Texas Books

I FOUND THIS TO BE A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN PIECE OF WESTERN HISTORY BY A FASCINATING AND ACCOMPLISHED MAN, WITH HEAVY EMPHASIS ON "MAN"......BY THE WAY, JOE FUSSELL WAS MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER!! JOSEPH B. "JOE" JOHNSON

Bob Fussell's treatment of his grandfather J.B. Fussell's autobiography brings to mind a word not often associated with literature: verisimilitude. What makes this account fascinating is that not only is it true, but it rings true. This book should be required reading for every 12-year-old boy and girl in America; boys need to know how to be men and girls need to know what to look for in a man later on in their lives. America could use several million J.B. Fussells about now.

Unbridled Cowboy is the autobiography of author Joseph B. Fussell, a free spirit who sought his own destiny in the wild American Southwest during the late 1800s. At the young age of fourteen, Joe Fussell took to the rails to escape the school and harsh authority that chafed him. He became a roving cowpuncher in Texas territory, rustling cattle, tilling land, working in stables, and hitting the road whenever wanderlust stirred. Unbridled Cowboy is filled cover to cover with riveting true tales of undercover work as a Texas Ranger, life on the railroads, and rough justice. A captivating true life narrative of the wild west.

Unbridled Cowboy, the autobiography of Joe Fussell, is well written and brings the reader a vivid and realistic portrait of the man and his life. His story telling ability paints a vivid and sometimes raw reality. He brings to life a period of American and western history from a personal point of view that was fraught with change and upheaval.

While reading I found myself sitting next to Joe and hearing him telling me his life story. The ease with which he wrote of his life makes this book an enjoyable journey with a fascinating man.

Here's the skinny. I've read thousands of books over the years. I keep a few; the rest I give away to friends or the library. This book is a keeper. Why? I will read this book many times and still be astonished by the history, this amazing man Joe Fussell, and how far this once great country of ours has deteriorated in a century.
The first thought that entered my mind on finishing this book was, "I wish there was more." The second thought was that a man like Joe Fussell would have made an incredible president. In TR's time, when a young man chose to ditch public school at age 14 because he had "itchy feet", he didn't get Ritalin stuffed down his throat--he left home to make his own way. Fussell was a man so full of common sense, intelligence and integrity that the USA would have been privileged to have someone of his ilk as their leader. But alas, with no "education" except life, he was destined to become a laborer. And labor he did.
The chapter on Fussell's adventures in Mexico as a youth are more riveting than anything Hollywood will ever turn out. His depiction of his railroad career reads like you were switching cars alongside him. Fussell is a storyteller akin to Twain. I am still amazed he avoided jail, but then it was a century ago. Different times--a wonderful time in our country. Get this book. Its a keeper.
Norman Woodworth, DVM

Galveston, Texas is the sight of our nation's worst natural disaster in our history. Ron Rozelle summered in Galveston as a child and that began his fascination with the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. He was driven to tell the story in a manner that was true to history and striking enough to recreate the terror of those in the path of this storm. This book is a fictionalized account of the Galveston Hurricane of September 1900. While the weather events are factual. The people he portrays are a mixture of real people and those that Mr. Rozelle created to add depth and heart to his story. His research into the facts of the hurricane's ferocious assault of Galveston and the utter destruction of life and property is vividly portrayed. The characters bring a rawness of emotion, making the reality of the vast loss achingly real. This is a realistic and intense tale of Mother Nature in full fury.

I've been to Galveston and took tours of the many homes the author listed in this book and knew the streets and the very railroad tracks/beach areas he spoke of, but even if I hadn't been there, the author writes in a way that will makes you *feel* like you ARE there, as the story progresses.

I have read MANY books on this storm and I can safely say THIS BOOK "The Windows of Heaven" has got to be the best researched, investigated and well written book i have ever read and come across.

It's not all statistics, and weather, he writes of survivors and their lives that led up to that fateful day so you actually feel as if you're reading an ansestors diary or as if the people actually sat down and told him the stories.

His imagination is also so realistic that you walk away believing every single word he wrote although clearly some of it [like the drowning peoples viewpoints] couldn't have came from anyone.

It's a book that has SOLD me on the author RON ROZELLE'S talents and is a book that should be carried by all Texas schools and educational systems everywhere, as mandatory reading of what that night must have been like.

It left me feeling as if I had been there and suffered along with everyone--and in spite of the heartache and despair I actually felt sorrow when the story ended, and I faced the fact that I would never be a part of these peoples lives ever again.

If you don't read this book you will never know how lacking the others are and will miss out on an excellent example of great writing--destiny will deem this a classic in due time--trust me.

Ron Rozelle did a wonderful job writing this book. It is a well written piece of history. This storm event was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Mr. Rozelle paid tribute to the people that died during and in the days following this storm. He also paid tribute to the survivors. There were a lot of sub plots happening during the time, an Mr. Rozelle did a good job incorporating them in just the right place. This book is well worth reading. I highly recommend it.

The events that transpired in September, 1900 have been too long forgotten in the annals of American natural disasters. Ron Rozelle has painted a picture that very accurately describes the horror and heroism that occurred when one of the most intense hurricanes virtually destroyed Galveston and claimed upwards of 10,000 lives. I discovered this book after reading the recent release Isaac's Storm, a non-fiction telling of the storm and also highly recommended. Ron Rozelle has fleshed out the story without damaging the historical accuracy and brings to us a harrowing story of the people who watched their town literally dissapear beneath the waves. Very highy recommended!

Ron Rozelle's second book is a well-done blend of fact and fiction. He uses many actual people and events from the Storm of 1900, the worst natural disaster in the history of the US. He writes sketches of the lives of several characters in a flash-back format and then switches to the current time, describing the coming of the storm and the blase manner in which the people approached it. Weather forecasting was in its infancy, and no one on Galveston Island realized the full impact of the pending storm. Residents had ridden out many a storm and didn't look at this potent killer in any different way from the storms which had come before. Galveston's lack of preparation and failure to build a seawall resulted in terrible destruction of life and property. Rozelle uses these elements to create a story in which the reader learns to care about the characters and then watches the courage with which they faced this catastrophe. This is a very moving book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject.

wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hank the cowdog is a great book for the family or by yourself . john r erikson did a wonderful job on this book . you need to read it to belive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I love all the Hank books, and this is a great one for the Christmas season. These books are hilarious and more important to the young reader, fun to read. I'd also check the rest of the series.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

This is one of my favriote books it is funny and exciting. It takes the perspective of a cowdog on a ranch in east texas. That thinks he is head of ranch security and goes through a lot of hillarius storys.

In this book a buzzard gets hurt, and he gets taken care of.Well,one day Slim,Little Alfred, Drover(the dog),and Hank(the dog)was driving to town to get Christmas presents,and a buzzard named Wallace flew into the wind shield.He got hurt pretty bad,and Little Alfred begged Slim to take him home and take care of him.Slim took him home after he went shopping,and cured him.Then Wallace flew away with his son happily ever after.

Hank the cowdog is "head of ranch security," and tend to act like Barney Fife. the entire seires of Hank the Cowdog stories are hilarious. The story is told from the perspective of Hank and the animal characters in this story, such as Drover, the young pup in training for ranch security, are constantly causing problems for Hank. In one story Hank gets sick after eating a frying pan full of bacon grease. He knows what he should and should not do, but always finds himself being overcome by his true nature--egotistical, gluttonous, etc.

Read this book and you will be addicted to Hank.

Mr. Myers wrote this book in 1948, and based it on careful research into the facts as they were known at the time. THE ALAMO is a story of heroic men, dedicated to the cause of freedom, sacrificing their lives willingly for that cause. Bowie, Crockett, Travis, and all the others with them, were the stuff of legends, and as such we should remember them. This is a story to rival THE ILLIAD in its nobility of character and cause. Sadly, later research has shown that these giants were, like the Trojans, at least partialy the product of myth, and their cause was not quite so noble. But this in no way detracts from the telling of a great tale, and, if the men of the Alamo were not quite as tall as we imagined them, they were still men deservant of our admiration. They died for what they believed in, and this is their story, from the first man who ever bothered to compile the whole thing in one place.

Although written in 1948, John Myers Myers "The Alamo", proves that he did his homework well way back then. As a result, the factual conclusions he arrived at then, dovetail with those arrived at by other Alamo authors in later years, including Walter Lord. Myers writing presents the subject in a historicly accurate manor, but at the same time with the wit and insight of a newspaper editorial, which brings it to life on a human level.

Although written in 1948, John Myers Myers "The Alamo", proves that he did his homework well way back then. As a result, the factual conclusions he arrived at the time of his writing, dovetail with those arrived at in later years by other Alamo authors, including Walter Lord. Myers writing presents the subject in a historicly accurate manor, but at the same time with the wit and insight of a newspaper editorial, bringing it to life on a human level.

Newer books have been written based on more recently available sources, but this book stands the test of time. It is based on solid research, it doesn't spend entire chapters digressing into, for instance, the ins and outs of the Bowies' business dealings, and it keeps speculation on the motivations of Travis, Crockett, Bowie and Santa Anna to a couple of paragraphs each. Any speculation is just the author's guesswork, and I find Myers guesses to be kept more brief - and more to my personal taste - than, say, William C. Davis' in "Three Roads to the Alamo". It has been said that a revisionist is one who, lacking the notion of honor in his/her own character, cannot understand it when encountered in others. While Myers examines the actions of the three main personalities in a journalistic manner, the enormity of their patriotic sacrifice is never deprecated as is the fashion in modern, revisionist historical writing.

This book remains not only the best single volume on the siege, it provides a great introduction to the historic and social melieu of the era for those seeking to understand the background of the Mexican-American War. -

John Myers Myers, in the last sentences of his book, The Alamo, perfectly captures the essence of what this story means to America. He writes, "The Alamo isn't a structure now; it is a symbol of valor in the minds of men. It can never fall again." Though he closes with that thought, it is obvious that he wrote this history with the knowledge that this particular event is just as important as myth as it is as history, and that it presents unique challenges to the historian to distinguish between the two. In the forward, he addresses the issue of how hard it is to find solid, historical evidence about the Alamo. The combatants were killed to a man, and as for the non-combatants who survived to tell their tales, none were professional writers, and no historian bothered to interviewed any of them during their lifetimes. He explains in some detail how he decided the veracity of the various surviving source materials: letters, journals, official orders of the Mexican officers, and interviews of survivors. He then launches into the tale.
Myers divides his book into three sections. The first third is devoted to the history of the structure of the Alamo, from mission to military outpost, and to the history of the roots of the conflict between the Texians and Mexico. This is vital information to understanding what happened at Bexar during those fateful twelve days in 1836. The fact that Myers devotes so many pages to explaining this background and placing the story in its proper historical context is one of the books strongest points.
In the second third of the book, Myers introduces the principal players who history associates with the Alamo - Bowie, Travis, Crockett, and Santa Anna. A chapter is devoted to each of them, and Myers does an admirable job of placing each within the context of their own personal histories without resorting to what later became so controversial as detracting "revisionism". He notes that while Bowie and Crockett were already legends in their own time, that Travis' fame is tied exclusively to his participation in the Texian revolution. He solidly establishes who they were as flesh and blood men, rather than the demigods of myth that they became, yet does so respectfully. Likewise, he paints a balanced portrait of Santa Anna rather than simply demonizing him.
In the book's final section, Myers writes skillfully of the siege and storming of the Alamo. It is a tale that comes with its own in-built drama, which requires only an expert storyteller to assure its success, and Myers is indeed an outstanding storyteller. He has an idiosyncratic style of writing that lends itself perfectly to the telling of this particular tale. Throughout, he is generally faithful to the more traditional interpretations of what happened at Bexar, but does acknowledge some of the elements that smack more of legend than of historical fact (such as Travis' saber-drawn line in the sand).
Myers has written a fine history of an event that has become an indispensable part of our national mythology. His research is firm, his writing style captivating, and his tone respectful to both the history and the legend. I heartily recommend it.

Theo Logos

Was the battle of the Alamo a stragetic blunder? Did Davy Crockett wear a coonskin cap? How did the Alamo's "Holy Trinity" really die? How many duels did famed knife-fighter James Bowie take part in?

These are only some of the questions answered in what must surely be the ultimate history of the Alamo--as a mission, a fortress and a shrine. Edmondson's writing is colorful and fact-crammed, carrying the reader forward with the breathless pace of a novel. Above all, he portrays history through the actions of the men who made it--James Bowie's quest for adventure and wealth; David Crockett's failures as a Congressman; William Travis' burning ambition for ever-lasting fame.

Edmondson has brilliantly captured the often harsh realities of life on the Texas frontier. Among these: the ineffective and lethal "treatment" for venereal disease--mercury; the support of many "freedom-loving" Texans for slavery; and the conflicts faced by Tejanos trying to remain loyal to their native Mexico while opposing the dictatorship of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

The climax of the narrative arrives in his full-length and dramatic account of the siege and fall of the mission. Edmondson presents all possible sides to every controversey, and allows the reader to reach his own conclusions. For example, on the death of James Bowie: Edmondson notes that Bowie was deathly ill at the time of the final assault, and thus highly unlikely to have piled corpses around his sickbed. Yet he also states that Bowie had proven a hard man to kill in the past--and thus makes the convincing case that if Bowie had had the strength to hold weapons, he would have used them.

Edmondson has taken a subject well-trodden by historians and novelists and re-created it for a new generation. In doing so, he has rendered scenes of stirring drama while emphasizing the shared humanity of the combatants on both sides.

This book was recommended to me by Alamo historian and artist, Michael Schreck. It is a good read. J.R. Edmundson obviously knows his subject. The narrative flows smoothly and avoids the tedium so often occuring in historical works. Not only is it a spirited and accurate telling of an oft-told story, but he is not afraid to challenge the views of the revisionist historicans that are now in fashion. I highly recommend this book to both the layman and scholar.

This book reads like a novel, but contains the facts of the historical event. Too bad Edmondson isn't writing for the school book market. History would be a favorite subject for kids.

Most people know about the battle at the Alamo, but don't know why this mission-turned-fort became the focal point of the confrontation between the Mexicans and Texians (yep, that's spelled right, read the book). Edmondson starts from the beginning to bring the reader up to the moment of siege and sacrific. The book begins as a fascinating read about Spain's early attempts to colonize the territory that would be come Texas. It moves into a fun read about favorite and familiar characters like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis. Then the book takes the reader into the final 13 days that sealed the fate of those in the Alamo and set the course for Texas' separation from Mexico. Mark out a whole evening to read the last 212 pages, you won't be able to put it down. I sincerely hope Edmondson will be writing more history about Texas and the southwest. I for one, am waiting for his next book.

J.R. Edmondson's "The Alamo Story" eclipses Walter Lord's groundbreaking "A Time to Stand" as the finest narrative history of the Alamo available.
Written in an engaging, highly accessible style, Edmondson's book is a first rate introduction to Alamo history, but provides enough detail to capture the interest of even the most knowledgable Alamo scholar.
Highly recommended.

Jack Edmondson has done an exceptional job retelling the Alamo story. Students of James Bowie will be in for a real treat, since Jack devotes quite a bit to "that knife fighting adventurer" (as he was called in several movies). Edmondson never engages in "hero worship" which all-to-often clouds serious historical study.Nor does he indulge in "bashing" like Jeff Long did in "Duel of Eagles". Edmondson touches on the Crockett death controversey, but if you write about the Alamo, it's inevitable. If you are a serious researcher, Jack's book belongs on your shelf!

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

This is really a cute book and I know my niece will really enjoy it. I recommend buying and reading it to all children. It is truly fun.

My sister, a nearby neighbor of Jan Brett's, discovered this book and sent it to my then 5-year old son for his birthday. Bo's nearsighted adventures entertain; and his being lost and not knowing he's lost delights my son. Most children will envy Bo's adventure to the rodeo and understand his curioisity. Having developed quite the Texas "accent and attitude" while reading this book, it's at the top of our list of all-time favorites. Thank you Jan Brett!

This book is really cute! The 7 year old boy I purchased it for wants to read it over and over again! The illustrations are really colorful and well done. This is the type of book that is great fun for a boy or girl - ages 4 to 8, I should think. The author, Jan Brett, is very clever. I will look for more of this authors books in the future for children on my gift list.
Loriann Ringgold
Elko, NV

For children and for those who just love that critter I love so...you will enjoy this book very much. With a delightful story and wonderful illustrations, it is sure to please.

A slightly different tale from Jan Brett. Gone is the European feel of so many of her books. It is replaced by a healthy jargon-filled dose of American Western. Gone are the hedgehogs; welcome the armadillos.

Bo is one of four armadillo brothers. He tends to be curious and wander so his mother tries to keep a close watch on him. Like all armadillos, Bo's eyesight is not very good. So one day while he is following a lizard, he sees a red cowboy boot and thinks it is a red armadillo.

The boot in question is being worn by a young girl who is trying to scuff them up so she won't look like a tenderfoot at the rodeo. But Bo does not see the girl, or the other boot for that matter. Instead, he thinks he has found a playful new friend.

Chasing after the boot, Bo has many experiences while his mother and brothers search for him (as seen in the side panels). Bo's adventure takes him across the rodeo arena, to a bar-b-que, into an encounter with a jalapeno, to a barn dance, a hayloft, and ultimately to the truth about his new friend.

In the end we learn that while Bo has learned the truth of his day's adventures, he knows just what to do when he feels a little mischievous.

I usually give Jan Brett's books five stars but gave this one only four. I did that only because of the heavy use of Western jargon that needs to be explained to young ears in order for the story to make sense. But it is still a very fun book with beautiful illustrations.

If you are from or are familiar with this area of the Texas Hill Country, all the details ring true. If you are a long time fan of Ben Rehder's then you will love this one. The man can't write a bad book!

This is a great light fun read. If you loved this book also check out the author C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett adventures which also follow a game warden based near a hunting culture small town filled with eccentric red necks, corrupt officials and other fun characters, his books are set in Wyoming. Both even have similar author photos complete with dogs and bucket hats or whatever they're called inside the back covers. Open Season (Joe Pickett Novels) is the first novel in that great series, check it out!

Bone Dry the sequel to Reheder's first novel Buck Fever picks up at the start of the next year's deer season from when that novel ended. It is important to note that you do not need to have read Buck Fever to enjoy or get the most out of this novel. Other than a reoccurring main character, game warden John Marlin, as well as other eccentric county residents who appear in each novel such as local rednecks Billy Don and Red. This series of fun adventures set in Blanco County Texas can be read in any order.

New characters who add to the storyline of Bone Dry include Inga, a smart supermodel quality blond Volvo driving conservationist. Inga isn't afraid to fill a hunter's ute with bullets. A nerdy even more extreme environmentalist Thomas Peabody is her travelling companion and determined to win Inga's favour by proving he is dedicated to the cause with even more and more dangerous stunts in the name of the environment.

Witness relocation mafia man Sal and his dim-witted son Vinnie who now run a tree clearing business also add to the fun. Fans of the Hollywood's horse in the head scene will be pleased with a scene created by Vinnie in this book which is the catalyst for a number of events putting this once powerful underworld figure in danger of being discovered. Smedley a morbidly obese US marshall who is a good but lazy and not to bright man assigned to keep tabs on Sal, Sal's housekeeper and poor immigrant Maria who Sal fears has the powers of a witch complicate the situation for this mafia family but add great enjoyment for the reader.

A lazy incompetent former big city cop will learn the hard way that city tactics don't work out in rural Texas nor does trying to force a confession as he investigates the shooting of a local hunter. An of course game warden John Marlin is the glue that holds this fun story together.

Read this series, it's good!

i didn't hesitate to pick up ben rehder's second book when i saw it and was not disappointed.....this book was even more fun than the first one.....peace mary

If you enjoyed the outrageous humor in Buck Fever about cross-species sexuality and good old boys poaching deer, you will be thrilled with Bone Dry. The talented Mr. Rehder has added more targets for his humor, made them funnier and further developed the excellent goofballs, Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock.

In Bone Dry, you will find Italian mobsters mixing it up with the local Texas drunks, a supermodel who uses her looks and her scent to save endangered species, lots of brush-busting and scams galore. In the middle of all the resulting mayhem, John Marlin, the Lone Ranger of game wardens, finds himself running the investigation into a hunter's suspicious death.

The book combines a satire of the Godfather, a Carl Hiaasen-type story about Texas, an excellent police procedural, lots of environmental lessons and a love story with enough irony to keep your eyes blinking with surprise for days. It's a remarkable, guffaw-inducing achievement.

Save this book for the next time you really need a good laugh.

I recommend that you also go on to read the latest book in the series, Flat Crazy, which is even better than Bone Dry.

I listened to the audio edition of this book and my comments pertain to that edition.

I read the first book in Rehder's Blanco County series last year and enjoyed it. When I got the chance to listen to the second on audio, I jumped at it. If possible, I liked the second even more than the first.

If you love the zany Floridian adventures of authors like Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen, you will probably want to take a side trip to Blanco County. As those authors do, Rehder throws a bunch of semi-competent crooked folks (in this case including a Mafia family in hiding), a few well meaning folks (this time around it's a couple of tree-huggin' types trying to save a rare bird from all the brush clearing going on) and in the middle of it, a bemused decent good guy trying to sort out all the events. The center of the Blanco County novels is game warden John Marlin, who does his best to stay sane and sort out the string of bizarre events.

He has his hands full in this second book, as some bodies turn up, others go missing, and that's in between the eco-terrorism, county jail hostage stand-off, Marlin's personal life going to hell, and oh, yeah, opening week of hunting season. Rehder does a fine job of juggling multiple plot lines and a huge cast of supporting characters while keeping all the threads moving toward a neatly wrapped up conclusion. I could often see where the plot was going a few chapters ahead of time but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride nevertheless.

The unabridged audiobook is competently read (I'm sorry I don't have the name of the narrator). While nothing was particularly gained or lost by listening to the book rather than reading it, I didn't have to put the book down to do chores like washing dishes--as long as you aren't listening in places where people will give you strange looks if you occasionally laugh out loud while listening.

I recommend this book and the whole Blanco County series to anyone who likes a light, funny mystery, particularly fans of the Carl Hiaasen style.

I couldn't find this book anywhere!! Books-a-Million said that they could order it and it would have taken 3-7 weeks. I finally found it on Amazon and it was reasonable and here within 5 days. I have also ordered with Amazon before and they have the best service. I love how you can track your item down to the day it arrives.

If you are looking for an excellent translation of Jose Maria Arguedas, "Los Rios Profundos" this is it. The book retains the integrity of the origianl Spanish, and the spirit of the quechuan explanations which are left in quechuan. With a brief introduction by the translator as well as a glossary of terms at the end this English translation has made Arguedas masterful novel available to the English speaking world.

This is a gem of a book. While there are many things to like about it, I am most enamoured of the richness of detail in its naturalistic description. Arguedas, with his Indian upbringing, has a perceptiveness toward nature not often found in modern, Western society. The translation conveys this beautifully, though I've heard that the original Spanish is even more vivid in its descriptions. The characterization is multi-layered: there's even someone highly reminiscent of the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"...

Non-western thoughts, beliefs and fears still permeate 20th.century Peru, a cultural heritage of the Inca empire. Arguedas, although white, learned Quechua as an infant, forced by circumstances to spend long periods with Peruvians of indian extraction, an experience which he would forever remember with deep tenderness and affection, and which would transmit surviving elements of Inca thought as well. The problem Arguedas faced as a writer was how to express a non-western state of mind in Spanish, a western language. In "Deep Rivers", he sometimes shifts the structures of sentences, or uses diminutives, to mimic Quechua. Stones can talk, and rivers sing. Big black flies are attracted to persons who are about to die. For Inca thought, the reflections from a pool of blood relate to the reflections from rapids in a stormy river. In "Deep Rivers" Arguedas shares with us the deep undercurrents and contradictions which flow beneath the surface of modern-day Peru. Conflicting cultures related through cruelty and despotism. Deep rivers flow in every culture. Not the superficial, visible elements of a culture, but those intimate fears, obsessions, and dreams which lie at the core of its members.

This subject line is not to diminish the power of this work. Only to convey that, unlike many other "coming-of-age" stories of a youth, Arguedas' semi-autobiographical tale presents a boy already formed even before the events of the bulk of the narrative. A pantheism rushes over his pages, and the Catholicism in whose school he is domiciled for most of the story remains more of a veneer over a pagan and defiant Quechua world refusing to succumb under the oppressive colonial and clerical regimes. The set-pieces of the book, the uprising of the peasant women for salt and waiting in the town as the plague approaches, gain force when (as Vargas Llosa notes in his afterword) placed within a calmer flow of words, at times scraped by harsh reality.

The descriptions of the natural world remain moving; however, many of the supporting characters at the youth's boarding school and the girl he courts (from afar it seems more than close up) stay rather diffused and vague. Nearly no details emerge, for example, of the actual schooling he receives, but plenty of cringeworthy accounts of how Rector Linares attempts to manipulate the Gospels to placate insurrectionists. A message, I gather, that subsequent generations in Latin America learned from. The prescience of this work, given the later events in Perú, makes Arguedas all the more compelling a contribution, that even in English (thanks to the abundant Quechua blended in), makes for a bracingly vivid read, with hints of what would become "magic realism" mixed with muted political critique and personal quests for identity for a boy caught between cultures.

We all have a story--usually a bittersweet blend of angst and elation. When loss comes, whether through death or separation from someone we love, our hearts must wade through the complexity of emotion remaining.

There are many ways we can tell our stories...flanked with humor and shrowded by denial...cloaked with bitterness and oppressed by hatred...or creatively open and inspired by redemption.

This is the brilliant balance Scott Sawyer achieved in his own story. In choosing to share this story, he could have opted for denial or for bitterness. Instead, he chose a delicate blend of humor, creativity and redemption. He allows us a unique glimpse into his contemplation, his desire and his pursuit to comprehend what bearing loss has had on his life.

The focus encompasses much more than loss, however, and delightfully depicts sibling rivalry, a boy's adoration for his mother and his family, wonder at not one but two fathers, the pursuit of passion and dreams, as well as life-altering spiritual discoveries. And revelations about a Heavenly Father.

I was rapt with the flowing rhythmn of humor, contemplation, angst, passion, peace and JOY (you'll see the significance of this adjective when you read the book).

Scott was brave to bear his heart, was artful in how he did so, and gracious not to air unnecessary dirty laundry.

This is a story that will make you laugh out loud and bring tears to your eyes. And it will cause you to contemplate your own soul...journeys left midway...pain left untended...discovery still to be made.

This is a warm, and honest portrayal of a man living through time by capturing and re-evaluating his past. When the famous psychologist Alfred Adler was exploring how our identity is formed he made the following interesting and counter-intuitive claim: Our present effects our past to a greater degree than our past effects our present. This book, a journey through a lifetime of memories experienced again and bonds established for the first time, demonstrates that Alder's claim is often true. The perspective we have today influences how we view the events and feelings of the past. The author, Scott Sawyer, uses his present perspective to unearth a beautiful retrospective of his family and his fathers.

This book contains a wonderful journey, and those reading it will be blessed by the opportunity to experience it with him. I was moved and touched, and the depictions and images involved me as a member of this family for a fleeting few moments. I cried, I laughed, and I was humbled by the love that radiates off the pages.

The style of the book is more poetic than narrative. I would normally have given 4 stars on this review, because I am usually more drawn to a narrative style, in this case however, the events, images and emotions of this family and his life captured me so completely that I quickly adapted to the many transitions and sound bites of thought.

Please read this book. I found that once I settled into the story, my efforts were rewarded, and the images and emotions came to life. I had the pleasure of attending a reading of the book by the author at a local bookstore and can tell you first-hand that the emotion that went into this project is real. The scene was similar to the experience of reading the book. We all laughed out loud at the comic depictions of his childhood, and cried at the emotion of meeting and losing his father again. Highly recommended to everyone.

This is a haunting and touching memoir unlike any others I've read. It brought tears to my eyes but reminded me of the love our Heavenly Father has for us even as we struggle to make a life here on earth. Beautifully written and inspiring!

This is the true story of one young man's search for identity as he grew up in a small Texas town in the shadow of an older brother, both having lost their real father as very young children. Their stepfather was the only father figure Scott knew, yet he was acutely aware that they were not the same flesh and blood. It is also the story of his family coping with the death of Scott's older brother from cancer when he was only sixteen. His ongoing relationship with two fathers-the one he never knew and the only one he did know-ultimately helped him find his identity in the heavenly Father as well.

After reading the story of Scott Sawyer and his journey with his family of origin I am struck with the honesty, the fairness, the love that would move a man to write such a book. Obviously the events in his life have molded a grateful,tender, forgiving heart and a man who has passion for his walk with his heavenly Father. I suspect most mothers would give anything to have such a man marry their own daughters. He is truly a brilliant writer and more importantly for me, a real 'Keeper'. He is my son-in-law.