Montana Books

i found out I was getting a dog I was so happy and excited. I learned basically everything I need to know from this book. If your getting a dog I think youll definetly need this book..

When most parents expect their babies, the more reponsible ones reach out for information, be that in books, magazines or from their own parents. The reality is you want to learn as much as you can to be prepared to be the best parent you can be.

Our family adopted a labrador from a rescue foundation. With the coordination of a wonderful rescue foundation (Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue) we were matched with a perfect labrador for our family.

This was my first dog. I have always had cats, so I knew I needed to quickly educate myself. I was fortunate to come across this book sponsored by Iams and found it to be highly informative. The book features the more popular breeds of dogs which I found very handy because dog owners attract dog owners, and your interest begins to expand with each new owner/dog you meet. It was helpful to understand which breeds are compatible with each other and how to introduce your dog to social situations.

I needed basic dog obediance guidelines to back up my classes with our dog, and I found their informtion to be very applicable. Not only did the book review nutrition and basic health care requirements, it provided information for grooming, exercise and a general overview of the responsibilities one must assume with ownership of these animals.

I realize it doesn't take a rocket scientist to state the obvious when it comes to raising and owning a dog, but when you present the above information with beautiful illustrations and practical advice, you serve to make the experience so much more positive for both dog and owner.

We used this book to help train our Dalmation puppy last year. The illustrations were helpful as were the easy to follow steps for housebreaking and obedience training. Some of the information was obvious, but it was good to be reminded.

When most parents expect their babies, the more reponsible ones reach out for information, be that in books, magazines or from their own parents. The reality is you want to learn as much as you can to be prepared to be the best parent you can be.

Our family adopted a labrador from a rescue foundation. With the coordination of a wonderful rescue foundation (Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue) we were matched with a perfect labrador for our family.

This was my first dog. I have always had cats, so I knew I needed to quickly educate myself. I was fortunate to come across this book sponsored by Iams and found it to be highly informative. The book features the more popular breeds of dogs which I found very handy because dog owners attract dog owners, and your interest begins to expand with each new owner/dog you meet. It was helpful to understand which breeds are compatible with each other and how to introduce your dog to social situations.

I needed basic dog obediance guidelines to back up my classes with our dog, and I found their informtion to be very applicable. Not only did the book review nutrition and basic health care requirements, it provided information for grooming, exercise and a general overview of the responsibilities one must assume with ownership of these animals.

I realize it doesn't take a rocket scientist to state the obvious when it comes to raising and owning a dog, but when you present the above information with beautiful illustrations and practical advice, you serve to make the experience so much more positive for both dog and owner.

Counting Coup is an interesting book, and an important one I think. Joseph Medicine Crow is the "last traditional Crow chief" and this is his story. Dr. Medicine Crow discusses his family, his schooling, his days as a soldier, he also tells us a little about Crow mythology which is really interesting, and for what it's worth, I believe him. I particularly like the story called "Stealing a Beef," and his description of his warrior training which includes running barefoot in the snow.

Although the book is short and there is a whole lot more that could be said, it's worth reading. This book is great for a younger audience or adults looking to get acquainted with Crow culture.

Mr. Medicine Crow is an impressive man, about 90 years old now. The book is written in the brief and blunt sentences as he would speak English. He lived up to the old ways of the Crow when he stole fifty German horses from under their noses in World War II. A landmark in Indian literature.

This book is made up of several short story snippets from the life of Joseph Medicine Crow. The intended audience was young adult, though certainly an adult like myself can enjoy it, too. Of course, because the stories are very short and to the point, one can't help but feel that there is so much more that could have been included here. The author tells brief stories about his formative years and his time in WWII. Good, easy reading for an overnight trip, but it might leave you wanting more.

Joe Medicine Crow is a national treasure. Born on the Crow Reservation in the early years of the twentieth century, he was raised among Indians who lived during the buffalo hunting days. Grandparents Medicine Crow and Yellowtail were important Crow leaders whose homes were the place of many gatherings. Joe soaked up the stories like a sponge, and he has been an invaluable source of tribal stories. In this book, in particular, he talks about his own upbringing, as his people's traditions adapted to life in America in the new century. He writes of his life using compassion and humor, but the difficulties he faced are clear. That he has led such a strong life is testimony to the fine man that he is. I found this book tremendously enjoyable, and the glimpse it gave me into this forgotten era is priceless.

Story 1:

Miley and Lilly want to spend more quality time together, so they enter the cheerleading squad. Lilly becomes a cheerleader, while Miley becomes a mascot.

Story 2:

Hannah is invited to a party but she isn't allowed to bring Lola along. What will Hannah do?

The stories in this one:

You're So Vain, You Probably Think this zit is about You
OOh OOh Itchy Woman

Book 3:

She's A Supersneak
Good Golly Miss Dolly

Book 4:

The Idol Side of Me
Oops! I Meddled Again

Book 5:

Smells Like Teen Sellout
More Than A Zombie To Me

Book 6:

Bionic Boy
Schooly Bully

Book 7:

On The Road Again
We Are Family

Book 8:

Torn Between Two Hannahs
It's A Mannequinn's World

My tweener daughter loves tghis c.d. (and Hannah Montana)and she seems to be a really good kid too, so my daughter could do far worse.

First of All, Bionic Boy is bot a real episode. It was a working title for the episode "New Kid In School".

Secondly, the winner of the new years eve episode poll is:

My Boyfriend's Jakcson and there's gonna be trouble

The episode New Kid In School will be featured in one of ethe next books.

Treasure hunting and mysteries in U-Bet, Montana, of all places. And can a sophisticated NY City editor and a rustic rodeo cowboy find happiness together? If so, where? A great sequel to The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison. Hope there's more in this series.

This book combined unique characters with a great story line to create a 5 star book. I'm an avid reader of christian fiction and few books have kept me as entertained as this one. I couldn't wait to find out what happened between Lynda and Brady after I read "The Lost Manuscript of Martin Taylor Harrison" and "The Final Chapter" didn't let me down. The characters are so hilarious and the banter between Brady and Lynda had me anxious to see if they would eventually end up together. I definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a laugh.

Putting together a cowboy and a NYC Editor is so funny! I love the characters and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat! I think the dog is a plus too!!! Read all of them!

I think Stephen Bly is a great author. Unfortunately these books aren't available in my language yet, so I have to keep reading him in English. Comparing to anyone else? Zane Grey - but from another viewpoint. Being the second book in the "Austin-Stoner FILES" this book doesn't let you down, even though sequels tend to do just that. Both plot and story is good, and the conclusion is spiritually edifying. My advice to those that bought it: Keep on reading it: You'll enjoy it. And to those who hasn't: Buy it! You won't be disappointed!

As a volunteer fire fighter/EMT here in southwest Montana, and a wildland firefighter during the summer months, when things heat up in our fire district, I purchased the book for some wintertime reading to start thinking about the upcoming wildland fire season. As I said in my title "A book with an ending you already know.." it is both an interesting and hard book to read, from the standpoint of knowing/wondering what was going through the minds of those smokejumpers as they were trying to outrun an upsloping fire racing towards them. You already know how the book ends, and there is a sadness in reading the book- as a firefighter, we go out enthusiastically to fight these fires, like soldiers going off to fight a war, but in our case, nobody is supposed to get hurt or killed. Every paging tone and deployment is the start of another great adventure, and we never think of what could happen when things go terribly bad. I now understand why that when I go out on out of district deployments(under someone elses control), my local fire chief has us check in as often as we can, to let him know we are safe and sound, and that we not putting ourselves in any unneccesary danger.
When I finished the book, I promised myself to start packing a bottle of "hurricane matches" in the pants pocket of my wildland pants, just like Wag Dodge did, which saved his life that fateful day in August 1949.

All in all, a great book for those trying to understand the human side of the Mann Gulch Fire of 1949.

Dayle Flynn
Firefighter/EMT
Columbus, MT Fire-Rescue Department

As the son of the Range, Bob Jansson, this book had special meaning to me. Although there have been other books written about this fire, this is the only one that I know of that gives the reader a view from the men and families involved. I commend the author for his work and highly recommend this book.

Mark Matthews has written about the Mann Gulch fire before, and avid readers of firefighting literature may readily recognize both his style and the events. But what makes A GREAT DAY TO FIGHT FIRE memorable is its different focus on the people who fought the fire, rather than just strategies and events. Chapters in A GREAT DAY TO FIGHT FIRE focuses on the victim's families and the personal impact of the fire upon firefighters, family members, survivors, and community members: as such it's an essential piece of information key to any collection strong in firefighting literature - and any general-interest library interested in true-life heroism.

The Mann Gulch,MT. fire of 1949 was a seminal point in modern wildfires firefighting for the U.S. Forest Service. The deaths of 13 firefighters caused the Forest Service to implement training programs and develop safety equipment and protocols still being refined today.
Not since Norman MacLean's award winning book Young Men and Fire, published in 1992,has there been a real effort to revisit the fire and never has there been such an authoritative treatment of the personal dimensions of the tragedy as provided by the victim's families, close friends, and coworkers.
This is a heart stopping, minute-by-minute personal account of the men who fought, and died, in a wildfire that has forever remained in the nation's consciousness. The reader that has read both Young Men and Fire and this book will have as complete account of the tragedy as we are ever likely to get.

This is a fun book that provides some great Montana travel tips. Stevens primarily focuses on haunted locations you can visit, but in many of the comments at the end of each section she also provides information about other unique places in the area to visit. Stevens' tips will provide travelers with an intimate experience of Montana.

I also really enjoyed how the sections were divided up so the reader knows how likely it is to encounter something at each location. The stories and personal experiences provided for each location give the reader a bit of history, insight into the ghostly activity and a desire to visit each place in person.

Haunted Montana is an entertaining book in and of itself, but it is also a useful tool for those looking to visit Montana.

Want to hang around a haunted hotel, have lunch at a haunted restaurant or listen to other-worldly voices at a haunted batttlefield? Find out where and how to find ghosts all over Montana. Grab your camera -- no matter where you go under the Big Sky, the author knows a haunted site not too far away. This travel guide to the supernatural will appeal to the curious, the just-for-fun, and the serious ghost hunters who want to know where to find their next chilling tale.

Karen Stevens' book "Haunted Montana: A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Haunted Places You Can Visit -If You Dare!" focuses on haunted places in Montana that are accessible to the public, so that you too can go and try to experience the spooky goings-on yourself! This is a guidebook for ghost hunters in Montana, as Stevens is an avid ghost hunter herself.

While this book does cover some of the most famous sites in Montana mentioned in previous Montana ghost books by Munn and Baumler, such as the Grandstreet Theater in Helena, and Virginia City, it is different in several ways:

1. Stevens covers only publicly accessible sites, no private homes, so that you can go and do a little investigating yourself.

2. Stevens adds some new sites, especially in eastern Montana, not covered
before.

3. One of the best features is a ranking of the frequency of ghostly activity at the site, whether low, moderate, or high; very useful to the novice ghost hunter

Following is a listing of the sites this book covers, first the town (or closest town) and then the sites themselves:

Anaconda: Copper Village Museum and Art Center (originally Anaconda City Hall); Anaconda Copper Company Smelter site with stack

Bannack State Park: Meade Hotel; Bessette House; Grasshopper Creek; Old Jail

Big Hole Valley: Big Hole National Battlefield; Chief Joseph Pass

Billings: Western Heritage Center (originally Parmly Billings Memorial Library); Union Depot/"The Beanery"restaurant; Juliano's Restaurant; Parmly Billings Library

Bozeman: Casa Sanchez restaurant; MSU Strand Union Theater

Browning: Highway 464/Duck Lake Road, between Browning and Babb

Butte: Arts Chateau Museum (originally Charles Walker Clark Mansion); Rookwood Speakeasy (originally Rookwood Hotel); old Hirbour barbershop; old City Hall Jail

Deer Lodge: Old Montana Territorial Prison; Grant-Kohrs Ranch

Fort Peck: Fort Peck Summer Theater; Fort Peck Hotel

Fromberg: Little Cowboy Bar

Gallatin Gateway: Gallatin Gateway Inn

Garnet (ghost town): Kelly's Saloon; J. K. Wells Hotel

Great Falls: Tracy's 24-Hour Family Restaurant (originally Stanton Bank & Trust foundations and Hank's Hamburger Haven); Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art(originally Central High School); Black Horse Lake (near Great Falls, north on Highway 87, near mile marker 9)

Hamilton: Marcus Daly National Historic Site ("Riverside" mansion)

Hardin (Crow Agency): Little Bighorn Battlefield

Havre: Park Hotel; Havre Railroad Museum and Havre Beneath the Streets (underground display of exhibits); Oxford Bar

Helena: Grandstreet Theater

Highway 382 (Perma to Hot Springs): Markle Hill

Hobson: Meadow Brook Farm (Bed and Breakfast)

Hysham: South of Interstate 94: the old Bridger Trail (?)

Kalispell: Conrad Mansion

Lincoln: Hotel Lincoln

Miles City: Club 519 (originally First National Bank); Olive Hotel (originally Leighton Hotel)

Missoula: Fort Missoula

Nevada City: Nevada City Hotel

Red Lodge: Pollard Hotel

Reed Point: Hotel Montana and Wild Horse Saloon

Virginia City: Many of the buildings have ghost incidents, including Bennett House (now aB&B), Wells Fargo Coffee House (originally Buford Store); Bonanza Inn(originally a Catholic hospital), Bonanza House (originally nun's rectory), Opera House and rehearsal hall behind.

West Glacier: Belton Chalet and railroad station

All in all, "Haunted Montana" is a splendid addition to Montana's ghost lore,and especially valuable for tourists and ghost hunters of all ages!

Haunted Montana is a must read for paranormal enthusiasts everywhere. Karen Stevens writes with an expert pen and is a ghost hunter and paranormal researcher of highest integrity, skill, and experience. I know, having had the privilege of joining her on many ghost hunting forays to England and Wales as well as a few stateside. As a research librarian, she also knows books - understands what makes a book a good and entertaining read. In Haunted Montana, she combines this knowledge with her extensive paranormal experience to give readers an incredibly appealing ghost book.

All sites listed are open to the public which is a tremendous bonus sure to please those wishing to explore the hauntings on their own. Even site telephone numbers are given, along with the addresses. But armchair ghost lovers won't be disappointed. Stevens' well-written essays transport, taking the reader right to the scene as if you were there with her.

Another very helpful feature is the rating scale of 'Ghostly Activity Level.' Noted at the top of each new listing, the scale immediately shows whether a site's paranormal goings-on are Low, Moderate, or High.

In addition, as noted in the book's introduction, another perk is that Stevens chose only sites with recently recorded paranormal activities. This makes the book an invaluable ghosting guide, increasing the chances of catching a glimpse of the activity for those wishing to explore on their own.

The essays themselves are varied and fascinating. Stevens gives a brief summary of the site's 'History' and then delves into the actual 'Phenomena,' detailing the haunting in a refreshing combination of Stevens' interviews with eyewitnesses and then describing her own experiences and impressions upon visiting the site.

Another feature I really enjoyed are the little personal commentaries at the end of each essay. Sometimes amusing, sometimes poignant, each one is the perfect wrap-up to the listing. The observation to the account of the Nez Perce haunting at Big Hole National Battlefield (The Spirits of Big Hole National Battlefield) was particularly touching - and revealing of Stevens' integrity as a paranormal researcher: she reminds possible visitors that the site is 'a place of tragedy and should be approached with respect.'

Lastly, the book closes with Stevens' own 'Tips For Ghost Hunters.' Concise, insightful, and definitely helpful, this feature alone is well worth the price of the book. Karen Stevens is indeed an authority in her field and has amassed her knowledge through decades of hands-on experience. No one does it better.

Don't miss Haunted Montana. It's a guaranteed ghosting good read!

I received this book yesterday, sat down to leaf through it, and scarcely budged from my chair except for meals until I had read the last word. The text simply grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. Yesterday was a day well invested.

The text is very accessible and yet some paragraphs reach the level of great literature.

This man is a wonderful author and gives an authentic depiction of life as it was in that time era and under those conditions. We were neighbors with the Beers when I was growing up and truly,life was hard but good at the same time. The sense of neighborliness has gone by the way of subdivisions but I believe the author managed to capture the dying spirit of what was good and wholesome about the life that was led from the original homestead on. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I got this book from a friend a while back and just never really picked it up, but boy am I glad I finally did. Ralph Beers' prose is beautiful, and his descriptions of a way of life that's passing away are fit to bring tears to my eyes.

If you have any interest in the West, especially the contemporary Western way of life, I recommend In These Hills very highly.

Ralph Beer is one of my favorite Montana writers. In both fiction and nonfiction, he's hard to beat. This collection of short essays describes his life as a rancher outside Helena, Montana. Many of them are humorous and rich with Western wit; some have a melancholy undertone; all are very finely crafted.

Working a ranch that has been in his family for four generations, Beer slowly comes to terms with the futility of maintaining a lifestyle that can no longer be justified as a way to make a living. As cattle prices fail to meet the rising costs of running a ranch, it is finally only humor, sentiment, self-respect and the well-worn romance of the rural West that keep him going. Beer's wonderful essays chart the gradual decline of ranching, even as he puts in new fences and throws himself into the yearly rounds of upkeep and improvements.

Meanwhile, many of Beer's essays use humor to deromanticize the Western mystique. A trip into town becomes an occasion to reveal himself as a fish out of water. The descriptions of ranch work often reveal him struggling with uncooperative equipment and stock, often in brutal weather. A tongue-in-cheek discourse on pickups explores the special kind of love affair between men and their trucks.

Other essays are rich with boyhood memories of his father and grandfather and the friendships of men who have been long-time neighbors and mentors. Some essays are celebrations of skills and craftsmanship no longer appreciated, the building of a log barn by his great-grandfather, the work of a hayfield irrigator, his own reconstruction of an old snowplow, the way a natural horseman rides a horse. In these, the essays become a balancing between a sense of people and times slipping into the irretrievable past and an embrace of what is still there to be cherished in moments of grace and pride.

Many thanks to the University of Nebraska Press for keeping this wonderful book in print. May it find the many readers it deserves. For a sample of Beer's excellent fiction, get a copy of his novel "The Blind Corral," which tells a story very similar to his own, about a Vietnam veteran inheriting a family ranch.

There are very few books written for or about the hundreds of thousands of children with incarcerated parents. This book's story line catches the interest of any reader, child or adult, from the first and carries it through to the end. The theme of hiding an incarcerated Dad from those outside the family rings very true to me who has spent years working with children of prisoners. School and public libraries SHOULD have this book in their collection.

Jan Walker and Raven Publishing, Inc. have partnered in their mutual mission of using fiction to address contemporary issues faced by preteens and teens. "An Inmate's Daughter" is an effort to increase awareness of the daily struggles faced by children who have a parent in prison.

The story revolves around thirteen year old Jenna, whose father is in prison for murder. Jenna found herself without friends after a move to live with her grandparents. The stigma of her father's imprisonment, and her mother's firm rule about keeping this fact within the family left her feeling insecure about making friends.

Jenna whose heritage is half Native American is also confronted with Bi-Racial bigotry. Jenna uses her journal as a means of sorting out her feelings.

On an extended family visitation to the McNeil Island prison facility to see her father, Jenna saves the life of a young child in a near drowning incident. News coverage of the incident becomes a threat to Jenna's mother. She fears that their identity and family secret will be exposed. Jenna is faced with the question of what will happen to her "evaluation" if members of her secret club find out about her father's incarceration.

Jan Walker intricately and expertly weaves a plot around club acceptance, a soccer team, the strength of family, and the measure of true friendship in this heart rending, true to life, fast paced narrative. The pen and ink illustrations of Herb Leonhard make you feel the emotions of the dialog.

Jenna is faced with the choice of living a lie, the possibility of bringing hurt and shame to her mother and younger brother, or the freedom of truth.

This is an excellent book for the young reader, grades five through eight. It is an important resource for classroom teachers, child counselors, ministers, and prison personnel who are exposed to children with an incarcerated parent.

This story tells about thirteen-year old Jenna MacDonald, whose father is in prison for murder. Mom's "don't tell" rule requires that Jenna and her brother fabricate stories about their dad. There are more than two million children in the US that are in this same predicament. They have an incarcerated parent, and are suffering from isolation and the pain of being ostracised by their peers. These children need help to cope with the problems they encounter, but few receive this assistance. Jan Walker tackles the problem head-on in this book. Jenna, her brother, and her mother have moved in with grandparents to live closer to McNeil Island where her father is incarcerated. Being half Native American contributes to Jenna's difficulty in trying to make new friends. During a visit to the prison Jenna dives into the water to rescue a small girl when she falls off the dock at the prison. When the Department of Corrections investigates the accident, the publicity threatens to expose the story of Jenna's dad to all her new friends at school. Jenna's mother is upset because her actions have called attention to their family, and now Jenna questions her own decision in rescuing the drowning child. "Why did I do such a dumb thing?"
Jenna longs for a friend that she can talk to about her feelings, but when she tries to join one of the racially-mixed "in" groups, they ask questions about her family, bringing the tensions between Jenna's need for acceptance and her mother's desire for secrecy to a head. Jan Walker's plotting and characterization skills are exceptional. You can really feel Jenna's isolation and pain. This book would be a great addition to your children's library and a wonderful family night conversation starter to help promote tolerance and acceptance in your children.

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (2/06)

Jenna MacDonald didn't mean to do anything wrong when she plunged into Puget Sound to save a little girl from drowning. She just reacted on instinct. She had been rescuing her rather hyper younger brother in their neighborhood swimming pool for years without her mother knowing.

But Jenna's mother is upset because her actions have called attention to their family. The rescue occurred at McNeil Island boat dock during a visit to Jenna's father who is serving time in prison. Now, the paper wants to run a story and the McNeil Island Corrections Center wants to investigate how it happened.

When her dad was transferred to this site, Jenna's family moved, too. Now they live with her grandparents and Jenna is adjusting to a new school. She feels confused by her mother's anger and insistence that they keep her dad's situation private. Jenna wants to talk to someone about it. She wants to feel like she belongs to a whole family.

Jenna's grandparents encourage her to make friends and to enjoy life. But junior high is tough and Jenna, who is half Native American, struggles to find her niche. When she tries to join one of the racially-mixed "in" groups, they ask questions about her family bringing the tensions between Jenna's need for acceptance and her mother's desire for secrecy to a head.

More than two million American children wrestle with the stigma of an incarcerated parent. Few of these children receive the assistance they need to cope with their situation. Walker's book takes on a tough topic. Her book informs and encourages young adult readers so they can support their peers.

Our grandfather is very talented. He can write and build things. Justin's Rock is a story about him. We love our grandfather.

This is the coolest book--It brought back so many memories, experiences,feelings and people from my childhood in Jordan, Montana. I could hear and see some of the people and places he describes. The fact that it is written in poetry adds to the entire experience. Thank you, Richard

I really enjoyed this book because the author ( my uncle) made me feel like I was in Jordan during his childhood. My father was very happy whenever talking about or visiting Jordan. This book helps me understand how he felt.

I recommend this book of poems to everyone, especially the folks that grew up in the rural ares of this country. I guarentee that any one who has spent time in a small town in the thirties and forties in rural America will find many things in these poems that will bring back fond memories. These poems are so descriptive, I am sure the writer must have lived them.

I love this story. It is really a page turner and it is the only thing that you can think about. Everyone should read this book.

i love the surprises carefully written throughout this book!!!
a MUST read for all christian/romance lovers!

This is an adventure-filled book that will pick you up off your seat, and leave you wanting more when it's done

The daring actress Isabel Leon knows all the roles, but she's never known true friendship until she buys a hotel in Cantrell, Montana, and determines to settle down. Captain Dawson Mandera irritates and frustrates her, but she's intrigued by his past and his big brood of kids. Isabel is finally offered the role she's always dreamed of, but will her own past make her ineligible? A page turner.