Wyoming Books

I found this book on a remainder table at Stanford. Thought it would be fun. Turned out to be compelling, hard to put down, especially after being hooked in by the author's, er, "relationship" problems in the opening chapter. Spurning "traditional values," she falls prey to the romanticized ideal of a "Western outlaw" life and men to her regret with that last relationship. Overall a gripping memoir. I found amusing that "the counter-culture girl" couldn't cut it in SF's Mission District, the haven of SF counter-culture types. Perhaps as she raises her child she'll learn that there are a thousand gray areas between "boring" and "outlaw"...and there is a reason outlaws are outlaws!

I am from Laramie, Wyoming and I know this author personally. I thought Karol did a fine job of portraying the town and area and the blend of tattoong history interspersed with incidents of this author's life made a rich tapestry of a tale. I could identify with this girl who didn't quite fit in so she finds herself in an unusual job, living a nonconventional lifestyle. Yeah, she has a little attitude problem but thats half her charm. The book read like fiction rather than nonfiction with vivid scenes and well-drawn characters. I'm not into tattoos myself, yet I enjoyed a look into this very different subculture and this authors personal take on it.

Karol Griffin takes the myths of the West (and surrounding the outlaw image) on faith in Skin Deep as she encounters a body art workshop in Laramie Wyoming, only to find a new vocation on the fringes of polite society. Griffin's newfound career as a tattoo artist leads to plenty of social insights and commentary in this lively unusual, "reader engaging", and very highly recommended discourse.

The last three people who posted reviews didn't bother to read the book first. At least I did my homework. I usually dont like nonfiction accounts of peoples lives but I found this to be a very interesting book. This writer seems sincere in her desire to tell her lifes story as a tattoo artist. It appears she got the bad end of the stick a time or two even though she brought a lot of it on herself. Though I can't figure out if this chick is for real or a poser, that doesn't really matter. The book was well written and she comes off as a person trying to make some sense of her nonconventional life, mistakes and all and she should be respected for her candidness.

Karol Griffin? If you only knew her from this book, you'd think: Great writer, awful attitude problem.

If you've ever gotten a tattoo or piercing, you know that the Gods of Body Mod can be, shall we say, a little snotty. If you're not the "right" kind of client, you get icy treatment. I made the cut, as it were (I had 25 piercings by 1991, and back then, maaaan, that gave me The Cred), but I always hated hated hated that McOutlaw audition process you had to go through. "Are you a non-conformist just like us? Well, okay then! If not...hmph."

Griffin drips contempt for every deb, dude, novice, suburbanite, sorority girl, or otherwise non-hipster damaged person who crosses her path, and who crosses the threshold of the tat shop. Mix that with her hue and cry over the corruption of the West (oh GOD, that cliche again?) *and* the corruption of the sanctity of tattooing and you've got a great writer who you can't stand! Shame. She's got some real chops.

Only in the afterword does she a) pretty much confess that she herself is a whitebread exile in the McOutlaw world or b) show any thoughtfulness and generosity toward others regarding external markers and what they mean about identity (she finally realizes they don't mean much at all. welcome to adulthood, dollface.)

It's savagely ironic for someone who sells their tattoo skills to whine about the increasing popularity of tattooing. If you want to stay pure, stay out of the marketplace and stay in your tidy, kooler than thou bubble. It'll be lonely as hell, but at least you'll be assured that everyone around you meets your exacting alterna-snob standard.

Her use of language is fun and alive, but what she's choosing to communicate is petty and ugly and, frankly, about as tired as a tribal tat on the lower back.

After reading the reviews for this book, I purchased it as I went on a quick tour through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I was very disappointed. The trips are listed from point-to-point around the Grand Loop. However, if you are driving the loop in the opposite direction, the book is very difficult to follow. It doesn't give driving distances for the points of interest. The book gives an estimated driving time from one (i.e. Mammoth to Old Faithful) to another, and mentions some points of interest along the way, but the reader is left to guess where along the drive it might be.

Be aware that the park access fees have changed since the book was printed. Other than that, I did not notice any major discrepancies.

Another minor gripe is that none of the pictures are in color, but are clearly color photos printed to black and white. For the price of the book, they should be in color; heck, even the Lonely Planet series uses color pictures. If not using artistic or color photos, I'd rather have more substance to the book itself.

I always travel with multiple guides and was glad that I did, especially for the Yellowstone portion of the trip, and would recommend the "Yellowstone Treasures Travelers Companion" instead. It had the same or more information than this book, listed mileage to each point of interest from either direction, and had color photos.

http://www.amazon.com/Yellowstone-Treasures-Travelers-Companion-National/dp/0970687311/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213397462&sr=1-1

I used this guide extensively on a 3-day drive through both parks. It's packed with information and is well written and organized. Highly recommended.

This second edition adds two new drives, and updated information from the 1999 edition.

Most surprising, for a guidebook, is the intimacy of tone, and enthusiasm for the parks and the beauty of the surrounding areas.

This book contains substantial, and well researched information on the historical, geological and natural features of the parks, and the tone is that of a close and intimate friend, sitting in your passenger seat, pointing out the window and exclaiming, "Hey! Look at that!"

Far from the staid and removed tone of many guidebooks, this book is truly an "Insiders' Guide," and makes me want to check out the other books in the series.

This book was right on the money with all the things to see while driving through the parks. In combination with this book Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Outdoor Family Guides) and the Trails Illustrated maps of both parks:
Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Map Old Faithful
Trails Illustrated Mammoth Hotsprings Yellowstone National Park NW
Trails Illustrated Tower Canyon Yellowstone National Park NE
Trails Illustrated Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone National Park SE
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA: Topo Map (Trails Illustrated - Topo Maps USA)
(which can also be purchased at http://www.ngmapstore.com), we had a very easy time getting around the park and where things were located. It made planning a whiz!

We used this book every day we were in Yellowstone. It was such a help in planning each day, knowing where to stop, what to expect in terms of how long hikes were, finding restaurants and shops, etc. I would read the information about each place aloud to the kids, which helped pass the time between stops. One word of caution, though. We are not the type of family that does a lot of hiking, camping, climbing, etc. We did find that some of her descriptions of the difficulty of the hikes and trails were a bit underestimated. Between the heat and the altitude, this is important to keep in mind! Other than that, I think this is a must have!

Bought this book for a recent trip from Boulder, CO to Yellowstone. Thought I would want to find something to look at along the way. There is nothing there.

Ok, almost nothing. There was a nice Thai restaurant in Rawlins, which we found by driving around in Rawlins, but that is pretty much it between the entrance to Grand Teton park and the Colorado border.

The Grand Tetons, Jackson, and Yellowstone are great. The red rock vistas are pretty. But there is nothing worth seeing on the way.

So, if you are visiting those parks in the west, get some books on those, but don't bother with this.

This book is filled with lots of information that will be useful to our many visitors.

This book has all the information you could possibly need if you were travelling to Wyoming and my husband is thrilled we bought it. The maps inside are great, but since we prefer the larger ones, we will get them for free from the Wyoming visitor's bureau. If you're travelling to Wyoming, this is a definite must have and a one-stop source for all your information and travel needs.

I shall be visiting Wyoming later this year, and this book (and its accompanying website) has proved to be invaluable in planning my trip. Everything you'll ever need to know about the state is here - maps, accommodation, restaurants, shopping and much more. I particularly like the detailed histories of the various Wyoming towns that are included - not something that you'll find in the usual guide books.
I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody planning to visit Wyoming, and even if you're not planning a visit but are just interested in the state it is still well worth reading.

This book does have a lot of information. I was hoping to find out what each town was like today, not back in the 1800's. I was interested in finding out what each town offered as far as shopping, schools, hospitals, etc... Instead it is more of a history lesson.

In Western Swing, Sandlin revisits Kelly Palomino, the main character of his "Sex and Sunsets." Although Kelly now goes by the name of Loren (KP being a pen name of Loren, now a full-time author) he retains many of the same hyper-romantic, if misguidely so, character traits.

This time, the story shifts between Loren's viewpoint and that of his wife, Lana Sue. Both are charmingly dysfunctional and find themselves in situations that provide for melodrama and warped comedy. Once again, the main strengths lie in Sandlin's distinct voice and offbeat humor. The casual way his characters talk about everything from violence to insanity to statutory rape might be off-putting to some readers, but to me at least, it all seems pretty harmless and awfully funny in Sandlin's capable hands.

On the whole, this isn't quite on par with Sandlin's best work, its far from his weakest. It will be a hit with fans of Sandlin's other work or anybody with a taste for offbeat literature.

I'm giving this one four stars, which is hard to do for a Sandlin book. But I think it's less to do with the writing than the fact that I've met these characters already in the second and third parts of the GroVont trilogy and like them better. Still, Western Swing is an excellent gateway drug to the rest of Tim Sandlin's collection. Sandling continues his theme of whispy men who need saving via strong women with commitment problems. If I had editorial power over this work, my only suggestion would be to kill the epilogue or at least revise it. After the dramatic mood swing from funny to depressing to ludicrous, it just didn't fit, that is unless you are the type who likes those "where are they now" moments at the end of Animal House and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

i have never felt so in touch with a book as i did with this one. i laughed & cried--especially when the end came and i had to put it down. there is so much depth in sandlin's characters, it's almost hard to see it if you aren't looking in the right place. i love this author, i have to go out & read his other stuff if it's as good as this!

After reading the Gro Vont trilogy I needed another Sandlin fix. While not on par with Skipped Parts or Sorrow Floats, this book is still more entertaining and worthwhile than most. Its characters are idiosyncratic and at its best, this book creates scenes that rank with the best of Sandlin's tragically comic tales. Probably not the best book to be introduced to Sandlin with, but it is worth a read from those that are familiar with and enjoy his other work.

I couldn't frickin' believe anyone gave this book less than 4 stars! Well, the humor is a tad dry, but this has to be Sandlin's best. This book is like that girlfriend you love just because she's a basketcase, you know? You'll love all the characters.

The first thing you notice about this book is the beautiful photographs by Michael H. Frances. May you take a single photograph in your visit that is as gorgeous as any of these!

Wilkinson provides a few pages of information about each of the charismatic megafauna in the parks: bison, wolves, elk, cougars, lynxes, and so on. These "chapters" are easily accessible and written at about a middle-school level. The book as a whole is very kid-friendly, though it wasn't necessarily written that way.

The book has very good advice for how, where, and when to spot mammals in these parks. The section on each animal concludes with "where to find bighorn sheep" (or whatever). We've successfully spotted most of these animals, initially relying on the advice here, though we now have a few secrets of our own.

Our favorite charismatic megafauna are bears, wolves, and cougars. We haven't spotted a cougar yet, and we haven't read as much about them. We do have a Wolf Freak in the household, though.

I found the book to be very helpful. Especially paired with "Scenic Driving in Yellowstone & Grand Teton". Other than the cats, we where able to get out early and find the wolves, grizzly, moose etc.

A great resource in identifying what you see in the parks. The pictures allow you to see what these animals look like unlike some books where there is just a drawing.

After buying many books like this I would suggest checking them out of the library for the length of your visit. We did not see the animals in this guide to back up the information and the locations but found it good for basic information about the animals and their habitats etc.

The animal descriptions are very brief and basic. This book might be good for someone with little knowledge of wildlife but doesnt go into much detail on any animal. It also spends too much time on animals that it even states are rarely found in Yellowstone(ie Lynx) and says almost nothing about more common, although less exciting animals(various bird and small mammals).

When I saw that Gerry Spence had a book of his favorite photographs of Wyoming that he made, I thought, "man this is gonna be great. It's Wyoming, which is a place like no other, and it's Gerry Spence, a man like no other."

I have to give him respect, he has talent in photography. It looks like he's studied Ansel Adams quite a bit and he has similar equipment. You do have to sit out in the elements quite a long while to get a good shot, which bespeaks his endurance and willingness to do the best job he can when it's his name behind it. That's pretty seldom nowdays, which I respect. He has an eye for the right shot as well, which says he's a man of the outdoors who has practiced a lot.

I thought his poetry sounded too much like what you'd say in a final argument at a jury trial. That works incredibly well - a fellow attorney, I wish I were as fluid with words and spoken imagery as he is - but as "poetry" it's out of place here I think, because you can still feel the litigious "feel" of what the poetry is. Nature doesn't know plaintiff and defendant, even if the defendants are S.O.B.'s as they usually are.

There are also too many of the same types of images. He'll have a great image here or there - there's a picture of a colony of quaking-aspen that's just great, but there are many other pictures of the same sort of subject matter, trees crest in snow under a sunny winter sky.

It's Gerry Spence here. Pure and simple - with some strengths that you wouldn't have thought he had, but with some choices that I wouldn't've made myself which take away from the effect that he's trying to present to you, the reader who's not from Wyoming and hasn't experienced what he's experienced in his life. I can see what the effect is that he's aiming at but it's too personalized to the guy that took the pictures and wrote the text. That's how I'd say it. He has some moments of greatness in it though - that's why I give it 3 stars. It wasn't what I'd have thought it would have been at all, but then again, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be somebody else's thing completely.

I received this book today. I sat down and looked at the pictures as I read the poems. I found it to be a wonderful book. The pictures told a story. I found the poems to be very good. Gerry Spence has a voice that one could never tire of hearing. It shows the landscape of Wyoming, not the tourist traps. This a long way from the home that Gerry Spence and his lovely wife Imaging occupy in Jackson Hole. Good job Gerry, if one did not know you were such a celebrity, it would never be guessed by looking at the wonderful black and white pictures with the story telling poems.

Gerry Spence is a man of many talents, photography, however, may not be his strongest. The photographs are much better than your average snapshot, but not quite as impressive as they should be to have been published. All in all, the images are a bit of a dissapointment if one wants to appreciate fine art photography.

Thank you,Gerry,for the wonderful experience of experiencing the wonders of Wyoming. Spending the time listening to you read your poems while following the words in the book and bringing it to life with your personal photographs;is a real pleasure.
It's been said, that someone once asked Picasso how long it took him to paint one of his pictures. His reply was that it took about 40 years. With that thought in mind,it can surely be said that it took Gerry Spence at least 40 years, but more likely closer to a lifetime of 70 years to gain the love and feeling of his country to write this wonderful book.
I have read a few of his books,but none convey the feel of his surroundings and country as well as this book does.
I am not a particular fan of recorded books;but in this case ,the combination of photographs,written words to follow,while we listen to Gerry's impassioned reading is simply stunning.
The photograph of the girl sitting in the window of a long abandoned log cabin is accompanied with this short,haunting poem;

They Have Gone

They have gone,
And here we are,
Flying on the wings of history.

captures the days of the pioneers who settled the land.

Then we see the two photographs on pages 82 and 83.An abandoned cabin at close range and then at a distance across water.One can feel how glad to see his cabin at a distance,the owner must have been, when it came into view; and then how glad he was to finally reach its door.It takes the soul of an artist ,first to see this scene and then capture it with his camera.The reader is left with wondering what stories this cabin could tell.

Gerry captures this land with this poem;

It's over
This is the last roundup.
We have abandoned the long prairies
And the endless,rolling mountains,
We have abandoned this blessed realm
To the antelope,the prairie dogs
And a new horde of interlopers
Who chop the land
Into mournful pieces
For investment bankers
Who hanker to become
Real cowboys on twenty acres.

Thank you,Gerry,for sharing this landscape,people and quickly disappearing way of life with us.

For this right-wing gun-nut, Gerry Spence is one of my favorite lefties. I used to enjoy his MSNBC program, hearing his crystal clear and caustic barbs, his populist message and his most learned opinions on legal cases circulating at the time. Most importantly, he was one of the few on the left who saw the massacre of the Branch Davidians at Waco for the brutal and horrific slaughter at the hands of Janet Reno that it was.

That is what the world needs most: Honest men and women, who don't flinch from the truth when the truth happens to gore oxen on their side of their political fence. Like the land from which he hails, Gerry Spence brims over with the pioneer spirit: Rough and rugged, independent and erudite, full of common sense and plain decency, he is a man more at home in the 19th than the 20th century (never mind the weak and effete "metrosexual" wussies of this 21st century).

One could call this book "The Memoirs of the Last Real Man." Though his photography is traditionalist, somewhat akin to the formalistic work of Ansel Adams, the vision is singularly Spence's. A labor of love, a visual celebrating of the artist's solitary homeland, one can sense that where most men see only barren badlands, Spence sees splendrous vistas, touched by the hand of the Creator.

Although his photographs are bold, they are yet quiet and bare the soul of a man who's quite comfortable in his own skin. They are simple, yet powerful, documents of a land upon which man is but a temporal, fleeting presence. The permanance of the land is the only constant.

Thus are his most interesting landscapes not one's purely of nature, but of the fragile hand of man before the inevitability of nature's supremacy: Abandoned dwellings, out-of-business gas stations, empty granaries are but shadows of their former bustling selves. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

His portraits do not overlook this truth; the few humans portrayed in this text are part and parcel of the land -- a cowboy, a mountaineer, a modern-day Annie Oakley, a Shoshoni Indian. These are not people who are enslaved by the claustrophobic office cubicle.

Thus does Spence write in the poem "The People Are the Landscape":

The people are the landscape,
The woman on the county grader
Plowing out the last of last winter's snow
The wild crying Shoshoni dancing,
His days not done
The shepherd by his wagon
Lost in a landscape of bleeting,
Old faces furrowed in the sun.
Their faces are the landscape,
Their faces, the land,
Hard and honest,
With no pretensions in the morning.

Absent is the didactic, pedantic hectoring of the man-hating environmentalists; Spence understands intuitively the American Indian conception that man is part of the Earth, and that before he returns to the Earth, that his place is properly living in harmony with the Earth, for the Earth is his grandmother.

This book, though by a celebrity attorney, is the furthest thing from the vapid and glitzy world of celebrity. It is the work of a man alone, relating through his eyes and mind how nature and man have moved him. In awe, to tears, with laughter.

This is a great reference for medical transcriptionists and anyone in the medical field. It quickly informs me of the drugs I need reference to in my field.

I was told that Saunders was the better book, but love the layout of Dorlans the most. I find it easy to use.

This book is very helpful in my work as a medical transcriptionist. The Therapeutic Category Index is especially helpful.

I would certainly recommend this item because of its 2006 updated information; however, if you are accustomed to the prior versions of QuickLook, be prepared for it to be a lot different. There is a delay before the program opens. When you search for a medication name, the result shows at the very bottom of the search result field instead of at the top where prior versions show and where it would be most logical, and the appendix tab is 'hidden' in the filter dropdown which overall makes this a more time-consuming process. It does have the same great features, but it's different and more cumbersome to use.

I hate this book!!!

I'm a medical transcriptionist of 12 years. I've tried this book OVER and OVER and OVER again through the years at the urgings of other MTs. Sorry, I just can't stand it. I really have tried to make friends with it.

For use as a transcriptionist, it's cumbersome at best. Don't bother looking up a brand name drug; it takes a cross reference and fumbling through flimsy, thin pages to get you to the proper generic name. (unless, of course, my education and decade of experience is so lacking and I'm actually expected to have the knowledge of a pharmacy tech so I can use my reference book!) Then you have to weed through paragraphs, or sometimes a page, of information to get to what an MT needs: (1) Confirm this drug that you barely understood a sloppy doctor dictate actually IS for the condition he's talking about. (2) Confirm the dosage you just heard mumbled by said mushmouth. (3) Confirm any funky capitalization that big pharm has decided they need to use to pep up the name of the newest pill on the market.

And, frankly, I worry about an MT who has to rely on a book like this. You should know the common meds and their common dosages already. Yes, even a newbie. That's what training is for.

The only reason I even gave it two stars is for snazzy appendices, including a Therapeutic Category Index, which is lacking in the book I prefer (see below).

Sorry, but I'm quite busy enough with transcribing; I don't need to slow myself down any further by wading through a book which is as inefficient as the Yellow Pages.

I tried AGAIN (!) with the 2007 copy. Forget it. I'd send it back if I hadn't spilled something on it. If you are an MT and you think this will speed up your day, do yourself a favor and order it on trial from the manufacturer; you can send it back that way after 30 days. (sorry Amazon!)

Or... do what I'm about to do right now. Buy the Saunders Pharmaceutical Word Book. But, you say, it's missing a drug already for 2007? Google it and write it in the margins. You're STILL saving yourself time.

The way the books of this series work is that they took a guide for new rangers in Yosemite with the 100 or so most frequently asked questions, and wrote their own answers for each park. So in each book the questions are very similar but the answers might be very different.

It's a great format because it makes for easy reading beforehand, but it's also quick as a reference when you're there because they're arranged in an intelligent order. There's also a huge reference section at the end with lists, copies of permit forms, and so forth. So the thing to do is read the FAQ before you leave but bring the book and refer to it once you're there.

I've only been to Yellowstone once and had no idea where to stay, or which hotels were near which sites and so forth. This book really cleared it up for me and we had a great time.

I was very disappointed in this book, especially since all the reviews were highly favorable when I ordered it. The only redeeming value of this book was that adding it to my order had put me over the order total required to qualify for a $5 discount. I would have sent it back but the refund would not have been worth the bother.

The book is primarily in question and answer format. Most of the answers range in length between one paragraph and a couple of pages. This isn't too bad when using the book for reference but it does not make for great readability.

My biggest complaint is that the book claims to be "an insider's guide" but it provides limited guidance. For example, there are ten pages of outfitters listed. But for the most part the only guidance to them is the category the outfitter is listed under. There is no information on what the differences among the outfitters are as far as what they offer or the quality of their services. A couple of outfitters are mentioned in a general description of guide services, but again there are no reasons given for why you would want to select one of them.

Another example of this lack of guidance is the description of the lodging available in the park. The descriptions are very limited and would not be enough to make an informed decision on where to stay.

I later purchased "Yellowstone - Grand Teton Handbook" by Don Pitcher (Moon Handbooks). I found this book to be much more helpful. Instead of giving a long list of outfitters, Pitcher provides descriptions and opinions about some of the outfitters. He also provides a much better description of what the different lodging options are like. These two examples are representative of the general difference between these books. As an added bonus, "Yellowstone - Grand Teton Handbook" also provides much more information about the Grand Tetons and other areas around Yellowstone.

Don't let the cover fool you. This book is great. Lots of details. Great recommendations on hotels to stay outside the park when the inside ones are book. My niece and I had a blast reading it as we went. We even ran into a bear jam, you'll have to read the book to find out what that is all about. If your looking for a book to simplfy your life and make this trip the best. Buy it! Don't let the cartoons fool you this book has all the details in great form for all. Buy it before you leave so you know where your going. THE BEST, ENJOY.

This book helped me plan the trip, and served as a great guide once we arrived in Yellowstone.

We just returned from a three-week cross-country trip, with a four day stop in Yellowstone. This book was o.k. to read before the trip to familiarize yourself with the park, but was useless as a reference guide once we were there. We basically gave up on it and used our Frommers Guide to the Western National Parks. The index is incomplete, the maps are cartoonish and difficult to read, and some of the explanations in the question-answer format with"ranger Norm" made me feel as if they were questioning my intelligence. My husband and I both couldn't believe they showcase this book prominently in the Yellowstone visitor's Centers!

I enjoy Ms. McKinney's books but although this one started out with a bang I felt it ended on a fizzle. I felt oddly let down at the end, I can't quite put my finger on it, perhaps because, having read "Lions and Lace," ***spoiler*** I wanted more "reunion time" between the sisters. Also, I felt the story descended into melodrama at times. But overall it was a diverting read worthy of a hot summer night, and a hunk of a cowboy worthy of a few good swoons!

I usually don't read western romance, I love mostly historiacal romances (especially regency). This is the second book of Ms. McKinney that I have read and I think she is a great writer..one who fully develops her characters and picks an interesting plot.

This being said, this was a GREAT BOOK. Don't even hesitate to buy it.

Christal is running from the law when she gets held hostage at gunpoint. The leader of the gang, Macaulay Cain, is a hard man but she gets glimses of his softer side. She becomes a puzzle to him, an obsession that he cannot shake off. He wants to know why she never talks about her past, never talks about her family. She IS holding in a deep dark secret. She is running from the law because her supposedly killed her parents and ran away from a mental instituiton. The person who is really reponsible for this crime is her uncle, but no one believes her. Therefore, she doesn't want to tell Cain the truth .

The story grabs you even more in the second half, where Cain ends up being a cop who is under cover as an outlaw. After his team catch the bad guys, she runs away. But his obsession of her leads him to follow her all the way to the brottols. He thinks she's prostituting but she really is a dancer. I can't say any more because I don't want to kill the book for the rest of the readers but it is a great books with a lot of funny and interesting plot twists. I can still play out some of the scenes , like a movie. For instance, when the group of outlaws expected him to rape her, he didn't . He took her behind tree and they acted it out. He respected her and took it upon himself to protect her. Also when she was running to him to show how much she loved him, she was throwing her wealthy jewelry to strangers. It was funny how Mckinney depicted this scene. (this scene u probably won't get till you read the book because it is kinda out of context because i don't want to kill the story)/ ENJOY!!

Action packed, mysterious heroine, sullen and brooding but confident gunslinging special agent hero, and a 'whole pasel of outlaws and villains' make this 1875 western a real winner!

Christalbel Van Alen has escaped a mental institute and is being pursued by a relative who wants her dead! She, the only witness to a murder, disguises herself as a widow and is traveling to find the smallest ghost town in the west to create a new life for herself. However, her dreams are disturbed when her stagecoach is captured by outlaws and the prisoners are taken captive for ransom.

There Christal comes face to face with a real life gunfighter, an enemy whom also becomes her saviour. MacCauley Cain.

But Christal runs again when she feels threatened of her past being discovered and true to life, her past finds her. If you enjoy outlaws, gunslingers, bounty hunters, saloon girls and cowbows (the genre) and mysterious heroines or heroes, then you'll love Fair is the Rose. Fair is the Rose keeps you turning page after page and on the edge of your seat.

Personal note: I admit I own tons of Meagan McKinney's novels purchased from 'dime stores' and have never read any, until I read 'Fair is the Rose' and I began searching through my hundreds of romance novels to find ALL of McKinney's writings. She quickly became one of my favorites. But one thing I noticed in 'Fair is the Rose', the heroine never bathed! Talk about scent of a woman!

From the synopsis, the book may sound sappy, but it isn't. The hijacking and the events that took place left you breathless, and when they find each other again -quite interesting. I didn't give it 5 stars because the ending could of been better.

Overall, if you want a book that takes you back to the 1800's, with a runaway, murder, and some outlaws thrown in, this book is for you.

Wow. Very well done story.
It always bugs me a bit when someone is ready to die of love 24 hrs after meeting. In this story the chemistry is almost immediate but the relationship is very believable. The storyline is unique and engaging and just a great romance.

Definitely one of Meagan's best, on a scale with Penelope Williamson, who holds #1 in my heart right now for great romance-writing for grown-ups.

I've used other Falcon guides in Montana, and was very impressed. I admit I haven't fished in Yellowstone yet, and from the other reviews it looks like it's pretty useful.

But from just a reading standpoint, it's not very good. The pictures are terrible, and I don't think there's a picture of a fish in the entire book, if you can believe that. Also, there needs to be an overall map of some kind, so you can figure out where in the park the little maps are. Even if the big map was split into quadrants spread out over several pages it would help alot. Check out "Fishing the Beartooths" - now that's a great book.

Just my two cents worth.

Recently, I managed to get the hay baled, unload several cow-calf pairs at the sale barn, and endure a screaming diatribe from one of my neighbors who was desiring to cut a road across the corner of my property for ill-defined reasons involving an elk hunting camp. When I demurred, spittle flew out of his mouth and he became quite agitated. For a moment, I thought I might have to get the Mossberg. In the end, he promised to make things so hot for me with our County Board that I would think the devil himself was after me. Against this backdrop, I decided it was a sovereign time to go fishing in Yellowstone.

I have mixed opinions about the worth and accuracy of some Falcon Guides, but not this one. Armed with this guide, I wended my way through the bunkers of industrial tourism that blight our otherwise wondrous first national park, dodging the hatch of RVs and uncurious flabbos that choke the roads in high season. I settled first on a stretch of the Lewis River, which Merriwether Lewis never actually saw. It fished about the way the author said it would, and his descriptions were accurate and clear.

Of course, anyone can write a roadside fishing guide but what about the pristine streams and creeks accessible only by foot or horse? I shouldered my pack and hiked twenty miles into the backcountry in search of some of the original strain of cutthroat. Again, his descriptions of Wolverine Creek and the upper Snake were clear and easy to follow. I used various atttractor patterns recommended by the author and some that weren't. Each produced an equal and abundant share of fish. I finished my week with a couple of nights on Pebble Creek in the NE corner of the park, fishing the undercut banks and big pools in the manner the author suggests. The cutthroat were plentiful, surprisingly sizeable, and not too selective. As a bonus, I saw a wolf pack cruising across the valley as I made my way down the stream bank.

The short sections on ethics are a pleasure to read. Use barbless hooks at all times and don't poach another angler's water if he's clearly fishing a stretch you covet. Get out of bed earlier next time. The author occasionally gives short shrift to some of the more difficult trails in the Park, but if you want to get away from your fellow sportsmen and enjoy Yellowstone the way Colter did, take such damnings with a grain of salt. Overall, his impressions of the park's waters and their fishability mirror my own over the last 15 years or so. Also, he is not kidding when he estimates the number of fisherman who crowd popular sections of river, such as Slough Creek and the Yellowstone near Hayden Valley. Leave these waters in high season for the Zebco crowd and plan on fishing them in the off-season.

Extensive and very detailed tour of fishing in the Park, organized by watershed and with detailed information re: seasons, popular flies and lures. This book is packed with useful information and does not waste the reader's time with flowery descriptions and sentimental musings. Directions to fishing waters are clear and concise. Thorough maps are included. Poor fishing areas are identified as such and may save the reader from fruitless efforts. Guide includes directions and descriptions of waters which may be fished from the roadside as well as those requiring a day-hike or multi-day pack trip to reach. Highly recommended for novice and expert angler alike.

The best book on access points and times to go inside and outside the park. It provides many useful hints on further exploring you might do as well. It is a perfect complement to Craig Matthews' Yellowstone Fly Fishing Guide, which focuses more on hatches and flies rather than specific access to each stream or river.

I had purchased this book and one other for my trip to Yellowstone. This was by far the best book, had all regulations and great information on where to fish in the area. I studied this book in anticipation of my trip, had always wanted to go to Yellowstone and fish. With the use of this book and its recommendations, I had the best day of fishing in my life, caught 40 trout in one day. All I can say is get the book read it and follow the recommendations and guide you wont be sorry. Jeff