Washington Books

I stumbled on The Convict Cookbook while writing my latest caper novel, ONCE A THIEF (May '06). As its plot stars 3 elderly paroled bank robbers, it was flat-out neat to refer to my character, Melba Jane Dillinger, winning blue ribbons for her Goozly Pie and TaterTot Casserole as an evening's dinner entre. Hats off to Washington State Prison in Walla Walla for sponsoring this project and to all the contributors who shared their recipes, artwork and personal reflections. Suzann Ledbetter

Keen, insightful, eye-opening, witty, and all for a good cause. It might be a simple cookbook, but the real value here is in the prisoners' first hand accounts of culinary innovation in their cells. Recommended for anyone with an interest in prisons, criminal justice, or quick, cheap eats.

As a child (45-50 years ago), I read this book while visiting my Grandmother on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Reading the book again reminded me that cultural stories have a theme and thought pattern to them that includes common sense. In other words, that we now know that Coyote is not the supreme ruler of the animal world does not diminish the lessons that each story contains. A simple, excellent work that will acquaint even the most intellectual person with a world some say no longer exists.

Mourning Dove, (Hu-mis-hu-ma) is the pen name of Christine Quintasket, a member of the Colville Reservation of north central Washington. She had little schooling and even less exposure to literature, however she was determined to be a writer of fiction, particularly in her collections of Native American folk lores. She sought out the aged members of the communities near her home and carefully wrote the stories and legends she heard. Mourning Dove thought it was important to write down these stories, which, up to that time, were mostly oral history, because she feared that each story and tradition would be lost as members moved away from the tribe and into western or white civilizations. While the stories of Coyote, (the coyote represented that irrepressible joker and alternate savior of many tribes) as recorded here, have been "santitized" since Mourning Dove thought they were too "ugly" to write about. Coyote is shown in this book at his best and his worst with special powers to summon help for people when needed. He is earthy and greedy, and filled with gluttony and lust. As a precaution, Coyote was given a kinsman to deter him, a Fox, who was able to restore life. Mourning Dove leaves behind the stories she heard around many a cold evening or near a council fire. This book is edited and illustrated by Heister Dean Guie with notes by L.V. McWhorter (Old Wolf) and a foreword by Chief Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux. First published in 1934, this book harks back to time when Native American civilization still had some of their stories left to tell and is vital to read because of the time period in which it was written. This book is often considered "required reading" in some college classes which are enlightened about the value of Native American stories. Let us hope many more will take the time to review these stories in light of their own stories.

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This was bought for a family member whose family had ties in Louisiana. She loved it. She already has several of Cable's books and was happy to get this one.

This is a fantastic book on Creoles, it is well researched and very enlightening. The word Creole means the original European natives of New Orleans, NOT light skinned African Americans, now I'm sure many light skinned blacks from New Orleans has Creole ancestry. The word has been eroneously used, when I tell people that my grandmother was of Creole and Austrian ancestry, they are like, wow, I did not know you were black..im like, uh, im not black, it's so annoying, and the media perpetuates the idea, that the word means any light skinned black person from Louisiana. Everyone in Louisiana should have to read this book in history class, then they could get educated on the word, and spread the information the the obtuse media. Highly recommended.

A facinating insider's view of the growth and role of U.S. airpower that resulted from U.S. military involvement in the 1991 Gulf War.

As a United States Air Force fighter pilot, Lieutenant Colonel P.K. "Sting" White takes readers behind the scenes in this "on-target" analysis of the changing military-political role of the Air Force. The author successfully argues that the role of the Air Force has transcended that of the mere delivery of steel on target to a role that now also encompasses the enforcement of political policy through the use of "no-fly" zones.

White's firsthand knowledge of air operations in the Gulf has skillfully allowed him to press his argument home. This book is a great testament to USAF ability to change with the times.

A must read for military scholars, Air Force leaders and political scientists.

A facinating insider's view of the growth and role of U.S. airpower that resulted from U.S. military involvement in the 1991 Gulf War.

As a United States Air Force fighter pilot, Lieutenant Colonel P.K. "Sting" White takes readers behind the scenes in this "on-target" analysis of the changing military-political role of the Air Force. The author successfully argues that the role of the Air Force has transcended that of the mere delivery of steel on target to a role that now also encompasses the enforcement of political policy through the use of "no-fly" zones.

White's firsthand knowledge of air operations in the Gulf has skillfully allowed him to press his argument home. This book is a great testament to USAF ability to change with the times.

A must read for military scholars, Air Force leaders and political scientists.

This beautifully illustrated book is a great history teacher. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Louise Peacock's first book is a tribute to her excellent work as a historian. Although written for children 9-12, it is a book that that will appeal to all ages. She has a rare talent for writing a simple story that evokes the reader to find depth and insight. Her unique approach of blending three story lines allows the reader to experience the Battle of Trenton from a wide range of perspectives. Truly a work of art, this book comes highly recommended.

It is an excellent read. The authors took the Lincoln assassination and by moving the facts a few degrees gave it a whole new perspective. The authors obviously did mountains of research to make the story and characters as historically correct as possible. Character development is great and I had trouble putting the book down.

Almost since the moment Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, writers and historians have argued about the possibility of Confederate involvement in the president's killing. A large part of the issue has centered on whether the South stood to gain anything by Lincoln's death - at least in the minds of those high up in the Jefferson Davis administration. Though we may never reach a consensus, there is much to recommend the argument that the South was better off with Abraham Lincoln alive than dead. This is the underlying assumption of this new and exciting novel by J. Mark Powell and L. D. Meagher.

In The Curse of Cain, Powell and Meagher put a new twist on the Lincoln conspiracy. In their version of the story, the assassination is indeed the result of Southern malfeasance. But the chief instigator, a Confederate congressman, is actually a loose cannon, and when his own government learns that he has hired an assassin to eliminate Lincoln, they send an agent to find the killer before he brings the "Curse of Cain" down upon them all.

Powell and Meagher have built their story around a plausible idea, and have constructed a well-paced narrative with just the right mix of action and intrigue. Their heroes include the Confederate agent, Kate St. Claire, who spends her time cultivating contacts in the upper strata of Washington society; and Jack Tanner, a no-nonsense detective in the Confederate provost guard. Their villains are Basil Tarleton, a cold-blooded killer; and John Wilkes Booth, his reluctant cohort who wants only to capture the president. These people move about in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each team set against the other, but both with the ultimate goal of saving the Confederacy.

The Curse of Cain is a fast-paced adventure with heart-stopping action and surprises at every turn. It is a great read, and would make an excellent addition to any collection of Civil War literature.

I picked up this book yesterday at the mountaineers bookstore after patiently waiting for it for weeks and I'm happy to say the wait was most definitely worth the wait.

This title is a great revision of the classic '100 hikes' series perfectly geared for the modern hiker. The text is much more concise and direct with much clearer maps and directions. Gone are the Harvey Manning style trail reviews that often turned into personal meditations where meaning and fact had to be gleaned with much care. As is evident by the title, the focus is also entirely on Day Hiking, with a scant minority of the hikes exceeding 10 miles round trip. This is in sharp contrast to the classic hikes series in which most volumes were heavily slanted toward multi-day backpacking treks. This probably bodes well for the old series staying in print as it will still have a definitive niche. There is also a much greater emphasis given to year round hikes with many low elevation destinations included in the whopping 125 hikes listed in the book.

My one complaint would be that the snazzy 'hike overview chart' at the beginning of the book misses out on a few helpful details that would make finding a desirable hike quickly easier, specifically these details would be elevation gain, specific months accessible and the subjective star rating of the hike's overall quality that. All these details are of course available for each hike in the meat of the book. What is included in the overview chart are things such as whether or not the hike is accessible year round, what scenic features each possesses, and subjective difficulty level on a 1-6 scale. Amusingly only one hike rates a 6 for difficulty which translates to "beyond strenuous".

Overall a great launch to a new series. I'm highly looking forward to the Snoqualmie & South Cascades editions (both written by a different author) and hopefully many more to come after that!

I have been patiently waiting for this book to release ever since Father's Day of 2006. I met author Craig Romano on the trail and he featured individual pictures of me and my dad in two areas of this guide. At first, I wanted to pick up the book for its sentimental value but as I began to look through the pages I realized that there were a plothora of trails to chose from. I came across trails I have never seen written up in any guide book including the Theler Wetlands in Belfair, Twanoh State Park near Union and Penrose Point State Park. The driving directions and trail descriptions are highly accurate and there is a quick breakdown of each hike outlining the difficulty, open seasons, corresponding maps and accessibility. Each hike has been meticulously researched and it is evident that a great amount of time and effort went in to making this book as accurate and descriptive as possible. Out of all of the Olympic Peninsula trail guides I have read, this is quite possibly the best out there.

This a fine book. You won't be sorry you bought it -- or sent it to a friend, as I did.

I really enjoyed this Fiona mystery. Adler's fearless Irish girl detective may not be PC -- let's face it, she's a borderline alcoholic who lets her job get in her way of her love life -- but she's pretty real. The whodunit is a good one, with a lot of action that tosses the suspicions back and forth. Another good thing: this book has a cast of other strong female characters. You can pretty well guess who the "violet-eyed moviestar wife of Virginia politician" is modeled after; this is the author's signature light touch of humor that leavens a pretty horrible murder that has racist repercussions later on.

What a delightful book! The characters are real and you can almost feel the air. It made me laugh and cry and wish for more. The story moves from Chicago to Out West. The Civil War is just coming to an end and the book moves swiftly into the Westward Movement. This author writes about gamblers, dance hall girls, preachers, bankers, cowboys and everything else you'd want to see, but with plot twists you won't expect. A good love story to boot. All told with humor and warmth. I just wish I could sit down with the characters over a cup of coffee. And I know just the place in River Bend! Read and enjoy!

Great book! The characters are wonderful, the setting is spectacular and the story just makes you feel good all over. Can't wait for her next book!

Great book, it takes the reader to a time and place in history where one feels part of the experience. Very well reasearched and depicted. I particularly enjoyed the highly-moving Japanese internment camp stories described in the book.

A lovingly crafted book, with a comprehensive grasp of the issues surrounding the internment of the Japanese from the Seattle area.