I was hooked by the very first page and the never stop action that followed. ‘Spidy’ is a refreshing adventure for all ages. The engaging characters pull you right into the story. I read far into the night. I eagerly await ‘Escape to the Billows’ to continue thebreathtaking saga of my new found friends. Cooper Hill has just become my new favorite author. (reviewed within a week of purchase)

Enjoyed the book – was pulled into the story from the first chapter to the cliff-hanger ending – couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Anxious to continue the adventure in The Billows!
Naples Public Library   (reviewed within a month of purchase)

I totally enjoyed this novel. The adventure gave you no space to take a breath, and the characters were great. I loved the language – just different enough to make you read carefully.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

 

Wow! I am in awe of the skill and imagination of the story. Writing the whole thing in a (slightly) different language, never allowing the adventure to slow down, keeping the characters true thru the whole thing. What talent! I very much enjoyed the read.

 

Nostalgia for my old Peace Corps Home

By T. Doom on June 8, 2015     Honesty forces me to start by admitting that I’m part of Anita’s Peace Corps experience. I served with her during the time this book took place and I consider her a friend. Given that, I doubt my impartiality despite the fact that I haven’t seen or talked to her for many, many years. But my Burundi experience has been on my mind lately, what with this being the 30th year since Anita, I and our Peace Corps compatriots left on that great adventure. It’s also been on my mind because of the most recent problems in that most troubled country that has put Burundi back in the news. And ‘Turtle Tushies in the Land of Banana Beer’ has sparked memories and recollections in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I found myself re-experiencing the oddest things while reading Anita’s words: the smells of the marketplace, the tastes of Burundian food, the feel of Burundian soil crunching under foot while walking the hills. I wasn’t prepared for that. This book won’t enlighten you to the politics of 3rd World development or the intricacies of Central African tribal politics. It’s told simply with a heartfelt love for a place that is both beautiful and profoundly troubled at the same time. And I think that with a little effort on the reader’s part, one could be transported for awhile to a time and place that was special — and worth visiting, even if only in the imagination.