Until the Trees Are Bare: Losing One's Parents to Dementia, describes how the author attempted to care for her aging parents who, respectively, struggled with the disabling effects of the twin diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. During a period of years, Margaret kept an on-going journal and now, years later, has drawn from those notes to tell the story of her lovable and exasperating parents. This book will have particular meaning for anyone who has ever wondered about, or themselves experienced, what it means to lose abilities, memory, knowledge, the concept of self. Margaret tells of the problems of having both of her parents going through somewhat similar, but in interesting ways, very different disease states. The tales are sad, funny, poignant, and exhausting to read - just as was the case with the real experience.

Guitars? Dobro? National? Resophonic history? Slovakia? Craftsmanship? Inventions? For those with an interest in any of these subjects, the new book, My Life as a Dopyera, will appeal. The author writes of her husband's family. Her father-in-law, John Dopyera (Sr.), is best known for the development of resophonic instruments. He and his family emigrated from Slovakia in 1908 to Los Angeles, CA. It was there he invented the tri-cone and later with his brothers created and produced the guitars they called DOBRO which meant good in their native Slovak language and which also represented DO-pyera BRO-thers.

The book traces the contributions and characteristics of the five Dopyera brothers and their five talented sisters and relates the ways in which the Dopyera heritage continues to impact the lives of the author and her husband. Cross-country Ryder truck trips hauling resophonic artifacts and vintage instruments; invitations to Slovak festivals honoring the late John Dopyera (Sr.); opportunities to know and hear outstanding musicians performing on resophonic instruments - such comes along with the karma of marrying a Dopyera.

Zoe Hillard, the grandmother of the author, began making some diary entries in a school notebook in 1903 when she was 14 years old. She continued periodically across the next four years. The book cotains these jottings which although cryptic and unliterary comprise an unusually authentic view of what life was like 100 years ago Ifor the lumbering communities of the area of Pennsylvania which later became the Allegheny National Forest. In addition to the diary, the author has included other excerpts from Zoe Hillard's schoolbook - recipes from the neighbors, essays and wise sayings. The author has also summarized some historical research she conducted which was sparked by curiosity about the diary contents.

Tai Chi is a gentle martial art that has been practiced by the Chinese for centuries. In recent years it has also been adopted by many in the western hemisphere. The many moves that make up the Tai Chi set have intriguing names, indicating the images that the moves represent. Often animals are mentioned i.e., Carry the tiger to the mountain, Ward off the monkey, Parting of the wild horse's mane. The book consists of 12 page-size cartoons showing how, in the author's imagination, the animals of Tai Chi might participate in the ancient exercises. Whimsical but a bit controversial as the cartoons are seen by some Tai Chi leaders as inappropriate.