Utah Books

the story of Alex Smith is a great story about a kid who always played second fiddle, but when he got the chance to sign, he took full advantage.

Smith went to Helix high school and in 2 years lost 2 game as the starting QB leading his team to 2 straight state titles.

Smith wasn't the story however, his teamate was.
Running Back Reggie Bush, who later signed to play at USC.

Smith had only 2 offers, 1-Michigan State 2-Utah

Smith declined Michigan State because his uncle was the head coach, and fearing a political backlash, Smith chose Utah.

at Utah, Smith was at the very bottom of the depth chart and even thought about transfering out, but destiny was on Alex's side.

on the last play of the game against Texas A&M, Utah's starting QB got hurt, and Smith took over. his first start was against California and Smith lead the Utes to a win over the ranked Cal.

in 2 years, Smith lead Utah to a 21-1 record and from the unknowns to a powerhouse football team.
in his junior season, Smith had just about everything you could ask for short of the National Title.

Utah finished 12-0, ranked #5 in the Nation, and was the first Non-BCS team to make it a BCS game.

Alex Smith ended his junior year leading Utah to a 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl and took home MVP of the game, finishing 29 of 37 for 328 yards and 4 tds.

Smith was a Heishman Trophy finalist and was named by The Sporting News as the college football Player of the Year.

i really hope there is a revised story, because it pretty much ends where Alex makes his decision to go pro, which was a no brainer.

Smith ended up becoming the #1 overall draft pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
he threw his first TD pass in his 150th pass attempt, finishing the season with 1 td and 11 ints.

Alex wore #11 and was in the #1 pick in the NFL Draft. pretty crazy numbers hu?

the Alex Smith story is really fascinating. he's not a showboat, or a gloater. he's a very humble guy who knows where he came from.

great story.

Wow! This is a compelling story, for young and old. Heather is an amazing storyteller, and does a masterful job of sharing the story of Alex Smith as he follows his dream of playing football in the NFL. It is full of fun and anecdotal excerpts from his childhood, and a detailed review of his march to an undefeated 2004 season, leading the University of Utah football team. I couldn't put it down, and read the whole book in one sitting (two weeks before his going first pick in the NFL draft). Now, I can't wait for the sequel covering his 49er years!

The story of Alex Smith and his meteoric rise to the number one NFL draft choice is a superbly inspiring story, written by a very talented young author. It is laced with humerous anecdotes and interesting insights into Smith's homelife and his first 20 years.

I used this book as one of the historical references for my novels, "Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God" which tell the complete story of the Conquest of the Mexica. The author's research has produced magnificent artwork of long-destroyed Mexican pyramids, temples and other structures in and around the Templo Mayor. The artwork looks and is modern and I suspect that the actual structures, although wonderful, weren't quite as scenic. Weathering and aging would be factors.

Also, a time-traveller to Tenochtitlan would have noticed things impossible to capture on paper. When the wind shifted there would have been the odors of blood, dismembered corpses and dissolution--mixed, no doubt, with the scent of the numerous flowers growing within and immediately outside of the temple precinct.

Also, I noticed a slight disagreement with the description provided by the old conquistador, Bernal Diaz del Castillo. Castillo noted the presence of two temples on the flat top of the precinct's primary pyramid. Serrato-Combe's work agrees with this. One of these temples was to Tlaloc. Again Serrato-Combe and Diaz are in agreement. The second temple, according to Diaz, had effigies of both Huitzilopotchli and Tezcatlipoca. Serrato-Combe indicates that this was specifically the temple of Huitzilopotchtli. I suspect S-C is right and that Diaz' recollection of events many years earlier may have been muddled. Nevertheless, in my novels I go along with Diaz' descriptions, primarily because his descriptions are so graphic and were, no doubt, partly the products of the terror that any European would have felt when examining these blood-soaked but magnificent structures.

RB

If you have ever been interested in ancient civilizations, and have wondered where/how they lived... this book is for you. The pictures in this book are fabulous and bring you into the lives of this ancient civilization.
I would recommend this for anyone both for it's visual beauty and historical content!

reading from the author all the illustrations are computer generated based on oral and verbal manuscripts and on the actual foundations left behind...

i found the plaza's and home layouts to be of great interest... also his recreation of the ball court is good...

author also touches on the design of the temples... based on what manuscripts we have and the surviving structures...

the chapter on the templo mayor was great... but was hoping it could of been more detailed... author leaves alot of room for possibilities

definitely worth the purchase... if interested in the design of possible configurations of our capital

I bought the "Best Hikes" book Colorado last year and it was perfect for our family. It was a no-brainer to buy this book on Utah's hikes. We used it frequently in choosing great hikes on our trip to SE Utah this summer. I recommend this book not only for people with kids but to anyone who wants to take easy to moderate difficutly hikes as well as those who want to learn what's along the way!

A great book that goes into detail about interesting sites to watch for along the way. Includes cautions and degree of difficulty. A must read for anyone who enjoys (or would like to enjoy) hiking with children.

We just discovered this book, and think it is absolutely wonderful. The authors are obviously very experienced in hiking with children, and besides just listing the possible hikes, they give excellent suggestions of how to make the day fun for the whole family, what you should take with you, games to play along the trail, etc. The book is very well organized and easy to use. If you want to go hiking with your little ones but aren't sure where to go, then this is the book for you!

I have never read a book that made me feel quiet and humble like this book did. The author was very good at description and bringing the reader "into" his life. I went through the highs and lows of being a farmer and a father. Very moving, very enriching, and very memorable.

This is a very special tenderly written book about living...loving...working... and dieing. Every one can find something to relate too with Harvey in this book. I would highly reccomend it.

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and immensely touching. The author interweaves vivid descriptions of his farm and its inhabitants -- both past and present -- with his observations on cider-making, the care of apple orchards, his wife's art, and his memories of his late, much-loved daughter. He doesn't gloss over the irony that, after he spent years working on nuclear testing, his daughter should contract breast cancer; but he isn't polemical about it, and by the end of the book his personal tragedy is subsumed into the rhythms of the seasons and the ongoing life of the farm. The timeline of the book is circular -- it's not a straightforward history -- but I felt that this further emphasized the cyclical nature of life in the orchard. I recommend the book unreservedly.

Ryan plunges you into the middle of an exciting period in history and puts you inside the changes surging through the world. This series is not only a great read, it's a close up look at some of the more controversial aspects of LDS, including the particular challenges faced by mixed religion marriages and changing church doctrine. Ryan pulls no punches, and his examination of the issues through compelling storytelling has a message for readers of any faith. I'm waiting impatiently for book #3, and sure hope that's not the end of it. More books, Deseret and Ryan -- MORE.

Mr. Ryan has the wonderful ability to make the characters real to the reader. I feel like I know Tom and Katrina and the family. Excellent handling of a few of the differences between the LDS and Catholic Faiths. Excellent portrayal of a faithful LDS woman married to a good man tho not of her faith. Her faith that the Lord will provide and her patience makes her an extremely lovable lady. Tom's personality certainly will appeal to most men and I think women. He is faithful yet a still a "bit of the Irish" in him. All the characters are very human in their actions and emotions. While reading the reader feels those emotions and hurts and feels the joy of the characters. Tom's Anger at himself and taking it out on his young son and the results of that are real and the reader can learn from Tom's mistake. Can't wait for volume 3.

It's not very often that a sequel comes along that matches the excitment of the first book. I loved the first book, "Destiny" and was anxious to read the second to see what would transpire with Tom and Katrina. I was not disappointed. I not only grew to love them more, but developed a love for their children as well. I look forward to the third and know that the author will keep me up into the wee hours of the night once more!

I can't say enough about Jane Springer's debut--this collection transcends the academy, brings smart and witty and deeply sad moments to life, all with a voice that is resonant and fresh. Her poems are literary, yet comic, serious, yet innocent. This is one of the best collections this year (possibly this decade) and can be appreciated by both the literary scholar and the poetry neophyte. It's a stunner, people. Get in line.

A teacher of English in the Creative Writing Program at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Jane Spring's poetry anthologized in the pages of "Dear Blackbird," won The Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry for 2007 and documents her impressive flair for free verse lyrics that are not restricted to the boundaries of ordinary stanza sequences or formats but are as original in their composition as they are in their content. Lovers of language and appreciators of poetry will enjoy the originality and engagement of Springer's deftly crafted verse. 'Quilts in a Pattern of Flower Gardens': Our grandmother cut/her patterns from/brown paper sacks then fit//flowers the size of/camels through/her nimble-swift needle//& Lord, what do you think of that/thimbleful of miracles?....

This collection introduces a new voice on the contemporary poetry scene, in particular a fresh addition to the Southern literary tradition. Springer writes with verve and wit and sometimes deadly pathos; her palette is largely drawn from small towns and small lives of the rural south, from Kentucky to Arkansas, and her imagery is arresting and decidedly unique. The "Dear Blackbird" poems serve as sort of markers through the collection (which does have a nice sense of cohesion) moving from despair, dissolution, to a kind of surreal redemption.

If you enjoy the work of Larry Levis, Mark Strand, Rodney Jones, Wallace Stevens, or nearly anyone in the Southern poetry tradition (R.P. Warren, James Dickey, Donald Justice, Wyatt Prunty, etc.) then this is a collection to check out. It is no mystery why The Southern Review has championed her as their protege and best new poet from the South.

Or, if you love arresting images, idiosyncratic narrative, if you simply love language, a turned phrase, the music of words, then there is much to enjoy here.

I daresay if you simply grew up in a small town in the American south, you will find yourself in this collection. If you didn't, read on and find out what it was like.

I will recommand this book to everyone out there. This very well writen book will make you rediscover something that we have all lost at some point: Ourselves and the connection that we have with the nature itself. Karen is a true spirit, and I admire a lot not only her spirit but also her courage. This book will revive something in you and/or even melt your heart, if you take the time to read between the lines. Great job Karen and wonderful book. love it

Karen Chamberlain's exquisite memoir captures Utah's red rock wilderness in all its harshness and sensuality. Her human and non-human companions are unforgettable and her love for all things wild is present in every word. Part essay, part love story, this book invites the reader to experience a true western adventure arising from the joys and struggles of living alone in canyon country.

Picked up this book on the recommendation of our local bookstore. The writing is beautiful, poetic while still being entirely readable. Never experienced such exquisite writing. Normally exquisite writing gets mired down, and I can only handle a page a day, but this is beautiful AND compelling . . . page after page after page. I didn't want to leave it. Explores the desert, a unique habitat, and the soul of being human. I can't rate it high enough. Not only beautiful, but an intensely brave and beautiful story. For women who have gone through the need to be alone to learn about yourself, to be in wild places, and/or feel an affiliation with animal friends, DO NOT PASS THIS UP! Bravo, Karen Chamberlain

This book was very helpful in seeing as much as possible in a short visit. Lots of information - worth the price to have on your vacation.

I bought a few books on Bryce Canyon and Zion while planning our family vacation and this book was the most useful and helpful. We just returned from the trip and were very happy with this guidebook.

The book provides all the information needed to plan your trip to the parks, including when to go, what to take, and any permits needed. There is also information on where to stay and camp, and also where to eat - though we ended up bringing most of our food with us and cooking on a camp stove.

The book has great guides on best day hikes. This was particularly useful since we have two young boys - 4 and 6. We did a lot of day hikes. Our favorite hike was the Queens Garden Trail. We did that one twice - it is only about 2 miles round trip with great views!

Overall, this is an incredibly useful book that easily fits in your backpack!

This guide proved to be an excellent resource during our recent trip to the Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Highlights of this book include how comprehensive it was despite its relative brevity, the easy-to-read writing style, and its off-the-beaten-path recommendations.

The authors discussed all the subjects I was looking for in a travel book. They covered the usual "where to stay" and "where to eat" topics very well, including reviews of the campgrounds in the parks. We were very satisfied staying and eating at the places recommended by the authors.

A particular strength of the book was its overview of the numerous hiking trails of the two parks. The trails were organized by length, and the authors gave good recommendations about which trails to do. One hike that they recommended as a "find" was a beautiful, short stroll to an icy cave, but because of its location off the main park road, we were completely by ourselves. The authors even discussed some of the backcountry hiking, if you are inclined to strap on your pack and head off into the wilderness.

The chapter on the natural history of the parks was also excellent. There was a description of the geological events that formed the parks, the flora and fauna, and the diverse ecosystems. The geological discussion in particular was especially helpful for understanding how the layers of rock were laid down over millions of years.

The authors gave good sample itineraries for experiencing the park in a day or two. Recommendations on seeing the sunrise across the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon and on visiting some of the less traveled sections of Zion were very worthwhile.

Nice bonuses in the book included information for kids, RVers, and people with disabilities. The book also had information on practical things like where to get gas, buy supplies, do your laundry, etc. There is even a section on places to visit near the national parks such as some of the Utah state parks and nearby national monuments.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone heading to Zion and Bryce Canyon. It definitely enriched our experience and made planning a whole lot easier.

Between this book and Hintze's similar book, Utah has some really good geology books that make the landscape come alive. Stokes helps you visualize what Utah looked like during different geologic periods and also highlights areas where the geologic record is absent such as the middle Triassic.

I wore out my first book driving around the State for my work and had to purchase a replacement copy. I highly recommend this book.

This wonderful book is not only the leading and best introduction to the geology of Utah, but it is also an excellent introduction to the long, strange history of the Earth; so much of what makes Utah geology exciting is that it reveals patterns and processes that were operating globally. Yet there is an excellent argument for its localization: the Wasatch Front, an anomalous structure that is clearly present since the Precambrian and persists to this day, as evidence in the contrast between the flat landscape of western Utah and the precipitous rise of the Wasatch Mountains. Demarcated by earthquakes, hot springs, and abundant evidence of geologically recent vulcanism, the Wasatch Front amounts to a complex fracture zone that runs in a line, north to south, for hundreds of miles. The book begins, brilliantly I think, by placing the puzzle of the Wasatch Front before the reader; thenceforth the chapters are organized (as is the geological custom) by geological epochs. But in every chapter Stokes is mindful of what is known and what is not. For a non-expert reader, and I am among them, one of the rewards of this book is precisely this author's honesty: He not only tells you what we do not yet know, but also why what we think we know is almost certainly wrong. For example, it is abundantly clear that, during the Cretaceous period, the North American plate west of Utah must have been greatly elevated, for the general trend of erosion was from west to east, and enormous amounts of sediment were deposited over Utah's shallow seas. Yet the volume of sediment deposited is far greater than could have been produced by any known conception of western North America during this period. Adding to the mystery is the subsequent subsidence of western North America -- now called the "Great Basin" -- and its confused, convoluted geology. In comparison, east of the Wasatch Front, one finds the Colorado Plateau, one of the few areas in the Earth where sediments remain very much as they were deposited, in undisturbed, horizontal beds that accumulated sequentially. These beds, some of them thousands of feet thick, run laterally across the landscape for hundreds of miles.

What makes Utah so special, geologically speaking, is the wondrous fact that relatively recently (geologically speaking, of course), the Colorado Plateau was pushed upward -- a mile upward. With a persistently arid climate, rivers coursed through the soft stone and carved majestic canyons. The scenery is very beautiful, but it is all the more amazing when one realizes that this scenery showcases the history of the known Earth, from the time of the first living creatures right down to the present.

The story is magnificent, and Stokes' careful, cautious telling of the story lends it credibility and authority. This is a magnificently well researched book, written by a geologist who must have been the world's leading expert on the subject at the time. Of course, there have been new discoveries since this book was written, but geology isn't a field in which rapid progress is made overnight. A few minutes with Google Scholar will suffice, should you wish to make sure you're up-to-date on a particular subject.

This book represents a compilation of lecture notes and illustrations that the author put together for his course at the University of Utah, which was titled Geology and Scenery of Utah. Not surprisingly, it was consistently among the most popular courses offered. I wish I had been among the students waiting in the classroom when Professor Stokes walked in and said, "Geology is the study of the Earth, and rocks are its basic documents. Few areas of equal size are more rocky than Utah." If you can get a copy of this wonderful book, you'll feel as if you had been in his classroom. Any reader who loves geology will be proud to own a copy of this extraordinary, wonderful book

A thorough discussion of the geology of Utah, from Precambrian to Quaternary. The state of Utah is unique in having representative strata of every era, so the book from front to back is a more or less seamless journey through time. On the way Stokes gives excellent reviews of the fossils, mineral deposits, and scenery, along with the mandatory topics on sedimentary and igneous rocks. The entire state of Utah is covered region by region as well as through time, and special attention is given to the Wasatch Range faults, hot springs, and theoretical formation. Excellent photos and exact locations are provided for most of the rock layers, so you can check out the strata yourself. Highly recommended for anyone interested in geology. And, if you're not interested, this may kindle the flame.

all titles on eco of Lake Powell should be noted there are activists seeking to REMOVE the dam! See E Magazine, Sierra Club on Dave Foreman, earth first

I love this book.

It has gorgeous and historical pictures of Glen Canyon on every page.

"Defiance House" is one of the many points mentioned- this is where ancient Anasazi Indians lived once ago. Shown are kivas, dwellings and rockart.

The historic old Lone Star House is fearured in the book.

So is Smith Fork- where there is an extensive panel of beautiful Anasazi petroglyphs.

Also shown are: old miner's cabins, old gravestones, ruins, Rainbow Bridge, Klondike Bar, Dungeon Canyon, Wild Horse Bar. Rock Creek, Last Chance Creek, Gunsight Pass, Indian Trails, The Crossing of the Fathers, Navajo Creek, Wright Bar (a wall filled with TONS of ancient old petroglyphs), Galloway Cave, Sentinel Rock, Wahweap Canyon, Tapestry Wall, Moqui Canyon, The Stanton Gold Dredge, Hall's Crossing, and much, much more!!

66 sites are talked about in great depth and detail. The pictures are just amazing!

Now that Lake Powell is in a severe drought -and its water level is decreasing rapidly-- it would be fascinating to go see and explore the historical and ancient remains that were once completely under water!

For anyone who visits Lake Powell, yet still cares about all the things flooded beneath it, this book is a must-have. The book opens with a large map of the lake, with numbers on various points of its shoreline. Turn to any of these numbers, and you'll find historic photos, great facts, and a good basic overview of what was lost beneath the lake...and what's left.
I took a six-and-half month canoe trip around Lake Powell's entire 1,960-mile shoreline, and this book was my Bible. I used it daily, and it always taught me something.
The book's author was on many of the final fact-gathering explorations that were done in Glen Canyon--before Lake Powell covered it--and he and his crews documented thousands of now-submerged ruins, artifacts, and natural wonders. Many of their finds are in this book.
"Ghosts of Glen Canyon" is not a complete record, but it doesn't profess to be. It's merely a very simple attempt to give visitors to Lake Powell a basic idea of what's beneath them. Use it with Gary Topping's very complete "Glen Canyon and the San Juan Country." Use it as a guide, and use it as a reference--it works well for both...though I've often wished it had a better index.