Arizona Books

This book has a wealth of information. It makes a great gift for anyone who cares about their dog and for the price, I've saved a lot of time researching on my own. Thank you Kimberly!

I live in Colorado and travel to Arizona often to show my dogs. Hot Dogs of Arizona has been an excellent resource for me to gain access to all of the shows and vets in Arizona. I hope this resource comes to Colorado next!

I have been looking for a guide like this for years. Finally a place where I have the entire world of Arizona Dogs at my fingertips. I have been wanting to learn the sport of agility with my dog and now I know who to contact and where to go! There are so many exciting new things in this book. I never realized how much there was to do with my dog in Arizona. We are going to be very busy with the use of this fantastic new book.

This book relates some of the observations that Alcock made when he converted his grassy lawn in front of his Arizona house from grass to desert flora. In his neighborhood, residents dutifully maintained wide swaths of green grass through continuous fertilizing, watering, cutting, and trimming. They controlled pests and weeds through spraying, but if they missed one chemical treatment or watering, unwanted species would begin to take over. When Alcock first moved to the area, he went along with local custom for several years. Finally, he asked himself why he was working so hard to maintain grass at such high economic and environmental costs, when it was really the desert surroundings that he enjoyed. It took some effort to kill his lawn and replace it with a yard filled with thriving desert species, but maintenance eventually became much easier and cheaper once he had landscaping fit for the local environment.

As an entomologist, Alcock greatly enjoys observing the insect life in his new yard. In this book, as well as describing how he transformed his yard, he also describes such insects as ladybugs, praying mantises, earwigs, desert termites, paper wasps, bees, grasshoppers, inchworms, whiteflies, mayflies, and aphids. The book is arranged into chapters by topic, including chapters on insects that control pests, compost lovers, insects that sting, camouflage experts, alien insects, and migrating insects. In reading the book, I was struck by how fascinating the lowly insect species can be. The book is written in an informal style appropriate for general readers. It is illustrated with black and white drawings by Turid Forsyth. Scientific sources are listed in a bibliography at the end of the book (but not referenced directly in the text), and there is an index.

I thoroughly enjoyed this intersting, thought provoking book from John Alcock. His thoughts on the modern American lawn should be required reading in the suburbs. The world would be a better place if all would read and comprehend his thoughts on connecting ourselves to the myriad wonders that go on all around us every day.

John Alcock loves Nature. Sometimes, though, getting from a suburban home to the wilderness he relishes can be tedious. So he brought some of his favoured Sonoran Desert environment to his front yard. Using a ramshackle Kubota tractor, he stripped away the layer of Bermuda grass surrounding his house. Over time, and with no little effort, he transformed that yard into a little pocket of desert environment. All this was more than an exercise in redecorating, however. Alcock studies insects, especially their mating rituals, and this transplanted environment gave him ample opportunity. Even if his practice of crouching over desert shrubbery at odd hours raised a few neighbourhood eyebrows.

Alcock loves what he does, imparting his passion to us with lively prose. His academic background merges with his expressions of feeling to keep this book a delight to read. This blending places his writing skills in a comfortable [and comforting] niche somewhere between E. O. Wilson and John McPhee or David Quammen. He keeps you at ease as he builds the desert floor, inserts shrubbery and vegetables, and welcomes the bird and insect visitors to his creation. He protects the native species of plants and animals where possible, but doesn't summarily reject harmless exotics. And he carefully explains how to tell the difference.

The underlying reason for the garden's transformation was to attract insects. Alcock is at his best in watching, analysing and explaining the life styles of desert bees, wasps, beetles and the rest. How did they develop those behaviours? What do their activities it mean to us humans, who are too often ardently killing the ones in our own gardens. He poses his questions with the puzzlement of fresh discovery. Then, adroitly picking through the available evidence - while calling out for further studies - he sifts through the optional answers to deliver the most likely, and most logical scenario. Yet, at no point are you being "lectured to". Instead, you are introduced to some of the awesome array of variation nature offers. This is no specialist's daunting lecture, but the confessions of a man who finds wonder in small things. It's also, of course, an example for any reader to enter his own yard to consider restoring it some state of origins instead of developer's artificiality.

Alcock's view of his environment isn't wholly without concerns, however. There's no question of his concern for the impact of unrestricted "development". Phoenix, the urban hub of his home in Tempe, is one of the fastest growing cities in the US. With reconstructed landscapes, imported species, proliferating golf courses and a staggering consumption of water, this emblem of "progress" is another urban blight on the landscape. Alcock is uncomfortable with this situation, but nearly helpless to block it. His example of bringing some of the countryside into the city and restoring a bit of balance at a time is an example we should all consider carefully. His book's photo collection will make every gardener smile knowingly. The illustrations portray the object of his studies. With this combination he has produced an example of what a single individual [with some spousal support] can achieve, and told us all about it in this fine book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

If you like the types of suspense romance released under the pen name J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts), you will love In Her Dreams by C.S. Engeron. The book is a thriller that blends suspense, romance, and a little bit of Native American mysticism. The package works really well together to create a compelling story and a damn good read.

Like Stephanie Plum meets Jim Chee, this engaging story kept me reading to the end and wishing for more. Wonderful believable characters, set in one of my favorite places in the world, a great plot, with a little bit of mysticism thrown in with the mystery. What more could one want? I can't wait for Charlene's next book!

In Her Dreams combines the compelling lore of Native American culture, the potent spiritual energy of Sedona, Arizona, and the wiles of a determined young woman in a tale of romance, danger, and mysticism.

When a two-bit carnival fortune teller tells Kayla McAllister that her dreams hold the key to many lives, she isn't as adept at laughing it off as she'd like. She has premonitions, magnified to intense proportions by a sacred amethyst crystal gifted to her by the gypsy. Still, visions alone don't hold all the answers as Kayla must journey through the murky waters of fiery passion, a friend's unplanned pregnancy, and attempted murder to awaken the true power within.

C.S. Engeron's first novel offers a tantalizing blend of human drama and mystical forces to enervate a spicy cast of characters.

--Lisa Logan, author of VISIONS

This is a biography that reads like an engrossing novel -- except that you'd never believe it as fiction. Isabella Greenway was not just enterprising; she was courageous, committed, visionary, passionate, a true pioneer. Miller, a brilliant historian and a graceful writer, makes Greenway and her era come alive. Each of her lives -- frontier woman, wife of two of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt (their letters are touching and illuminating), one of the first women elected to Congress -- is riveting reading.

Despite my years of interest in Arizona history (primarily 19th century), I never knew anything about Isabella Greenway beyond "the wife of Jack Greenway" (who I also knew almost nothing about).

What an oversight! She was a remarkable woman and this book does an excellent job of bringing her to life through the many letters that she wrote to her family, friends (such as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt), and lovers.

Growing up on the periphery of New York high society in the 1890s, she was the "poor cousin" who socialized with the Roosevelts, Astors and many others. Following her NY debut, she married a much older man and then spent fifteen years living on a ranch outside of Silver City, NM as she nursed him through a long struggle with tuberculosis. For several years their home was a pair of wooden-floored tents and she spent her days building callouses as she hauled water, chopped wood and tended the horses and chickens. What a change from New York society life! But, her letters reveal a spirit that remained positive throughout her ordeal and her family developed an intense love for the west and the ranching life.

Her fortunes changed dramatically after the death of her husband when she married her longtime love, Jack Greenway, an extremely wealthy mining engineer and executive. Her happiness, however, was short-lived. Several years later, following her establishment of the Arizona Inn, she responded to a call to public service and ran successfully for Congress after transforming the Arizona Democratic party in her role as Arizona's National Democratic Committeewoman.

Through her use of resources from the AHS' extensive Greenway collection (several hundred boxes of materials) Author Kristie Miller has revealed the most intimate thoughts of Isabella Greenway to compose a remarkable portrait of a most remarkable woman. It is very well written and reflects her meticulous research skills. Interestingly, while her public life is adequately covered, it was the glimpses into her personal relationships that intrigued me the most.

Isabella Greenway: An Enterprising Woman is the biography of an amazing woman, who played a crucial role in FDR's nomination for President. Married and widowed twice to two of Theodore Roosevelt's rough riders, an energetic businessperson who managed a ranch, an airline, and a resort, a leader who was elected to Congress as Arizona's only U.S. Representative, and was dubbed the "most talked-about woman" at the National Democratic Convention by the New York Times, her contribution to women's role in politics is nothing less than trailblazing. Illustrated with a scattering of black-and-white photographs, Isabella Greenway: An Enterprising Woman chronicles her life in a narrative manner as vibrant and evocative as Greenway herself must have once been.

The Ray Krone story, detailed in Jingle Jangle, left me stunned.
Railroaded by an inept justice system, found guilty twice by juries bedazzled by forensic flim-flam, an innocent Ray Krone spent 10 years on death row, convicted on the flimiest of evidence.
Thank god for the chance conversation between Mr. Rix and his Mother, and his and attorney Ray Plourd's tenacity to prove Ray Krone innocent.
I highly recommend this eye-opening, informative novel.

The ultimate true crime novel with a jaw dropping and unexpected ending that will leave the reader wondering - Whodunit?

Jim Rix takes you with him on his ten year journey helping to win his cousin's freedom from Death Row. Amazingly, his cousin, Ray Krone, (as you probably already know as the 100th prisoner released from death row) was twice convicted of the murder of a Phoenix bartender. Throughout the story, Rix exposes a deeply flawed justice system that railroaded Ray Krone on the flimsiest of evidence. You will be amazed at what Rix and his attorney, Chris Plourd, went through to free an innocent man.

It is a novel that will make you think, wonder, and question -- If it could happen to Ray Krone, it could happen to anyone.

I recommend this book for book clubs around the nation. It will give you a lot to discuss. I am sure that everyone will have something to say about the ending!

A very enjoyable and insightful read.

Are we innocent until proven guilty? That's what we're told. But if you were charged with a serious crime that you didn't commit, would you give up almost everything you had to hire an attorney or would you put your trust in the Justice System? After all, if you're innocent, justice will prevail, right?
Well that's what Ray Krone thought, and it was a Big Mistake! Jingle Jangle is a huge eye opener. Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, Law Students--just about anyone on this planet--should know the reality contained in this dynamic book. Ray Krone was a pretty average guy, HS honors graduate, served in the military for 7 years, honorably discharged, stationed in Arizona where he chose to stay and became a letter carrier for the US Post Office. He was a homeowner living the single life with big boy toys when he was arrested for the murder of Kim Ancona. If only he hadn't been a champion dart player who liked to have a beer or two, or if only he hadn't been living in Maricopa County Arizona, his life would have been so much different. After 10+ years in prison, all Ray had after being exonerated was the Corvette that his family and friends had been able to salvage for him and the 50 bucks the Injustice System gave him when he left prison.
Jingle Jangle also provides a lot of fact-finding insight into the forensic science of odontology, DNA analysis, fingerprint analysis, and CODIS. Jim Rix's relentless mission to get Cousin Ray out of prison weaves a trail through the politics, egos, trickery, religion, and money involved in the "Justice System."
And did it end up only to begin another Injustice? Did the man who replaced Ray in prison not kill Kim Ancona either? Jingle Jangle is a must read! It's a page-turner for those willing to put on their thinking cap. I had to read the book a second time to get clear on who really killed Kim Ancona.

This is an illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable read. Compassionate, sympathetically written, by times heart rending. A tribute to the almost forgotten Mosopelea tribe. Professor Hobson touched all of my emotions with this. I look forward to his next title.

The Last of the Ofos is elegantly written and historically informed. Poignant and touching, but not cloying, this is a must-read. A wonderful book!

The Last of the Ofos gives us a man whose resourcefulness and sense of adventure takes him across much of the 20th Century of the United States. Thomas Darko is innocent and worldly simultaneously, and brings a fresh but honest look at much human foolishness as he runs rum with integrity, searches for the woman who abandons him without sentiment, shows us the best and worst of those who idealize Native American culture and always returns to the life of simple self-sufficiency that gives him more satisfaction than all his adventures.

I loved the book and the dignity and truthfulness of the story. I stumbled across it in the University of Oklahoma bookstore and my curiosity was generously rewarded.

It was well over 100 years ago that John Greenleaf Whittier penned the quotation: "For of all sad words of tongue or pen,The saddest are these: "It might have been!". And,so it goes for Richard Matheson's "The Link". Written almost 4 decades ago and never completed,all we have today is a 349 page outline of a mini-series that was never produced-a bare bones "condensed" synopsis of a gigantic novel that was never finished. If it Had been,it may very well have been Matheson's greatest work. None other by him could have come even close to competing.
From the pitiful bit we've been left with,we can only imagine what it Could have been. A story of Tremendous depth and Fascinating potential,"The Link" is a story of a man coming to grips with his own past and newly re-found psychic abilities. He is a writer of "unexplained and strange but true phenomena" who is contacted to work on a proposed film project of the same subject. In his subsequent work,he meets a beautiful English woman(also researching ESP,but with her Own agenda) with whom he falls in love with(despite the fact that she's contentedly married to a "very nice man")and his feelings are soon reciprocated. In their ensuing travels and investigations,they come to realize that their work is only scraping the merest Surface of the Big Picture and when his father-an archeologist-dies and leaves him a mysterious crystal he,at last,after an interminable time, realizes that it will,as his father had begged him to explore,reveal "all the answers to Everything". And it Does. Unfortunately,for us readers,it ends there and despite having superbly set characters and a head-shaking potential for something we can barely image today,we get no more. The book was never written-the film never produced...And thus the title above: "A Masterpiece-Forever Lost"

Television and film fans recognize the fantastic works of imagination written by Richard Matheson through the many productions of his telescripts for the original Twilight Zone television series, television movies such as Duel, directed by unknown upstart Steven Spielberg, and feature films including What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams. In 2005, his short story titled "Dance of the Dead" was scripted for the celebrated HBO series Masters of Horror by his talented son, Richard Christian Matheson. Not all of Mr. Matheson's treatments for television have made it to the screen, however, and THE LINK is an epic unproduced screen treatment for a proposed 20-hour ABC television miniseries back in the 1970s. When ABC executives requested that the series be shortened to a 7-hour running time, Mr. Matheson found it impossible to cut the story without eviscerating the plot and characterizations. Let us fall upon our knees in thankfulness that Barry Hoffman of Gauntlet Press has published the outline of this enormously entertaining miniseries so that we may read what was intended, but never finalized and filmed. (And we have to suffer through months of American Idol and the like? I don't get it.) This is the intricate and very involving story of a writer named Robert Allright who is himself scripting a television miniseries about modern psychic phenomena. Cool, huh? Robert is a skeptic, but when his archeologist father uncovers a strange crystal in the Arizona desert, bizarre but undeniable links to our human past (and present and future!) begin to emerge. When Robert and paranormal investigator Cathy Graves explore the mysteries his father has only begun to investigate, Robert finds his own latent psychic powers coming to the fore, and cosmic revelations about life on earth propel the story to a stunning conclusion that will leave the reader breathless. Mankind's most fundamental questions about life and death are about to be revealed! This is a tour de force in which Mr. Matheson illustrates the various paranormal incidents that have perplexed and amazed us throughout history, building the foundations of his miniseries upon the principals that have governed his life. As fascinating and utterly satisfying as anything I can imagine being produced on television.

Robert Allright, whose most recent book bears the title THINGS WITHOUT EXPLANATION, has spent his entire life pursuing the paranormal, and has become an expert on topics such as telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, faith healing, psychic crime solving, out of body experiences, and various super- and preternatural occurrences and manifestations. Thus, it's no surprise when he is approached by Hollywood producer Alan Bremer to spearhead a project to explore these phenomena in a four-hour documentary film. Funded by Bremer, Allright and his team of experts travel the globe to experience the strange and mysterious firsthand. Robert's travels immerse his more deeply in the world of the super-normal, causing him to confront and embrace aspects of his own personality and nature that he has long denied. Embracing those traits will bring him closer to developing a unified theory of the supernatural, the so-called " Link" which inspired the title of this work.

THE LINK began as a 557-page outline Matheson wrote for a potential ABC miniseries in the 1970's (a la Roots and The Winds of War). The text offered in this Gauntlet edition IS that outline, in narrative form, a hybrid of script and novel; although Matheson briefly flirted with changing the outline from a script into an actual novel, he gave up when he realized the finished product would come to more than 2000 pages. Because it's an outline, it's not as rich a product as one would expect from the likes of Matheson, author of classics like I AM LEGEND, THE SHRINKING MAN, A STIR OF ECHOES, SOMEWHERE IN TIME and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. It's still a satisfying reading experience, however, for two reasons. First, readers can easily see what a glorious and engrossing minIseries this would have made, given the right creative team--Matheson's vision was as expansive as it was ambitious. Second, it represents Matheson's attempt to wrestle with many of the ideas and notions that have intrigued him over the decades--as such, it no doubt would have made for captivating entertainment in any form, whether visual or literary. Readers should enjoy this version, despite its somewhat stilted nature, as long as they realize that it, in the end, can only provide a tantalizing taste of what might have been.

About 1270 A.D., the Anasazi (now called Ancestral Pueblo) and Fremont were forced to evacuate Utah and Colorado because of a prolonged drought that lasted several decades. Scholars have studied these peoples' ruins, pictographs, human remains and artifacts to learn more about their culture. From these reports we now know what they ate and wore, where they lived and farmed, and how they made pottery, baskets and other crafts. We also have some insight into their belief systems, family relationships and how they defended themselves. Despite all this data, there are still many unanswered questions that must be resolved. Perhaps looking at the lifestyles of some of the descendants of these people will provide a few answers. Many of today's anthropologists believe Arizona's Hopi, Pueblo and Zuni people are the descendants of the Anasazi and Fremont. Helen's touching account of her childhood in a traditional Hopi village, provides a view of practices that may have been used or originated in the Great Basin more than a thousand years ago. Her narration describes the coming of age ceremonies in the kivas, the functions of the Kachinas (Kachinavaki), her parents' discipline, farming and cooking practices and her people's belief system. Sadly it also tells of the emotional pain she experienced when she was taken from her family and forced to attend the white man's schools. Despite her many challenges, she proved remarkably resilient and later describes how she and her husband struggled to teach their children an appreciation of both cultures. There is sadness in this story but no bitterness or hatred toward the white man or his culture. The "Journal of Arizona History" and the "Western Historical Quarterly" both feel her autobiography/biography is "an honest story of a life of integrity and genuine values, told with sensitvity" and "a remarkable view of contemporary Hopi life." I agree! I hope all of Utah's local and American history teachers will utilize this resource in their Native American units.

of all the books i've read, this has to be the best by far. you have to check out this book on the indians.

This is an excellent resource for people who want a first-hand, authentic account of life for Native Americans in the 20th century.
This book gives an interesting perspective into the Hopi culture and the impact the outside culture has made on Helen's generation and those that followed. As a Native American, I can appreciate the struggles and triumphs that our elders had when faced with assimilation, stripping of our Native ways, and raising their families. I recommend this book for those that are seeking an intimate look into the Native American culture.

Last night I had a dream. It was about this unpublished book. I read it there and it was wonderfull

Mr. Simon J. Ortiz's work, "Men On The Moon", is a collection of three earlier groups of his short stories. The tales are not just of contemporary Native American life but also of their History, and specifically their History with the, "Mericano".

The History of Native Americans cannot be written without the experience of loss, displacement, internment, and racism to mention just a few. The Native Americans are one of the Genocides that this Country is responsible for, and even though we who made read this History took no part in the atrocities, we also are the only ones who can make amends. Those responsible, the dead, are not terribly productive.

These stories are not complaints nor are they a cry for pity. They are each brief statements of fact that no matter how tragic maintain a sense of hope. Justice, fairness, acknowledgement of the crimes committed against them are perhaps some of the redress they illustrate/seek.

The book is not grim; it is full of irony, sardonic moments, and even humor. The short story that is also the title for the book is wonderful. An elderly man muses about the first information he sees on viewing his first TV. A series of questions follow with answers from a younger family member. If NASA had to answer these questions as put forward by this wise old sage, the groping for answers would be amusing, and the space program would be doubtful. I don't believe the Author was actually questioning the merits of the space program, rather illustrating how easily things may happen despite failing the most basic of queries.

There are stories of heroic service for the United States during her wars, and too there is a story of one man that went to prison rather than serve. I mention these as I found this book very balanced. This is not one Native American's list of complaints, rather a reasoned and balanced view of their History and what that History has wrought.

The book is great reading that communicates its message in an informal conversational way consistent with Native American Culture. It loses nothing to the extent its format is not structured in the traditional manner of, "scholarly", History. Nonetheless this man is a wonderful writer, a poet, role model, and eloquent representative for his people.

When I read this book, Simon Ortiz's voice came from the pages. Simon Ortiz writes like he speaks and his stories are rich and beautiful. As a student of his I have had the unique opportunity of hearing many of these stories orally, but they have not lost their beauty and depth being written down. If you like this book, check out Simon Ortiz's poetry. You won't be disappointed.

My copy of "Plaintext" is dogeared because I've reread it a lot. I've also bought copies for friends. It's honesty and directness captured me immediately. I felt I was in the company of a real person who was not afraid to talk with me about her life. The religious component is important too because Mairs tells me about her spiritual struggles, her anger and loves. Her life in the Catholic church is exposed so that we can identify with her. She deals with questions we ask too. When this book was first published, I'd read nothing like it before. I'm an ordained woman and needed to confront some of the same issues dealt with here, marriage, unfaithfulness, doubts. I also loved the Arizona setting, since I live in northern Arizona and felt close to Mairs because we had that world in common.
This book is one treasure I'll never part with.
Elaine Greensmith Jordan, 2008

I have never read a book of essays from beginning to end but I could not put this one down. It reads like a novel with the depth of an extended poem. Each essay presents a journey into the interior of human heart--an intricate, rocky road through emotions and experiences entirely unique and yet completely understandable. Sometimes I felt like I was looking in the mirror, finding my whole life in a line, on a page. Other times I felt as if I had made a new and very intimate friend.

I chose this book because I have been struggling with a new-found disability and had read that Nancy Mairs had written about her experiences with Multiple Sclerosis in an essay with the gutsy title: "On Being a Cripple." I was delighted to hear Mairs treat this issue with pain and wisdom, and then move on to so many more aspects of her own life story. The writing is exquisite--complex, delicate, and blunt. The stories are gripping accounts of infidelity, depression, suicide, terror, appreciation, parenting, sex, mystery, loneliness, humor, writing, and love. The honesty with which she reveals details about herself and her family is unprecedented. And some sort of affiirmation comes with each gritty revelation, making the irreducible value of human experience once again apparent. Mairs is a feminist, but not in any formulaic manner. Her plea is that women be given the opportunity to explore all of the facets of their own humanity; that being locked in limited roles has caused so many of us to go "mad." Her poignant recollections of younger days are all but universal. Who has not felt different, alienated, self-effacing, and alone at least some time in their life? I cannot imagine anyone not being gripped by the courage and the genius of Mairs' honesty and introspection.

I've read only a few of Mairs' essays from this volume, and the ones I've read are beautifully crafted. Nancy Mairs hates having MS, yet she is not sorry to be a cripple (a term she prefers to handicapped or disabled.) How can this be? Nancy Mairs reveals her life as it is lived day-to-day, as a married, employed, active, wife, mother, and, most importantly, woman and human being. Her style and tone is such that even those unconnected to any kind of disability or disabled person will be profoundly moved by her autobiographical essays.