Oklahoma Books

While set in Oklahoma, this mystery ventures into the spirit world a bit, too. Many writers have tried this, some not so successfully. Preston pulls it off beautifully. SONG OF THE BONES is a fantastic follow-up to PERHAPS SHE'LL DIE. The protagonist, Chantalene, is a fiesty, complex, intriguing heroine that you'll come to care about very much.

Song of the Bones is the second title in the Chantaline Mystery series. This time out Chantalene's friend, Thelma, enlists her aid (and Chantalene's love interest, Drew) in finding out what happened to her husband, Billy Ray Patterson, who disappeared decades ago. Thelma has no particular interest in finding him; rather, her purpose lies in getting his name off of the title to her property. When a man appeaars on the scene claiming to be Billy Ray, Thelma takes him back, but in less than a week has serious doubts about his identity. Billy Ray's untimely death sets off a series of events resulting in Chantelene's being drawn into a tangled web of double crosses and murder that extend back to the days of Thelma's marriage to Billy Ray. And let's not forget a third party who is stalking Chantalene, convinced that she is a shapeshifter.

The book concludes with a very clever twist concerning Billy Ray's identity. Do you want to know how good this book is? I had to ration the pages, only 50 per day because I wanted it to last. This is a must read.

The small rural town of Tetumka, Oklahoma is home to Chantalene Morrell. After a hard adolescence in which the townsfolk though her father was a murderer and she was a witch Chantalene has finally made a place for herself. During the period the locals thought her father was a killer, Thelma Patterson was the only person to really stand by Chantalene who feels indebted to her.

When Billy Ray Patterson shows up in town after walking out on Thelma twenty-eight years ago, she immediately takes him back. Three days later she confides to Chantalene that the man in her house is not her husband. A concerned Chantalene investigates. While returning home with evidence, a car deliberately runs at her. She is knocked out. When she comes to, the evidence is gone and so is Thelma. While the man who was supposed to be Billy Ray is dead with a bullet in his body someone has kidnapped Thelma and wants the stolen money from a casino robbery over two decades ago in exchange for the kidnap victim. Chantalene doesn't have a clue where the money is or who is holding Thelma.

The heroine of SONG OF THE BONES is a brave and independent woman who will put her own life in danger to save her friend. M.K. Preston is a talented writer who makes a backwater town in rural Oklahoma seem so real, readers will feel they have visited Tetumka. The protagonist marches to her own drummer but endears herself to the audience who sees her as a colorful friend turning this amateur sleuth tale into must reading.

Harriet Klausner

I have used this book several times for world and western history courses, and my students have really enjoyed it. The collection has the advantage of having a wide variety of types of sources that portray all aspects of Egyptian life during this period. The selections are lively and very readable. They are also fairly short (sometimes a bonus in students' opinions) but long enough to get a sense of the genre and subject matter of each text. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in ancient Egyptian society in general, and for anyone looking for a good primary source reader in this area for both general, freshmen courses and for upper level courses on Egyptian history.

I really enjoyed reading this selection of ancient Egyptian writings from the Middle Kingdom. Parkinson did an excellent job in editing and writing those opening introductions to each section. I really loved the one on the Maat and the king, though all of them were equally interesting. It's great to read ancient Egyptian writings. It really gives you a feel for what these people thought was important. Lots of small tidbits you would never have thought exixted. An excellent book for all to read, a must for the Egyptologist!

This anthology is unique in that it includes not only tales, biographies, and wisdom literature, but also contains samples of medical texts, letters, and even "cartoons." By providing such a mixture of writings from ancient Egypt, Parkinson's book is able to offer us a glimpse into the lives of individuals from a wide spectrum of Egyptian society. His translations are accurate, yet he succeeds in capturing the flavor of the time as well. This is that rare combination of a scholarly yet entertaining work. I would recommend it for anyone's library!

As a Mono Indian, I have nothing but words of praise for Gaylen Lee's work. He begins by saying that he only speaks for himself, which is important since our families' experiences are all so different depending on contact and acculturation. I am grateful that this book was written, as it is something all people can read, appreciate and gain understanding of a California tribe.

The reader hears the authentic voice of a tribe of Indians of the US far west. Lee knows his people's language and uses Native words liberally. He exlains attitudes and concepts that were at such odds with white thinking that it made the Indians vulnerable to domination. He does not apologize for his people's culture. Adults whose knowledge of Indian life may have ended with elementary school social studies will find this book astonishing

Non-Indians reading "Walking Where We Lived" may have to re-think everything they once believed about California's indigenous population. On the eve of the state's sesquicentennial celebration, Gaylen D. Lee offers a view of the Gold Rush and subsequent settlement of California by Americans and immigrants that is clearly, from his perspective, nothing to celebrate. But Lee's book is hardly a whining narrative of the atrocities suffered by the native people of California. Instead, it is a celebration of his family and families like them who have managed to survive and perpetuate their culture, religion, and values despite the onslaught of intruders. Following the pattern of the seasons, Lee describes the lives of his ancestors, historical events which affected them, their loss of freedom, and the endurance of a way of life in the face of generations of adversity. "Walking Where We Lived" is rich with detail. Lee's description of the daily activities of his family and forbears is based upon knowledge passed to him and actual experience. As a child he accompanied his family to gather acorns, berries, and plant materials. He watched the women make baskets which he says are still used in his home. He learned to hunt and fish in the old way. Although he understood English, he spoke only the Nim language prior to beginning kindergarten in the mid-1950s. The generally peaceful life lived by the Nim and their fellows all over California was shattered as Americans moved to claim every inch of the new state following secession of the territory by Mexico and the world-famed gold rush. Stories of the Mariposa Indian Wars in the spring of 1851, and other skirmishes are generally told from the point of view of Central California settlers eager to rid their new land of pesky savages. "Walking Where We Lived" offers a view from the other side. It is not surprising for a man in Gaylen Lee's situation to be angry, and anger surfaces occasionally in his book. The region surrounding his life-long home place was once traversed freely by his ancestors. Now the land is fenced off and paved over. Rivers are dammed. Animals which once lived with and helped sustain the people are seldom seen. What is surprising, in the face of generally accepted lore about the Indians of California, is that Lee's family-and others-have maintained their culture and sense of community despite near annihilation.

... An excellent book with all the quality, both in terms of literary style and source documentation, that readers have come to expect from Jerry Greene. It goes without saying that this work replaces Stan Hoig's WASHITA that has stood for nearly thirty years as the best volume on this engagement.

Often, when students of the Indian Wars discuss the Washita, it is in terms of viewing it as a "test case" for what Custer was probably trying to achieve at the Little Big Horn eight years later. While that approach has strong merits, it tends to lessen the importance of this battle. This book does allude to Custer and the Little Big Horn but mainly treats the Washita in the full context of the situation on the southern plains from 1867-1869, therefore helping us see this as the historical event that it was in its own right.



Excellent photos included, especially was intrigued by an image that I have not encounterd before, that of Sgt. Major Walter Kennedy (killed at the Washita) when he was a Confederate army officer from Virginia. Despite what old Hollywood movies like to portray, there were actually very few cases of Confederate officers becoming either enlisted men or non-coms in the US Regular Army after the Civil War. For someone interested in the fascinatiing personalities of the 7th Cavalry, there is much here: the tensions between Custer and Benteen, the controversial death of Major Elliott, the death of Captain Lewis Hamilton, (grandson of Alexander Hamilton), the wounding of Barnitz, etc. Greene also engages in a detailed examination of whether the Washita should be termed a "massacre" or a "battle." Much food for thought here, even though many readers (like myself) may respecfully disagree with some of what he says.



From the standpoint of visiting the battlefield, this book contains an ten page appendix that provides very detailed descriptions of what took place at each spot on a numbered map that appears earlier in the book. This map key, as well as this entire book, is indispensible for anyone planning to visit the battlefield, in person and/or through books.

Plains Indian War historian, Jerome A. Greene, has produced another important book to add to his growing body of work. "Washita" proves that Greene is one of our best historians researching and writing today, period. Unlike so many published authors that write from secondary sources, Greene relies principally upon primary sources to tell the story of Lt. Col. George Custer, the 7th Cavalry, and Black Kettle at the Battle of the Washita.

"Washita" begins in Colorado with Greene reciting the story of the Sand Creek Massacre, November 29, 1864, along with its causes and aftermath. We learn how Black Kettle escaped only to die almost four years to the day, November 27, 1868 under similar circumstances at the Washita.

Greene writes with firm yet smooth determination in recounting a complicated story of Indian/White depredations, by both groups, beside the old roads, ranches, and rivers of the American West. There is nothing politically correct in Greene's story - it is a brutally honest and most unprejudiced book written about this dark period of the Indian Wars.

By the time Custer and 11 companies of the 7th Cavalry leave Camp Supply, heading towards the Washita River, on November 23, 1868 Greene has laid out all the reasons why in a succinct but clear interpretation. I love the way Greene writes his stories - he doesn't waste any time. Greene would make a great screenwriter - he draws a clear picture in our mind through his words, the picture is sharp, focused; the plot and the characters, with the different pieces, all come together allowing the viewer (reader) to follow the storyline completely without question.

Greene's story about the Battle of the Washita is told in two parts - the first part is from the army's perspective while part two is told from Indian accounts. If I may use film as an analogy again, "Washita" is somewhat like Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film, "Rashomon" which tells the story of a murder from four eyewitness accounts with each account being somewhat different from each other. One might think that Greene relating the story of the battle this way would make it confusing, however, that is the farthest from the truth.

Greene provides evidence confirming the number of soldier's killed and even the count for Indian dead. He also provides conclusive evidence as to who in Custer's command killed many of the non-combatants - it was mostly the Osage scouts; even after Custer ordered his troops to prevent, "the killing of any but the fighting strength of the village..." before the battle began.

Greene delivers a detailed analysis of the demise of Major Elliott and 17 of his men against Cheyennes, Kiowas, Arapahos, and Kiowa-Apaches - warriors that entered the battle from the downriver villages. Elliott and his troops were cut-off from the main village and the rest of the 7th -- surrounded, outnumbered, and outgunned they reluctantly let go of the horses, lay down in the tall grass in a circle facing outward and gave it their best shot to the last man.

If you are prone to not review endnotes of a book, I highly recommend that you do read those that Greene provides. You will find pertinent information -- all most interesting about the battle. You don't want to miss any of the action! It is in the endnotes where you will learn that Custer had his soldiers retrieve two ponies from the village herd, before all the horses were killed, for each Indian woman prisoner to use on their trip back north.

From the opening of the battle when Custer orders the soldier's dogs killed to ensure silence, to the vexation of the warriors watching hundreds of ponies killed, Greene's account of the Battle of the Washita is told better than all others preceding him. I think it will be a long time before someone else can even possibly come close.

Jerome Greene has just completed the definitive account of the administrative history of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. It is currently in review at the National Park Service and will be published soon.

Washita is one of the more controversial battles of the Plains Wars in that there are several aspects that make it unique. What is not unique is the standard approach of attacking native americans in the dead of winter when they were much less mobile and prone to surprise if the attacking force could survive the elements. What makes the battle exceptionally controversial is that Black Kettle of Sand Creek fame and known as a peace chief once again bears the brunt of an attack, which in this case he does not survive. He also was making peace overtures at the time that several young men from many villages and perhaps his own were still making raids. The other ring of controversy is the loss of Major Elliott and his platoon that impulsively chased after escaping villagers too far from support and was annihilated by Indians from neighboring villages. Custer eventually abandoned the field under pressure to save his command but this seemed to aggravate a split in his command since Elliott could not be found. The split was particularly with Captain Benteen who was highly critical and later has a contributory part in Custer's demise at the Little Big Horn, which has more than a touch of irony. Well written and researched by Green, maps are very good and for example demonstrates how young Lt. Godfrey almost made the same mistake as Elliott but was restrained by wiser counsel. Excellent over all view of the Cheyenne with a background on their history as well as a good review of the military situation in Kansas. Good balance although more dicussion on Sand Creek may have been appropriate a new book cast a different opinion on that battle and perhaps recognizing that may have made that section of the book more interesting. This is a good book to buy and keep on the shelf and take with you if you ever get a chance to go in the field and visit the site yourself.

As a history major we read this book, or an excerpt of it, in a class on Vietnam. Two years later I sit down and read it again, and the ties to the political dissidence, confusion and conflict today in Iraq are all too clear. While the contributors at the time were concerned with a conflict in Nicaragua, we are now drawn east. As the United States continues to either openly or covertly work towards the overthrow of governments that do not support it, peace is becoming harder to find. Just as the American public did not agree thirty years ago to its tax dollars being used to fight a war that we cannot win, once again the people of the US are speaking out against a war that cannot be won. This is an amazing book, and a great read. An interesting quote comes from former president George Bush as he says that, "We must ensure that any major foreign policy commitment has the full support and understanding of the American people..." How quickly we forget.

I was a student at Pryor Junior High School when Bill McCloud decided to publish this masterful piece of work. I did not sit in his classroom, I had the other 8th grade history teacher (Mr. D), but I still learned a great deal from Bill McCloud and this book. In fact, I purchased the first copy of this book off the press and the author signed it as such.

Since then I have purchased several copies and gave them to friends who have become history teachers. However, the book helped me to understand not only Vietnam, but war in general. My father and several uncles served in nam, and I hardly knew a thing about the 'conflict' or what they went through until I read this wonderful book. I gained a new respect for my father and all those who served. When my father finally asked me about it (my interest in the book) it opened the discussion between he and I about his time spent in the war and the effects it had. Those conversations were some of the best times I was able to spend with my father.

Thank you, Mr. McCloud once again for your effort and I hope more people will be encouraged to read the responses to this question from some of Americas greatest leaders, and heroes. I rate it a strong buy. If you don't have it in your collection, then your collection isn't complete.

I first came across this book when preparing for a Veteran's Day presentation. As a Vietnam Veteran it was difficult for me to sum up my feelings about that time (my time) in history. I really struggled with what to tell Jr High kids about my experience and war in general. Bill McCloud's efforts to collect and record thoughts from some of the major and minor players of those difficult days in American history was invaluable to me. In my view the book captures the essence of the mood and thoughts regarding the "Vietnam experience."

When the town doctor in tiny Johns Valley, Oklahoma is found strangled to death with his own stethoscope, library volunteer and former schoolteacher Elinor Woodward sets out to crack the case. Life in a small town tends to afford one greater access to major local events, after all, especially if one is a respected former high school English teacher whose ex-students include the police chief, the dispatcher, and basically every other player in the unfolding drama. Lucky for Elinor, the library is also located in the same building as the police station, granting her a unique window into the on-going investigation.

With an adroit insightfulness into the human condition that takes the reader aback more than a few times, author Linda S. Bingham offers up a panoply of suspects, each more interesting and compelling in their complexity than the last. She teases you with them shamelessly, no doubt taking great personal pleasure as you erroneously think you've finally got the twists and turns figured out, and then realize that you don't at all, and will in fact do nothing else in your life until the last page of this delightful mystery is read.

But "Dr. Charley" is not the last victim. A pattern of violence emerges, albeit one that makes little sense to the authorities, who are, of course, always a couple of steps behind Elinor. She is forced to set out to solve the crimes herself, becoming a potential target in the process. Naturally, each new discovery, each nuance, brings the killer a little bit closer to Elinor's own backyard.

And just wait until you learn What the Librarian Heard!

Bingham sprinkles in a bit of intrigue and betrayal to keep the pace moving nicely. By the time she gets to the ending, you are hungry for it, but at the same time decidedly morose that the book is done. Her personal writing style is replete with examples of a unique rustic charm that is appropriate to the characters and plot, but never tiresome. For it is so obvious that she is first and foremost a writer, in the purest sense of the craft. It's a rare joy to read an exceptionally good yarn that is also just so very well written.

It's beyond me why mystery readers would ever try and satisfy themselves with [other author]when they could instead feast on Linda S. Bingham.

I loved this little mystery! I am a Texan and a librarian, so I bought it for myself at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. I think we have found a new author for our library, we are ordering a couple of copies-my own copy is a keeper! I can usually guess the "murderer" before the end-but this one had me fooled. It is too bad it takes you 5 weeks to order it-this gal is great fun!

"Such is the narrowness of human focus that an actual murder in their community paled in comparison to the emotional impact of ...unfaithfulness." This is one of my favorite passages from Linda Bingham's most recent mystery novel,"What the Librarian Heard." Mastering and using all five of her senses in ways most of us cannot, she lovingly unfolds her plot. The style, form and flow of her writing are unprecedented. It would be difficult to pigeon-hole her style of writing. Although her plot is character driven, the dialogue is genuine and impeccable.

Johns Valley, Oklahoma is the lush setting for this character cozy (if you dare attempt labeling) with its Kiamichi mountains "standing guard over their valley like a big-headed sphinx cradling the town with its paws, and tucked into a labyrinth of rich bottom land valleys."

Elinor Woodward and Dot Hardwick, the two spry librarians, will immediately endear themselves to readers with their keen curiosity, wit and kind wisdom that only come from being nearly seventy years old.

Rose and Horace Chandler, Dr. Charley, Leonard Tenkiller, Kate and Shelby Jacks, DeWayne Ratliff and Rusty the dog--are a terrific cast of secondary characters. Linda Bingham takes ordinary people and makes them extraordinary and compelling. She molds the mundane into the magnificent. As the story goes...a small town's library shares quarters with the police station, and the library patrons hear more than they should from time to time. When librarian, Elinor Woodward, hears a police dispatch about a string of violent murders she makes a connection between them and a lost child.

"Librarian" will entertain, yet force self-reflection. You will hold dearly onto each character in the book which will remind you of characters in your own life. Just when you think you have this lush mystery with a hook figured out--you don't. It twists and turns until the very last pages. It was such a pleasure to read.

Excellent edition of the Anabasis.I recommend it to anyone interested in Greek history and literature.The commentaries are informative and really add to the experience.

This is an excellent edition for those who are studying Greek on their own. The Anabasis is a fine second year book because its Greek is easier than the "Apology of Socrates" by Plato. This edition also has grammatical notes and a Greek-English dictionary of all the words you will need for translation. You do not have to spend hours looking them up in the Liddell-Scott lexicon. Also, it lists interesting cognates and borrowings for most words. I strongly recommend this edition for those working on Greek as a hobby or outside of an academic environment.

Mather and Hewitt's edition of the Anabasis is self-contained in a way that very few Greek texts currently in print are: not only does it have a very detailed line-by-line commentary, map and complete vocabulary, it also has a fulsome introduction to Xenophon and the Anabasis, including what the ancients thought of Xenophon, Xenophon's personality and subsequent literary career, and the organization and equipment of the Persian and Greek armies. The introduction and commentary are both pre-multiculturalist and therefore unabashedly discuss such things as the moral lessons to be drawn from the Anabasis, and the Anabasis as a model of democracy. Throughout, the text is furthermore illustrated with delightful little reproductions of Greek and Persian art, technology, monuments, coins, weapons, etc.

And of course, if you're looking to brush up on your Greek without the aid of a classroom and instructor, this edition is a great choice. Not only does it have the advantages enumerated above, but the Anabasis itself is relatively easy and clear Greek with a historical rather than philosophical vocabulary.

Who can ever forget that first love, even at seven years old? Glory Flowers sure didn't. She never forgot the episode with the flowers or anything. Even at seven love can be agonizing and when you grow older, miserable, but it is there and never fades. Glory and Quaid were meant to be together. But separations and many winded arguments kept them apart. When they are finally able to get together, they finally see that they indeed were meant to be together. When disaster strikes, causing Glory to lose her most valuable possession that has reminded her of Quaid all these years, she soon discovers that she really hasn't lost but found the one person that she wants to live with for the rest of her life, her one true love. The Yard Rose is a tender love story, yet strong. I cried, I laughed, I grabbed tissues. I loved this book. Ms Brown has a way of writing that puts you right there inside the book with the characters. There were times I wanted to knock Rachel to the other side of the world, with Milly right along with her. The Yard Rose is a book that deserves ten stars plus and two thumbs up. If you haven't read this book, you really should read it. You will not be disappointed!!!! I have read it twice and still love it!

The roots of Glory and Quaid's blossoming love in "The Yard Rose" by Carolyn Brown run deep. Their tumultutous twister of a relationship has the reader captivated from the first fight over the flowers. I highly recommend all of Carolyn Brown's books.

This author loves to write about small Oklahoma towns! This book is set in Terral, Oklahoma. I lived there as a young child...it looked exactly like she describes it! Glory and Quaid's love story is a powerful one! I felt like I was right there--I laughed. I cried! I got angry! How dare that Rachel even look at Glory's Quaid! I love a book that starts with action and holds my interest. I want to FEEL the characters emotions, not be told them. When I finish a book I want to care about the characters. The Yard Rose is such a book! Wish there was a sequel...

I liked this book! The children's views are very telling. We always think of the children when we picture this horrible event, and those are the people we hear from in this book. Thank you, Nancy Lamb

This book is a genuine treasure for those trying to explain to children the painful events that can occur into today's world. That's because children's experiences and voices are honored within a caring adult context and structure. I found the children's remarks had a cumulative, powerful, and even healing effect, which reflected accurately their concerns and showed them trying to make sense of a tragic and frightening event. In the end the reader is left with not only the very real anger and loss, but with the incredible spirit of everyone--both within Oklahoma and outside of Oklahoma--who reached out in compassion to help a fellow human being. Ms. Lamb, an Oklahoma native, was in Oklahoma City when the Federal Building was bombed. Perhaps that gives her book its ring of authenticity. We owe her thanks for taking on such a difficult subject and writing about it in a realistic, but reassuring way. This one's a keeper.

This is a wonderful story. Calling all film makers -- especially native ones -- this would make a hell of a screenplay. But readers and writers will love the book. The tone of the story is superb, the author writes of painful things without selfconsciousness and explores the experience of growing up a mixed blood Indian in ways that make it real for any audience. The characters are memorable, the story of the love between Alley and Sara will touch your heart and the descriptions are poetic. Wise Grandfather will make you laugh. Get to know that special place known as "The Absence of Angels" -- you won't regret it. Penn is an award winning author also, whose other novel (Killing Time With Strangers) won the American Book Award and is also a must-read.

As the pages fly by, your pulse begins to quicken, your heart starts to race, you wish you could be inside these wonderful pages.