Texas Books

The Meanest Man in Texas begins as a story about a young man just trying to live in the days of the depression. Because of his youth and his limited knowledge of life, people, the law, he ends up going from basically a good kid to a man on death row. The book takes you into his life and his struggles to survive behind bars. It reveals how the "meanest man" came to learn that not only can life be better in prison, but there can be a better life, eternally, if you have God. It is a very satisfying and uplifting factual book.

This inspirational book tells the true story of Clyde Thompson, once called the "meanest man in Texas." He began studying the Bible, was converted, and went on to help other inmates clean their lives up. A must read for people who think their lives are too messed up to be straightened out.

When another reviewer wrote that this book was a must-read for people who have reached the bottom of the barrel, I agreed whole-heartedly. The reason I wrote the book was to get across the point that no matter how low in life one gets, God will help if He is asked. Clyde Thompson's life story illustrates this so beautifully. And it's not just because I wrote the book, but because Clyde lived it. I appeciate the positive reviews. Best wishes...

Dear Ginna Gray, I just loved this book what a brilliant story. The story was excellent and the characters were wonderful especially Mike and Leah I was really rooting for them to get together. I have now read the other books in the series and I hope there will be another about Molly and Quinton to finish of this wonderful series.

Leah Albright is a very successful doctor who would do anything for her half-brother Quinton who needs a bone marrow translant.

Leah asks Mike McCall to get tested to see if he is a match for Quinton, and he is. There is just one problem Leah knows something that Quinton and Mike don't know. Mike and Quinton are half brothers (they have the same mother-Leah's stepmother Julia)

Quinton comes threw allright, and Leah and Mike end up spending alot of time together visiting with him. This leads them to fall in love. After Quinton is released the three of them and Mikes step-sister Molly spend alot of time together and Mike and Molly suggest that Leah and Quinton spent Thanksgiving with them and their whole extended family.

Leah and Quinton do spend Thanksgiving with the Blains(The family of Mikes great Aunt) and the McCalls and they love it. After dinner Leah and Mike get engaged, but before anything else happens Julia comes and Mike and Quinton find out that they are half brothers and Mike gets mad and tells them to leave.

After this Mike and Leah are both miserable and miss eachother, but don't know what is going to happen. Then on Christmas Eve Molly gets into a serious car crash that brings them back together.

Dear Ginna Gray, If you ever decide to look at this site, I think you should write a book about Molly and Quinton. It would be called "Happily Ever After", that would end that little poem you made with your other titles in the series perfectly. Look:

"Fools Rush In" "Where Angels Fear" but "Once in a Lifetime" "A Good Man Walks In" "Building Dreams" to last "Forever" and "Always" when two people are "Meant for Each Other" they will live "Happily Ever After"

What do you think? Isn't that a perfect ending or what? Tell me what you think. Email me if you like it or even if you don't. Sincerely, B.W.

This is my favorite gift to bring to baby showers -- it's a huge hit with both proud Texan parents and babies! The textures (the denim of the cowboy's jeans, the sandpaper cow's tounge) and vibrant colors really captivate the little ones. My best friend's daughter loved it so much that they're already on their second copy. I highly recommend the Little Tex's ABC book to accompany this one -- you won't be disappointed.

I bought this book before my child was born. It's one of my favorites and one of his. We also have "Little Tex's ABCs." Both are great books. He is a sixth generation native Texan, so we want to make him proud of his heritage. What better way to get started? I am hoping that this is only the beginning of the "Little Tex" series. How about a "Little Tex" counting book next?

My 4 year old and 1 year old sons love this book. The thick interactive pages are informative, safe, keeps their attention, and they leave talking about it. My 4 year old sometimes acts like Little Tex! Much better than acting out a Power Ranger! Buy it, your kids will love it!

I was not crazy about this author's last book, "Project Kaisei," but I am really crazy about this one. The author puts in so much in this relatively short novel that I felt like I spent my last twenty years in the town of Mendiola. The story is dark and sad but the main character, Ronnie Kowalski, is delightful and yet so real. I think readers who are not pleased with unrealistic plots and characters in fictions nowadays will be happy to find that a book like this still exists. I recommend it highly.

This was one of the most fascinating mysteries I have ever read. In fact, I'm tempted to call it a classic. The story is about a retired homicide cop in Texas investigating an unsolved case. What makes this novel so unusual is the way the story is structured. In the first half of the novel, the story is a confession of an old man who has lost his purpose in life. The second half is devoted to how he is going to regain that sense of purpose. The mystery itself is compelling enough, but it is this man's struggle with himself that makes this story so rich and interesting. What more can I say? Read it and judge it for yourself.

Mendiola is not an ordinary murder mystery. This book talks to you. You'll get to know the man, Ronnie Kowalski, from the way he talks to you. That's what makes this novel so special and unusual.

The story is about an old ex-cop, Kowalski, re-visiting an old case. The incident happened more than ten years before. An actor killed himself on stage by putting a gun to his head. After some brainstorming with his buddy, Kowalski realizes that what appeared to be an accidental death was not an accident after all. The story is about searching the motive for the crime. But at the same time, Kowalski is also searching for what he has lost in his life.

The characters in this novel are vividly drawn and all seem so human. The situations are realistic and locations are interesting. This fast-paced story is an excellent read. I finished it in two hours, but I'm sure I'll remember the images for sometime to come.

For how many years had the Apaches lived and survived in the Southwest, even with Spanish, Mexican, and Americans aggression? And yet within a matter of a few short years after Merejildo Grijalva leaves the Apaches, are the Apaches forcefully removed form their homelands. The author demonstrates that the strongest reason for the subduing of the Apaches is because of the valuable information provided by Merejildo Grijalva and other scouts to the United States Army. Devastating campaigns against hidden Apache strongholds could be conducted by the U.S. Army, with Grijalva leading the way. In fact it is my opinion that if Grijalva hadn't left the apaches, the Apache wars could have waged on for at least another 10 or 20 years. What would that have meant for America? With 2 world wars on the horizon, could the Copper and Uranium rich Arizona and New mexico territories have been fully utilized by the U.S. when needed?
If the book has one draw back it is that I would have liked to have read more about Merejildo's life in Solomonville, Arizona. My own family (the Garcia's) Settled in Solomonville at this time and lived on a farm right next to merejildo's. I would have loved to have read how Merejildo received the Gila River land and also why he chose to live there. If I could gleen some insight into his decisions I could possibly understand why my ancesters did the same. Lastly, I wish that more information was uncovered concerning Merejildo's relationship with the Freighters of the area, particularly Tully and Ochoa (Run by Esteban Ochoa with Sydney Delong and Michael Steck as silent partners), Mariano and his mom Raphaela Barela of Mesilla, Ex-confederate Jack Swilling, and The Western end of the Butterfield Mail Company (Brad Daley, Price Cooper, Etc.)
Ultimately though this excellent Book brings out more hidden truth about the South west than many can fully, currently, comprehend! You need to buy this book to understand the Rise and Fall of the Apaches!

I think this is just a wonderful book, not only because we have the same last name,but the name of Grijalva goes back into history, like Juan de Grijalva 1518 explorer, Juan Pablo Grijalva, with the 1775/76 Anza Expedtion. You have to read this book yourself to understand what Edwin R. Sweeney wrote in this book.

Merejildo Grijalva was an Indian Scout who was captured by the Chiricahua Apaches in 1849 and lived more than a decade among the people under such renowned Native American leaders as Miguel Narbona, Mangas Coloradas, and Cochise. Indeed, it was Cochise who used Grijalva as his interpreter in the late 1850s. In 1859, Apache agent Michael Steck encouraged Grijalva to escape the Apaches and two years later aided the American army working in the New Mexico Territory and out of Fort Bowie, Arizona. Edwin Sweeney's Merejildo Grijalva: Apache Captive, Army Scout is number 96 in the University of Texas at El Paso Southwestern Studies series and a work of impeccable scholarship that will be much appreciated by students of Native American studies and western frontier history.

I loved John R. Erickson's 1981 1st end edition of this book and wondered if the 2nd edition would live up to standards set by the first edition. I was not disappointed. Erickson gives a unique insight to cowboying. The chapters "Economics and the Cowboy" and "The Cowboys Wife" are in themselves enough to make this book a unique contribution to Western American literature.

I have only one small complaint about Erickson's work. That is that he gives feedyard cowboys the short shrift. His only discussion of them is a few condensending comments in "The Last Cowboy" chapter. He says he doesn't mean to disparage them and yet turns around and does just that. A book about "THE Modern Cowboy" needs a thorough treatment of feedyard cowboys. Moreover the distinction between feedyard cowboys and ranch cowboys is largely an artificial separation that exists only in Erickson's mind. The majority of feedyard cowboys that I've worked with have worked ranches and you will find quite a few ranch cowboys on the Great Plains who have put in their time in the feedyards. However, I would not let this one oversight of Erickson's keep me from reccommending this book to anyone and everyone.

Now in its second edition, The Modern Cowboy strives to answer the query: who is the American cowboy? Where did he come from, and what is he today? Digging deep into American history, legend, and practical reality, as well as taking a solid look at the contemporary lives led today by men responsible for the welfare of cattle, The Modern Cowboy is a superb source of background material for anyone who truly wants to know more about the legendary figure who appears in so many Western novels and movies. Highly recommended both for entertainment and personal edification.

I just finished reading The Modern Cowboy by John Erickson. It is a very good book about the life of the American cowboy. Erickson covers every aspect of the cowboy working on a ranch in our country. He not only covers the day to day life of the cowboy, he gives the reader a view of what is in the future for cowboys and ranching. A great book.

Good update over previous edition. Author added some new material, but took away some from the previous edition. This book will get me through the state exam.

i came across this book AFTER i have finished reading Jacobus' Texas Real Estate. i hoped i have seen this book much earlier and tossed Jacobus into trash bin... much much better...

I liked this book because it is well organized and informative. At the beginning of every chapter the author includes a list of key terms; and key words are bolded and defined through out the chapters. In the back of the book, there's a glossary. This book covers the main topics of the Texas Real Estate Sales Exam in a very thorough, organized way.

"Moonglow, Texas" is a thoroughly enjoyable romp in which the characters' warmth can't help but be infectious. The writing style is outstanding and the strongly likeable Dan and Molly are two people who instantly draw the reader into their story. This is the second Mary Mcbride novel I've read ("Still Mr. and Mrs." is terrific as well). Molly (an alias forced upon her because of the Witness Protection Program) is spending her days hiding from terrorists in a forlorn Texas town where she encounters a scruffy but hunky handyman who (like Home Improvement's Tim) keeps destroying more than he can fix. Sensually attractive to Molly, but unbeknownst to her, Dan has a secret identity as a government agent hired to protect her. His past is fraught with pain and heroism, and the reader can't help falling for him as well. Other characters in the story are fully developed - and serve to bring Molly and Dan together. The novel has plenty of intrigue as well as intense, molten romance, and a silver thread of stylish humor runs through the entire book. We need more of Mcbride's delightful novels!

Molly Hansen doesn't particularly care for her home in Moonglow, Texas but when the U.S. Marshals' office sends over a handyman to work on her place, she figures it's not her place to argue. The house and the identity were given to Molly about a year ago when she entered the Witness Protection Program after witnessing a terrorist act. There is nothing about her new life Molly finds appealing and little she enjoys about Moonglow until the handyman from hell enters her life.

When Dan Shackelford left Moonglow twenty years ago, he never expected to come back much less return posing as an itinerant handyman. He might not know much about home improvement but figures he can play his unexpected assignment by ear. Still suffering from the tragic fallout of his last assignment, Dan is less sure of his skills as a Deputy Marshal than as a handyman. When WITSEC is compromised by hackers, however, he accepts the low-priority case of protecting Hansen knowing it is his last chance to prove himself capable of his professional duties. He never suspects that his charge will give him new hope both professionally and personally.

Mary McBride has written a story that is nearly flawless both in style and characterization. The irony is that part of the charm of this book stems from the imperfections of the hero. Dan Shackelford is both amusing and admirable in his role as a reluctant hero. His desire to go through life in a drunken haze only increases when he returns to Moonglow, the town where everyone literally knows his name and his reputation for trouble precedes him. He finds his depression lifting every now and again as he comes to befriend and eventually love Molly Hansen whose unflagging faith in him stuns and shames him out of his self-imposed misery. Molly is a wonderful heroine who has come to accept her new life. She's smart and practical so it doesn't take her long to realize that Shackelford is anything but handy to have around the house. But she is drawn to him, the Moonglow lore about his troubled adolescence, and the man he has become. McBride does an excellent job of developing Dan and Molly's relationship and drawing an appealing image of Moonglow, which only gets better for both the reader and Molly when Dan reluctantly drove back into town.

A chance viewing of a pale, white-haired terrorist and she finds herself whisked away to Moonglow, Texas complete with the new identity of Molly Hansen. She leaves behind her job, her fiancé, and her identity to protect her life -- a life she's come to intensely dislike until Dan Shackelford shows up to repair her government provided house. But Molly's no dummy, and it doesn't take long to figure out that Dan's no repairman even if he is a fabulous kisser. And his presence makes Moonglow and her new identity a pleasure. As women line up to welcome Dan back to Moonglow, however, Molly takes great pleasure in keeping him to herself and finds her new identity isn't so bad as long as Dan hangs around.

With his disreputable appearance, Dan Shackelford doesn't look like a deputy U.S. marshal. Bitter, dissolution, and drinking too much, Dan's on extended medical leave after he failed to protect his partner from a hitman. But when someone breaches the security of the witness protection program's database, Dan finds himself called back into service and returning to his hometown to protect Molly, even if word has it that all the members of the terrorist group that destroyed her life are now dead. As threatening phone calls begin to belie the assurance of no danger, however, Dan finds his skills not just as handyman, which are seriously lacking, but his reputation as well as the sheriff still treats him like poor white trash and women wish to rekindle the past.

Author Mary McBride creates a first rate romance with characters the reader can't help but care about in MOONGLOW, TEXAS. Despite the serious setting of the witness protection program, this lighthearted romance will but the glow on a sultry summer night. As Dan heals the scars of the past, and Molly faces the challenges of her present, watching them create a future together is pure pleasure. Amusing, entertaining, and heated, MOONGLOW, TEXAS comes highly recommended.

Greta Anderson provides a glimpse into the lives of ten women that possessed a true pioneering spirit in pre 1900 Texas.As opposed to some historical accounts that can get bogged down in facts, this book represents history in short stories that make for an enjoyable read. It is wonderful to find a book like this that can tell the tale of history through the eyes of a woman.Greta successfully puts flesh on the bare bones of history.I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the role of women in history, particularly women of the south. I was inspired by this book and would love to see a second book containing more stories about the women of Texas.

These ten inspiring biographical accounts of 19th century Texas women who changed history are straightforward, well-researched, and so well-written that I would recommend the book even to young readers, though there is more than enough here to engage a curious adult. Of particular interest are the stories of Cynthia Ann Parker, raised by Comanches, Sara Estela Ramirez, a Mexican-born poet, and "Texas" Guinan, a nightclub owner and silent film star. Andersen's admiration and compassion for her subjects is evident, though she is careful to present the facts of their lives in an unbiased and impartial manner. More Than Petticoats is an important contribution to the existing literature on women's history and a must-read for anyone interested in Texas, feminism, women's suffrage, civil rights and pioneer history.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others. For me it was a quick, refreshing, and interesting read. I still think about the characters and stories months after finishing the book. For my 12-year-old daughter, the book was inspiring. Of the many stories, the most inspirational for her was Sophie's refusal to be fired as the railway doctor because she was a women. The book tells the stories of many strong women, and I was struck by the variety of ways in which women can become leaders and role models. I hope more books like this will be written so that women's history can be preserved.

This is the first compilation of Paul Dini's MUTANT, TEXAS comic stories. The star is Ida Red, a winsome yet spunky orphaned Texas gal who discovers amazing powers lurking just beneath her supposedly "normal" exterior. J. Bone's artwork has the timeless look of classic cartoons and the amusing supporting cast of talking armadillos, comical Texas politicians and villainous coyotes make this series a winner. I can't wait for more!

The creative genius behind BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, JINGLE BELLE and writer of the current hit ABC series LOST delivers his most imaginative work to date. Set in a marvelous, mystical corner of the southwest, MUTANT, TEXAS chronicles the adventures of Ida Red, a young cowgirl blessed with amazing powers. When her humanlike animal and plant friends are kidnapped and sold as freaks, it's up to Ida to assume the role of Sheriff and track down the villain varmints. Think Buck Rogers meets Roy Rogers with a big helping of Dale Evans thrown in, too. J. Bone's illustrations perfectly match the wit and whimsy in Dini's script. Bone's Ida Red is the consumate cowgirl, brave and strong of course, but playful and prone to the occassional moments of doubt that every young heroine must (and does) overcome. The chapter where Ida faces down an angry jaguar and tames it like a bucking bronco is a tall tales scene that would do old Pecos Bill proud. MUTANT, TEXAS is a delight for all ages. Kids will love Ida and her talking animal friends (Rolly the armadillo in particular is a hoot) and adults will enjoy the sly humor found in Dini and Bone's western wonderland.

I like Ida because she is fun and is a good role model for girls. I am tired of wonder woman. It was good to read about someone who is around my age and could maybe be my friend someday. It makes me also think I am a hero too.