Nevada Books

What a remarkable collection. Its really a meditation on existence. This is a museum of life in all its sadness and beauty.

My favorite type of prose are written by poets. Reading Kate Braverman is like filling on a rich desert. I am reminded of Jeanette Winterson and Arhundati Roy. It is hard to find such deeply poetic prose today. This is not a grocery store paperback--it requires slow reading and it is worth every minute. It is a feast of words and images and ideas.

Kate Braverman's ingenious writing shouts and sings a high skill at poesy and narrative. I think many of her readers are attracted primarily to her imagery and metaphors. There is a sameness at the center of her stories -- illness, death, putrefaction, decline. These brilliant stories follow the trend, and Braverman leans toward epic prose poems. Her characters are memorable in one way, similar in another. What I admore most about her is her intensely evocative setting in LA, proving once more that place can pass for story. If you love clean, spare writing with a strong narrative element and distinctive characters developing new and original themes, these stories are not for you. But if you want gorgeous poems set to prose, gobble it up.

A very through, informative foray into the world of political activism from a single mother's point of view. The stories of courage in this book can often get poignant. Reading "Growing up in Mississippi" by Anne Moody alongside this most definitely contributed to it.

Storming Caesar's Palace follows a group of mothers on welfare as they fought to create one of the most successful community organizations in the history of the War on Poverty, delivering everything from health care to hot lunches to library services to thousands of children and adults in Las Vegas. Orleck focuses on years of research and interviews to tell the story through the women's own words, from their childhoods in Louisiana, through the black migration West, into the War on Poverty, the 70s and the Carter administration, and then through the Reagan cutback years. This is a great book for anyone interested in African-American history, women's history, or history of politics, welfare and poverty in the last 40 years, and it's also inspiring and accessible to college and even high school readers. The only flaw is in the editing; several interviews appear more than once, a bit disconcerting in a story that's purportedly chronologically organized, and the same goes for turns of phrase and whole sentences. Small drawbacks in an otherwise impressive work.

Ms. Orleck has written quite a book: it is important as history and social commentary, it is instructive for organizers and activists and it is a heart warming story of the beloved Ruby Duncan and her associates who faced adversity, poverty and discrimination with intelligence, resourcefulness and courage. They fought an uphill bsttle for human rights and economic justice in Las Vegas, and they had some very significant victories. Lastly, it is inspiring, it spiritually recharges the reader to take on today's injustices. Though the author is a scholar of some distinction, the book is very readable and is told in the participants own words so it is very immediate and straightforward. It is wonderfully suitable for high school and college aged discussion groups in school or faith based organiztions. You'll never forget Ruby Duncan. Highly recommended for entertainment, instruction, inspiration or all three!

The fourth edition of this book is a vast improvement on the initial release (3 editions ago). If you are looking for a complete trail guide to the Tahoe Basin, this is the one you want.

This book was one of the first that my wife and I bought upon coming to California in 1980. It has since fallen into at least ten pieces from overuse. This new version is also excellent.

There is a level of detail throughout that we appreciate, providing an interesting, experienced viewpoint and guide. We also like the way the different regions are highlighted. Sometimes we just head off to one of the regions and find a trail that looks interesting.

Enjoy!

Wilderness Press hit a high mark with their Sierra North and Sierra South books. This comprehenisve guide to the Lake Tahoe Sierra is to be commended for being very comprehensive, containing 112 hikes that touch on all corners of the Tahoe area. The descriptions sparkle much more than than the typical dry text in these sort of guides as well.

Unfortunately the book could stand to improve its layout and maps, especially the all-important master map pages that clue you in to where hikes are located. Also, the individual trail maps are often nowhere near the text for the trip. Hopefully a future edition will improve upon the book's layout.

I had a short time to spend in the backcountry and needed some succinct guidance for choosing the best trail for my time and experience levels. The 100 Hikes guide filled the bill - got me from Reno to the Sand Ridge Trail. The trail guide and map was way ahead of the material I picked up at the Forest Service Ranger station and I had a great two nights on trails that were just right for the equipment I had with me. Well written, guide from guys who've obviously been there on the ground. I'd even buy the book someday if the library copy is checked out next time I'm heading for northern California. Dick Williams 10-30-97

Details the flora and landscape of the hike; degree of difficulty of hike in a straight forward, useful manner. I have used the book for several day hikes in the Lake Tahoe and Bay Area and the book has helped make the hikes enjoyable and fun. Heed the degree of difficulty listing, they are accurate.

BUY IT and ENJOY!!!!!!!!

this is a cycle of interrelated poems following the life and times of an amiable stoner named naatsi from his days on haight street in san francisco (circa mid-to-late 1960's) on up to south dakota and the clinton years. really these are miniature short stories, poetic vignettes that add up to a deep and satisfying portrait of an individual. nothing pretentious here at all (thank God). poetry that is enjoyable and moving, and actually about something. i highly recommend it.

An exceptional trip down the stoned, yellow-brick road of memory. I was in San Francisco in the late 1960's and these poems brought it all back--yeah, it was a real flashback. The sadness and beauty of it all. If you were there, get this book. Peace.

I just finished reading Beyond the Glimmering Lights: The Pride And Perseverance of African americans in Las Vegas.

Using memories of her Aunt Magnolia for structure, Ms. Geran paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be African American in Las Vegas between the periods of 1940s and the 1960s.

As a fairly recent newbie to Las Vegas, this book provided a very interesting and insightful look at the history of African Americans in the area and the role they played in the shaping of an intergrated Las Vegas.

It is a very easy read and I highly recommend it :)

I eagerly await the next book by Trish Geran.

Beyond the Glimmering Lights is a very unique book that takes a look into the segregated past of Las Vegas. Author Trish Geran shows through the experiences of her Aunt Magnolia that there is more to Las Vegas than the bright lights. A wonderful read that show the perseverance of the African American community. Through the brilliant efforts of celebrities such as Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker and the general community they were able to tear down the racial boundaries and helped shape America's playground.

THIS BOOK WAS ONE THAT I COULD PUT DOWN WITH NO PROBLEM. IT WAS JUST O.K. THERE WERE PARTS OF THE BOOK THAT WERE BORING, BORING, BORING.

Las Vegas bookmaker Bruce Weinstein was immediately enamored of the diminutive brunette, Amy DeChant when he met her in October of 1995 at The Mirage poker room. He bought her a car, a beautiful diamond necklace, purchased a carpet-cleaning business for her, and took very good care of her. Bruce Weinstein, was described as "the kind guy you loved to hate and hated to love." When the wealthy, 46-year-old 300 pound risk-taker suddenly disappeared July 5, 1996 from his Las Vegas home, Amy DeChant, his 48-year-old live in lover was the prime suspect. Amy said Bruce left at 11:00pm, to go out -- but his family suspected foul play. Why? Because he was always in bed by 9 or 10, the cellular telephone that was his link to his wealthy bookmaking business remained in the house, as did his beeper and an American Express card - "He never left home without it." But how could DeChant -- at 5-foot-1 and 110 pounds, and suffering a bad hip, carry the burly body of her lover out of posh house they shared? The police listed him as a MISSING PERSON, but his family knew something was amiss. They posted a $50,000 reward leading to the recovery of Weinstein's body and arrest of the killer and hired private investigator, Mike Wysocki, to delve deeper. After the investigator discovered blood on the underside of the mattress in the bookmaker's bedroom, Las Vegas Metro began a murder investigation. The remains of the 46-year-old bookmaker were discovered Aug. 11, 1996, in a makeshift grave about 60 miles north of Las Vegas, in an isolated spot in the desert near Mesquite, where it was carefully covered with rocks. Because the body was badly decomposed, it took investigators until September to make a positive identification using Weinstein's dental records. Immediately, the investigation focused on two people: DeChant, who operated a carpet-cleaning business, and Robert Wayne Jones, her employee. Why? Amy disappeared the day after the killing and was stopped by police in Maryland. In her car was more than $100,000 in cash, false birth certificates, wigs and information on obtaining false identification. Also, police investigators found blood stains in the freshly cleaned carpets of Weinstein's home after searching for clues to his mysterious disappearance. Her brother posted a $5,000 cash bail for her after she had spent @ 2 months in jail, but after being released on bail, she fled again. DeChant changed her story several times about the events leading to Weinstein's disappearance. Her story to police now was that vindictive, masked, "New York-looking type guys" actually were the killers and they allowed her to live only if she cleaned up the bloody death scene and kept quiet. Why? Amy said the four masked men entered the house, said they were going to "teach Bruce a lesson," then killed him and took away his body (leaving some bloody spots in the house that she was told to clean). Hummm! Also missing is Robert Wayne Jones, 57, who vanished on July 12, 1996, without clothing, money, even a toothbrush. Weinstein's family has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. He was on the lam for almost a year, but was later found and arrested in New Mexico. DeChant, disappeared in September 1997 after she and Robert Jones were charged with Weinstein's murder by a grand jury. She was profiled on America's Most Wanted and a tip from a viewer watching the program led to her capture. DeChant was tracked down in January, 1998, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where she was worked as a bartender at two South Florida establishments. She was arrested at the home of a Port St. Lucie man who ran a commercial cleaning service! At her 1998 trial, Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane portrayed DeChant as a "dominating person" who never took no for an answer and was determined to get her hands on Weinstein's wealth no matter what it took. When she couldn't manipulate control of the money from the illegal bookmaking operation, he contended, she killed him and took it. He also said Robert Wayne Jones, supplied the semi-automatic pistol that was used to kill Weinstein and helped with the clean up. The .380-caliber weapon was found under a bush a year after the slaying, but ballistic tests were inconclusive, and the weapon that killed Bruce Weinstein could have been the same make or one of three other makes... Her attorney stated in closing, that police used high-tech methods to check for blood residue in DeChant's car and carpet-cleaning van and in Weinstein's car and found nothing! The jury of nine women and three men spent 15 hours over a three-day period deliberating the murder case of DeChant and her co-defendant, Robert Wayne Jones. DeChant was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder but guilty of first-degree murder and of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Her life was spared. Jones was found not guilty of direct involvement in the murder but was convicted of being an accessory to murder after the fact, and was given a five-year sentence. Bruce Weinstein's family cried with joy after Amy DeChant, was convicted of murder in his July 1996 death. Sylvia White, Weinstein's mother, said after the verdict, "All I want to do is go to the cemetery to see my son. We don't have him anymore, but we do have justice." Will the family's joy be short lived? In May 2000, DeChant's attorney appealed the conviction citing it was impossible for DeChant, who weighs less than 120 pounds, to have shot the 300-pound Weinstein, dragged him from his upstairs bedroom, put him into a car, rolled him down a ditch in the desert and placed boulders on his head. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Amy DeChant, overturning her October 1998 conviction for the murder of Bruce Weinstein. In their October 2000 ruling, the Justices said the trial judge erred in allowing testimony from a former homicide investigator, who termed DeChant's mob hit account a "fairy tale." The high court noted prosecutors used the same phrase later in the trial.

In 1868, Christy McQuarry, her younger sister Megan, and their servant Caney reach Fort Grant, Nevada where they meet Marshal Zachary Shaw. The law enforcement official escorts the young ladies to the land they inherited from their deceased grandfather in Primrose Creek. Christy finds herself attracted to the dirt poor Zachary, but vows to only marry for money. At first glance that may seem mercenary, but Christy worries what will happen to Megan and Caney as she understands insecurities ever since they were thrown out of their father's English home upon the death of their mother.

Zachary enjoys his squabbles with the snob. However, he is unable to open her eyes to his love as Christy becomes engaged to the wealthy lumber baron, Jake Vigil. As the wedding gets closer, Christy realizes she loves Zachary, making her wonder if she should marry for love or money?

THE WOMEN OF PRIMROSE CREEK: CHRISTY is an entertaining western romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy due to the battle of the sexes. The story line is fun as the lead characters take center stage. Christy may seem spoiled but inside she wants to insure Megan's future even if it costs her own happiness. Zachary is simply a passionate hero. In the second Primrose tale (see BRIDGET), Linda Lael Miller provides her audience with an enjoyable lighthearted romp.

Harriet Klausner

Linda Lael Miller has written another winner. "Christy," the second book in the series "The Women of Primose Creek" is a good book.

Christy, another of the strong willed McQuarry women, comes to Primrose Creek with her sister, Megan, upon returning from England after the death of their mother. Christy is as stubborn as her "cousin," Bridgette. Their parting was on bad terms. Now Christy has her share of the land bequeathed to her from their grandfather which is across the creek from Bridgette's and Skye's. Christy wants to sell her share and marry a rich man to provide for her and Megan. However, love does not always come with money. For Christy, love is in the form of the town's marshall, Zachary Shaw.

Zachary Shaw, tough and handsome, is attracted to the lovely Christy. Zachary realizes his feelings for Christy, who tries to deny her feelings for him. Also, Zachary realizes that Christy has agreed to marry someone else because of money. Zachary is hurt and sets out to once again take up bounty hunting to gain money. However, Christy insists to everyone that she will marry Jake Vigil, who owns the lumber mill. Will Christy succumb to her need to be rich or will she let her feelings of love dictate her actions?

"Christy" is indeed a winner. Keep up the good work, Ms. Miller!

Bought this book for my daughter who is an avid backpacker and a teacher. Read it first and believe that she and her class may enjoy the adventure of the 2 girls in the story.

One of the most importants things about Death Mounatin was my connection to the main character, Erin. From the first paragraph I was engaged with her. I liked her seriousness and spunk. By the end of the first page Erin was stranded with only her grandmother's words of wisdom playing in her head. Great start! But soon I learned Erin had an even bigger problem. Her mother had left the family and Erin didn't know why. At one time I thought maybe the mother was ill and didn't want to burden her family. Then I wondered if the father had somehow driven her away. The author let me come to understanding when Erin did and I liked that. The secondary characters of Mae and Levi brought another depth to the story. Especially Mae, with her "city girl" silliness. Seeing May grow because of Erin's strengths was rewarding. And when Erin's will sagged, Mae was strong enough for them both. It was a wonderfully woven subplot.

Erin joins Mae and Levi for a Mt. Whitney hike. They get caught in a freak electrical storm. Mae panics and runs, and Erin tries to chases her down before she comes to harm. The girls end up lost but together. Now it's them against the mountain. I loved all the mountain education/information the author wrote into the story. It never felt forced. The realism of the storm scenes, the lightning strikes, the total chaos and scramble to stay alive in the midst of danger and death drew me in completely. The action and suspense kept the tension level high and each chapter ended in a way that pulled me on. Yet, the author let me "rest" when needed. The pacing was great.

I really enjoyed Erin's grandmother. She mainly came in the backstory and in Erin's knowledge of the wilds, but she gave a strength to the story. She was a comforting character, strong and steady. Her balance helped keep Erin levelheaded in her life and death struggle for survival on Mt. Whitney. I especially appreciated the parallels between surviving in the wilderness and surviving life.

The ending of the book was perfect. The author gave me enough resolution to made me smile. Yes, Erin still has some tough things to face, but she is going to be fine! I loved the symbolism--the tree healing over the carvings. The author did that well throughout the book.

This is definetly a book worth reading. A book worthy of being made into a movie!

My sons all enjoyed Nathan and his friends and adventures. The youngest boy especially got interested in reading because of Nathan and his dog and his travels west alone looking for his parents. I would recommend these books to any family. Great for girls too!

Plenty of action and suspense, definitely written for boys, although girls will especially like the constant tension between Nathan and his friend, "not your girlfriend" Leah. This two-volume series has six stories of Nathan in the wild west of the mid 1800's. As a Christian mom, I love that Nathan is constantly firing off prayers during the many sticky situations he finds himself in. I read this to my two boys (5 and 13) right after the Lloyd Alexander "Taran" series, and both boys really enjoyed both series. In the ever-increasing struggle of finding exciting yet "safe" books to read with your kids, I was thrilled to find this series.