Nevada Books

My friends, if you plan on hiking Half Dome, this is your bible! It goes into every single little detail you can think of regarding this hike. It's well-written, well organized and extremely informative/helpful.

Half Dome is a hike that needs to be taken seriously and this book will walk through it with you. Be sure to read this well before your trip so you can prepare mentally and physically (especially if you have never been). Following Rick Deutsch's advice will make your hike a wonderful and pleasant experience! Going to Half Dome unprepared will most likely lead to misery.

I just wanted to thank Rick for a WONDERFUL guide. A couple of high school buddies and I (we graduated 30 years ago!) completed our hike on September 28th, 2007. The book prepared me for the arduous task of completing the most exhilarating hike of my life! He included references to many things that we would not have known about had I not read the book. FANTASTIC!!

This book is required reading for anyone attempting to hike Half Dome. The key to this hike is preparation - practical, mental and physical, and Mr. Deutsch does an excellent job of addressing all 3 of these parameters. By breaking the hike down he also allows one to "visualize" the hike before setting out, and provides useful benchmarks by which to pace onesself on hike day. His advice is circumspect and focused on safety at all times - there are many potential dangers up there, and without being alarmist, he shares his accumulated wisdom as well as regulations put forth by the NPS to educate hikers about what awaits them. An added bonus is that this book becomes a "keepsake" of sorts - his exquisite detailing of the hike itself allowed me to "relive" this wonderful day and recall details that would otherwise be forgotten. I purchased copies for everyone in my hiking group - and look forward to taking this book to the summit many many more times.

This is a great dvd collection if you are considering the half dome hike. It takes you step by step all the way to the top from a hiker's position. Great footage, even if you just want to have a souvenir from your own hike up the dome.

My brother and I had a perfect experience on our first hike to the top of Half Dome due largely to the advice and information in this book. It allowed us to psychologically and physically prepare as best as possible. Much thanks to Rick Deutsch for sharing his vast knowledge and experience.

I have had this book for two years. Reading it completely 9 times and countless partial times. Gallagher in her effort "to become a blank slate upon which the stories could be written" has embodied the voice of a people not just a position of personal opinion. Hearing that voice cause's the reader to open there eye's to the stark reality of what "we the people" have allowed to happen. Revealing just how fast the holocost of the WWII was pushed out of the conscientious of the people. Allowing the same mentality that drove the Nazi's, to develope in the country "were that could not happen". Without a doubt this "work" is not for the light hearted. Reality with weight, forces the reader to think. Cause's the reader to question not only the government structure and poilcy's we have let be set but the moral code by which we justify a means to a end. How do you determine who live's and who dies? What and Who determines the worth of a human being? You will be challanged, morally, and emotionally. Carole Gallagher has painted people, words, and pictures together in a way that you will not shake off anytime soon. Personal stories will bury themselve's deep into your heart and mind. You will hear the echoed cry's of a people for which there was no justice, no hope. The bottom line reality is we let it happen. This is "the wake up call" Gallagher presents the reader with. It is very disturbing wake up call.

I've read and reread this book so many times I've lost count. In addition I've loaned it out to multiple friends just to get them to open their eyes. Each time I read it I'm still amazed at the liberties taken by the military during this period of time. There is so much important information here I could never even scratch the surface in a short review. The poignant stories told by the victims of these nuclear tests (mostly patriotic mormons who felt the govt. could do no wrong) will move you emotionally, besides backing up Gallaghers claims. If you consider yourself a patriot, prepare to have your world shaken. Just buy it, you wont be sorry.

I've read and reread this book so many times I've lost count. In addition I've loaned it out to multiple friends just to get them to open their eyes. Each time I read it I'm still amazed at the liberties taken by the military during this period of time. There is so much important information here I could never even scratch the surface in a short review. The poignant stories told by the victims of these nuclear tests (mostly patriotic mormons who felt the govt. could do no wrong) will move you emotionally, besides backing up Gallaghers claims. If you consider yourself a patriot, prepare to have your world shaken. Just buy it, you wont be sorry.

I'm a science writer, and I was conducting some research at the M.I.T. library regarding the 1962 series of nuclear tests at Johnston Island in the Pacific. Mostly I was seeking highly technical information -- but I saw this volume sitting on the shelf next to the monographs I was reviewing, so I took what I originally intended to be a quick glance.

After several hours' reading of "American Ground Zero", I found myself quite upset, for this collection of highly credible, first-person accounts clearly demonstrates ongoing efforts of the federal government to ignore, downplay -- even falsify -- data regarding the atomic testing of the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, particularly the atmospheric tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas up through 1962.

In today's debate regarding DOE's Yucca Mountain Project, the credibility of the federal government and its experts is a big issue in Nevada. This volume shows why -- through first-hand accounts and compelling photography, presented with the perspective of subsequent time. (Yucca mountain is an underground facility located on a corner of the old Nevada Test Site, and it is to become the nation's primary repository for high-level nuclear waste.)

For at least fifteen years, I have been following in the scientific literature the research & development of Yucca mountain. My own feelings on the matter had been ambivalent for high-level waste must be stored somewhere. Recently, I had become concerned with revelations regarding falsification of data by DOE employees and its contractors.

However, in one fell swoop -- this book completely persuaded me to the righteousness of the cause of those many Nevadans who oppose Yucca mountain. It clearly shows that Nevadans (along with residents of Utah and other downwind states) have already suffered far beyond their fair share of the nation's nuclear burden.

Sadly, the sacrifice of these citizens is not only largely unacknowledged today -- this work clearly shows that their earlier "cooperation" was concurrent with misrepresentations by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the predecessor to today's Department of Energy (DOE), as well as by various military authorities.

Many of the individuals profiled in this volume are (were) former employees of the AEC and its contractors, or are (were) military veterans who participated in these atomic tests. Their accounts all seem to have one common thread -- that there were repeated efforts by authorities to downplay, or ignore, radioactive releases and associated health effects from both above- and below-ground nuclear tests.

The author, Carole Gallagher, deserves our nation's appreciation for documenting so eloquently the experiences of these otherwise ordinary citizens and bringing them to our collective attention. Unfortunately, their living testimonies and images are quickly passing...

I grew up in Northern Arizona on the Utah border. Living close to St George and Cedar City, Utah, we heard rumors of families with unusually high incidents of leukemia and other cancers and the ensuing speculation about the cause. Gallagher's compilation of stories supplies the most human view of the downwinders. She documents a dark and frightening chapter in our goverment's history. Most compelling were the stories of the workers at the test site who were not even afforded the pretense of protection from exposure. I would have appreciated additional focus on the effects of the testing on the Native American tribes in Utah and Northern Arizona.

Gallagher has given us a treasure by documenting the stories of radiation exposure victims who deserve to have their stories told. Once started, I could not stop reading this book and found myself studying each photograph for several minutes before reading the accompanying story.

Thank you Ms. Gallagher for leaving your New York roots, succuming to the fashion dictates of southern Utah and permitting yourself to become the blank slate upon which these stories were etched.

Bill and Sandra McGee have authored a fascinating account of an almost forgotten era of the Old West. The old days of the romantic Nevada dude ranch unfold in a format reminiscent of "The Love Boat". Told through the eyes of real life cowboy, Bill McGee, we see east coast patrons come and go through the gates of the famous Flying M E Guest ranch. The dude guests are mostly women arrived to establish a six (6) week residency before securing a quickie divorce. And while lounging at the Flying M E, who could blame a girl for romancing a handsome cowboy? The wonderful photographs alone make this coffee table book well worth its purchase. Fans of the old west should seriously consider adding this fine book to their collection.

The McGees have pulled together a remarkable historic and pictoral event in Nevada history. Nevada's easy divorce laws attracted the rich and famous to well known Divorce Ranches, complete with horses and swimming pools. Bill McGee was a wrangler at one of the better known "ranches". McGee introduced divorcees to horses and the spectacular Sierra Nevada Mountains. As the daughter of a former owner of one of the nearby smaller divorce sites (we didn't offer horses or a pool), I was impressed with the results of the McGee's research. Many of the photos have not been produced before; they interviewed many of the ranch's former "guests" and provided information not available earlier. This book is truly a collector's item. The Divorce Ranch years brought many new residents from the East who subsequently enriched northern Nevada's cultural community. Before the McGee's this Nevada saga was largely overlooked.

A great and very personal account of the times when everybody who was anybody spent six weeks in Reno to cut the bands that had bound them in their homes,churches, cities and states. Provacative text supported by even more provacative photographs.

Biographer:Adriana and veteran attorney: Tom Williams, San Francisco

View a clip at www.divorceseekers.com -- Click on CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO.

I'm honored to appear in this and another special feature, RENO MEMORIES, both on the newly-released Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 (Charlie Chan in Honolulu / Charlie Chan in Reno / Charlie Chan at Treasure Island / City in Darkness) (4DVD). Both special features are peppered with photographs from my book, THE DIVORCE SEEKERS.

The producers were looking for a firsthand account of life in Reno during the 1940s, the heyday of the Reno six week divorce. I was working as a dude wrangler then on the Flying M E, an exclusive divorce ranch outside of Reno that catered to wealthy divorce seekers. As the movie opens, the Mary Whitman character, in a cab on her way to a swank Reno hotel, could have been any number of divorce seekers who came to the Flying M E. She looks the part, believe me. The dialogue for the Cab Driver is pretty authentic, too.

CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO is a fun Reno divorce movie.

If you love history, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and cowboys, this book is for you. Being from Minnesota and working at Lake Tahoe in the mid-70's and now being a resident of Reno, I found this book to be a lot more than it's title indicates. Yes, the Reno area was known for being the Divorce Capital of the World, but Bill McGee takes the reader into the back mountains of the Sierras, into the world of New York socialites settling in Virginia City and into what must have been a unique place to live and work - the Flying ME Ranch. The Flying ME was located in what I think is one of the most beautiful spots in Northern Nevada today - Franktown. Even before I knew of the dude ranch, this spot between Carson City and Reno is one of beautiful ranches with white picket fences, Ponderosa Pines and mountain views second to none.

Bill and Sandra take the reader back to a time that was unique and one that will probably never exist again. The photography is wonderful and probably tells a story all by itself.

This is definitely a worthwhile read and a great coffee table book!

D. Geraghty
Reno, Nevada

John Spivey is a new writer emerging from the eastern part of Tulare County. He was raised in Exeter and though he currently lives in Santa Barbara, the terrain of his early life is at the heart of this, his first book.

The Great Western Divide is a traveler or trail walker's kind of literature. This is a book to carry in a one's back pack as well as to read in a comfortable chair at home. Within its text are eloquent, intimate descriptions of the section of the Great Valley that spreads out between Tulare Lake and Mount Whitney. The author knows the history of the area as well as its geography. He is a descendant of the Mehrten family, the great grandson of a German immigrant who settled near Yokohl Valley in1864. A good researcher, Spivey uses material from the early day explorers of this region. With respect to its original inhabitants, the author shares the old Gaweah, Tulumne and Wuchumne Yokuts' terms for places like Visalia, Badger Hill, and Moro Rock. He thereby gives his reader a new/old vocabulary, encouraging deeper appreciation of these localities and also of a time before our present time.

Some shorter inserts in the book, short poems and small fables, are quite charming and include a wide range of creatures. Crow and Coyote exist in text as well as title. Old Dutch Bill Mehrten finds his way into sections of the book, as does Lao Tsu. The latter philosopher seems less appropriate to the book's purely central Californian physical context, but his words suit the author's purpose and so this persona too blends comfortably and finds his place.

The book is an account of John Spivey's own life's journey. It is very much a spiritual book, a tale of awakening and an urging to Spivey's reader also to awaken to nature, his history and his own nobility. However, this pragmatic, non-spiritual reviewer was never offended by sections of the book which contain preachment and parable. The tone of the book is more sensitive than righteous.

Though the author does give the reader gentle exhortations to live better and see more clearly, he also gives the reader a richness of history and landscape. Spivey writes in an accessible and fluid style. This book is well recommended for anyone interested in the spirit and the cartography of California.

sr/5-2006

"I want to inspire you to some deep feeling, but can't tell you what that feeling should be."

John Spivey invites us to explore the landscape of our minds in this inspiring and thought provoking journey through California's Sierra Nevada. Part autobiography, part environmentalist, part history, with much philosophy, this book takes the reader on an adventure not soon forgotten.

Without sounding preachy, Spivey challenges us to see things differently; not to abandon already held religious or metaphysical beliefs, but rather to dig deeper and to question How we came to believe these things, and Why.

Open your mind, traverse your own landscape, and learn the Truths about our world, your life, and yourself... all across The Great Western Divide.

"The Buddha once delivered a sermon by holding a single flower aloft. Kashyapa saw the flower and smiled. He understood as the others only puzzled and because of this became the first Zen Patriarch."

As with much of John Spivey's hypnotic, multi-dimensional tale of personal redemption offered to us a way to also cease being one the Living Dead, the answer to this riddle on page 104 appears at the beginning of the book. The Great Western Divide is a story of immense beauty and power, ebbing and flowing like a river, bending and heading back when meeting a barrier, rushing frantically through rapids or over cliffs to form a waterfall, or barely discernable through dry river beds.

There are multiple narratives woven through this tale interspersed with Native American, Zen, and Confucian, Tao, and other religious or philosophical thoughts. Spivey proclaims none of them as Truth but rather offers them as lessons and guides to live life fully and completely.

It is fascinating to watch-and perhaps engage in-the weaving of this tapestry without at first having a clear sense of the end product.

Spivey's is a gifted writer. He is a master story teller, creating characters and drama simply and effectively, reaching a critical point and then moving on only to return at the appropriate time later to continue the story. The same is true with his multiple narratives and themes which are taken to a critical point, only to be temporarily abandoned while he works on another pattern in the tapestry. In effect, he skillfully lays emotional, intellectual, and spiritual traps for the reader to sustain suspense.

He clearly understands the power of nouns and verbs over needless adjectives and adverbs. He has the ability to not only create a powerful and visual sense of place, but also shows, rather than tells the importance of place to his journey.
And while he is brutally honest with his personal suffering, struggles, and yearnings, he isn't seeking sympathy but rather uses them as motivation for his search. He describes without self-pity his family's long and difficult history in California just north of Sequoia National Park, but he never succumbs to the cheap writer's trick of manipulating the reader emotionally. His path through the pain of his past is offered as an example of how others can make the same journey.
Spivey's thesis is simplicity itself. "Is your mind abundant? How has it come to its present state of being? Is it full of the nuance and fluidity of life or is it rigid and barren, painful and lonely?" He seeks nothing more than to find out who he truly is. One of his martial arts teachers once told him that anything studied can be a Way, but if the end isn't an understanding of who you really are, then "it's just clever behavior. Clever, clever monkey business. Do you really Know, or are you just clever?"

To him, the lack of spirituality in the business world turns most of us into clever monkeys. There are myths and stories about the way of the king, the way of the warrior, the way of the priest, scholar, and farmer, myths and stories that explain how their social roles can lead to a spiritual path. But there are no myths or stories about business people. "Perhaps it's because there is no motivating principle of being of service to the people and to the truth beneath the surface of things. It's all very, very clever monkey business."

Spivey's lament is the lack of spirituality in modern life, that linear thinking and literalism have replaced spirituality as the dominant forces. It doesn't matter to him which myths or symbols one uses to discover one's spirituality; it matters greatly that, without them, we are "The Walking Dead." Too many of us are not whole. We are comfortable in neither camp, and we've "left so many little pieces of ourselves behind as we have drifted through the landscape of our lives." The task he has set for himself and challenges us to undertake is to go back and find all those shards to recreate who we are and present one face to the world.

One can argue about myths and stories, but it hard to disagree that our society is shrinking from one that encompasses land and people, a sense of place and of community, to one that concerns only ourselves, frightened because we long to control and dominate but find it increasingly impossible in a world that refuses to obey linear, rational thought.

It would be unfair to describe the various narratives-it would rob the reader of the joy of discovery, of watching the tapestry woven into a complete whole, but there is one element of Spivey's quest that needs to be related. There is a refreshingly selfish quality to his tale, and it's worth quoting at length if for no other reason than to reveal a master writer at work:

"If you have not made it through the demon night and faced the darkest of things, then as you walk down the street and notice some disheveled haunted person at the margin of life, stop and bow silently in their direction. In your mind ask for forgiveness. The darkness that you have ignored, your fear compounded with all other fear, echoes and vibrates through them. They suffer in part for you, for your unresolved sins.

"I cannot be fully enlightened till everyone is. We share a common mind. As free as I might be from my own fear, I am still privy to your fear, to everyone's fear. I work to keep my mind clear. It is far easier if we did it together."

The Great Western Divide is not another New Age Manifesto, filled with rigid, solipsistic, or meaningless philosophies, healing gems, or pet rocks. Personally, I hate New Age blather and treat it as a collection of lies spread by modern-day hucksters looking to make a quick book.

At the heart of The Great Western Divide is a simple message of self-discovery, but Spivey understands too well that finding one's self in the modern world is a complex, painful, time-consuming task. If one is receptive, the first reading will begin to create life change, and it will become a book that one will return to again and again for guidance.

John Spivey's book The Great Western Divide is compelling and refeshing reading. It is a potent educational tool, conveying the author's profound respect for the Natural World and remembrance. Spivey takes us on a journey, and it made me feel connected to the Land that once thrived and will thrive again. The experience is well worth it !

The book is partly autobiographical, going back several generations to his roots in the San Joaquin Valley farmlands and the still-unspoiled lands around him. The story is subtly spiritual in his weaving of geography, Native American cultures, and our current views of development. He does all of this in an honest and witty way, while revealing his own intellectual conflicts.

The subject matter is compelling, his story-telling is gentle and engaging, and his use of language conveys depth of thought in a direct, economical writing style. It's one of those books you can savor just for its craftsmanship.

He's had some great reviews in the local media. It seems he's tapped into a subject (much of it regarding being transplanted to Santa Barbara) that will resonate with many readers.

John Spivey is a teacher at Santa Barbara Middle School. With a son entering the 10th grade this year, I feel like I missed a fabulous opportunity by not having him in a classroom with John. I can think of no higher praise.

I always make sure I have a Time Out guide with me when I am visiting a city with much to offer. I spend two full weeks every fall in Las Vegas and always have the latest Time Out Las Vegas guide with me. The restaurant and hotel listings are comprehensive and varied. No category is shortchanged- they even suggest the best places to get married and offer at least a dozen side trips from Sin City. Attractions and local shops for everything from souvenirs to haircuts are listed. The gambling section describes many of the most common games, which have the best odds, and where the best place to play each of them is.
In addition, the Time Out guides are written in a very entertaining and cheeky fashion. You will be hard-pressed to find a guide that offers as much information on the multitude of things on offer in Las Vegas.

i'm heading to Las Vegas in September in 2008.i wanted a book that would go through everything that las vegas had to offer. i am not going to gamble. so i was delighted that the book only had a small chapter about gambling.the book listed everything from shopping to eating. the most informative part of the book was the trips of of town, i didn't realisze California was so close to Las vegas (1 hour flight) so now i'm heading to LA aswell thanks to the book. it also has a wedding section which i found useful as i hope to get married in Vegas in 2009. it had all the information about about getting a marriage licence & the hidden costs.
great read. Well Worth Buying!!!!!

TIME OUT LAS VEGAS is a great book about all the pleasurable activities available in Las Vegas, as well as its seamier side. The book also discusses how segregated the city was racially until the 1960s, and how African-Americans were made to feel unwelcome there. Also, there is a discussion on the influence of the Mafia in what has become known as "Sin City." Finally, there are tips on how to avoid losing all of your money at the gaming tables, slot machines, sports books, and, if you're a horse-lover, horse-racing betting stations. This book is essential for keeping yourself healthy and safe in Las Vegas, and if you go there without it, you could be declared too mentally disturbed to manage your own affairs.

This book pretty much tells it like it is. It accurately describes the tacky and over-priced sights. It also tells where to find the good values and reasonably priced venues. There are sections on all the free goodies you can get and places to go when you get tired of the glitter of Las Vegas.

To me, Time Out guides are the best you can buy. They are better than Lonely Planet and Frommers and anything else on the market. They are very in-depth, colorful, heaps of photos, so informative and often go the extra mile by adding bonus pages on either the history of the city, or the culture or anything of even minimal interest.
This 2007 edition is choc-full of anything you wanted to know for your vacation to Vegas and day trips to other places like Arizona, California and Utah. It even has a mini segment about gambling and lessons on how to play some of the more popular games in the casino. There are listings in the back for hospitals, websites for where to find dentists, list of radio stations, post offices and almost anything you could want to find. It covers where to stay from budget to grand opulence, what to do with or without kids, maps of the Strip and surrounding areas and of course my absolute favourite topics - food and shopping.
By the time you read this guide, you will be a novice of Vegas whether you've already been before or going for the first time. I'm about to go to Vegas for my 12th time and I still find this book of use. I highly highly recommend it and recommed their other guides for other great cities around the world.

I enjoyed the characters of Annabel and Gabriel, also the introduction to their son Nicholas and Olivia and their journeys in the old west.

THIS BOOK GETS 5 STARS FOR BEING STEAMY!! Good book finished it in two days... I enjoyed seeing older H/H with adult son. I completely bought their love for each other and their love for their child. Good book! I do however agree with another review I felt like a women who left her husband and child for 12 years.... she should have caught more heat from both her husband and child, both seemed to accept her back way too easily and let her off the hook! I thought that would be the climax of the story but it never came......

Linda Lael Miller did it again. This is a very well written story. Really enjoyed the characters and the plot.

"The Vow", another of Linda Lael Miller's great works. When Annabel returns to her home in Parable, Nevada, the sparks fly between Annabel and her husband, Gabe McKeige. Both are too stubborn to admit that although they lost a beloved child years before, their love for each other did not die. After unsuccessfully trying to deny their feelings, eventually the passion erupts, the fire is rekindled, and the promises made long ago are once again being fulfilled in "The Vow."

I love Ms. Miller's books and each gets better than the last. Read "The Vow" and I promise you will not be disappointed.

This bk is awesome. Really it is. It's different than other romances and contains alot of depth in the characters. I put off reading this bk for a long time b/c I didn't like the idea of a Mother leaving her child and husband for 12yrs. I could not fathom a reason why anyone would do this especially in the 1800's!! Well, I bought Anabelle's reason for leaving (I certainly did not agree with it) and I loved how she stayed true to Gabriel all those years.

It was also interesting to watch the H/H interact with a grown child as well as how he interacted with them. I would have liked to have seen more of a scene where Nicholas vented his anger to his Mother over why she left him but even without that scene the bk was great.

If your looking for something different than the usual romance this is it.

The Brothers Bieter have written a very important chapter in American immigrant history. It boggles the mind to comprehend the forces that brought young men to America from a primarily maritime economy and succesfully transplanted them in the high deserts of Idaho and Nevada as sheepherders. How a network of friends and relatives immigrating over four generations were able to bring their culture's music, dance, games, gastronomy and traditions, adapt them to new circumstances and see the pride exhibited by their children and grandchildren is truly inspiring. The evolution of immigrant Basques into Basque-Americans is a worthy study for any anthropologist, linguist or sociologist.

While most Americans have studied the immigration of Europeans to the United States, our knowledge of the Basque immigration is limited. The Bieters have written a well-researched and informative account of the Basque journey from Spain to the United States. The book, packed with personal anecdotes of Basque immigrants, belongs on the bookshelf of every American history enthusiast.

I just finished reading this book. It is a relatively quick read, something I was able to finish in a day. It is a very good read, though, something all decendants of the Basque immigrants to the Western US should read. It gives, in my opinion, a very good idea of what it was like for a young Basque to come to this country and try to make a living. It also describes well the choices the decendants of these immigrants have made to continue the Basque culture. It does so in a very direct way, making me think about my choices and the convenience of the aspects of Basque culture I have chosen to keep alive for myself. In some areas, I wish there was more depth (for example, the discussion of Anaiak Denok, a group I hadn't heard of before), but, overall, it is a very good introduction to what it means to be Basque-American and why some of us choose to identify with both the Basque and American culture. I strongly recommend this book, not only to Americans of Basque decent, but anyone who is interested in the issues of ethnicity in America and why some would choose to be both American and ethnic at the same time.

As an amature student of both history and Basque culture I am very impressed with the quality of this work. Both Misters Bieter should be praised for what is both a most interesting and informative book. There is a professional blend of historical theory about the roles of various generations and historical facts and manifested by the various stories, all held together by the ongoing saga of the Bilbao family. This is good history writing. I don't know if this kind of book can win prizes or awards, but if so this one deserves to do so.

Being of Basque decent myself, I try to read and collect as many books about my heritage as possible. The Bieters' have extensive knowledge and insight to show the development of the Basque in the beautiful state of Idaho. Following the journey they have told, I can relate it to the journey of my Basque ancestors. It is a wonderful look at a wonderful culture.

I really did like this, what I believe is the final installment of this series, I could be wrong. It was longer than the others which I was excited about, I enjoy Linda Joy Singleton's Seer series but felt her books were a bit on the light side. The only thing I did not like about this story was the way Sabine was written in this particular book. I really like Sabine's character and I felt Singelton didn't do a great job of channeling Sabine's personality in this book. I had to skip through several pages not wanting to read them because of the repition of Sabine's inner feud with herself. I kept thinking there was no way Singleton could keep writing this conversation Sabine has with herself over and over again. I thought I was going to scream if Sabine didn't pull her head out of her behind and stop going back in forth in her mind. I don't like Josh like that, I have feelings for Dominic, I am going to break up with Josh, no wait Josh is a good boyfriend I can't dump him, I suck for thinking about Dominic, my feelings for Josh are real, back and forth throughout the book it just gave me a headache. Other than that I was happy with Singleton's conclusions although I think towards the end of the book things seem rushed to be ended and came together a bit fast. It's a good read if you like the series but it isn't her best work.

This book was really good! It was very hard for me to put it down! Definitely a good ending to the series.

I really loved the book and was sad to see that it was the last one. I think she could keep going and talk about what's gonna happen with sabine and her sister.

i love Linda Joy Singleton and i hope if you people out there read it
be sure 2 start with the first book
Don't Die Dragonfly
(Review done by my daughter - under 13)

Though I'm not exactly sure, I believe Fatal Charm is the last book in the Seer series by Linda Joy Singleton. And as the fifth book, it rocks! Seriously, I went to Borders the day this book came out and asked one of the saleswomen to open the box in back for me. She did and I finished the book in a few hours.

Such a wonderful book. It is so unlike the previous four, and so much longer! I almost couldn't believe how captivating it was -- but that's Singleton's style, right? This book wasn't just about Sabine finding a charm. This book was about Sabine's journey. Singleton introduced so many new twists and turns (that I won't give away in this review). I was so happy with the outcome. She wrapped things up nicely.

Sabine is a truly unique character. I loved reading about her reactions and her thoughts. The only downside to the book was the lack of Manny and Thorn. They didn't exactly play large roles, but still the book was great.

I definitely encourage anyone and everyone to read this book. Of course, I would recommend the previous four books in the Seer series first. If you enjoy fantasy, then you'll enjoy this series.

Make-A-Mix
I have used my Make-A-Mix Cookbook and Make-A-Mix Cookery books since the late the early 80's. I belong to a woman's club and we all have these cookbooks. Making mixes ahead of time is so much faster than pulling out 5-8 ingredients every time to make a dish for meals. Our life style is so busy yet eating homemade dishes is a high priority in our family. The authors of these cookbooks make my life so much easier in the kitchen.

Love it. I am trying to cut down the grocery budget and this is a great way to do it. I am also a student and having on hand 1 mix that makes 5 dishes helps make mealtime a lot more pleasant

This isn't just nice-sounding recipes, it's a collection of master recipes that really work. It increases flexibility and you save a bunch of money without needing to deal with a green gecko with an Aussie accent. {smile} Seriously, this is a great buy.

I work at a rehab center for the mentally disabled. This book is a godsend for us! It is so easy to have the mixes all ready to put together! We serve a different number of clients each meal and it is wonderful to know how many servings each recipe will make each time. This is just a wonderful book to have for a group setting or just yur own family!

I work at a rehab center for the mentally disabled. Theis book is a godsend for us! It is so easy to have the mixes all ready to put together! We serve a different number of clients each meal and it is wonderful to know how many servings each recipe will make each time. This is just a wonderful book to have for a group setting or just yur own family!

Not that more to say than the title... This book contains many great photos made by a master, and the print quality makes justice to them (well, to confirm another review, there is one image that went too far on the reds, and has a deceptive burnt look - while many are great, and the splitND use is far more unobtrusive than Rowell's eg, with due respect ;o).
Page layout is more conservative than in other Muench books I have (I think to Primal Forces, great images but layout on the kitsch side), and that suits me well.

Besides the several landscape books from Muench, I have collected quite a few other landscape books from other famous photographers. By far, this is the one I like most (together with one by Apse called "New Zealand Landscape"). The photos in the book fully demonstrate that one can always breathe new life to old scenes with enough skill, perception and perseverence.

This is the first David Muench book that i've purchased and because of the beautiful photos inside it will not be my last.

This is a gorgeous book of southwest photographs. It has many examples of how to take great photographs. An interesting feature is the photographers comments about each photograph, found in the back of the book. There are only a few flaws in my humble view. Some of the photographs were printed with very exagerated color saturation. This is painful in some cases. Another problem is Mr. Muench's use of a split density magenta filter for several of the photographs. He tries to give the scenes a warm glow but the magenta color looks totally fake, especially when one sees it only across the top of the photograph. Please throw that split density magenta filter away and let the southwest present its beauty naturally. Still a great and valuable book to own.

This book offers a breathtaking view of the Colorado plateau. The full-page color photos are so incredibly vivid they almost jump off the page. It really makes you feel like you are there.

You get a look at towering mountains & magnificent nature made stone sculptures. Cascading waterfalls, meandering steams, peaceful snowscapes, brilliant autumn leaves, beautiful flowers & endless skies take your breath away.

Muench is a master at capturing detail and light, and this setting shows off his talent to the maximum. A narrative by James Lawrence provides a history of the area and conveys the feelings inspired by this natural wonderland.

Some images have small quotes & poems under them. In the back, each photo is shown in miniature with comments from photographer and technical details. This book provides a beautiful world to get lost in.