Western Books

A Cowboy Never Lies was a hysterical first effort and now Dan Burnett has penned the second volume of short stories: A Cowboy Never Lies 2.

This is a great book and just as funny as the first, if you can imagine that. Kudos to Mr. Burnett for publishing two winners in a row!

Hoss reminds me of the crazy cowboys I dealt with in the mid-60s working out of White Deer, Texas. I strapped Old Billy B. on many snot slinging cowboy killing mad North Texas bulls. Dan Burton is a world-class story teller of the first order. The pranks and antics that he tells about brought long ago not forgotten memories. I really think both books I & II are first class. I have recommended them to all of my remaining friends. Thank You Dan Burton, you have given me lots of laughs and pleasure.

I didn't think he could top "A Cowboy Never Lies" but I was wrong. And I didn't think it would get in the way of my yard work, but it did. My wife couldn't wait for me to put it down. But then I found out why. She picked it up. Good work cowboy. How about volume III now.

I didn't think he could top "A Cowboy Never Lies" but I was wrong. And I didn't think it would get in the way of my yard work, but it did. My wife couldn't wait for me to put it down. But then I found out why. She picked it up. Good work cowboy. How about volume III now.

Just when I thought I'd heard about everything, this man is one of kind. I not only have read his incredible adventures, but met the man for real. He is all he says and more. Don't pass a chance to read his books, and if he crosses your path, you will walk away laughing and wanting to hear more.

My wife and I recently went on a three day cruise from Long Beach to Ensanada. Our first port of call was the quaint town of Avalon on Catalina Island. While strolling down the shops on the beach we came across a book store where the author, Bud Maxwell, was doing a book signing. He told us that he lives full time on the island where he plays golf daily and continues to write. After talking with Mr. Maxwell for a few minutes we bought his book. We both finished reading this great western story before the end of our cruise, thoroughly enjoying every page. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves reading about the old West.

I just finished this book and I can't wait until this author publishes again. This was the best reading I've had for a long, long time. Page after page of non-stop wild West action, along with heart felt tragadies makes this novel one of the best!

I am one of the production crew for the Hallmark channel. We finished filming "Halloween Romance" in April on Catalina Island, where I had the pleasure to meet this author, Bud Maxwell. While working as an extra on the set, Bud told me about his newly released western novel, "Cutter Hagen, U.S. Marshal", and I aksed him for a copy. I just finished reading this extrodinary book and felt compelled to post my review. The public hasn't had a great western movice since "Tombstone" and maybe "Wyatt Earp" and I am going to predict that this book will end up being the next blockbuster hit! Our Hallmark director, Armand Mastroianni, also asked for a copy to read, after hearing about the storyline from Bud, thinking it may make a good T.V. mini-series. My opinion of this book is that it's of "Lonesome Dove" quality. Nothing else needs to be said.

I was amazed how the author combined real life, well known characters such as Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton and combined their interaction with his fictional characters like Cutter Hagen. His style of writing results in a complex story line that reads very easily. I found myself relating to several of these interesting characters. A writing job well done. I am purchasing several copies which I will use as Christmas presents.

After reading this great piece of work, I must say it would make a terrific movie. We haven't had much in the way of good westerns since Tombstone and Wyatt Earp, and this would be the best choice. This book involves an intricate story, but the author makes it an easy read. Suspense, crime, cattle thieves and wild rodeo action all contribute to this very well written novel. I highly recommed this to anyone who enjoys reading about the old west.

What a powerful novel. Anyone seeking to either whet their historical appetite or emerse themselves in well written, well researched and well balanced account of the early pioneering days of the USA should get this novel and settle into a damn good read.

The people come alive in the book. Exciting to read about the life of the old west.

DREAM WEST captures the spirit of the turbulent mid-1800's and the nearly forgotten stories centering around the remarkable Captain John Charles Fremont (the Pathfinder). This was a refreshing look at one of America's great explorers who pioneered and mapped much of America's western regions. This book includes such historic characters as: the legendary explorer Kit Carson, and Fremont's wife the famed novelist Jessie Benton Fremont, her father the famous Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton, cameos appearances from almost every famous politician during the mid-1800 through the Civil War (Lincoln, Grant, Polk, Clay, etc.).

John Charles Fremont was one America's most magnetic personalities. Just to list a few of many remarkable accomplishments, such as:
* He was California's first Governor (albeit for a very short period).
* After California's statehood is approved he was the first Senator for California.
* Became rich during the famed gold rush. Later lost it in a swindle.
* On the Republican ticket as an antislavery advocate he ran for President in 1956,. In fact he becomes a perennial presidential candidate.
* He achieves the rank of major general during the Civil War where he loses most of his battles and resigns.
* Later he becomes a Governor of Arizona and passes much ground breaking legislation.

The only complaint I have with this book (very minor) is the author's lenient treatment of Fremont's war record. In fact Fremont was demoted because he couldn't beat Stonewall Jackson. He lets Fremont off rather easily. Notwithstanding, John Charles Fremont truly was an extraordinary man. This story captures his spirit.

Anyone who has traveled the west has run across historical markers of John C. Freemont-particularly on passes. This is a book of historical fiction. Since James A. Michener died we've been hungry for solid historical novels. David Nevin does a nice job satisfying that hunger here. <I>It was a sad book</I> -a story of an explorer with too much risk-taking, too much integrity, too much trust, and too much self-sufficiency to survive in the world of the military, business or politics. What he did do well with was in marriage and exploration. You'll be captivated by the story on his<I> winter </I> crossing the High Sierras. You may cry at his defeated attempt to cross the San Juan ranges in Colorado. If you like these lessons you'll love the book:
o (1) If you enter politics you've got to play politics.
o (2) People with great personal ambition who do not know how to compromise and horse trade usually get destroyed by those with those skills.
o (3) Don't enter business if you aren't going to learn the rules and watch the business.
o (4) Don't make many enemies If you want to keep from being lonely in your old age.
o (5) When the chips are down only those who love you stay with you-respect and accomplishment will not inspire permanent loyalty-only love does that.
o (6) Never conclude you are a failure in life-the next generation will decide that for you after you're dead.
o (7) Marriage is God's way of helping us see our most hazardous traits-listening and learning this from a spouse can save great pain later.
o (7) When somebody gets a really raw deal those who resent it most are the family not the victim.
o (8) When large sums of money are involved people change.
o (9) Being great at one thing seldom transfers to being great at another.
o (10) I don't think I would have liked Abraham Lincoln if I had lived at the time-some people look better a hundred years later.

Author of the romantic historical, The Rebel's Pledge, a 5 star rated novel of the colonial period.

Dream West is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is powerfully and skillfully written. The story is based on truth about the brave men and women who forged westward. Dream West will move you, inspire you, and enrich your knowledge of America's history.

I quit reading. Books these days are either vulgar or trite. I met Richard and enjoyed a discusson with him about Lewis and Clark; I had to get the book. I hated Undaunted Courage; what a joke of a 'historical fiction' book. GAG. I was understandably hesitant to read Eclipse. But with the first page, I loved it. I did not want to put it down. I almost missed my own booksigning because I did not want to quit reading it. His research is outstanding. His interpretation is fantastically executed. FINALLY a modern writer who can WRITE. In less than a month, I now own 7 Richard S. Wheeler books.

This novel written in first person from both Lewis's and Clark's viewpoint peered deeply into the Captains' souls in the years following the Expedition until Lewis's death. Clark prospered; Lewis stepped onto a slope more deadly than any he faced on the trail.

The author's case is convincing. But it is heartbreaking. It pulls back some of the mystery surrounding Lewis's untimely death, revealing unspeakable and, for Lewis, intolerable tragedy.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I could not put it down.

In 1997 a Seattle epidemiologist, Reimert Thorolf Ravenholt, M.D., did a little forensic diagnosis by looking at the Lewis & Clark journals. He concluded that Lewis was dying of advanced syphillis (complicated by malaria) when he was killed by two bullets, probably shooting himself simultaneously with his set of two pistols. I'm not qualified to pass judgment on medical matters.

Neither is Wheeler, but he takes the challenge of "what if" this theory were true, a challenge side-stepped by Ambrose, who likes his heroes stainless. The book Wheeler creates is two parallel and episodic monologues, one inside Clark's head and one inside Lewis' mind, so that we see each with the other's eyes. It's immediately clear that the two men are not alike in voice, experience, position or temperament, but that they are linked by friendship and shared adventure. They have been deeply marked and changed by the long trail to the Pacific. Clark's salient issue is what to do about York, his slave and childhood playmate, who was an equal throughout the journey, but must now return to being owned. Not easy for either man.

After the expedition both Lewis and Clark were expected to take hold of the seething and often disease-ridden Louisiana purchase and wring profit out of it while they were still celebrities. Clark had a hard time, in spite of his sturdy diligence. But Lewis went steadily downhill, making enemies, blundering -- not getting the vital journals edited and out to the public despite everyone's demands, including President Jefferson's. No one knew how to help him. He was angry and secretive.

Wheeler gives us the terrible details of a descent into hell that no one could stop, all begun in one moment of unguarded relaxation at the very moment the Shoshone supplied the horses that made the success of the expedition possible. Other men of the expedition also suffered contagion and some of them died earlier than Lewis, so he knew what to expect. They were starved, exhausted, battered and stressed, which made them especially vulnerable. In spite of access to a reliable physician, Lewis tried self-doctoring with alcohol and drugs which, on top of malaria and the brutal heavy-metal drugs of the time, assured his destruction.

This book is transparently written -- one does not stop and think, "Oh what a fine phrase!" The scenes unfold grimly and inevitably until, at the end, one thinks, "That's about how it must have been." And personally, I think Lewis comes through as a mortal hero, a man who fought death with honor, a tragic figure who paid a terrible price for his president and his country.

The historical accuracy of ECLIPSE is a credit to the author's careful research. He ties together the known events in the life of these well-known American heroes, using his extensive knowledge of the nineteenth century. Fiction it is, but it is also very true to the known facts. The book "reads well", never boring, never dull. ECLIPSE is a fine addition to the many books about Lewis and Clark, especially as we celebrate the 200th year of their expedition to the Pacific and back.

Eclipse - A Novel of Lewis and Clark, by Richard S. Wheeler, is a book I could not put down until I finished it. Wheeler turns the aftermath of Louis and Clark's historic trek into a gripping novel with vividly portrayed characters and an engaging plot. The title characters are far more than just historically significant. They also have flaws, rivals, financial difficulties, diseases, and other problems resulting in large part from their heroic deeds. I highly recommend this book to all readers.

I found this book to be an excellent guide when it comes to describing the entrepreneurial process as well as how to start up a business. Not only does it cover the theorectical sections of this vast subject, it also provides guidance on how to go about getting funding, encouraging creativity and innovation within a firm etc. It details the stages of a business and has a number of case studies. A great book!

This book played a significant role in shaping a business plan that attracted institutional investment for a technology start-up I co-founded in Brazil. Great book.

This book has really helped me in class. It ties into all of the other books we use and all of the discussion in class. The book is actually interesting and easy to read unlike other textbooks!

This book is phenominal. While it is an academic textbook, it really hits home to the real world. The business plan section is extremely useful and the real life company examples and case studies are quite interesting and insightful.

Dr. Kuratko's book is positively OUTSTANDING and a MUST read for anyone who is even CONSIDERING starting his or her own business. Dr. Kuratko is considered by many to be the nation's foremost expert in the field of entrepreneurship and small business management. His book blends the structure of a course textbook with excellent real-life case examples. This is, without question, the finest book that I have ever read. I keep it by my nightstand!!!

Buy this one! You WON'T regret it!

Michael

This isn't a shabby cover piece, but the 70s paperbacks were a lot more original. On this book we really aren't given much to work with, just a very simple painting with very simple, non-detailed artwork. The gentlemen in the cover is either Fallon, or it depicts a stranger in the town of Fallon. I can't be sure because I didn't read the book. But based on the cover art, I probably don't want to.

"Fallon", by Louis L'Amour, was entertaining, fast reading, and lightly sprinkled with philosophical statements as are all the westerns I have read by him. Although there is romance in the novel, it is very light and occurs almost unexpectedly.

Macon Fallon is a card player on the run, but seeing a sign for an old abandoned town and finding two families with a broken wagon wheel, he schemes to re-establish the town with a new name. Ultimately, he hopes to sell the claim to a mine nearby the town, and then flee with the profits. But Fallon grows to like the town and its people, which makes the choice for him to leave more difficult. A final gunfight seals Fallon's fate in several ways.

This western from Louis L'Amour was released in February, 1963, remaining in print every since. The locale of this western novel is Nevada pretty much in the center of the state. The fictional town of Red Horse is very close to Iron Mountain, sandwiched in between the Desatoya mountains and the Toiyabe mountain range to the east. With Red Horse about 100 miles east of both Carson City and Virginia City. The town, whose elevation is a little over 10,000 feet, also lays north of the Great Basin.

As stated in the story, it takes place after a time that the wagon trains have pretty much played out, as true with many gold mines. The wagon trains coming through now are generally ones of merchandise and equipment to resupply the gold camps, rather than carrying settlers.

The new name of the town that Macon helps establish is Red Horse, previously know as Buell's Bluff, a gold camp town that went bust and became deserted. The theme of this novel is much involved with town building explaining in simple terms just what it took to establish a western town of the mid to late 1800's, and the components of a typical mining town on the plains. Mr. L'Amour, in fact, had actually built a replica western town only a short time prior to his death.

This town is directly situated in an area that the Ute Indians still claim, so there is a possiblity of Indian attack, and at one point in the story, Fallon comes under attack by a party of at least 6 Utes. Readers of Mr. L'Amour's books such as Bendigo Shafter, Passin Through, or Milo Talon, among others, will be reminded that he had great interest in western towns: what it took to build them and just what components comprised them. And though Fallon is a fictional treatment, the story offers great factual insight into both the elements of a western town and the various peoples who lived in them and made them survive.

The story moves along very well and is humorous at certain spots, and while I don't rank this story with Shalako, Hondo, or some others, it is enjoyable.

So if you are interested in Louis L'Amour and his work this one will offer a few hours reading. He spent his life writing these books and the enjoyment and practical knowledge he held readily comes through.

So saddle a good horse, check the bullet loads in your pistol, and get a good supply of water before we hit the trail. Remember, those water holes can be very far apart. With bandit gangs and predatory Indians sprinkled along the trails.

Semper Fi.

I can't believe this was the first western I ever read, I'll defintely search out more. This is good fun right from the first paragraphs "Macon Fallon was a stranger to Seven Pines, and fortunately he was a stranger with a fast horse" - from the opening lines I was carried along.

The story follows Macon Fallon, as you know from the above, a stranger to Seven Pines who manages to upset some gamblers and escapes from the lynching - but gets himself in a bad way travelling in the dry areas without water. Just in time he sees a small wagon train and hatches a plan. There is a deserted town up behind the trail, he realises if he can get the wagoners to set up the town again he can make a pile and start a new life out west. It is kind of a scam, but he feels some guilt, they are decent people and he doesn't swindle decent people.

The hero is good fun, at once self-deprecating good humour, and next strong and able hero to the wagoners and against the local unsavoury and highly violent gang. One of the Wagoners, Ginia, an attractive young woman, smart and brave.

the story bounded along, its a short and punchy novel, the only thing I found I disliked was the long discussion of poker hands. The hero and the writing reminded me strongly of Lee Child and I wondered if Child was a L'amour fan - maybe I need to read more of this sort of stuff.

Loved it, will read more of Louis L'amour's books.

With Fallon Louis L'Amour comes up with a very different main character. Fallon isn't a gunfighter or cattleman; he's a gambler and a complicated individual. I've read a great many excellent books by Louis L'Amour, and have enjoyed all of them but to be honest, they are uneven. By this I mean that some of them are much better than others.
Fallon is one that I flat out loved; one that I remember well, and of all of L'Amour's always fun to read Westerns, I think Fallon is one of the best.

An excellent read. The author obviously thoroughly researched his subject, which results in an informative and entertaining novel. Highly recommended!!

Fallow's Field is a captivating story about Ned Fallow, a youngster who lives on a Ketchum, Texas farm. His character is molded by a grandfather who must replace Ned's father and uncle who die during a devastating storm. His grandfather's death and more misfortunes cause Ned to become a dedicated loner. When his mother, an aunt and close cousin move away, Ned strikes out on his own. He arrives in Midland, Kansas where he throws himself into becoming the best wheat farmer in a land of wheat farmers--not an easy task. Dedicated to shielding himself from life's slings and arrows, Ned rebuffs any close relationships. He throws himself into proving to the world that he is the best at doing whatever he undertakes. In spite of his chosen life style, he realizes belatedly that it is impossible for anyone to succeed without accepting help from others during trying situations. A metamorphosis of sorts transforms Ned's character, which results in his finding true friendships, companionships and love.
Dennis McKay, the author, proves himself to be a superb storyteller, which is the primary job of a fiction writer. In doing so, he has done extensive research into all areas about which he writes. I was born and grew to manhood on a farm in Oklahoma. Growing wheat was one of the crops my family planted, nurtured, prayed for, and harvested. McKay tells it like it was. I recommend, Fallow's Field. It is a superb read.
Fredrick W. Boling
Author of Wakan Man and Incident at Crazy Woman Creek.

The author brought to me the day to day living experience of a generation of people who through hard times, be it the weather or personal sacrifice,
endured these hardships. It also showed how one man, locked into his own world, finds by opening up a beautiful world around him that he was missing. I will be looking forward to reading the author's next book.

I really enjoyed reading "Fallow's Field" because it incorporated both of the elements that I look for in new books - historical fiction and just a "great read". This was a book that I felt compelled to keep reading to find out "what happens next" while learning about early Kansas wheat farming at the same time.

This book was rich in detail and the characters were woven through the story and Ned's life with care>I stayed up late reading this one.

I was given this book by my oldest sister. I had moved away from the Finger Lakes when I was just 17. I keep it on my coffee table and share it with all my new friends here in Texas. These are some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. I now give it as a gift to friends that too have moved away.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Sara Radford Thomas

I too am from the Finger Lakes area and upon seeing the beautiful pictures in this book, I immediately went online and ordered it. I finally have something to show my friends that displays the beautiful area in which I grew up. Anyone going to visit this area will get a wonderful idea of what to see when they arive.

This book does a wonderfull job of displaying many of the sights and hidden treasures of the oft overlooked finger lakes region. Many of the photos include bits of history and indian lore from long ago. The photos do not disappoint, and display the 4 seasons in all their glory. Summer sunsets are mixed with lush green spring scenes, and of course fall is represented with all it's brilliant color. Mr McCarthy's book does not forget winter as do many pictorials of the area. Instead, snowy Christmas scenes are shown along with bleak, cold January images that will have the reader craving a hot bowl of soup and a warm fire. Despite the bleak Upstate winters, Mr McCarthy finds images of beauty in the ice and snow that are hard to forget. The stars of the book... the Finger Lakes are each represented along with a brief description of their size and length. I find this to be a excellent gift to give to visitors or friends who have left the area. I have one one my coffee table and it is the first thing visitors pick up when they come in. Since the Finger Lakes encompass such a large area, many locals will remark that they have never been to the places pictured in the book, though they live only a short drive away. This would make a good gift for those who have the urge to explore the area.

This is an absolutely beautiful pictorial book of our region. We gave these as thank you gifts to 16 speakers (10 were from other states) who spoke at a special anniversary conference we held this month. Since this conference is always in December, we wanted to showcase our area in all of the seasons. This book was very well received.

I was overwhelmed with joy and melancholy when I cracked open this beautiful book. I am a former resident of Central New York (having lived near Conesus, Otisco and Skaneatles Lakes, and enjyoing trips with my father on Cayuga Lake, where he kept a 24 foot cabin cruiser for 5 years). Not only are the McCarthys skilled photographers, but the area itself is worthy of such a compendium. I particularly appreciated John McCarthy's descriptions of set-ups and time of day for particular shots, as well as the commentary regarding the history of the area. I've ordered several more copies for old friends who love the area as much as I do, and new friends who will once they take a look.

Vivien Sung has to be congratulated a million times: her book is a lesson of style, design, culture and - above all - the highest knowledge of art!
It is a little masterpiece I have now in my bookcase.

I bought this book without the slightest beginning knowledge of Chinese culture or history. I just thought it looked interesting. Now, I can tell anyone who is interested in this type of book that it was wonderfully illustrated, extremely easy to understand and intensely knowledgeable and helpful. I am in awe of all the "little" things about Chinese history and culture, and this book goes thoroughly through all of it's promised categories with ease of understanding and helpful information.

This is a quick reading book, but is also a very helpful reference tool. I now know what not to give/not give as a gift, and I even know why! It is helpful in what to surround yourself with or others, your home, business, gift giving or for different types of lifestyles or happenings. Five-fold Happiness is a great gift for anyone of any age, or a wonderful read for yourself. I think that anyone who begins this book will finish it over and over again.

Enjoy and Learn!

I just bought this book and I could not stop reading it. Very very good. Well done, Vivien.

I picked up this book and found that many of the items in it are related to Feng Shui symbols and its origin. It's meant to give beginners a glimpse into the Chinese culture. It's bilingual with Chinese on one side and the English translation on the other side. The pictures are nice. I recommend it for beginners, but it is also a nice coffee table book.

Ever look at the art around your favorite Chinese restaurant and the designs on the plates, and wonder if they have a hidden meaning? They do. And Five-Fold Happiness beautifully shows and clearly explains it all. What a reference! Read this, and dazzle your friends with your insights next time you go out for lo mein.

Some time ago I was fortunate enough to bump into the books by Jan Karon's Mitford series. I never ever, in my wildest dreams, imagined that I would or could find another author to compare in almost every way to Ms.Karon. Until JoAnn Levy and her "For California's Gold! Her Sarah Daniels completelly captivated me. She is real, and so very human!She became someone who I knew, not one I simply read about. The events, the happenings, the turmoil, the tragedies, all were not simply constructed descriptions. They catapulted me right into those times, those places, and I shared Sarah's sorrow, her utter despair, kl and her unheralded courage and feelings of fear, guilt and despair. The members of her family became as close to me as they were to her! And when she finally cried, I also cried. And yet, I was so very glad that ultimately she found a measure of peace and acceptance so that she could go on with her life. And so did I. Her most appealing quality was that she definitelyl was NOT a heroine, and the ones she met along the way were definitely not heroes. Thank God for that, and thank you, JoAnn Levy for allowing me to find true and honest ability and talent in a journalistic world filled and overflowing today with incompetence and unmitigated commercialized trash! So JoAnn, I also am pleased to utter what Mr. J.S.Holliday scrawled on your manuscript, "This is good! Ed Stember Sr.

"For California's Gold" filled in a lot of blanks for me, and it should do the same for most readers. We all know the rush west was an extreme ordeal. We all know settling California was an ordeal of another kind. We all know tragedy dogged the steps of the men and women who took on the challenge. But therein lies the unsuspected void in our knowledge, certainly in my knowledge.

Before reading this book I gave no particular thought to the nature of my understanding of these historical events. Now I've learned a new perspective is as beneficial in literature as it is in trying to find the car keys. In one 280-page book, JoAnn Levy has given the whole thing life.

Ms. Levy is a unique writing talent - she has done what few authors have the nerve to try; she has written a historical novel in the first person, and she has done it so beautifully it seems as if the book was indeed written in 1856 by a tempered-by-tragedy woman named Sarah Daniels.

Ms. Levy is remarkably clever in her use of storytelling techniques which successfully weave multiple threads of interest from the first page to the last. The attentive reader will pick up on this finely developed skill in the second sentence of the first chapter. Ms. Levy employs similar techniques throughout, and it is a delight.

This book is such a good read that it is recommended on that basis alone. But if a fascinating and unique look at one of the watershed eras in world history also interests you, then you will be doubly rewarded.

Thank you, Joann, for sharing Sarah Daniels with the rest of the world. I realize that she is a compilation of many of the ladies you found in your research for your earlier books on the Gold Rush, but her character is so real you can just picture her walking through her life with all its joys and sorrows. The numbness she felt at the death of each of her children especially rings true, as I watched my mother do the same thing.

This is Joann's best work yet. I look forward to the next.

This is surely Levy's best work yet. If I didn't know for sure that Levy is alive and well, I'd swear this was autobiographical. The main character, Sarah, is so complete, so real! She's the type of character who proves that greatness and heroism comes from simple, down-to-earth determination. The book is no-frills, no pretense. Just a deeply touching, well-written story. I highly recommend this to anyone who, like me, reads to celebrate the human spirit.

For California's Gold is a gem of a story! JoAnn Levy's tale of Sarah's journey through life is enduring to all women. She writes with great heart, compassion and knowledge of women's hopes, fears, loves and losses that are timeless. If you read just one book this year, let it be For California's Gold.