Colorado Books

Absolutely wonderful book! One of the best on the series! I really enjoyed it!

We just returned from a lovely road trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park, using this book as our guide. It was extremely helpful, loaded with information, easy to use and well written. We give it our highest recommendations.

It is not surprising that Barry Bonds appears on the cover of this look at the "National League West" for young fans, but it is ironic since Bonds had not yet played during the 2005 season (he might be ready in September, but who knows). Jim Thome was on the cover of the "National League East" volume and Mark Prior is the cover boy for the "National League Central," and both of them have spent time on the disabled list, but at least they got some games in this year. Then again, this has been a strange year for this particular division. When as of last night this is a division where the San Diego Padres are a game under .500--and in first place. Meanwhile, the N.L. East the New York Mets are playing .513 ball and in last place. What an interesting world in which we live.

Jim Gigliotti introduces the five teams in this division as being an unusual collection of franchises. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have storied histories that go back to their days in Brooklyn and New York, while the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres are relative new comers. The history of the division, which goes back to 1969, is traced to provide a quick overview of the N.L. West as a whole. Then Gigliotti goes on to provide more about each individual club. His stated goal is to allow his young readers to soon qualify as an expert on all of the teams in this division, but that is overstating the case. However, he does give young fans a solid introduction and the means to learn more.

The teams are arranged alphabetically in this slim volume and in each chapter we learn about the history of the franchise, its best moments on the field, and some of the biggest stars who have played for each team. This becomes a disservice to the Dodgers and Giants who have each been around twice as long as the other three teams put together. The Dodgers have six world championships and the Giants have won five World Series. There are photographs of Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax to go along with Duke Snider's Hall of Fame plaque, but that leaves other Dodger greats like Roy Campanella, Maury Wills, and Orel Hershiser just to get their names mentioned. Carl Hubbell has his plaque and John McGraw, Mel Ott, and Willie McCovey get their photographs in, to go along with a statue of Willie Mays, but Christy Mathewson gets passed over.

Still, when Gigliotti talks about New York Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson snaring McCovey's line drive to end the 1962 World Series he is doing his job (remember the "Peanuts" cartoons where Charlie Brown sits dejectedly on the curb and in the last panel jumps up and asks why McCovey could not have hit the ball 2 feet--or even 1 foot--higher?). Sometimes the details are put in the margins of the book, but the important thing is that they are there.

The book tries to tie the old to the new, so while Randy Johnson and Larry Walker have moved on to other teams, young fans have pictures of current stars like Preston Wilson and Jason Schmidt. However, this is a hit and miss proposition since Sean Burroughs of the Padres gets a color photo but is currently in the minor leagues (the son of former A.L. M.V.P. slugger Jeff Burroughs and a Little League World Series star, Sean has not shown the power numbers somebody playing the hot corner has to have).

A lot of the fun of being a baseball fan is pouring over statistics, and in the back of the book young fans will find several pages of Stat Stuff, so that they can see that Todd Helton's lifetime average of .399 with the Rockies is currently a point higher than that of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn with the Padres. While Christy Mathewson still has the career team records for wins (372) and strikeouts (2,499) with the Giants, Barry Bonds leads in none of those categories, although his considerable accomplishments are noted in detail at the end of the chapter on the San Francisco team. Young fans will also find a Glossary of baseball terms so they know what it means to be in the "cellar" or an "underdog."

There is also a Time Line that puts Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in 1951 in historical perspective and a list of books in the back of this Behind the Plate volume where readers can go For More Information about the National Leagues West and Major League Baseball. If you check out the homepage on the web you will get links to the MLB and ESPN cites, which will help young fans find out more about the players and the teams mention. Gigliotti provides a lot of information, but there is so much out there, especially if you are a fan of the Dodgers or the Giants (no one is a fan of both, as this book should also make clear to its young readers).

What a wonderful book! The authors begin with two stories of two bees they were personally fond of then go on to give a very good outline bumblebee behavior and biology. This is followed by advice on how to collect and study these bees, if you should wish to (a few years ago I tried to rescue a nest mowed up: failed, but with this book I would have succeeded and learned a lot - not to mention the kids). This information is not readily available in accessable format elsewhere. But the most wonderful feature is the photographic field guide to the American species in the back. I've been waiting for a field guide to North American bumblebees for forty years, I don't think there's another. Other books are more exhaustive on the general biology and ecology of bumblebees and these are all described by the authors in the text but backyard naturalist, country gentleman or beekeeper (like me)...you gotta have this book.

When I was eighteen, I volunteered at a battered women's shelter, aptly named A Woman's Place. I worked in a poetry group comprised of the shelter's residents, staff members and other volunteers, headed by Rita Brady Kiefer, professor of women's studies and creative writing at the University of Northern Colorado. We met every Sunday for six weeks, workshopping each other's writing in preparation for a series of four readings to be given at the six weeks' finish. Under Kiefer's motherly tutelage, we crafted gorgeous poetry and presented probably the most heartrending four literary shows ever seen by the small cow-town of Greeley, Colorado. The residents, these women hiding from abusive men, rebuilding their lives, rediscovering themselves, wrote with raw, agonizing emotion which Kiefer harnessed, helping them produce masterpieces.

Kiefer, a former nun whose departure from the church is documented in Nesting Doll's first poem "Ex-Nun in a Red Mercedes," seems predestined for a life of compassion and altruism. Yet, in her selflessness, she is independent, fierce, poised, and determined to help those who don't possess these qualities, discover them. Nesting Doll is a search of courage and justice for the voiceless, oppressed minions-and Kiefer herself.

The writing is lyrical, and the language and subject matter are always powerful. In "Last Song," the torture of a woman shocks the reader: "Just before they cut out her tongue/she cried I will learn to sign, her/fingers lacing the air he commanded/those hands silent they brought cleavers" (Kiefer, 6) Kiefer's outrage is evident, invoking the reader's own outrage and sympathy. We wonder at the woman's bravery and the torturer's madness, his command to silence the hands after she promises to learn sign language. The poem is chilling and provocative.

Kiefer is also capable of sensuality. Inspired by Rumi's passionate ghazaals, Kiefer penned "Like This": "Not the way father kissed mother/on the cheek, not in the front of the house,/no, in the bedroom, basement, in/those dark places, those under the earth/places no one can see, kiss me/across mountains when we are apart . . ." (Kiefer, 14) A shame we don't see many romantic poems in Nesting Doll, for the beauty of "Like This" positions Kiefer in league with icons like Rumi or even Pablo Neruda.

I read the first edition of this book so I wanted the second. Dr. Filley writes in very clear terms. I wished I had read this book a few years ago when I was just learning neuroanatomy. It's a great book for neuropsychology students.

North Star is truly one of the all time unsung great dog hero portraits - that it's dedicated to Balto is very significant - there's no doubt in my mind that the author wrote this from his heart with a profound knowledge of dogs - very satisfying.....

After reading this wonderful little book, my husband and I have started using this book for suggestions on day trips from the Teller County area. We have enjoyed some great beers and good food as well as atmosphere.

This is a great little muffin book! It contains 89 muffin recipes using common, everday ingredients. The format is straight-forward and easy-to-follow. An added plus---muffin baking tips are included to help you make the perfect muffins! One of the best things about this recipe book is the many variations offered. There are 8 different recipes for blueberry muffins including the State Fair Blueberry Muffins and Blueberry Lemon Muffins. They also include interesting combinations such as Cranberry Maple Muffins and Raspberry Wine Muffins. This book is a great buy if you have muffin-munchers at your house!

Jean Watson's theory and philosophy of nursing care provides evident based practice for the framework of nursing in the health care arena. Watson's theory provides the tools for connections between the patient and the healthcare providers involving the entire being including the spiritual aspect. I give this book's contents five stars. I recommend all healthcare providers read and study Watson's theory on caring. The information will change the approach to caring for their patients