Off Season

Book Description

In season, there's the tourists. Off season, there's only the locals--and visitors like Carla. She's on a working holiday, editing a book, but first she's got to clean up the house and play host to a bunch of friends. Nearby, a family of barbarous humans lurks in the woods, watching, waiting to feed their unnatural hunger...And within the next few hours, a group of sophisticated people will learn just how small a step it is from civilisation--to savagery...

Customer Reviews:

"Scariest guy in America".......2007-09-05

Stephen King once wrote, "Who's the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum..." King was onto something.

Jack Ketchum has written some of the most horrific, disturbing fiction of this century, and the scariest thing is most his monsters are human. The monsters in Off Season are no exception.

Raised in the woods, stripped of civilization, the antagonists of this story have reverted to savagery and cannibalism. They hunt and kill humans and have several interesting recipes for human flesh. To think that man can regress to such bestiality is horrifying, and only because it's possible. If society can churn out serial killers, then a lack of society can produce something much worse. Off Season shows man at his darkest.

The protagonists of this story are, at first, unsympathetic because of all their flaws and aloofness: we have a no-nonsense editor with a boyfriend who entertains rape fantasies; we have a weak, self-conscious sister. But these imperfections render the characters all the more real, and when contrasted with the cannibals, they quickly become people to root for--especially once Ketchum establishes no one is safe. The character flaws also allow for redemption; the protagonists illustrate that, while man can stoop to depravity, he can also rise to loyalty, bravery, and selflessness, even when hope is futile.

As Stephen King said, Jack Ketchum very well could be the scariest guy in America. But even scarier is his depiction of man's potential for evil.

Stephen King was right!!!.......2007-08-24

Stephen King said that "If you read OFF SEASON on Thanksgiving, you probably won't sleep until Christmas." Oh man, was he ever right! I love Jack Ketchum's writing, and have read several of his books. As far as I'm concerned (and reading horror is "my thing"), only he and Stephen King have so far managed to really make me feel disturbed, which is the best thing to be said about a horror novel.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART..........2007-07-25

It is difficult for me to know who to recommend this book to. I have not been a fan of the recent glut of "torture porn" movies. Off Season does share some similarities with that genre - which is to say that characters are tortured to death in unbelievably gruesome ways and Ketchum describes all of it in minute detail. That having been said, Ketchum does not treat his characters as cookie-cutter victims, the way they are in movies. He makes the reader care about his characters before he has unthinkable things happen to him.

I was turned on to Jack Ketchum by reading praise from Stephen King. Ketchum is very well-respected in the horror-writing community. The story of Off Season is an updated version of the Sawney Beane legend: the story a family living in the woods that, over the course of a few generations, devolves into cannibalistic monsters. In this novel, the cannibal family is forced out of their hiding place and come into closer contact with humanity. They soon discover that human beings taste better than fish. The protagonists are a group of people staying at a summer house in September (off season).

This is a truly horrific, disturbing, and graphic novel. It is very scary - just be sure you know what you are in for before you start reading. There is nothing genteel about this novel.

Couldn't hold my attention.......2007-07-24

I bought this book based on the reviews and I was expecting to be scared and grossed out by it but I was actually kind of bored. Maybe its because the book is alittle dated and I am alittle desensitized but I didn't think it was up to todays "gross out" standards, atleast in my opinion.

Holy @#$%!!!.......2007-07-06

When I was in high school, I was a huge fan of horror books and stories. Then, after majoring in Literature in college, I became some what of a booksnob - only reading the classic or works of 'serious' fiction. This book pulled me out of that God-forsaken hole! This is the first Jack Ketchum book I had ever read and all I can say is that I was hooked from the first chapter. Ketchum reminds me of old school Wes Craven (1970s pre-Freddy). Your not sure that any of the characters are ever safe (and most of the time they aren't!). Anyone could die at any moment and that makes for a thrilling read. I highly recommend this book to any current horror fan, new horror fan, or former horror fan trying to get back on the horse!!

Average customer rating:

Ketchum Rules!
Off Season's successful sequel
Lot's of fun gore and violence and a great read too!

Offspring: The Sequel to Off Season
Jack, Ketchum , and Stephen, King
Manufacturer: Overlook Connection Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1892950782
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

"Who's the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum, the outlaw horror writer whose terrifying first novel is finally available. That would be Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition." -Stephen King. Now OFFSPRING, the sequel to Off Season, has been released in this unique edition. Just when you thought the horror of Off Season was vanquished in their first outing, The Family, lives on... years later continuing to terrorize the coast of Maine. And their zest for life, and yours, continues on in The Family tradition. The local sheriff of Dead River, Maine, thought he'd killed them off ten years ago... a primitive, cave-dwelling tribe of predatory savages. But somehow, the clan survived. To breed. To hunt. To kill and eat. Now the peaceful residents, who came to Dead River to escape civilization, are fighting for their lives....

Customer Reviews:

Ketchum Rules!.......2007-07-16

just a warning though---amazon advertises this book as hardcover but it's a paperback (size of a hardcover but paperback)

Off Season's successful sequel.......2007-07-14

He hit the mark dead center with this follow-up to Off Season. Well done! A must read. If you enjoyed the first one, this one will be sure to please you.

Lot's of fun gore and violence and a great read too!.......2007-03-16

This book was a good follow-up to the original. It had a good storyline and plenty of gruesome details. If you liked the original this is a must have sequel.

Death in the Off-Season: A Merry Folger Mystery

Average customer rating:

Great Beginning

Death in the Off-Season: A Merry Folger Mystery
Francine Mathews
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688134432

Customer Reviews:

Great Beginning.......2000-04-17

As a first in the Merry Folger series, this book provided all the great elements of a classic mystery: developed characters, suspense & a puzzle to gnaw your teeth on. The death of Peter Mason's brother draws detective Merry Folger into a relationship with the bog owner, providing a touch of romance woven into the web of mystery. The characters are so well written, without being sentimental, that by the end of the book, you feel they live next door - you want to know what happens next in their lives. The mystery itself rates with the best of them, and the setting of Nantucket is so well written, you'll want to be on the next ferry - but not without someone watching your back!

Average customer rating:

great winter cozy in Martha's Vineyard
Off Season
very good mystery
I have lived on Martha's Vineyard in the off-season.
LIKE TAKING A MINI VACATION WITH EACH BOOK!!!!

Off Season
Philip R. Craig
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684196174

Book Description

Tourist season may be over...
but the killing season has
just begun.

There's nothing like Martha's Vineyard on these crisp autumn days, after the season has ended. Now that the "off-islanders" are finally off the island, ex-Boston cop J.W. Jackson is free to relax, fish, and make future plans with his lady love Zee. But the natives are getting seriously restless this fall, with animal rights activists squaring off against deer slayers and environmentalists butting heads with land developers. Things have reached the boiling-over point -- and it's not long before verbal arrows become real ones. And when a most unlikely victim is caught in the lethal crossfire, Jackson can't just sit by idly with a fishing pole in his hand. Someone has to lead the hunt for a killer, and J.W.'s the man -- even if there's a chance that he won't live to see next summer.

Customer Reviews:

great winter cozy in Martha's Vineyard.......2007-05-10

This book has animal rights protestors vs hunters, a gangster connection, a shady politician, sexual peccadillos, romance among a widow and widower, and kittens. Snow is falling all over the island during Christmas season, and Nash Cortez is stirring up trouble with the animal rights protectors. Later, a dead body is found, and our hero is hired by the girlfriend of the deceased to find the killer. He warns her, she might not like what he finds... a premonition of what is to come. This book was full of enjoyable aspects, and every chapter was a pleasure to read. As with all of Philip Craig's books, you will work up an appetite salivating over the food descriptions too. Thumbs up!

Off Season.......2007-01-05

I always enjoy Philip Craig's writing. His characters are real to life and fun to get to know. I have read almost everything about J.W., Zee and the kids. Also enjoy his collaboration with William Tapply. I like the way the characters age from book to book. First, just dating, then married, the children arrive and we get to watch them grow. It is like having very nice neighbors next door. The introducing of the recipes is great too and I have tried some of them and they are as good as they sound in the books. Fishing will never be a hobby of mine but J.W.(via Philip Craig) makes it really sound like fun. Shall look forward to many more books in the future.

very good mystery.......2004-08-01

This mystery series is ivery very good. I think that they are almost as good as the Dirk Pitt series. Anyone who is a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series will like them or anyone who grew up reading and liking Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys will like them. I sugest the series for those who have outgrown the Hardy boys or read all of the series and are looking for a new good mystery series to read.

I have lived on Martha's Vineyard in the off-season........2002-09-19

I lived on Martha's Vineyard for several years year-round, during the bustling summers and what is known as the "off season." Philip R. Craig's novel captures perfectly the sense of community that year-round Islanders enjoy. He also gives a realistic account about how everyone knows everyone else's business in a closely-knit environment. His characters Mimi and Nash are true to life. His descriptions about how people eke out a living scallopping and fishing in the off-season are also quite accurate. Craig also mixes into his cast of characters a few professional and business people, and their interaction with the native Islanders is key to his story. The suspense in "Off Season" is great, and I could not guess the outcome until the final pages of the book. I also love this book because it contains so many evocative passages about Martha's Vineyard. I feel like I am living there again when I read Craig's (a/k/a J.W. Jackson's) descriptions of my beloved Island. I know every secluded beach and back road about which he writes. When he writes about Wasque Point, I can almost see the sun setting westward over the beach in the late afternoon and feel the salty spray on my face from the crashing waves. Reading this book was like taking another vacation on the Vineyard!

LIKE TAKING A MINI VACATION WITH EACH BOOK!!!!.......1998-08-23

L LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THESE BOOKS!!!!! A very dear friend introduced me to this marvelous series a couple of months ago and i'm completely, totalllllly addicted!!! i think it would be great to have a recipe section at the end of each book...i'd love to try j.w.'s bluefish pate! as i was reading the earlier fantabulous books, i wondered how martha's vineyard would be 'off season' and lo and behold, that was the very next book in the pile to read....never, ever stop writing about j.w. and zee and their crazy adventures....i'd love to have this great couple as next door neighbors!!!! thanx for so many wonderful hours savoring the incredible descriptions of places and recipes!!!!! i'm simply thrilled that i have 3 more books of this fun series in order to catch up to the present!!!! and when i'm reading something else, i actuallly miss j.w. and zee....crazy, huh???

Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore

Average customer rating:

Are we there yet?
Move Over, Conroy!
A rare treat, an emotional winter jaunt
For the love of the ocean.
Ever want to get away from it all?

Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore
Ken Mcalpine
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1400049733
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Book Description

No Longer the Forgotten Season

Just after Labor Day, Ken McAlpine said good-bye to his family and began a drive up the East Coast, from Florida to Maine, on a one-man quest to capture the elusive “forgotten season” of beach towns shuttered until the return of warm weather. Off-Season is a moving portrait that brings to life the magic of the sea and shore in winter, the charm of beach towns emptied of summer crowds, and the warmth and eccentricities of year-round coastal residents who revel in small-town spirit.

McAlpine skipped the more popular destinations like Nags Head, Virginia Beach, Cape May, and the Hamptons, opting to visit lesser known locales like Sharpes, Florida; Tangier Island, Virginia; and Montauk, New York. There he found people who celebrated the departure of the tourists with the cautious hope they’d return next summer. He encountered fishermen struggling to make a living, a former playboy lifeguard now ministering to the elderly and ill, a marine policeman both reviled and respected, a lone kayaker paddling away his grief, a couple fighting to save the world’s coral reefs, divers searching for everything from false teeth to dead bodies in dark waters, and deserted snow-covered beaches more beautiful than anyone could describe.

More than a travelogue—and a whole new breed of beach read—Off-Season is a stroll off the beaten path and a look at the people and places in our country that keep the spirit of community alive.

Customer Reviews:

Are we there yet?.......2005-10-19

I really had high hopes for Ken McAlpine's Off-Season:Discovering America on Winter's Shore. When I got to Quoddy Head I just didn't feel fulfilled. Not that this travel book didn't have its good moments, but you know that point in a vacation where you just want to get home, that's how I felt reading this book. In the author's quest to give us "local color" he at times drones on. The highlights of the book were his trips to Tangier and Hog Islands. But, the last third of the book was rushed. In the beginning of the book McAlpine dawdled and this might be the reason why there just wasn't any meat at the end. His constantly reminding the reader how he just wasn't another tourist and endeared himself to the "locals" started to make my teeth hurt after awhile. Finally, I grew up within 30 minutes of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay and it seemed to me like in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states the author skipped over quite a bit. This tome to the loneliness of a winter's sea is just OK, kinda like a soggy peanut butter sandwich at the end of a day at the beach.

Move Over, Conroy!.......2004-12-09

This book sings of the eastern coast of the United States in much the same style as my favorite Poet-Novelist, Pat Conroy. I can feel the salt spray, and the cold, and the emotional ups and downs of the author as I savor each chapter!

I have craved my own experiences in these locations, and maybe someday, I'll use McAlpine's book as a tour guide!

A rare treat, an emotional winter jaunt.......2004-11-21

Journalist Ken McAlpine's decision to travel slowly from Florida to Maine in the dead of winter could not have been more appropriate. Familiar miasmic tourist locations like Key West, the Outer Banks, the Jersey Shore, Long Island's East End, coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and the Cape all take on new sheen and character under McAlpine's pen. I couldn't help but be jealous for all the solitude and friendship he found on his frigid but warm winter trips. Anyone who has appreciated a quiet, special location when the tourists were all gone will doubtless appreciate the dialog, the characters and the voyage itself. As several reviewers have already noted, McAlpine's fresh travel log achieves and instills an admiration, respect and vigorous hope for an America in which there is still so much originality, warmth and community. Thanks to McAlpine, we can recognize that hope. I loved this book.

For the love of the ocean........2004-09-02

Throughout his life the ocean has mesmerized Ken Alpine; the effect on his soul by the ocean has been tremendous. He even states that he was almost born and he kissed his true love by the ocean's edge. What interests him are individuals who are also connected to the ocean and who live within its vicinity year round. In OFF SEASON Ken Alpine embarks on a physical, albeit emotional, journey north from Florida to Maine during the autumn and winter months after the departure of the tourists to ascertain the authentic edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

I have very little experience with the East Coast so reading this book was refreshing. I gained a new perspective of how these small communities survive and have evolved throughout the decades and their inhabitants. Soon after beginning this book it is clearly apparent that Alpine is no fan of tourism and the development of the oceanfront. He continually laments the commercialization and homogenization of society and it's destructive forces; during his journey he deliberately avoids the large tourist resorts in favor of the unforgotten fishing towns that border the Atlantic.

If you don't mind repeatedly being bombarded with Alpine's political agenda OFF SEASON is a meaningful, innovated travelogue of one man's fascination and concern with the ocean and the individuals who make their living near it year around. Recommended.

Ever want to get away from it all?.......2004-07-18

Do you ever feel like getting away for awhile, leaving family and friends for a brief vacation - but can't? Pick up a copy of this book to have on hand when the mood hits. Like the armchair athlete, you will have a vicarious experience, but you won't find a more enjoyable or relaxing way to "go".

Author Ken McAlpine left on this trip initially because "the world seemed to be sliding with exponential speed into a cesspool of trouble ...terrorism, murder, corporate fraud...the woeful list...familiar to anyone who reads today's news".

(Does this sound like anything YOU may have felt lately?)

McAlpine believes (and seeks to confirm) that "most of the world isn't like this...that the clamor and flash of mayhem and mistrust have drowned out the better behavior of the world at large". His trip is a test of sorts: does he find the "proof that the world still rests on a quiet foundation of hope and community"?

He decides to visit oceanside communities in winter, exploring the reality that exists when they are uncluttered by tourists and the usual summer distractions. McAlpine is a travel writer, so he beautifully describes the locales he visits up and down the eastern seaboard. But he is also an astute observer of human behavior and has a degree in environmental science, so his perceptions are interesting and informative as he shares stories and chats with the locals about their way of life. I found myself happy to be "traveling" with Ken because his wonderful, dry sense of humor puts much of what he finds into a warm, compassionate and often hilarious perspective.

Does he find what he's looking for?

Book Description

Life is looking up for D.J. Schwenk. She's in eleventh grade, finally. After a rocky summer, she's reconnecting in a big way with her best friend, Amber. She's got kind of a thing going with Brian Nelson, who's cute and popular and smart but seems to like her anyway. And then there's the fact she's starting for the Red Bend High School football team—the first girl linebacker in northern Wisconsin, probably. Which just shows you can't predict the future. As autumn progresses, D.J. struggles to understand Amber, Schwenk Farm, her relationship with Brian, and most of all her family. As a whole herd of trouble comes her way, she discovers she's a lot stronger than she—or anyone—ever thought. This hilarious, heartbreaking and triumphant sequel to the critically acclaimed Dairy Queen takes D.J. and all the Schwenks from Labor Day to a Thanksgiving football game that you will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

marketed for young adults, but it's not The Princess Diaries.......2007-07-29

This book, the sequel to Murdock's Dairy Queen, may be marketed for young adults, but it's not the equivalent of Sweet Valley High or The Princess Diaries, as both the book and heroine D.J. Schwenk have their feet planted firmly in reality. D.J. is a high school junior in rural Red Bend, Wisconsin, who has a lot on her plate: handling the pressure and jibes directed at her as the first female member of the high school football team; trying to figure out and handle her feelings for Brian, the quarterback of the rival high school team; and putting in hours of work on her family's dairy farm, worrying that said farm will soon go under; trying to reconnect with her best friend, Amber, who has recently come out and is dating an older woman; and, of course, struggling with school work.

The Off Season is such a gripping read that I read it a single sitting. D.J. is such a believable, sympathetic character and faces up to her challenges (including a big one towards the end of the novel) that the reader empathizes with her throughout, even when she does something somewhat foolish. Murdock does an admirable job of capturing the rhythm and concerns of small town and rural life and has an ear for dialogue. The supporting characters, including her father, mother and younger brother, ring true and are fleshed out enough that they give us a picture of D.J.'s upbringing and family life. This is one-level headed girl with a down-to-earth grip on what's important in life. I can't wait to read of her further adventures.

Serves up surprising twists while staying true to life.......2007-06-27

D.J. Schwenk spends Labor Day at the neighbors' picnic, eating and playing a baseball game so funny that she literally falls down laughing. But the family's cows must be milked and fed, so the Schwenks leave early to tend to their dairy farm chores. At home Brian Nelson shows up, to D.J.'s delight. Brian helps with the cows, he and D.J. discuss their last football game (they play on opposing teams), and then there's a little awkward shuffling as he prepares to leave. D.J. remembers how they botched their one attempt to make out as Brian takes off.

When school starts, D.J. discovers that she is no longer invisible, thanks to the fact that she's the only girl on the football team. However, D.J. doesn't like the attention; she joined the squad to prove to herself that she was unique, not to become public property.

D.J. is thrilled when Brian calls to ask her to ride with him to Minneapolis over the weekend. But she turns him down for Saturday because her brothers play college football. Watching the games with her family is more important than anything else, so she's relieved when Brian suggests a Sunday trip. Their excursion ends with kissing so inflammatory that D.J. suddenly understands how easy it would be to "Do Anything Stupid" (which her mother constantly warns her against).

To her amazement, D.J. learns that the paparazzi are after her story. She doesn't want people accusing her of being a linebacker to get publicity. But maybe those reporters from People won't show up after all...

Meanwhile, kids at school begin hassling D.J.'s best friend Amber because of Amber's girlfriend. Amber starts cutting school, which is a total bummer for D.J. Next, D.J. is benched for "bullying" when she was actually defending a kid from a real bully.

Can things go even more downhill? Certainly. D.J. grapples with the secret knowledge of her family's financial situation, impossible decisions that challenge her loyalties, physical pain and romantic confusion --- not to mention a whole load of humiliation. And then something happens that is so earth-shattering that it puts all her other trials into perspective.

Catherine Gilbert Murdock's characters are so real, I wouldn't be surprised to bump into one of them at the grocery store. There is not a stereotype to be found among the cast --- from the brilliant, good-with-little-kids younger brother to Amber and her barbecuing girlfriend Dale. And how refreshing it is to have a large, tall female main character who is in love but also plays football, roofs sheds, struggles with schoolwork and would never yearn to be a size 2.

The pace is lively, and the plot serves up surprising twists while staying true to life. As much as I enjoyed the first half of the book, once I hit the gut-twisting middle, I just could not put it down. THE OFF SEASON is a total winner, fulfilling the promise of the first installment of D.J.'s tale, DAIRY QUEEN. Dare we hope for a third?

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

Filled with heart and humor. A must-read........2007-06-24

I was eager to read Catherine Murdock's The Off Season, sequel to Dairy Queen, because I loved the first book. The Off Season picks up right where Dairy Queen left off. Quiet, determined D.J. attends the Jorgensen's annual Labor Day picnic and starts her junior year in high school. School is a bit different for her now, because she's playing on the school football team. As a girl. So she gets more attention than she's used to. It's mostly positive attention, because she's good at football. So the year starts out well for D.J. Things really look up when the handsome rival quarterback, Brian (featured in the previous book), begins treating her as more than just a friend.

But alas, things start to go downhill from there. An injury makes D.J. question whether or not she can continue playing football. D.J.'s best friend, Amber, is wrapped up in a new girlfriend, causing some strain. D.J.'s favorite brother, Curtis, is sneaking around and lying to the family, and their mother throws out her back from the stress. Not to mention Brian's evident reluctance to be seen with D.J. out in public. And then a real tragedy occurs, changing everything for D.J. and her family.

Oh, how I love the Schwenk family. They are dysfunctional, but in a non-toxic, quirky sort of way. D.J. has to take on responsibilities well beyond her years because she's the only one physically and mentally capable of doing so. Her mother is laid low by the back injury. Her father's inability to help is based solely on his personal limitations, which D.J. accepts as part and parcel of who he is. As for D.J., she grows up tremendously over the course of a few difficult months. Here are a couple of examples that capture D.J.'s understanding of her family:

"Mom made it back from her walk, all pink and dripping and holding her back, which apparently doesn't like puffing so much. At least she didn't seem mad at me anymore. Sometimes time apart is just the same as an apology. It is in our family, anyway." (Chapter 10)

""Oh. Okay," Mom said, a hundred questions in her voice. Questions she couldn't ask because that's not our family." (Chapter 14)

I also enjoyed watching D.J.'s unfolding relationship with Brian, and her eventual understanding of the cause of Curtis's strange behavior. While I saw both resolutions coming, more or less, I still appreciated watching D.J. figure things out in her own way. And I promise, readers will appreciate the Curtis story.

But I think what I love most about The Off Season, as with Dairy Queen, is D.J.'s voice (both books are told in the first person, as D.J. looks back to summarize recent events). She's funny, in an offhand, shy sort of way, and completely genuine. It's hard to believe (and a bit sad to realize) that she isn't a real person. Here are just a few of my favorite examples:

"You know the expression "fall down laughing"? I actually did. I was laughing so hard, standing there on my little pitcher's mound, that after a while my knees didn't work and I had to lie down and try to breathe as I watched Curtis getting dragged around the bases. It was, hands down, the funniest thing I've ever seen." (Chapter 1)

""He shook his head. There are times when I'm next to someone and I don't feel incredibly taller than that person, and bigger too. This was not one of those times." (Chapter 3)

"Thinking back, I can't remember ever being that happy, straight happy, like I was that day. I mean, I get excited enough watching sports and doing them, but it wasn't the same. Maybe you can understand the difference." (Chapter 4)

"It's not such a good idea to go around kissing rival linebackers, at least not in high school football. I wouldn't know about the pros." (Chapter 6)

All in all, I like The Off Season at least as much as I liked Dairy Queen. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to people looking for a strong coming of age story, filled with both heart and humor. Catherine Murdock can bring tears to my eyes, and then have me laughing on the next page. I don't know if there are any plans for it, and I admit that we leave D.J. with most loose ends fairly well wrapped up, but I would still love to see another chapter in her story. Highly, highly recommended for young adult and adult readers.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 24, 2007.

The Off Season.......2007-06-20

I loved this book, probably just as much or more than the first. It's so realistic, and so moving, but not in the corny way that I see most of the time. The end is wonderful, and Catherine Murdock does a great job of putting the good with the bad, and so it makes this book an enjoyable read. Love it :D

Should be on every young woman's bookshelf.......2007-06-05

D.J. is a breath of fresh, down-to-earth country air, and one of the best female characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She plays varsity football and not as the kicker, but the linebacker. She plays for Red Bend High School. Her boyfriend kind-of is Brian Nelson, one of the most popular guys at Hawley High School, and Hawley's quarterback. The two schools have been major rivals forever. Can their relationship survive football season?

D.J. isn't even the type of girl she envisions Brian dating. She's the strong, silent type like most of her family and nothing like the popular girls she thinks he'd prefer. When she's put on the spot, verbal acuity completely escapes her.

Good grades don't come easy to D.J., but she is an intelligent and witty narrator. Her adventures, misadventures and the struggles she faces throughout will make readers laugh, cry and blush. D.J. is trying to help keep her family's dairy farm going. Her best friend might be leaving town, thanks to the bullies at school teasing her for being a lesbian.

D.J. is also trying to keep from disappointing the team in her first season as a football player. These problems seem pretty major until her older brother Win, a quarterback for the University of Washington, is seriously injured on the football field.

The Off Season is the sequel to the a novel, Dairy Queen, winner of several awards including the Borders, Original Voices Award, in the Young Adult category.

Armchair Interviews says: This book should be on every young woman's bookshelf. Gift some young woman and listen to her rave about the wonderful and real characters.

Average customer rating:

Awful, ridiculous
Menemsha Madness
A melodrama that has a lesson to teach and a story to enjoy
The Off Season -- a thoughtful, well-crafted romance
The Off Season -- a thoughtful, well-crafted romance

Off Season
Jean Stone
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553580868
Release Date: 2001-01-02

Book Description

Jean Stone is a gifted writer of romantic tales that capture the unique feel of New England while introducing characters who live in readers' hearts forever. Her latest novel is her most moving work to date, the story of a woman who gave up everything she had for the man she loved -- but must now find the strength to stand by him during his darkest hour....

Once Jill McPhearson had a life any woman would envy: a successful career as a television anchorwoman and a handsome fiance. But she gave up everything to start anew in her childhood home of Martha's Vineyard.

For Jill, carving out a new, lower-profile career on the island is a struggle. But falling in love -- and then marrying -- local carpenter Ben Niles feels natural and seamless. It feels right. Steady, rugged Ben...the man who makes Jill feel she has it all -- or at least all she really needs.

But when Ben is accused of a shocking crime, Jill's world turns upside down -- and everything she thought she knew is called into question. The small-town island life Jill loves is suddenly unbearable, as Ben and Jill try to hide their terrible secret from everyone they love. And now Jill must ask herself: how do you recapture a life that may never have existed in the first place?

Customer Reviews:

Awful, ridiculous.......2007-08-15

I cannot understand the good reviews. Jill is completely ridiculous in her behavior towards her husband whom is a sweet, caring, good man. Immediately she is unsupportive & continues to be this unjustly way. At the beginning she almost cheats on him too. She apparently is too weak & selfish to be able to handle any of life's conflicts even though she's been lucky enough to have a pretty nice life. I liked her in the first book. But Ben deserves way better. I'm normally very anti-men because the majority of them are lacking. Ben is quite the opposite and any woman would love to be his partner. He shows his weakness as well which is quite understandable & this is when he needs a strong partner to step up to the plate. Jill doesn't appreciate what she has in Ben and her friendship with Rita. She doesn't know what true uncondtional love is & yet she has it from both as well as others.

Menemsha Madness.......2001-06-17

Jean Stone is an extremely gifted writer. Here she takes up one of the most vexing social issues of our times: the ease with which innocent people can be ruined by false accusations of child abuse. For all that, I'm a bit baffled that the creator of the inspiring Jess Bates Randall and the ensemble in Sins of Innocence and its brilliant sequel, Tides of the Heart, devotes her powerful talent to chronicling the fortunes of the uninspiring Ben, Jill, their families, friends and neighbors.

The tale is a comedy of sad, unintended errors on the part of people who, for all their wealth, privilege and success, seem rather shallow and surprisingly inept. They make all sorts of assumptions about one another that they never bother to check out, seem to have slight insight into their own motivations and, though they want to believe they have faith and trust in one another, they really don't. ...

A melodrama that has a lesson to teach and a story to enjoy.......2001-02-15

Everyone who knew Jill McPhearson wonders why she gave up her TV news anchor career and her engagement to Christopher "the sexiest man alive" Edwards to return to her home in Martha's Vineyard. Jill knows that behind the façade of the contented anchorwoman was an unhappy person. Her move turns blissful when she falls in love and marries carpenter Ben Niles.

However, a serpent enters Eden when the police arrest Ben for child molestation. The alleged victim Mindy is not even a teen, but is the granddaughter of Ben's enemy Dave Ashenbach. Ben and Mindy know the truth, but will his beloved Jill trust and believe his cry of innocence or will she join the horde of so-called friends and neighbors ready to guillotine Ben?

OFF SEASON is a great tale that treats its dual serious topics, genuine child molestation and the off shoot of false accusation of that ugly crime, with the proper perspective. The story line brings home to the reader the repulsive nature of a real incident as well as the impact of a false accusation. The plot works on may levels because the characters and their interrelationships feel just like neighbors to the audience. The aftermath of Mindy's accusation leaves the audience feeling empathy towards Ben and Jill, and sympathy towards the little girl. This awesome author leaves no stone unturned in providing an exciting, educating novel enlightening that will bring the writer many kudos and awards.

The Off Season -- a thoughtful, well-crafted romance.......2001-02-10

What is interesting about the "Off Season" is that it examines a relationship that is already established. We know from the beginning that Jill and Ben, the main characters, are in love, married and living a rather idyllic life on Martha's Vineyard. Jill is a former television celebrity, who runs a production company. Ben is a carpenter and builder. Their children, both from former marriges, are grown and doing well. By all counts, they seem to have it all -- a great relationship, interesting careers and steadfast friends. All of that changes in a heartbeat when Ben is accused of a horrible crime that involves a young girl. The strain on the marriage immediately becomes apparent. When the characters start discovering there are things that they didn't know about each other, their relationship starts to unravel. In the process, the true characters of Jill and Ben are revealed. This book is a romance that has nothing to do with how broad the hero's shoulders are or who perfectly heart-shaped the heroine's face is. It's about seeing the people we love as flawed and imperfect and loving them anyway, and being redeamed in the process.

The Off Season -- a thoughtful, well-crafted romance.......2001-02-10

Off-Season Training for Cyclists (The Ultimate Training Series from Velopress)

Average customer rating:

A lot of advices bundled together
Needless Purchase
Needless Purchase

Off-Season Training for Cyclists (The Ultimate Training Series from Velopress)
Ed Burke , and Harvey Newton
Manufacturer: VeloPress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Training | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1884737404

Customer Reviews:

A lot of advices bundled together.......2001-01-09

The only good advice this book gives you is how you should combine weightlifting and cycling throughout the year. It does so by illustrating different exercises, but no schedules or programs are provided. Interesting, but the rest of the off-season advices are more how you do it than why you should do it. How will a certain exercise make me a better cyclist? That is what I want to know. It seems like a lot of good advices have been bundled together and thus lacking an overall plan. Sorry, but I expected more from Ed Burke.

Needless Purchase.......2000-07-02

The book is supposed to give insights into off-season for cyclists, and according to its description one is led to believe that it caters to seasoned cyclists as well as recreational athletes. I felt that the whole book is a synopsis of articles appearing in cycling fitness magazines, and that it is not a useful book at all. To be more precise, I expected some sample programs of what one could do in various winter situations. (Off-season in Germany is very much different to off-season in Arizona) What kind of different sports? at what intensities and with what combination? What do high caliber athletes do? Track riders? Criterium specialists? Time trialists? How about individually (according to bicycling discipline that is) categorized schedules? How about the major question of how to combine weight training (especially squats)and aerobic sports without injuring your knees as I did this past winter! I didn't find any of these questions addressed anywhere in this book. Instead, one finds general information on weight exercises,some information on indoor training, stretching, and so on. Personally, after having read "smart cycling..." by Arnie Baker, I feel that all the information that the "Off-Season" book contains is included in Baker's book along with a whole bunch of other useful training advice. In fact, if one subscribes to any bicycling magazine would know of all the topics the book addressed. Therefore, why buy an individual book on off-season training? I expected more from Ed Burke whose articles I read often. I was dissapointed and I would not recommend this purchase.

Needless Purchase.......2000-07-02

Average customer rating:

Off Season: Horror At Its Best!
Just bloody enough
Unrelenting. Uncompromising.
.44 Magnum?
Very good read

Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition
Jack Ketchum
Manufacturer: Overlook Connection Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1892950200

Book Description

They had Hunted every animal but there was no flesh like man's . . . Welcome to Jack Ketchum's ferocious and unforgettable first novel, Off Season. Originally published in 1981, Off Season was a defining moment of contemporary horror fiction, an instant classic whose impact on the writing and reading of horror continues today... ...when I read Off Season, I knew that its writer was different; that he was working from that raw and risky perspective known as personal vision, and that he had written a novel that was his own, and not what a publisher wanted or expected. Stocked in the shadows of bestsellers and a blur of Stephen King wannabes, Off Season was issued as a paperback original by Ballantine -- a publisher who has never shown much enthusiasm for the fiction of fear. The cover was a minimalist triumph, its title embossed in black on black, stained with a red thread of blood. The author's name -- a pseudonym -- was reported in white block capital letters, and the top of the cover announced:"THE ULTIMATE HORROR NOVEL." The hyperbole was deserved. Off Season was the genuine article, its horror insistent, visceral, and disturbing.-- From the Introduction to Off Season: Unexpurgated by Douglas E. Winter

Customer Reviews:

Off Season: Horror At Its Best!.......2007-02-20

This has to be one of the best books I've ever read! I've read many novels by Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but their subject matter is much more subtle than Mr. Ketchum's. I didn't quite know what to expect when I picked this up as I had never read any of his books. However, I can assure you it is fantastic! Not for sensitive readers, it is brutal, intense and downright disturbing! Any fans of Bentley Little or Edward Lee will be sure to enjoy this. I will definitely be reading more of Mr. Ketchum.

Just bloody enough.......2006-07-31

This is an terrific summer read. I read it in two sittings and loved every minute. While the characters are somewhat under developed, the pacing is excellent, and I throughly enjoyed the ending. If you have read everything by Stephen King already and are looking for something else to read on the plane or the beach, this is a great choice.

Unrelenting. Uncompromising........2006-05-10

I first heard about this book when read Stephen King's nonfiction horror overview Danse Macabre, which listed Off Season as one of the most important books in the horror genre. I immediately ordered a copy, and was stunned by the book. The book was brutal, absolutley uncompromising, and managed to keep the reader consistently off balance by not succumbing to the traditional notion of the surviving hero. You have no idea who will live and who will die. As a fan of horror, I am disturbed by the recent trend in movies of simply remaking everything. What the film industry tends to overlook is the veritable wealth of written material ideally suited for movie adaptations. That is not to say that Off Season would make a great movie. I do believe that it would, but the material is such that only a director who would take an equally uncompromising approach would be able to make a success of it. Rob Zombie comes to mind, with his films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. But my point is that Off Season is an amazing book that is overlooked because it has not generated the sales that Stephen King does. That is not a slam on Mr. King. I am a huge fan - I've read all the books. What Off Season instills is a sense of dread that is terrifying. It is not PG-13. And while it is graphic, the writing is not intended to be graphic for the sake of grossing you out. It simply dares you to flinch, and what is happening is so horrifying and unbelievable, that you can't look away. And in the midst of it you discover that you actually care about the characters, and feel just as trapped as them. I could not recommend a book more highly.

.44 Magnum?.......2005-12-26

Though I did buy the first edition, I refrained from reading it until I read this one. Being a new reader to Ketchum, I read a lot of the reviews on his books before purchasing them. A major complaint people seem to have is the price"y" cost of his writing. I can now say with complete conficence that the cost of his books will be your cheapest investment in the world of Jack Ketchum if you consider all the therapy you'll need afterwards.

This book was relatively short (200 or so pages) and easy to read. I read this one in just one afternoon, though short (How much of this? can he expect us to take?), it has all the impact of a three round prize fight with a world class contender. Other than that, I do have one minor issue I should bring up and that was his choice of handgun in the story. Dirty Harry Quotes, "The .44 magnum handgun is the most powerfull handgun in the world..." and though that isn't true anymore, a .44 will still knock you on your a_ _ if you don't know how to shoot it. I thought that gun might have been a bit of a mismatch for the people, especially the girl, to use it. I might have put in a line or two addressing that issue but Ketchum probably figured that it would slow the pace too much. However it is a minor detail and doesn't take anything away from a terrifying read.

Like his book THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, Ketchum's premise isn't so far fetched. Who really knows if there are strange people like these Maine canibals living somewhere amongst us? And the way Ketchum writes it, he will have you terrified right out of your skin.

By the way, if anybody is interested, I have the name of an excellent therapist in the Columbus Circle area of Manhattan that is familiar with effects of Ketchum readers.

Very good read.......2005-09-14

I really enjoyed this book. I have just started to read again and I didnt want to put this one down. True it is very graphic but I think it just adds to the rawness of the plot.

Off Season: The Unexpurgated Special Edition

Average customer rating:

Jack Ketchum: Where it all began.
Um. Well... It's Jack ketchun's version of deliverence.

Off Season: The Unexpurgated Special Edition
Jack Ketchum
Manufacturer: Overlook Connection Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Psychological & Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1892950553

Customer Reviews:

Jack Ketchum: Where it all began........2006-04-21

Jack Ketchum, Off Season: The Unexpurgated Edition (Overlook Connection Press, 1999)

Jack Ketchum's first novel, Off Season, blazed into bookstores in 1980 and changed the face of the horror novel as we know it. Ketchum himself, however, was never satisfied with the original Ballantine edition, which was heavily edited. In 1999, he got a chance to put out the first edit (the original MS is long since lost) through Overlook Connection press, and he jumped at the chance. Horror fans around the world should rejoice.

If you've never read Off Season, there's not much I can say without spoilers. The novel is constantly compared to Night of the Living Dead and Deliverance, though how the pundits have failed to make the connection with I Spit on Your Grave as well is beyond me. Its first two chapters lull you into submission (and read rather like your typical seventies mainstream novel; I caught more than one faint whiff of Rona Jaffe in the early part of this book), and then the third slaps you out of your contentment, knocks you to the floor, and repeatedly stomps on you with very, very large boots. Ketchum is out to destroy everything you know about the structure of the contemporary horror novel. That message was greatly diluted in the original; if you did read the Ballantine edition, you will be even more pleased that this one exists.

The plot: six people in a cabin in the Maine woods. Bad people outside the cabin. Confrontation ensues. But Off Season isn't about plot, so much. Off Season is a great example of a metanovel-- the things in the novel happen in order for the author to have a framework to play around with ideas. Note that this is entirely different than the message novel-- his characters aren't cardboard cutouts there to advance a viewpoint. Think of them more as three-dimensional puppets on an obvious stage handled by veteran actors.

Most of Ketchum's characters here are well-drawn and believable, at least partly (the brevity of the novel leaves little room for development; I'd have liked to see more of Laura's character, especially, who's given just enough screen time to be firmly established as annoying), and the action, once things get off the ground, is fast-paced and neverending. These are things that make it a good book. What pushes it over the top, though, is Ketchum's relentless insistence on messing with your perceptions. You think you know what's going to happen, and most of the time, you don't-- Ketchum will veer off and have his character do something that, while believable, is the opposite of what you expect. While Off Season is without doubt a genre novel, Ketchum is going to make damned sure you can't follow the conventions of the genre to a convenient solution.

In the greater scheme of things, Off Season doesn't quite measure up to Ketchum's masterpiece, The Girl Next Door, for sheer ferocious brilliance. But if this is your second-place entry, you're obviously doing something very right. *** ?

Um. Well... It's Jack ketchun's version of deliverence........2005-10-23

Think about it... Kethum's view of a cannibalistic cult. Seriously, need I say more?

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