Arizona Books

Mack Bolan heads into Arizona on another orgy of death and mayhem. This is why Pendleton is so successful. Mobsters, thugs, lackeys, murderers all get their one way tickets in the "Executioner" style. A masterpiece worthy of a spot in any action-adventure fan's library

If you like westerns you will love this one. I have read some of his books, (it will take a while to get through them all!) and this is a good read! A story about a good man at heart with a bad reputation. Nevada and The Thundering Herd are two others worth looking for as well.

OK, so I don't live in Arizona or New Mexico. But I live in the state just north of Arizona, and this was the closest book I could get. I bought it for a youngster that's just beginning to show interest in astronomy. She's twelve and sitting out one evening and having her identify various stars to her mother and I was nothing less than fantastic. And this from a kid with less than stellar (sorry I couldn't resist) grades in school. You've just got to find something that interests them. I guess that come Christmas time I'm going to be in the market for a telescope.

The book was exactly what I was seeking. It's aimed at the younger reader so that the descriptions are not too complex, not too mathematical -- that can come later. It's personalized, if that's the word, to the local states (and the same author has other versions of the book for other states).

My Mom gave me this book when I moved out and got my first apartment. I wasn't much of a cook then, but I learned many easy, traditional dishes from this cookbook. The directions are well-written and easy to follow, and this book has the only successful recipe for Prickly Pear Jelly I've ever tried!

Recipes include gazpacho #1, #2, #3, #4, frijoles, refried beans, frijoles refritos con queso, tostadas, olive beef tacos, beef tacos, hot taco sauce, chicken topopo, empanadas, flan, mexican candy, sourdough pancakes, sourdough biscuits, sourdough bread sticks, red flannel stew, baked pinto beans, mexican casserole, pinto bean loaf, best pinto bean soup, pinto bean fudge and much more.

This book as allot of great recipes for SW cooking. Many of the recipes take time and are really easier to make in the SW than other regions as they really do depend on this climate for cooking. But it is a very interesting book with some brief histories and such.

Cooking in AZ and the SW isn't just a type of flavor or a type of food it has it's own way of cooking and style for doing things that make it unique, fascinating, not to mention delicious!

I particularly like the sourdough pancake recipe and the sourdough English muffin recipe.

Some ingredients will be hard to locate outside the region of the country.

The book is out of date somewhat but it is still a must-have if you are going to Tuscon. The author is very funny and very astute. I can depend on her recommendations and it has a good range of prices. You trip will be much better.

Feeling hungry? Want to know a bit of the history behind the food on your plate? Arizona Eats! has everything you need, from fantastic recipes that make your mouth water and your belly rumble, to interesting facts and brainy tidbits that satisfy your need to know as well. If you really enjoy Southwestern cooking, Carol Haralson has done it all for you in a tidy, attractive package. The cover illustration grabs attention and drags you right into a wonderful world of food, Arizona style! This book is a wonderful gift idea for anyone who collects cook books or likes to EAT!

She wasn't looking for a husband...

Kansas McClellan was looking for her brother, and Paxton Moore was the only man who could help her. She'd heard he knew the tough, Western landscape like the back of his callused hand, so it didn't matter that he stirred in her feelings of longing that she'd rather not explore.

He wasn't out to find a wife...

Paxton was happy with his life just the way it was, but ever since Kansas barged into town, the sultry days- and hot nights- were getting far too steamy for comfort. But he simply couldn't resist her. This was one female in distress he couldn't refuse- even if finding her brother meant losing his heart.

Dee Strickland Johnson's new book, "Arizona Herstory:Tales from Her Storied Past," is an impressive work that celebrates the history of her beloved native state with careful scholarship, captivating tales, and no small amount of humor.

Her expertly crafted, engaging stories in verse never speak in a detached historian's voice, but rather through the colorful and convincing words of the native people, vaqueros, soldiers, cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, mule skinners, chuckwagon cooks, and settlers who populate this book. She brings the past alive vibrantly, and this unique volume delivers a panoramic view of the history and the settlement of the West.

Nearly 60 poems appear in chronological groupings. Those in the "Heroes and Hard Cases" chapter are full of Old West excitement. "Johnny Behind the Deuce" tells of a little known episode in Wyatt Earp's life, which the author says many historians view as his finest hour. There's the story of "The Rhyming Robber" and cowboy W. R. "Red" McNeill, who in taunting his victims with verse was perhaps was inspired by Black Bart. Johnson, with her signature wit, writes in a footnote (they are all worth reading) "Some of Red's verses have been slighted edited for meter. I am sure he could have done as well himself but, after all, he was often pressed for time." In the amusing and quick-moving tale of "one of the most notorious cattle rustlers and elusive prisoners in northern Arizona territory, "Climax Jim," nicknamed for the famous chewing tobacco, puts his habit to good use during a courtroom appearance.

In the "Just Plain Folks" chapter, one moving and timeless poem is "Shadows," narrated by a weary rebel soldier who heads west seeking work and comes to some profound realizations about war and the men he used to fight against, saying "...they'd risk hell for my damn sake/ And I fight as hard beside 'em, battlin' cows in wild stampede / As I used to fight agin' 'em -- just 'cause someone said I needed." "Belle of the Bar" is the intriguing tale of the baby who appears among the gamblers on Prescott's Whiskey Row, and is won with a roll of the dice.

Several poems concern the "Them Hash Knife Cowboys," the Aztec Land and Cattle Company that went from Texas to Arizona in 1885. The poem of that name tells how some of the Arizona cattlemen changed from their Spanish (California) methods and took on Texas ways: "They looked at our long tapaderos / That flip-flapped and flopped as we rode; / Called us "chaps, taps and latigo straps" / And it wasn't too long till we'd stowed / Our seventy-foot long reatas / Away with the rest of our gear. / We just gave up takin' our dallies, / All tied hard and fast in a year."

One chapter holds legends, lore, myths, "lies told as practical jokes," and finally, "unlikely stories told as fact," those latter two categories having particularly creatively told tales. One gem is "Stilt Stock Stampede," which is said to be based on an accident during an ostrich stampede in 1914. Johnson dedicates this poem to "the brothers Cook"; Jim Cook is the "Official State Liar of Arizona," who she writes "has graciously suspended his Liar's commission when supplying information for this book." Other fun poems in this section include "Cyclone Bill's Big Windy" and "Swap Me a Biscuit."

There's a glimpse of Johnson's own history in several poems in the "Later History: 20th Century" chapter. A poignant note after her poem "Two Old Hash Knife Cowboys," about two kind old hands who told her stories and were an audience for her cowboy songs when she was a girl, tells "Much later I learned that [one] had explained his kindness to me with these words: "Poor little devil; she ain't got no mama."

The multi-talented Johnson (also known as "Buckshot Dot") is a recipient of the AWA's Best Female Poet award) and is a sought-after performer, singer, and artist. The book includes her distinctive scratch board illustrations, many inspired by historical photographs and with subjects as varied as Wyatt Earp, Sharlot Hall, and the Yuma Indians of 1800.

For reciters, there are some "performance cut" versions of a number of poems, particularly crafted for stage delivery. Those interested in history will be further gratified by the well-researched timelines, footnotes, maps and bibliography. Others who simply appreciate good writing and engaging tale spinning will be equally pleased with this large collection of entertaining tales in verse. This is one of those lasting volumes that you can give as a gift to most anyone, and one that you'll be glad to have in your own library.

Margo Metegrano, editor, CowboyPoetry.com