Ravenwolf Pub., contains 50 short descriptions of hikes and directions on how to get to the trailheads. No maps.

The Dancing Valkyrie by Peter Klein
Published in 2005 by Ravenwolf Pub, a vampire story set in the Adirondacks. Adult content.

The Island Adventures of Frodo McAdoo by Louise de V. Strong
Published in 2005 by Vision Press in Governeur, NY, a novel for middle grade kids (ages 10 to 14) set in the Thousand Islands, NY

Whit and Orpha - They Danced All Night, by Ramon D. Hansen
Published in 2006 by Argus Publishing, Watertown, NY, Hansen (of Carthage, NY) presents the 1881-1885 diaries of his grandfather, a pioneer farmer in Nebraska territory. He provides extensive commentary.

Malian's Song by Marge Bruchac
Pblished in 2005 by the Vermont Folklife Center, picture book about an Abenaki girl in 1759. Her village is burned and destroyed by the British.

Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
Published 2006 by Warner Books, NYT Bestselling mystery writer sets some of this novel in the Adirondacks. Book review.

Cats in a Chowder by Fred J. Schneider
Published in 2006 by Llumina Press, an Adirondack author writes a humorous novel set in Long Island and Alaska.

Nature's Quiet Conversations by John A. Weeks
Published in 2006 by Syracuse University Press, radio commentaries and newspaper articles about conservation, biology and wildlife in the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks. Includes Weeks' sketches.

Grace Brown's Love Letters by Craig Brandon
Published 2006 by Surry Cottage Books, the author of Murder in the Adirondacks includes Grace Brown's letters to her lover and murderer, Chester Gillette. Includes extensive commentary. Author interview.

Murder in the Adirondacks, An American Tragedy Revisited by Craig Brandon
Published in 1986 and 2006 by North Country Books, Utica, NY, the 100th anniversary edition of the infamous murder in 1906 in Big Moose Lake, and Adirondack resort area.

Notes Collected in the Adirondacks 1895 and1896 by Arpad Geyza Gerster
Published in 2006 by the Adirondack Museum, "the fishing and hunting diary with insights of a physician, scholar and humanist," includes an introduction, commentary and Gerster's sketches. Author interview.

The Old Guide's Story of the Northern Adirondacks by Charles E. Merrill
Published in 1973 by Fay Welch, re-published in 2006 by Teach Services, Inc., stories of life 100 years ago around Upper Chateaugay Lake. Well illustrated.

 

Betsy Kepes, our occasional book reviewer, keeps track of new regional books that come to the station. Here are some recent arrivals. 

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