Nevada Books

Anne Martin's story is of interest to anyone who enjoys reading of history or politics, particularly of Nevada's history, or of women's struggle to gain suffrage rights. Anne Martin grew up in Nevada in the late 1800's and came of age in the early 1900's. She attended Stanford University, and then worked in England, Washington D.C., and throughout Nevada to attain voting rights for women. (Nevada women gained the right to vote in 1914.) After attaining that goal, Ms. Martin ran for Senate, traveling through the rough countryside to various mining camps and small railroad towns -- a daring feat for a women at that time. After abandoning her own political career, she became active in the peace and equal rights movements on a global scale, decades ahead of the 1960's peace movement. This book is somewhat cumbersome to read, since every fact and reference is painstakingly documented in detail, but the effort is worthwhile.

A lot of people are getting murdered out Nevada way;so Billy Vail sends his best Deputy Marshal to get to the bottom of it, and bring the killer or killers to justice.
The saga has a pretty good storyline,but it is overshadowed by a greenhorn Deputy who has been hired through a family connection. Longarm is not happy in having to take this kid with him and while trying to solve a difficult case,he must act as a nursemaid and is worried that the kid will screw up things at best ,or get himself killed at worst.
It is a pretty good episode,with lots of action packed scenes.

The author of MALIBU DIARY, Penelope O'Malley, moved to that beach town in 1986, an urban refugee from deeper inside the Los Angeles city sprawl, and stayed until the late 90s. The book wouldn't have caught my eye or caused me to crack open my wallet except that I lived my formative years in Malibu - Zuma Canyon to be exact - from 1957 at age 8 to my departure thirteen years later, about the same length of time as Penelope's residence on Point Dume just across the Pacific Coast Highway. Despite her relatively late arrival, I hoped she'd tell me something I'd missed during the flood of teenage hormones.

Five years after O'Malley's arrival, Malibu removed itself from the governance of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and incorporated. Thus enabled, the citizenry began a period - still continuing to the present, I presume - of interminable tiffs, which is the subject of Penelope's "diary".

There is some useful historical perspective to be derived from the narrative, specifically a thumbnail history of the 17,000-acre Rancho Malibu Topanga y Sequit, one of the last intact Spanish land grants, as purchased by Frederick Hastings Rindge in 1892 and lost piecemeal by his descendents until only 4,000 acres remained under family control in 1961. Also, Malibu's unfortunate and regular association with major wildfires is briefly recounted, including the author's first-hand experiences with such in 1993 and 1996. (In 1958, I watched as the Liberty fire crested the mountains at the north end of Zuma Canyon. My Dad spent a good part of that night's wee hours serving refreshments to fire crews parked on the canyon's access road awaiting the blaze's expected approach. It never happened; the wind shifted.)

Otherwise, MALIBU DIARY is a narrative about disputes: residents sniping at the county fire department for it's handling of brushfires; a home builder locked in a legal battle with two competing and mutually antagonistic representatives of the Chumash Indian tribe over potential artifacts to be found on his construction site; the City of Malibu's stubborn row with L.A. County on which government entity should repair and reopen Kanan Dume Road, a major trans-mountain artery to the San Fernando Valley, after it was blocked by a landslide; the grotty warfare between adherents of the existing septic tank method of waste disposal and proponents of a new, city-wide sewer system. And perhaps the most rancorous and intractable of them all, the feud between wannabe developers of condominiums and apartment buildings, who cloak themselves in the sacred banner of "individual property rights", and the entrenched "slow growth" advocates of single-family dwellings that occupy the local high ground.

Such is this particular piece of Paradise at the rural/(sub)urban interface. It brings to mind the volume by social commentator and essayist Barbara Holland, Bingo Night at the Fire Hall: Rediscovering Life in an American Village, in which she describes taking up residence in an inherited cabin in the Appalachian mountains of northern Virginia only just now coming within reach of the westwardly spreading tentacles of the Washington, DC burbs. However, Barbara is, above all, a wry and gifted humorist. Conversely, Penelope O'Malley, a practicing journalist, reports with virtually no levity at all, and her book suffers for it; there's so much here to be gently ridiculed, but isn't. And, at times, she takes herself a little too seriously, as at the conclusion:

"I went to Malibu a white-robed ascetic, feet shod in sandals, so rawboned at first I never thought to pay homage. Gradually I transformed myself from a bruised and battered pilgrim to a creature tentatively on the wing. Although envisioning the grace of an egret, I was more like a ratty eagle with torn feathers, too long shut in the zoo. Suddenly free, navigating on faulty instincts, I needed not only practice but a flight plan. Today, offerings made, I am more sure of my mecca, bells and cymbals clanging."

Jeez, snap out of it already!

In any case, as a former Malibu inhabitant, I'm awarding four stars, both for the happy memories of the place of my youth MALIBU DIARY brought back and for the value the book might have for anyone considering a move into the line of fire, figuratively and literally. Otherwise, unless the reader is generally interested in the sorts of hot buttons that ignite the combative instincts within any village, town or city, pass on by.

This is a well written look at 8 artists in Nevada. Most interesting is how these artists and their work reflects and interacts with the desert landscape in a variety of ways.The artists respond in a variety of ways using abstraction, collage, installation and mixed media. The book is well illustrated and shows examples of the artists' work. Fox has an obvious affection for the artists in this book and strikes a tone that is balanced and enthusiastic. It is an interesting look at 8 specific artists but also delves into the creative process, culture in the Western US and how the landscape impacts all of that. Definitely worth the time!

This is a nice, little (191 p.) abridged version of Twain's longer work, Roughing It, which focuses just on his experiences in Nevada. It begins with his journey to Carson City accompanying his brother who has come to work in the new territorial government and goes on to recount his first days there and numerous adventures to surrounding mining areas, including a fascinating description of a 'virgin' Mono Lake. The latter part of the book is devoted to his time in Virginia City as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper and his accounts of life in that rough and tumble boomtown.

I give the book a blended rating of 4: the narrative and writing is typical Twain -- superb and a solid 5; however the production quality of the book is mediocre, no better than a 2 or 3. It appears to be a reproduction (read copy) of an old 1800's era printing; the text quality is poor with some missing or blurred characters. These flaws are partially redeemed by the inclusion of numerous (almost one every other page) pen and ink drawings depicting scenes and characters from the book. Overall this is an entertaining recollection of old West life from a master storyteller and enough towhet one's appetite for the lengthier original.

This is a poetic, wise book. Short chapters distill aspects of a long, rich life. Worth it alone for describing one man's experience of World War II years in three spare pages.

This is a one-of-a-kind guidebook for the Mojave Desert area. It's invaluable for the detailed directions to local desert haunts that aren't in any other guidebooks. This is the place for a history lesson and some local hidden culture throughout Southern CA's Mojave. I used it to tour Randsburg, Johannesburg, and get directions to Burrow Schmidt's tunnel. I couldn't find any of these places in my other guidebooks.

The book is obviously done in a vanity press, but that's forgiveable because there probably wasn't any other way to get this information out. For the price, you get a book chock-full of off beat places you aren't going to learn about unless you find a local historian to give you directions.

It is supplemented with the authors' own photos of many attractions (in b&w), which is very helpful.

Another good Nevada Barr mystery, also released as "Ill Wind"

"Murder in Vegas" is an interesting anthology of short stories set in and around Las Vegas, all of which contain a murder. The similarity between the stories stops there, with the authors choosing a number of plot lines to tell their tale. We have stories of desperate gamblers, beautiful show girls, down and out druggies, and even a story about bird-watching in the desert. My favorite story was "Killer Heels Kill Twice as Dead", by T.P. Keating, an author who I'd not read before. In this wicked tale of revenge, a smart show girl tries to get out of an unfair contract she signed under duress. She's out for revenge, and the story is a good one.

One of the most enjoyable things about reading an anthology such as this is the exposure to new authors. In addition to T.P. Keating, I also really enjoyed the stories by Wendy Hornsby and Ruth Cavin, other authors whose work I'd not read before.

Not every story in this collection really appealed to me, but there were enough good ones to definitely recommend the collection. If you're looking for to immerse yourself in the glamour and desperation of Las Vegas (without risking your money at the gambling tables), definitely read this book.

"Neon Nevada" is as glitzy and eye-popping as the lights that line Las Vegas. It's also a collection of photographs of a cultural phenomenon - neon lights.

Neon signs have long illuminated the road sides and cities of Nevada, perhaps more impressive because they wink against a still desert sky. What would the Las Vegas strip be without the multi-colored lights that pop and swirl above it? Or, who would recognize Reno without the giant red art deco letters that proclaim it is the biggest little city in the world?

The accompanying text offers a short history of neon sign making from its origins in Paris to its spread across the United States. While bright with humor, Neon Nevada is also a valuable commentary on our cultural heritage.

- Gail Cooke