California Books

My title says it all. If you're looking to start a new hobby, get better at your current one, or want some leisurely California history reading, this book can't be beat. I can't wait to hit the piers...

Public Piers are great places for families and visitors to fish because they are the only places in California where anglers over 16 don't need a license. I've been fishing for 26 years now and build my own rods. I've traveled a lot and fished internationall and this book is unique in the focus it brings to fishing in my home state of California. Much thicker than the first edition and filled with tips and facts that have made my trips more productive. I have other books, like Tom Steinstra's well thumbed guide to California fishing spots, but, those are just a general guide without much depth. Ken Jones gives a detailed review of all the Public Piers in CA. I'd recommend it as required reading for those who are truly interested in catching fish off any California Pier. I've used the book and and found it invaluable as a deskside reference in looking up and planning fishing trips and answering questions authoratively on Ken's Pierfishing.COM website.

If you fish piers in California, you need to buy this book.

Lots of info and history,easy to read and use

The new edition is larger, but is chalked full of usefull info for any angler. It has great rigging techniques, and a huge amount of info on all of California's piers. Ken Jones knows his stuff, and the book shows it. I own both editions and they are perminant items on my coffee table at home. I'd highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in fishing...these books have it all!

Quite Talks with the Master is a wonderful book easy to read. It feels like a warm gentle hug from above. Read this book and you too will find comfort, love, and peace in the words.

For those of you wondering what this book is about, I can only say that it is profound in that these are the actual thoughts of Christ (Eva Bell Werber being in the presence and spirit of Christ at the time of writing) There is a beauty of spirit beyond words in this work and the other works written by her. When you first read the words there is a feeling of being spoken to directly by God! That is exactly the intent and meaning for all of us. This is what God actually thinks and expresses through those who are able to be in the "Christ Conciousness": I believe these are works by Eva Bell Werber that you will value for a lifetime. God bless.

Sincerely
Kelvin Otis

OH, HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE WORDS...I ACQUIRED THIS TREASURE UPON MY FATHERS' DEATH. THE BOOK WAS A PART OF HIS RARE BOOK COLLECTION. THE FIRST PAGE MADE ME KNOW THIS WAS MINE FOREVER. THE BOOK HAS FALLEN APART, I TYPED IT IN MY COMPUTER TO PASS IT ON TO MY SONS. SUCH A BLESSING, I READ IT EVERYDAY. FOR 10 YEARS, IT HAS BEEN A INSPIRATION IN MY LIFE AND OTHERS. THANK GOD!

I bought this precious little book so many years ago that it cost just $1.50. The Copyright is 1936 and is dedicated to `Those Who Walk The Path With Me.' It is one of those sacred little joys we come across and keep forever. The Master is talking to just "you" as you read these powerful messages and the author asks that the words go forth to bless other lives and bring them to a living Consciousness of their Oneness with Thee! You will never tire of it.

OH, HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE WORDS...I ACQUIRED THIS TREASURE UPON MY FATHERS' DEATH. THE BOOK WAS A PART OF HIS RARE BOOK COLLECTION. THE FIRST PAGE MADE ME KNOW THIS WAS MINE FOREVER. THE BOOK HAS FALLEN APART, I TYPED IT IN MY COMPUTER TO PASS IT ON TO MY SONS. SUCH A BLESSING, I READ IT EVERYDAY. FOR 10 YEARS, IT HAS BEEN A INSPIRATION IN MY LIFE AND OTHERS. THANK GOD!

After reading his earlyworks you can see how Chandler used his previous stories and ideas to develop these incredible novels featuring his most famous detective Philip Marlowe.

Chandler is arguably the best detective story writer out there. If you expand this genre to all mystery writers, he would still be one of the best.

Detective stories aren't as common as they once were, but if you look at the offspring of the Pulp magazine once so popular, television, they are still as popular as ever. Chandler was one author who defined what a detective story was. This book contains four novels:The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye, and Playback. These are wonderfully entertaining stories that contain the archetypical hard-bitten detective, Philip Marlowe. After reading these stories you will forever see Marlowe in every detective story you see or read, from Magnum to the latest TV cop. How can you not love an author who sums up Modern American Capitalism with lines like these? "We make the finest packages in the world, Mr. Marlowe. The stuff inside is mostly junk." Or an author who in the early 50's, (50 years before the current 'Queers Dress Up' shows) so presciently wrote, "The queer is the artistic arbiter of our age, chum." Or his comment on a speech by a politician, "He did not bore us with any facts."
These books are not just riveting, fun reading, but full of thoughtful quotes like the above.

Chandler also is must-reading for his understanding of criminality, venality, human nature, Southern California, Movies, American culture and American relationship dynamics. I hate to use the word "classic" to describe stories that are just so plain fun to read, but I find it hard not to.

This volume also contains a screenplay, Double Indemnity, and a few essays and letters. The essays "The Simple Art of Murder", and "Writers in Hollywood" should be required reading for anyone interested in 20th century culture, movies, and literature. Just a few tidbits more. Chandler on English Mystery Writers - "The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are incomparably the best dull writers." Chandler on boredom - "There are no dull subjects, only dull minds." Chandler on critics - "The average critic never recognizes an achievement when it happens. He explains it after it has become respectable."

My only criticism is that the plots are contrived and sometimes complicated. But such criticism is like complaining that the Mona Lisa would be a fine painting if only it were of a different size.

Chandler is simply wonderful, funny, cynical, and yes, - respectable.

First, let me say that there's a separate volume of Chandler's early novels. As much as I liked this volume, I actually enjoyed the earlier novels just a little bit more and suggest starting there. I started reading one story and wound up going through all of them in both volumes in the space of a few months. I also wound up reading and enjoying all the Dashiell Hammett stories, but I give Chandler a slight edge.

I won't try to list all the ways these novels are great and entertaining, but here's one thought that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews. Chandler is excellent at presenting a hero-character who has to worry about money and making a living. Indeed, Chandler makes this issue integral to the character's persona and to the plot line. Yes, the books are escapist in so many ways. Yet, in this respect at least, they are far more realistic than almost all of the fiction, and much of the non-fiction, these days.

This book, contaning Chandlers later works, is perhaps the best collection of Chandler you can find. Sure, does not contain the better-known novels - The Big Sleep and Farewell my Lovely - but it does contain The Long Goodbye, which is not only Chandler's finest, but a great novel by any measure.

Chandler lived a tough, hard-drinking life, and these later works came out of his mind with difficulty. But the quality of The Lady in the Lake and The Long Goodbye (The Little Sister is less memorable) make this collection essential.

In addition, the book contains some essays and letters, including Chandler's writing on the mystery genre, which will interest any budding suspense author.

In short, read this book! Read The Long Goodbye, then read it again. This is not just a great mystery, but it is also great literature.

C-L-A-S-S-I=C HIGH/low notes. These stories are like a deck cards, all aces...... but there are way too few left. I finished "Little Sisters" (GREAT), "Farewell, My Lovely"- is recommended in the other half (earlier edition). The hook is Marlow. In times where many take the easy/cheap way out, I ride hard with Marlow. Marlow does it with style, humor, wit, grit, and nothing less than an all american: get the job done. But in a way that is the opposite his nemesis: the monopolies of power & money. Of course they admire and hate him. But it just doesn't get any better than Chandler. Need an excuse? Then read it for the wrting alone. The best!

I visited the Salton Sea to photograph birds and found it impossible to describe, telling friends they had to go there themselves to experience the place and the people. Now I tell them to read this book. From the creation of the Sea to the creation of Salvation Mountain, deBuys tells it's colorful history in a prose that fills you with the sounds and smells and people of the Sea and Imperial Valley. Anyone with an interest in man's unlimited folly, vision, corruption, and the coming environmental train-wreck in southern California needs to read this book.

*Winner of the 2000 Norris and Carol Hundley Award from The Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association.

*Winner of the 1999 Western States Book Award for Creative Non-Fiction. *Winner of the 1999 Clements Prize for the Best Non-Fiction Book on Southwestern America.

Bravo! Salt Dreams is the first of its kind to wrap up all of the issues surrounding the Salton Sea and Colorado River delta in one volume. The best since Cadillac Desert in its cinematic portrayal of a complicated host of issues. Awesome writing on the heroism of US Fish and Wildlife staff. My only criticism is that Congressman George Brown is slighted; Sonny Bono often called him "Mr. Salton Sea". Certainly, a book Mr. Brown would have loved.

Superlative read revealing the vast natural beauty of the desert and its inhabitants and man's irreversable errors in judging it as a fallen Eden. Together with Cadillac Desert it ranks as a southwest water classic. Beautiful writing and stunning photographs.

This is a travel guide with an attitude. And Bonnie Stone's attitude is, "How unique is this?" I've lived in the Antelope Valley eight years, and Bonnie has unearthed destinations and facts that I've never heard of. We have out-of-town guests coming from New Jersey, and I bought a copy for them, too. Who can resist a guidebook that lists "the world's only drive-through earthquake fault"? (Yup,it's the San Andreas.) This book's a keeper!

Years ago while in high school I would bus to Lancaster to play basket ball and run track and always thought, "Who would ever want to live in this burning desert with its torrid heat, high winds and blowing dust." I now live in the Antelope Valley and am enjoying it immensely because of Bonnie Stone's new book about the Antelope Valley. If you enjoy history, like finding new nearby places to visit or just learning everything about the area around Lancaster, Palmdale and Mojave this is the only book you'll ever need.
The other day I looked for interesting places to take my 8 year old grandson and settled on The "Milestones of Flight Air Museum" listed in the book. It was a great trip. I am looking forward to visiting many other interesting places mentioned in her book. It would make a very nice gift for anyone living in southern California.

As a mom of five children, I'm always on the lookout for things to do in our area. I came across this book and feel that I found a treasure trove of information. We've already seen the Vasquez rocks and an Air Museum based on her recommendation and the kids are really loving it. This is a good book for family fun.

For the many people new to the Antelope Valley of California, this book should be a "MUST HAVE". It is a humorous, accurate guide to the many unusual things to see and do within a short drive from home and available at low cost or free. You think there is nothing to do in the desert north of Los Angeles? Yes, there is, and Stone shows you how to find those things. People who have lived here for years will also find much information they may not have known. This book will be especially useful for families.

An interesting, informative, and practical guide to the Antelope Valley and High Desert Area of California! Provides a delightul mix of historical and contemporary information. Highly Recommended!
--Steve Michiels
(Antelope Valley native)

Ms. Boas has put together an exceptional book on the Society of Six Painters. It is generously illustrated with carefully chosen examples, most in full color. Close ups, with full bleeds, lead each chapter and will take your breath away. In addition, the book contains many black and white images of the artists working and hanging out.

I'd say roughly half of the book is on Selden Gile and why not? He was likely the most prolific and arguably the best of the group. Ms. Boas describes how the group got together and how they were influenced by European artists, a few California painters as well as Bellows and others. One gets some idea of the personality (even drinking habits!) of each of "the six" as well as their camaraderie, working methods, palettes and materials. On page 97, there is a reprint of the group's manifesto (primarily Clapp's handiwork). It may be the best description of "what makes a painting good" that I have ever come across. In addition, the book is littered with quotes and excerpts from letters. One thing I particularly enjoyed were the many quotes by Diebenkorn and Thiebaud describing the Society's work. I highly recommend this book.

Hazou Gallery, Elie (art dealer) San Diego, CA
This has been a great reference book for me. I own three artists in this remarkable group, The Society of Six. In addition to all the information in this valuable book, the price was great.

I give this book 10 stars! Nancy Boas did a superb job cataloguing the history of this unique & historical California art movement. As one of America's foremost buyers of the Society of Six paintings, I can say this is a "must buy" book. www.LawrenceBeebe.com

While many books and much attention has been given to the Impressionists, little mention has been offered to the Society
of Six - California Colorists. The beautiful illustrations and enlightening text provide a case history for the needed aware-
ness of these talented and innovative artists. Nancy Boas has
obviously done a tremendous amount of research resulting in a
spectacular and much needed work on our California art history.
A perusal of this title will be richly rewarded.

Nancy Boas has done the American art scene a great service by producing a beautifully illustrated and printed book about six rugged individualists who did much to build a California school of painting in the early 20th Century. While they are often referred to as impressionists, their paintings are generally far more adventuresome, ambitious and challenging to the viewer than the relatively tame and accessible impressionist school. Whether they had any direct influence from the Fauvists or the Blaureider colorists, they have more in common with those post-impressionist Europeans. Ultimately, it doesn't matter much how they arrived at their approach to color and painting, it was the California landscape and climate that determined their subjects and color they used to interpret them.
Boas' handsome book does particular justice to the work of Selden Gile, who was the most aggressive and and insistent in his use of primary colors.
This is a terrific and important addition to any artbook collection.

This is a MUST HAVE for anyone who grew up in Southern California. It is a marvelous trip down memory lane. The pictures are a treat and the information reminds me of all the good things of my childhood. I have given several for gifts and everyone has loved the book as much as I do.

You don't need a team of NASA scientists or H.G. Wells to go back in time.All you need evidently is $22.05.That is what this gem cost at the time of this writing.For the price of a large pizza with everything you get a treat for the mind and heart.I defy anyone over 40 to read this and not feel as if their soul has not been dipped in chocolate and coated with sprinkles.I know that this world would be a better place if their were more people like the Master of Mid-century memories....Charles Phoenix.

For any one hooked on The Atomic Age this book is a "sun - fun" trip through Southern California - when Southern California was younger and more innocent. The book is filled Interesting bits of history and fabulous photos of an era long gone. Charles Phoenix obviously did his homework and researched the material extensively. The wonderful trip down memory lane takes you through some of Southern California's most famous attractions, including a brand new Disney Land, Knott's Berry Farm, and an Ocean themed amusement park that once stood at the Santa Monica Pier. Also on the trip are malls, housing developments, zoos, and themed restaurants. You won't be disappointed with this truly delightful journey.

Our library just added this book to their collection and I began reading it out of curiousity. It's fabulous - filled with great pictures and chock full of unique facts. Reading it made me feel like I stepped back in time. Great coffee table or gift book.

This book is, well, fun for anyone with a Los Angeles childhood, like me. However, for anyone who loves kitsch and Californiana, this book is well worth the price. Sun, Fun and Fantasy" takes an indulgent, loving look at a time and place that's largely been torn down and paved over. The author gets more than five stars from me for his accuracy--I couldn't find one error, based on my memory, my extensive reading about California, and yes, my picture postcard collection!

My hope is that this author will produce follow-up volumes from the '60s and '70s.

In the last three years, I have watched 500,000 acres of San Diego county burn. I came to M. Kat Anderson's book after we nearly lost our home, which is neatly tucked between two pieces of reservation land; I got infinitely more understanding than I thought possible. She has given us a timely, well researched work, that gives homage to the people who came long before us.

This book will sit on my shelf, next to "1491" (another must read, Americas before Columbus). The land nourishes all of us, regardless of race, color or creed. We need to learn from the past practices, to better care for the land. Many environmentalists use "pristine" when describing wilderness, and it is a misnomer. Without fire, there are no sprouting redwoods. Controlled burns are necessary. But try and tell your local political leaders that.
Buy this book, read it and understand.

Kat,
its wonderful!!! Long live the Wendell Berry Club.
Miss ya,
Joseph and Linda the cattail botanist!

This book is covering ground not found elsewhere about the way of Native Americans in California interacted with nature to actually improve the health of forests and wild life. I am thrilled to find it.

This book should become required reading for all High School and University students, teachers, and researchers with an interest in North American anthropology, ethnobotany, botany, biology, historical ecology, fire history, forest management, and history. It will be of particular value to readers with an interest in cultural and natural resources management, agricultural sustainability, and federal Wilderness policy, among other topics.

The book is excellently written, organized, and indexed, for both general reading and specific reference uses. It is a wonderful addition to Anderson's other major contribution to science, Forgotten Fires.

This excellent book written about the management of California land by the native people in the past, is also a textbook of what we will need to do in the future to survive. M. Kit Anderson has written a revolutionary book. The wealth of information on how Native peoples managed the California landscape in a sustainable way finally does justice to these people and their way of life - a people who were so cruelly treated by the Spanish and American invaders. The author explores the ecological management skills of California native peoples without romanticizing them or ignoring mistakes that they made.

The modern environmental movement created the myth of the unspoiled wilderness untouched by human hands. Tending the Wild debunks that myth and levels some well earned criticism towards those environmentalists who failed to appreciate how the California native peoples were successfully and actively managing the California landscape, as were other indigenous people around the world.

But the wealth of detail the book provides on how the Native Americans successfully managed the California landscape is also a model of sustainable living that has much to teach all of us. We learn an alternative to the destructive environmental, agricultural and development practices of our time. Practices that are destroying our ability to not only preserve the beauty of the landscape but to use the landscape wisely to provide for our needs in a sustainable way.

Anybody who is interested in sustainable living should also explore books on Permaculture by authors like Bill Mollison, David Holmgren and Toby Hemenway. Permaculture is a modern attempt at designing for sustainable living. Permaculture designers have studied the sustainable methods agriculture, horticulture, building and community of indigenous people from all over the world. As world oil production peaks and as the effects of global warming are felt, we will need all the help we can get to re-learn how to live sustainably on this planet.

To my excitement, I recently found a pristine copy of the original hardcover edition of this book. I am a huge fan of Bugliosi's other work in "Helter Skelter" and "And the Sea Will Tell". This book is less known, but does not lack the sensationalism of the cases in Bugliosi's other books. Until the end of the book, it is well paced and creates suspense in the reader's mind. Bugliosi's decision to included his entire closing argument as the last 1/3 of the book drastically slow the pace.

Allan Palliko's crimes included attempted murder against his first wife, murdering a lover's husband, and murdering his second wife. While the first murder seems clear, the seemingly impossible time frame makes the second murder likely to have been committed by another. Yet when the deaths create income for Palliko, some eyebrows are raised. Could the prosecution gain a conviction despite a lack of physical evidence? The circumstantial evidence and motive of insurance money seem to point in the direction of Palliko's responsibility. Yet the unpredictability of a "jury of your peers" makes the reader wonder if the unlikely conviction is possible.

The book is slowed to a crawl when Bugliosi decided to include his entire closing argument. While the argument was well done, Bugliosi could have better summarized it for the purposes of this book. With the exception of this flaw, "Till Death Us Do Part" is another outstanding read by Vincent Bugliosi.

Absolutely wonderful! I first read it in 1978, and have reread it at least a dozen times. (Something I rarely do) Well-written and constructed, and just as riveting as Helter Skelter. Five stars for Mr. Bugliosi!!

I've read everything Bugliosi has published that I'm aware of, and find him to be the very best non-fiction law/crime writer out there who I have encountered. He was also apparently a very good and thorough attorney, at least to hear him tell it. This story, like his Manson book, concerns a highly publicized trial on which he was the prosecuting attorney. In Hitchcockian fashion a man had been killed by an unknown stranger while the wife was 200 miles away with a perfect alibi. Insurance claims were modest and eventually paid, and probably nothing would have come of it had not one of the dismissed suspects suddenly become a widower himself, and the 21 year old missus hardly died of old age. Lots of courtroom drama, detective work, and personality studies ensue. Very hard to put down once you pick it up. Compelling without ever being gory, and informative without being pedantic. Very well written and a very unique story.

I just started reading this book and so far I haven't been able to put it down just like all his rest so he has not disappointed me there. I just read And The Sea Will Tell and that was a fabulous book also. The dealer I got this book from was great, I got the book in record time. I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime and legal stuff

Neither did I, but if you enjoy seeing someone squirm as he gets caught lying under cross examination, you'll like this. The crimes are sickening. Mr. Bugliosi includes a big helping of law for the layman --very interesting stuff! The murderers were actually prosecuted on circumstantial evidence.

Korean-American executive protection expert Allen Choice has doubts about his failing romance with Hispanic reporter Linda Maldonaldo while concerned with his weak business. The adrenaline that fueled the beginning of his relationship with Linda (see OVER THE SHOULDER) is gone along with the thrill. The lack of executive protection clients in the Bay area has forced Allen to accept sleazy sleuthing that he knows is way below his skill level, but allows him to eat.

Adding to his depression is his feelings of guilt for not being there when Linda's brother died in a drug-related car crash. To ease his remorse Allen travels to Malibu to be there for his girlfriend. Already feeling like a fish out of water, instead of finding a family mourning a tragedy, Allen walks into a nasty Internet child pornography venture that could leave him as the next accident victim.

Readers who took delight in Allen's first tale will enjoy this story, but will quickly realize that it is not quite on a level with its predecessor. Perhaps it is the change of location, but Allen seems out of place in Malibu because he fits so well in San Francisco. Still readers will appreciate his self-deprecating doubts about himself and Linda, and enjoy his latest investigation just not the first choice.

Harriet Klausner

Wow. I was up all night reading this. I loved Over the Shoulder, and found Underkill to be equally engrossing. Chang does an incredible job of writing literary fiction (his use of language is just gorgeous) that's propelled by a real, page-turner plot. I wish more books combined being this well-written with being this suspenseful.

Choice makes a great reluctant protagonist, and his thoughtful, candid narration is enough to make this book worth reading by itself (even without the raves, car chases, and gun fights!).

This series is turning out to be one of the best and most interesting ones I've read, and I've read a lot of them. I love Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane and Sue Grafton and a bunch of others, and this one definitely ranks up there because Allen Choice is a very realized and intriguing character. I was trying to tell a friend about this series and found it hard to describe because it's so centered on the character instead of just the mystery. It's almost like this is a regular novel about an investigator and so there's naturally a mystery because it's his job, but it's not about the mystery...it's about the guy himself. The writing is awesome.

This is a series that continues to improve and reward the reader. Leonard Chang is writing some of the best current detective fiction now available in these books. And it doesn't hurt that he's also able to address issues of race and alienation at the same time. _Underkill_ brings back reluctant investigator Allan Choice to look into the apparently accidental death of his girlfriend's younger brother. The investigation takes Choice into the underground rave scene and competition between ecstasy dealers, which may have had something to do with the death. At the same time, Allan's relationship with his girlfriend, Linda, seems to be unravelling and try as he might, he can't figure out how to prevent it. This is an excellent, fast-paced mystery that left me wanting more--Bring on Book #3!

I'm a literature grad student, and I've had the opportunity to follow Chang's writing for some time now. His first two novels were clearly attempts to delineate the racial dynamics in America (Asian/African American as well as class issues), and with this Allen Choice series he seems to be trying to write about Korean Americans in a similar but almost subterranean way. He is writing about an Americanized Korean American man as a Private Investigator, a man who looks into the grit of American lives (Korean American lives in Over the Shoulder, and now the L.A. Underground and ecstasy scene in Underkill) all the while investigating his own life, both external and internal life. Allen Choice has no ethnic or racial ties--he's afloat and alone. He actually has NO ties (familial or relationship), which on some level echoes Chang's previous novels. The archetype of the PI is the isolated man, and here Allen Choice is isolated on so many levels it's dizzying, because family, race, profession, and now relationships have served to separate him from conventional society. Chang has taken the model of the PI and used this to exploit his other themes of alienation. This takes not only mystery fiction but Asian American fiction to new levels. I highly recommend this series for readers looking for exciting, well-written stories with a bit more substance than the usual genre entertainments.