I just finished "Dog On It", one of Mary's recommendations. The premise sounded sort of cheesy, but it was so well written from the point of view of the dog. Chet -- the dog -- will be thinking deep thoughts about the case and suddenly be sidetracked by a cheerio on the floor or the scent of a cat. Very clever. If you like books about cheese making, try "Blessed are the Chessemakers" by Sarah-Kate Lynch. It's fiction with a touch of magic which I'm finding I like in a story. Our book group recently read "Water for Elephants". It was one I would never have picked up on my own and I loved it. The group also picked "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" which I did not read. Little boys being killed in concentration camps is not my cup of tea. I'm also reading "Night Night Little Pookie" three or four times a day to the year old grandson. He likes it as much as I do!

Not about historic gardens, but two books I came across recently: Residential Landscape Architecture by James E. Hiss and Norman K. Booth. A Landscape Design course I'm taking uses excerpts from this book to illustrate basic design principles. It describes the problems most commonly found in residential properties, and how to deal with site conditions such as wind, sun, drainage, and how to measure, analyze, and design or re-design a residential landscape, including how to interview clients before doing a design. No pretty pictures, only line-drawings, but a good basic book on design, and a lot of info I hadn't seen in other design books I have. The other is Garden Design: How to Be Your Own Landscape Architect by Robin Williams. It covers a lot of the basics, materials, and design elements, including some nice examples of actual site layouts without getting bogged down with plant selection. It had nice examples of pergola, fence, wall, and paving styles. The examples of symmetrical and asymmetrical formal gardens were especially interesting to me, as I love formal-style gardens and was frequently at a loss when trying to design around existing structures or plants, or a less than symmetrical lot. I particularly enjoyed this one. Jo

Speaking of books, since we're in a tomato forum, I have a question for everyone: Do you know of a really comprehensive book on tomatoes? By that, I mean one that covers everything about tomatoes that a tomatohead might want to know. I have looked at the following, none of which (it seems to me) is quite what I have in mind: 1. Tantalizing Tomatoes , ed. by Karen Davis Cutler (New York 1997) 2. The Tomato in America, by Andrew Smith (Columbia, S.C. 1994) 3. The Great Tomato Book, by Gary Ibsen (Berkeley 1999) 4. The Great Tomato Book, by Sheila Bluff (Short Hills, N.J. 1999) (the last two books have the same title and were published in the same year; rather remarkable) 5. In Praise of Tomatoes, by Steven Shepherd (New York 1996) 6. Exploring the Tomato, by Mark Harvey, Steve Quilley and Huw Beynon (Cheltenham, U.K. 2002) 7. All About Tomatoes, by Walter L. Doty (? 1981) 8. Terrific Tomatoes, by Mimi Luebbermann and Faith Echtermeyer (? 1994) 9. 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, by Carolyn J. Male (New York 1999) (by far the best of the lot - :)) What I do have in mind is something broader, that would cover at least the following subjects: 1. Biology and cultivation (including different species and cultivars), 2. Genetics and genetic modification (e.g., sad story of the Flavr Savr gene), 3. Origin and evolution (your cousin the tomato), 4. World-wide diffusion and subsequent history (how did the tomato get to India and China, anyway? The English? The Portuguese? The Spanish? One author suggests early sea contact with Peru) 5. Adoption and use in different food traditions (e.g., how do tomatoes fit in with the powerful religious aspects of Indian food tradition?), 6. Health aspects (e.g., effect on prostate and lung cancer, macular degeneration, sun damage to skin), 7. Commercial and economic issues (do they really eat 200 pounds per person per year in Egypt?), 8. Connections with famous people (e.g., Ronald Reagan), 9. Film and literature (nobody should miss Attack of the Killer Tomatoes or its sequels), 10. Myths (e.g., the Robert Gibbon Johnson story) and misconceptions, 11. Tomatoes and sex (no misconceptions there, and no conceptions, either, I suppose [smile]), 12. Enthusiast organizations and festivals (the most spectacular is in Spain), 13. Etymology of popular and scientific names (where did the name lycopersicum -- Wolf Peach -- come from?), and 14. Home growing and cooking (somewhat). I know of course that there are many books on how to grow tomatoes, and many recipe books, but what I am thinking of is something broader, one that would not only contain quite a lot of information about tomatoes, but also use tomatoes as a lense to look into some of the things mentioned (history, biology, even cosmology: for example, without supernovas, tomatoes could not exist). Do you think there is a significant market for such a book? Would you buy it? At Amazon prices? As is probably obvious by now, I am considering writing such a book, and in fact already have prepared an outline and introduction. But before I put a year's work into it, I would very much appreciate any opinions anyone may have on the subject. Thanks very much, Jonathan

I read "Botany of Desire" last summer and found some parts fascinating (apples), and others drawn out & a bit boring (hemp). I learned a lot from it, and though I wouldn't recommend it to a general reading audience, if you are interested in learning about food and like physical science it will probably appeal. I read "Shanghai Girls" this summer and I really enjoyed it. I knew little about Chinese history and culture in the timeframe featured in the book, 1937-'53ish. I learned a lot and found the characters' stories compelling. I began Julia Child's "My Life In France" right before I was hit with an avalanche of stayover guests. Still hoping to finish it before I see "Julie & Julia." The movie might leave the theatres before I do, as more folks are coming for Labor Day weekend. DH & I both read "The Tender Bar" in July, and we both loved it. That was one from last summer's list.. Despite all the rain we had, this didn't turn out to be much of a "reading summer" for us.