Nevada Books

Other reviewers have questioned the credibility of Soares as an author. I found him cocky and sure of himself, but wouldn't you have to be, to scam mobsters running casinos out of thousands of dollars? Soares justifies his cheating because these were the days when the casino was just as happy to cheat the customer if need be, before heavy gaming regulations. In fact, he started his life in the casinos as a crooked dealer, employed by the casino to bring down a player's winning streak if necessary.

The tricks described herein relate to old reel-style machines and the days when you only had to fool the casino floorpeople, not the omnipresent "eye in the sky" video camera. Some of what Soares describes in his craps games could still be employed today, but it would be awfully risky.

This is a fun read, and it might be embellished, but I enjoyed the glimpse inside a lifetime's worth of scams nonetheless.

This is a really good book! I started to read it just for the content but found myself really LIKING this guy Soares. Another surprise was that he is actually a good writer. I would enjoy reading another book by John Soares. How about it John?

I have to agree with David on this one. I bought the book and just finished reading it. The most of the scams wouldn't work, and about half the book has nothing to do with gambling, just some dudes uninteresting life. Total waste of my time. There are definitely better books out there.

I enjoyed this book. A very quick read. It chronicles the life of a group of professional cheats who swing the odds in their favor and reaped the winnings. Most of the action takes place in the 60's and 70's in Vegas. So much has changed in Vegas since then that I don't think these tactics would work anymore. An interesting historical account nonetheless.

I love Vegas and books about Vegas so it pains me to tell you that I truthfully hated this book. I was tempted to not even finish it, although I've never walked out on a book before.

I found the writing style to be sort of... archaic, I guess. It sounds like it was written in the 50s, or by a guy who is in his 80s (which may be the case, I don't know).

But primarily I disliked it because it simply cannot be a factual account. A few of the cheating methods he discussed are quite simply impossible. Even Madonna french-kissing Britney Spears at the craps table would not have been enough distraction to pull off what they supposedly did.

Some of the side stories were interesting, but nowhere near enough to recommend this book.

Overall, a fairly decent read. Though, I wouldn't pay full price for it. I got mine at a used book store. The heroine is vapid, to say the least, and is on survival automatic pilot. Jennifer exploited her good looks to become her "job" and only sought rich men to pamper her. Only when she thinks she is in trouble does she switch gears and starts her life in another direction.

The supporting characters were fairly predictable. Why, oh why, is there always a troubled teen with a younger sibling who has a drunken parent? Hedda, the teen waitress. As usual, there was no father figure in that family. That sub-plot really didn't add too much to the story except provide a venue for Jennifer's back story to come out.

I liked the last part of the story - don't worry - won't write a spoiler. By then, Jennifer learns what she really wants and thinks before she acts. A lesson she finally learned.

I liked this book. It was funny, it had some suspense, and it was nice. I have read better books though. It was too long, it just kept going on and on and on. The most funny part i think is when she goes home and dances and yanks her clothes off - not thinking of the open windows -and her neighbor (who was mowing the lawn) saw her. She finally saw him and screeched and ran into the bedroom (his jaw was dropped to see such a sight). I thought that part was hilarious - it was great. He is a good character and he is the typical boy next door (wears his heart on his sleeve)love it.

I didn't have any expectations about this book when I picked it up, but that just made it an even better surprise. The basic plot is telegraphed by the title; the surprises came from how it was fleshed out.

Sure, our heroine falls into a community of acceptance and caring too rapidly and overcomes her childhood a little more easily than is likely in real life. However, the community actually has a reality lacking in most such novels.

The characters she encounters on her flight are fully realized. As she (and we) know them better, they are flawed people who have made wrong choices but learned to get the most out of the lives they're left with.

The book doesn't demonize the villains, especially the domestic ones. And our understanding of some characters' behavior doesn't result in their miraculous repentance. We get our happy ever after, but without tying everything up into a perfect knot.

Other things I liked about this book:

The wonderful sense of place. I never heard of Boulder City, but it came alive to me.

The heroine isn't a miraculous virgin - one of those girls who date tough guys but somehow managed to have ended every evening with a peck on the cheek or a handshake - or any kind of a virgin, actually.

There's more gender equity regarding sexual behavior. Neither the hero or the heroine are diminished by his lack of and her possession of extensive sexual experience. Those books that continue some kind of 19th century view of sexual relationships have helped guarantee no survey of actual sexual behavior has a chance of accuracy. (Apparently spirit succubi or perhaps aliens from other planets really have sex with men in their sleep, since any survey of sexual partners or even marriage, finds irreconcilable differences between tallies from men and from women.)

Other of the author's books are counted as women's fiction or chick lit, but I don't believe romance novels are forbidden to have believable characters, with a realistic response to their childhoods, and heroines with 21st century sex lives.

Give this book a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised, also.

This was my first Robyn Carr book so I didn't know what to expect with her writing. I personally don't think Anna Nicole Smith makes a good heroine for a romance novel which is exactly who Jennifer Chaise in Runaway Mistress reminded me of in the very first chapter. Big hair, implants, aloof, spoiled and the mistress of an older man. At least Anna Nicole married the older man. Jennifer Chaise's career is being a mistress to one married man after another. In exchange for her "services", they buy her cars and houses and jewels and plastic surgery and trips around the world and yachts... All nice things, but the men are married! And she doesn't think there is anything wrong with this.

I barely got through the first chapter and by that time, I already hated her, could care less what happened to her. We are supposed to believe that she makes a complete transformation overnight and becomes this nice, caring person. Okay, fine. I kept reading. I didn't buy it because I never could warm up to her, but I kept reading. But when she told the hero about her past, a nice cop who even mows the lawns of his elderly neighbors, that "I can understand you being a little put out, but I didn't do anything wrong," I quit reading.

I believe people deserve a second chance and can turn their lives around, but first impressions are important and I could not get past my first impression of Jennifer Chaise.

Not the typical predictable story. I've gotten so I hate the mushy same-ole same-ole. It wasn't a page turner, but was a nice escape. I'll read more of Ms. Carr's books.

Having spent my youth dreaming of boats and time on the ocean, I could not have had a more enjoyable stay with Jim Lane's landlubbing characters. The story represents the essence of the pull of the ocean, a draw that everyone seems to notice, and that many find overpowering. The translation of a phenonmenon with such simplicity, leaves the reader to embrace the concept in his or her own terms. My feeling is that this story has everything to do with the ocean, in direct contrast with the setting in the Great Salt Desert. Many of the author's writing techniques represent a style that will undoubtedly be embraced by today's newer generations of readers. Among the techniques I noticed: a willingness to express opinions about the world (and the characters in the story), references to regional events that give insights about the author and storyline, and finally, the refusal to pigeonhole this novel with a specific type of reader or age group. To any reader, (other than those offended by language used in PG-13 movies!) I would recommend this book, and say that it will give you a taste of the salty sea that you may not have appreciated before.

A friend mentioned this book to me knowing that, as I am originally from Utah, I'm always looking for stories set there. But I just don't get it - the other reviews of this book that is. I was looking forward to this one as something for both myself and my children. However, in reading it I found the prose to be flat and listless - to compare the writing to Tom Robbins is incomprehensible. The writing was trite and the story predictable. And I can, unfortunately, understand why no major publisher picked it up. It's a good idea, but the realization of that idea leaves a lot to be desired. I really wasn't interested in either the characters or whether or not they accomplished their goal, which is really a rather silly goal when you think about it anyway. I hate to start the new year this way, but maybe Mr. Lane should stick to his business in the wilds of Los Angeles instead of writing. I found this a very disappointing experience.

I am always amazed when I come across a novel with a completely original and fascinating plot that makes me wonder how the author ever thought it up. The Wendover Whale has that. I truely enjoyed the book. Aside from the plot, the characters drew me in. It is one of those books that reads so smoothly I'm surprised by how quickly I reach the end. Highly recommended, especially if you like Tom Robbins.

The Wendover Whale is a chance to remember about dreams that don't have to come true, about possibilities and how we choose to approach and subsequently handle situations that are perceived as out of the ordinary. To find the goal of the characters (building a boat in the desert) "sort of silly" as Ms. Taylor said in her review, presents the closed mind of someone who has forgotten the excitement of slipping into a slightly farfetched adventure like those in Harold and the Purple Crayon or the Elmer and the Dragon Series. I was first introduced to the Wendover Whale as a screenplay and although I preferred it in that presentation, I found the adaptation to a novel very pleasing. I do take exception to the simpler elements of copy-editing that seem to have been neglected in this printing. There are quite a few spelling errors and although it is a working part of the story to refer to the action in a cross-tense form, I found a couple of times that it read as if someone had just forgotten to transpose tenses. There are a few Robbins-esque passages that tend to ramble on in abit of a mid-hippie disjointedness, but hidden inside each of these are fine gems of insight. It can be dangerous to approach a piece of fiction with such strong preconceptions that a person can get angry at the author for not writing the book you've decided you wanted to read. Then go write it yourself! If you are not motivated, get yourself a copy of The Wendover Whale instead and embark on a wondeful journey and an entirely pleasurable read!

I think I can best reveal how I felt about The Wendover Whale, by responding to Miss Taylor's review. The only thing I found predictable about the book, was my desire that the young boy would realize his dream, and this desire provided a great deal of suspense when the dangers of failure were imminent. Miss Taylor's comment about "no major publisher picking up the book," puts a human face on the theme of the story. Here is a new writer (Mr. Lane) unable to overcome the obstacles of entering the closed world of publishing, pursuing his own convictions (or dreams) by self-publishing. I was very interested in the many well defined characters; especially the character of the young boy and his relationship to Cap, an old sea salt, and the boy and his father, as well as Cap's relationship with his very intelligent, insightful dog. I found the book meaningful and enjoyable.

When a ten year old and a four year old begin to get bored, just pull out the What to do book, leaf through a few pages and "problem solved". We really appreciate the time and effort which clearly has been put in to researching this book.

This book is a great introduction to the Tahoe area. We have a vacation house there and it's been a good resource. For in-depth information about, for example, hikes it is not the best book. Obviously, though, the authors didn't and couldn't be in-depth about all the numerous activities that Tahoe has to offer!

Odd. We were impressed with the accuracy of the information provided in the revised What Shall We Do Tomorrow at Lake Tahoe. But we read a criticism, by an unknown person writing from Soda Springs, that some information contained in the book was inaccurate. So we called the authors. The erstwhile critic had not contacted them. The common courtesy of offering "corrected" information had not been provided. Why not?

I think the best course of action would be for potential book buyers to disregard the negative comments from Mr/Ms Anonymous. Rather, use and enjoy the book for the quality publication it is.

I have only glanced quickly at this book, but I found significant errors in several of the trips outlined. Dates of open facilities, significant historic details, etc., are just plain incorrect. Since I am involved in the outdoor recreation business in this area, and the errors I found directly relate to locations I manage or are responsible for, I'm concerned that the authors never contacted myself or my staff to verify this information. If they didn't contact our office (and I operate a significant facility), who or what else did they fail to check adequately? It's a shame, because this is a great idea, but I'm sorely disappointed.

The guide book gave a broad brush overview of the Lake Tahoe area. But it didn't cover any area well enough to be very useful on our vacation. It would have been fine for a tourist who might never have been to Tahoe, but it didn't help us find the true jewels of the area. We did better driving around, reading brochures and the paper.

Having read both The Guardian and The Protector by Ms. Ruth, I can say I throughly enjoyed both stories. The Protector brings us back into the world of those who protect us against all that goes bump in the night. It is set in today's world, yet all those stories of supernatural beings that are told as myths are real. This is the second book in the series and I hope for a continuation of this world that Ms. Ruth has created. Going back and visiting old friends and meeting new ones was fun. Hopefully she will be able to to write a third story in this series where magic is just around the corner.

Alana is a stage magician in Vegas, but as a descendent of the queen of the fae, she uses real magic. To stay in the mortal realm, an ancestor promised to protect mortals from the Otherworld and keep their secrets. Alana is the current Protector for Las Vegas. Unfortunately, a mortal serial killer is targeting those involved in magic for death, and Alana is the next one on his list. Detective Leo O'Grady is determined not to let another die at the hands of the Claddagh killer, and a fierce attraction develops.

This book was much better than I expected. The author blends the elements of the paranormal, mystery, and romance with great skill. The characters and plot twists are very well done. I have already preordered the next book in the series.

A horrible piece of junk. I bought this book at a Goodwill store for .25 and after reading five pages of it, I wanted to go demand my money back. I can honestly say that this is the worst book that I have ever read. I hope this author doesn't quit her day job!!

In Las Vegas stage magician Alana Devlin performs two shows a night six nights a week. However, what makes Alana different from her performing peers is that she performs her sleight of the hand using real glamour illusions that fool human senses. Alana is the PROTECTOR keeping malevolent otherworldly creatures at bay.

In the garage after a performance, Alana bends down to pick up a gold Irish claddagh charm that someone dropped. That motion saves her life as someone tries to kill her. Using an illusion she manages to escape, but not without suffering a concussion. Police Detective Leo Grady informs Alana that a serial killer has murdered five people associated with the paranormal with her being the token survivor. He places her in protective custody, but watches Alana perform weird actions that shake his logic system to the core, but not as much as his love for the magician does to his heart.

Fans of police procedural romantic fantasies will receive plenty of pleasure from the delightfully charming THE PROTECTOR. The story line is loaded with action as the cop and the performer work together to stop a killer while falling in love. Alana is a great protagonist and her Helper Carrick Murphy is a solid secondary player who needs his own story told. Leo may be reeling with what he sees and hears, but when it comes to his beloved he refuses to accept anything except her safety. Jenifer A. Ruth effortlessly combines the three genres into a wonderful paranormal tale.

Harriet Klausner

Feel like the book is misleading - I'd rate the book cover as "R" - leading me to think it is an adult police-parannormal-romance, but the book itself is more of a PG read. Romance feels rushed - "villian" pretty evident from beginning - almost a Harlequin Romance kind of book. Not that there's anything wrong with that .....

Honest Horses by Paula Morin(oral historian & photographer) is compelling, highly-engaging and a dramatic read.Her creative photos enrich the comprehensive text. What makes this different is Paula's interviews with 62 westerners across a BROAD range-from BLMers, ranchers,environmentalists, Native Americans, historians, wildlife experts, etc The heart-pulling subject of wild horses has never been given such a thorough examination. We have to commend Paula for bringing the subject and all its complexity to us. Highly recommended.

Honest Horses is a definitive book about wild horses in the high desert of the American West. It will open people's eyes. It will open their hearts, too!

More than a century has passed since the official closing of the American frontier, and yet our culture continues to harbor romanticized notions of the West. Included in that image is the idea that wild horses, like the deer and the antelope, still have free run of the range. But do they? And should they?

Oral historian and photographer Paula Morin has assembled 62 narratives from the individuals who are most familiar with the Great Basin area, home to the greatest number of our country's wild horses. This geographical region covers parts of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California, with its largest portion sitting within Nevada's borders. In each of those states, the wild horse issue is a complex one, complete with firm stands being taken by environmentalists, animal lovers, scientists, ranchers, wranglers, politicians and government workers. We hear many of their voices and their viewpoints in this compendium.

Because the bond between humans and horses is a close and historic one, and because equines are such sizable animals, it's difficult to think of the wild horse as a non-native species to the western region. But as alien invaders often do, wild horses reproduce in such numbers that they wreak havoc on any ecosystem. Aside from the occasional mountain lion or coyote band attack, the horse has no natural predator. The Great Basin simultaneously offers an especially harsh and fragile habitat, with periodic dry seasons and soil that needs time to recover from any kind of disturbance. Anyone can predict the kinds of problems that will arise when too many large mammals are confined to such a delicate area.

Horse history, captivating stories and personal experiences abound as the interviewees speak. A variety of opinions are aired here. But the majority of the individuals agree on at least three points: (a) letting nature take its course isn't a practical or humane solution when hundreds of animals die slow and gruesome deaths; (b) folks outside the Great Basin region don't understand all the complexities of the issue and shouldn't be the primary decision-makers involved; and (c) yes, it's still nice to have the wild horses out on the land, running free.

One Amazon reviewer stated: "To me, wild country, while possibly requiring management and certainly requiring protection, need serve no human purpose. It is sufficient to itself." While I agree that we should preserve as many large portions of land as we can, that's not exactly the point of this book. The region in question has already been impacted by man, both directly and indirectly, by the accidental or deliberate introduction of wild horses. Once the habitat has been tampered with to such a drastic state, all options should be considered to restore its health. Limiting the number of wild horses on the land -- however that can be accomplished -- appears to be a logical remedy.

"Honest Horses" is valuable reading for all of us here in the United States, especially since other books about wild horses, especially those for children, never mention the questions and problems they present. For those of us who live "away," it's easy for us to pass judgment or to think of a possible solution. After reading this book it should be obvious that all the stakeholders must sit down and work out the problem to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, every environmental challenge turns into a political one.

This odd book isn't about the biology or behavior of mustangs or where to see them. Instead, it is a litany of more or less identical accounts, all of which stress the need to limit mustangs' numbers -- essentially by killing them -- before they overgraze the range and all starve to death.

If the commentators are correct that there are no natural limits on mustangs' population growth (why not reintroduce wolves? Too unpopular with ranchers?), then their arguments seem convincing. I am willing to believe that too many scrub horses are running wild in Nevada and their numbers need to be drastically reduced. However, the total lack in this book of any dissenting argument means my conviction will remain on hold. Every statement here tells the exact same story, and that in itself is something I find questionable.

I've also had enough of people referring to open range and wilderness as "the resource", as if it couldn't possibly manage itself without human interference and in fact had no purpose other than to serve human beings in whatever way; a viewpoint that seems unspeakably arrogant. To me, wild country, while possibly requiring management and certainly requiring protection, need serve no human purpose. It is sufficient to itself.

With a title like this you would expect a fair, even-handed assessment of wild horses in their natural habitat. Instead, what we are served reads more like a government-sponsored justification for the already planned eradication of our wild horses. Not surprising, since a little research shows that government funding went to the author to "research" this work. One-sided and misleading, a disappointment.

I've read and re-read this book several times.
Revere's style is a bit aggressive, but it
apparently reflects the mental resolve necessary
to succeed at playing/counting blackjack.
He knows what he's talking about, and can show
you why and how to learn to play the game flawlessly.
Although most BJ books introduce you to basic strategy
and some sort of counting method, Revere shows you
what it takes to win.
Required reading for all students of the game.

I found this book to be a wonderful challenge. It covers every possible hand to your strategic advantage, and proves the game can be won if you are willing to put in the work needed to learn and practice. This book is still a present day authority on how to beat the game! My soft cover is in color! My condolences to the last reviewer. I have read many books and this is one of the best, no doubt.

In the section titled "A Word on the Construction and Format of this Book" the first sentence reads as follows:

"This book contains 70 charts, 36 of which are in color."

Well, none of the charts in the book are in color. A big disappointment giving the high price of the book.

If the reviews I read are accurate do not buy the republished version [Amazon should love this]; find an older one when it was published by Lyle Stuart. Then you have the benefit of the color charts. Be aware that the man who published under the name Lawrence Revere died of cancer in the late 1970s. But he did write the best tutorial ever on how to beat the twenty-one game by card counting. Revere was a fanatic who believed in study and practice. He first published in 1968, and didn't bother to copyright his writing till the following year. It was, I believe, John Luckman, former dealer at the Dunes and founder of the Gambler's Book Club, who urged him to protect his work. Careful reading of Revere's _Playing Blackjack as a Business_ and of Thorp's _Beat the Dealer_ (both the 1962 and 1966 editions) will teach more about the game than all the other writings combined. For anyone planning to make serious money at blackjack, it would be a mistake not to own and study these three books. The only worthwhile active contributor to blackjack literature writes under the name Stanford Wong. I recommend his software for generating decision tables. Other works I can recommend are the late Peter Griffin's _Theory of Blackjack_ and the late Ken Uston's _Million Dollar Blackjack_. And if you can find a copy (you almost certainly can't) read Dr. Alan Wilson's long out-of-print _Casino Gamblers Guide_ to learn the history of the game and the digital and empirical pioneers who first analysed it. All other writing on twenty-one is eyewash.

When I discovered that a "hard cover" version of Playing Blackjack as a Business was going to be published in September of 1999, I rushed to place my order right away. Never mind that its list price was $ 27.95 plus the usual shipping and handling. Normally, I wouldn't pay attention to such trivial matters, but today I'm fuming and disappointed!

Don't get me wrong! The magic of Lawrence Revere is there still; I don't believe that will ever change. Nor there is anything wrong with the hard of the book is its strategy charts. And that's what got me boiling over. I can't believe it that Replica Books did such a bad job in reproducing them. Their wretched look is an instant turn off, and again that's perhaps the most important part of the book, the meat if I may!

It appears that color charts meant to be reproduced in color were reproduced in black and white. Normally, black and white designs reproduced in black and white come out in good quality. Not so, color designs reproduced in black and white, alas, this book in question.

The quality of the charts is so bad that I decided to return the book for a full refund. Amazon will even refund the postage so that it would be like if I never ordered the book, as one of her courteous representatives has assured me.

For my own consolation, though, I will order the soft cover version to replace my copy that after so many years of giving me the joy in the art of playing blackjack is beginning to fall apart. I know that version has better quality charts in full color

Let me be clear here. I'm a bit of a Mezrich fan. That is, I enjoy his subjects for what they are -quick, entertaining reads because of the sheer audacity exhibited by the people portrayed within his works.

Whether every aspect of his work is true or bears some embellishment hardly matters to me when buying one of his books. I'm just looking forward to reading about the type of life I'll never live but can certainly enjoy vicariously.

Busting Vegas is a good companion to his earlier work Taking Down the House. Mezrich is almost apologetic when he explains why he chose to revisit old ground. The ideal situation would have been if BOTH of these tales were under one cover.

The writing is fine. It could have been more tightly written certainly but the idea is to follow the events as well as put out a product with some length to it.

This is the kind of book you can take to the beach, or on a plane trip as one reviewer noted, and help enhance the time you while away. I deliberated over whether to star this as a 3 or a 4 (Amazon and Netflix need to allow for half a star voting soon); and finally settled on 4 stars as I have qualified this review.

I'm not sure if Mezrich patrols these reviews ever but just in case, I have a request. Could you dig a little deeper into MIT sometime soon? It seems to me this is the second book where a cabal of MIT mad scientists have come together using a cleverly hatched plan to bring ruin to the gambling underworld! Oh okay, maybe it's not as sinister as I wish it to be, but still... SOMETHING is going on at MIT.

Bought this to read on a flight out of Vegas. Regardless of whether the characters in it are true or not, I found the plot to be boring most of the time, predictable all of the time, and gripping none of the time. His writing style is simply awful, and detracts heavily from what little story is there.

Ben Mezrich has made a career of glamorizing geeks as they go from nerdy ivy-league academic overachievers to boyz with toyz (girls, guns, and cash). Along the way as he crafted his page-turners, folks suspect that his earlier career as a novelist is informing or overshadowing his latter career as a Tom Wolfe-journalist of hidden subcultures.

In "Breaking Vegas" (BV) he continues with his well-honed formula, but as transparent as Mezrich's style and agenda may be, he writes a great book. BV follows the arc of the career of Russian émigré and MIT student Semyon Dukach as he and his team mates deploy three probability enhancing strategies over "basic strategy" (Blackjack's -2% probability equivalent optimal strategy). Along the way they meet thugs, casino "hosts," Police, prostitutes, and druggies, making the whole thing as atmospheric as any memory of Vegas you may have.

There are many irritating elements in the work: Mezrich's breast-fetishism for one (not a single female appears in the book without her breasts being described!). But the single most irritating is how much of a "math genius" Semyon is. It is an old literary trope...keep referring to your character as a genius, even if they do ordinary things...surround the character with folks who laud his/her genius...and eventually the reader believes you even if you haven't shown him to be genius. The techniques described in this work are no more genius beyond Statistics 102, and the skills employed are fully confessed to have been honed by sheer repetition, so where's the beef? A competent close-up magician of average intelligence could do this...genius it does not take.

But make no mistake, the book is a fun read. Those parts that are true are interesting and those parts that are embellished, compressed, or narrative devices are all forgivable.

This book claims to be a true story of Semyon Dukach, who bested the world of casino blackjack. Could be true. Maybe it isn't. Doesn't matter. It's a helluva good story about some MIT students who followed a mentor with a new and not illegal system of beating the odds at blackjack. It tracks this team from Vegas to Atlantic City and finally to Europe and Monte Carlo. The Afterword by Mr. Dukach, himself, expains the winning system, so you too can be a big winner at the casinos. Just don't get greedy like he and his partners did. This is an easy, fun, roller-coaster ride of a book.

If you've never read a novel or story by Ernest Finney, do yourself a favor. Tune in: You won't go wrong by starting with California time (or The Lady With the Alligator Purse). This book is a moving and totally compelling read. I've been a big fan of Ernest Finney since the first book of his I picked up (Winterchill). I've read them all and this is his best yet. He is a superb storyteller and his characters stay with you for a long time. I like his sense of humor and his clean, effortless style of prose.

I grew up and still live in the Big Valley where this story takes place and Finney cleverly captures the spirit of the valley's unique mix of cultures. He does this by lovingly weaving his characters through each other's lives and times. We see several different immigrant families struggle through school and adolescence, grow up, fall in love, have their lives turned upside down by World War II, and . . . I can't wait for the follow up novel. I want to know what else happens to Julian (you'll love this guy even if you're not Italian) and Hortense and Reiko and the rest. I hated for this book to end.

This is a narrative of the California's Great Central Valley, told by multiple characters; not always as protaganist. It covers a fairly loose spectrum of time but is primarily anchored in the Depression Era & ends with WW II European campaign coverage. The ending is all at once shocking, sad, hopeful & poignant.

As a longtime resident of the San Joaquin Valley and acquaintance of one family portrayed I was impressed by Finney's capture of the time. He brought the everyday occurrences vividly to life. The Italian food, the process of chrysanthemum culture,and the experiences of the Italian and the Japanese young men in World War II were a rewarding reading experience.

Also worthwhile reading by this author: Words of My Roaring, civilians in wartime San Bruno.

Author Finney shows no real insights into the cultures he seeks to depict in CALIFORNIA TIME. His descriptions are that of an outsider looking in; the result is that his ethnic characters don't really seem to represent their cultures. For example, Hortense is not a typical Portuguese girl growing up in the Valley in the 1930's. In the '30's (and up into the 50's even) Portuguese girls were always chaperoned on their dates; they weren't prone to using the profanity Hortense uses and they were unlikely to go into town with an unsupervised group of friends. The characterization of the Italian and Japanese families rings equally false.

This guide should be renamed "Day Hikes Around South Lake Tahoe." Out of the 21 hikes, only 5 of them are around the North Shore and 3 on the Nevada side of the lake. The rest are all around Emerald Bay and South Lake Tahoe. Aside from this disappointment, each day hike has easy to follow directions and maps.

We thought we were going on an easy, 1.5 hr hike. 3 hrs later, we got back to the car. Problem was that the hike wasn't quite described as accurately as it could have been and there was no warning that we should ignore the trail markers. We got very turned around and had to ignore the map provided in the book and use our common sense to find our way back. (This was the hike at Fallen Leaf Lake)

Tired of guides that list "easy" hikes that turn out to be 8 miles and take 5 hours? Then this book is for you. Most of the hikes listed are 1-3 miles long and can be easily finished by most everyone. Designed for the non-serious hiker who enjoys nature and desires a scenic but not exhausting walk through the woods. This book was designed to be easy to read. It includes large diagrams, elevation changes, trail descriptions, and driving directions. A section of color pictures displays the best vista of each hike. The guide is a good glove compartment companion for any family outing to the Lake Tahoe area.

This is a short guidebook devoted to a subject that deserves volumes: hiking in beautiful Lake Tahoe. This guidebook focuses on a very narrow area of the lake, the South Side, and ignores the Nevada side almost totally. This is an irritating omission, even if the majority of great hikes are on Tahoe's south side. There are also some slightly out-of-the-way hikes (like Desert Rose) which are omitted from the book. The predominant focus of this book is on short, easy hikes, the kind of little forays families can take with their children. Thus the most famous and classic Tahoe hike, Mount Tallac, is not mentioned because it's rated as too strenuous. Tinker Knob, at 14 miles, is also ignored.

These omissions will unsettle veteran hikers with endurance. But for many more casual folk, this guide will fit their needs to a "T." If you're interested in short, scenic and not very strenuous outings, then Stone has provided you a piece of Nirvana. His descriptions of the trailheads and directions on how to reach the hikes are adequate and accurate. He also dispenses advice on bug repellent, sunscreen, band-aids and proper footwear. If you decide to embark on some of these short treks, and your fitness level is good, I urge you to tackle more ambitious peaks at Tahoe, the hiking here is beautiful and among the best in the state. Happy hiking!