Interesting stories from PA
597908
Interesting stories from my home state that I had never heard of. Some were rather surprising and disturbing, but very interesting.
2814159
Some entertaining stories about the queen and prince phillip and a few others.
1738598
I purchased a copy of this book directly from the author at a downtown event. It is a great survey of Pittsburgh's Irish History, being very readable while not losing its academic foundation. He uses interesting examples and case studies to track the changing social and cultural role of the Irish in the Steel City. Unlike other books on the Irish, he does not begin with the the mass migration of the 1840s, but rather with the Irish Presbyterians who arrived in the 1700s. He includes a lot of previously unpublished or little known material on things like railroad riots, shantytowns, and Civil War hero Charles McKenna. Anyone interested in Irish American history or Pittsburgh's history will enjoy this book.
4023618
Great stories from my home state -- very thought provoking and entertaining!  Highly recommended for use with upper elementary and middle school children in PA.
2891308
LOVED this book.  Could not put it down.  Born and raised in Pennsylvania.  I recall many of the cases presented.  This book reminded me of the details.  Cases are short but to the point.  The crimes are organized into geographical areas.  Liked that!  The book arrived within days of my order.  Love that too.
2446990
This is an interesting collection of short stories and some of them were extremely interesting whereas others were not. The book is divided into three parts and there is a story for everyone. Even though I did not like every short story there were some that really drew me in. Due to the slow pacing of the book overall, some stories felt like they were dragging on and on.
Other than that, the stories are well written and the transition is so smooth between some stories that I had to flip back a few pages to ensure it was really a different character. I think the main premise from this book is that here are a collection of stories of everyday lifes problems and how the individual characters handle them. My favorite two stories were about the accountant and the one about Amala because I could identify with them the most.
309804
A good location and interesting neighborhood stories, and experiences.
3235808
Enjoyed reading the stories. It is surprising how little people change over time. I loved how the stories are told and the information gathered to tell them.
2062960
It's a good information book. It goes way back into Pennsylvania history. It starts with the founder, William Penn.
3722949
A fun, quick read. Lots of interesting stories even if some are highly questionable as ghost stories. One of the nice elements is the amount of detail on how you can find the sites. Also, some great stories of Akron's past.
4207899
excellent stories with some things left to the imagination; not filled with profanity or explicit sex to disguise a lack of writing skill;
stories move along well with interesting facts added about the location; characters are likeable with their own frailties; great entertainment
1572178
J.L Campbell does a good job storytelling with her short stories.  I enjoyed all 5 short stories more then I enjoyed the excerpt from Distraction. The stories include abuse, pushed to the edge of no return, philandering and revenge, obeah, and child abuse.  Although I understood most of the patois I am glad there was a glossy of terms because it saved me time from figuring out what a pocomania is.
4250078
Background studies of a few of the characters in the Paksworld universe - interesting past and future history. I especially enjoyed the stories of Falk and Torre. If you haven't read the series through "Crown of Renewal", you may want to avoid the stories "A Parrion for Cooking" and "The Last Lesson."
2056390
The Grey Forest is a book of short stories.

The first story talks about a son who recently lost his very wealthy father.  The son is a Buddhist who is trying to figure out what to do with his fathers fortune and also wants to continue to practice Buddhism.  The father names the son the same name so he could pass on the legacy.  The ending of this story is great! I think it is unexpected what the son did and the monk seemed scared!

The second story follows a military nurse who goes from studying to practicing nursing.  The guy she meets along the way deceived her and was married.  It was an interesting read and I love the ending of trust.

The third story talks about mass shootings and gun control laws.  The story is a very interesting read and ironic.  I enjoyed what the author did with this piece a lot.  This by far was my favorite short story and one that applies to the everyday now.

The fourth short story talks about a mother and son where the son was paralyzed who visited a shop a bunch to buy some pieces for a collection or browse.  The owner really liked talking to this pair and learned a lot of about the mother and son during their visits.  I think the author did a great job with this story and showing how the owner of the shop found peace.  Also, I think the author did a good job explaining how sometimes after a tragedy occurs people work on it and then sort of forget about it and move on.  The author had great points in this short story.  This story was my favorite by far I could easily relate to the story and found interesting views of the author.

The firth story is about a Dead Mans mail which I can completely relate too.  I am not sure why these companies sending mail don't take the time to see if the person is alive or even living at that address.  This is a quick read that in my mind is very funny!!

The sixth story talks about the war in Iraq.  This story takes an interesting view based on not everyone supporting the war right away.  It looks at the war based on it going on for one month.  The author does a great job telling a story about a child who was harmed in Iraq and showing that innocent civilians where involved.  It does a great job showing that people can change their opinions.

The seventh story talks about four high school girls who are not good at sports.  I enjoyed this story I can relate to being uncoordinated when it comes to sports.

The eighth story talks about a cartoonist who created a fake boy and fake mother.  When the storyteller was at a fair she met the real boy who the fake boy was based on.  He was a Marine serving in Vietnam.  The father and son did not get along in real life and had a bad relationship.  The storyteller took it upon herself to research the pair a few years later and only found that the real boy didn't attend the fathers funeral.  This story wasn't really for me, I am not sure why but I couldn't relate.

The ninth and final story follows a woman who lost everything when her husband committed fraud at his company.  Her son committed suicide and her husband died in jail.  She was without everything now in the world she loved.  She goes to visit sick children who soon will not be living any longer.  It is in giving these children some of her time she finds what pure love was.  This was an interesting story to read and an interesting perspective the author took.

I enjoyed reading this short story book.  I would suggest this as a read for the beach, each story gives you a lot to think about and ponder.  Some stories I had to reread since I felt like I wanted to hear it again and see what I missed.

I would also suggest this as a great book for a book club.  There are so many topics covered and the author takes one approach so it would bring up great discussions.

I received a copy of this book from Maureen Griswold for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not effect my opinion of this book.
656043
interesting book written by Crazy Phil. He goes out of his way to offer a different opinion on some major events in the Philly underworld. Mostly set in the 70s 80s this book is a good follow up to the George Anastasia Scarfo books.
2939316
Very interesting story of this area. My Grandpa could tell old stories like this.
1829046
My grandfather, bless his memory, worked in the mines in the Hocking Valley.  It was interesting to read about the towns, the mines, and the coal barons of his day.