New Mexico Books

Being interested in the history of automotive transportation and intrigued by the colorful and well-designed cover of this book, I was not disappointed when I read it. It is a well-thoughtout and fascinating story of one of the most well-known highways in U.S. history. I think that the postcards and author's photographs, illustrating parts of this highway and structures along it, also contribute greatly to an understanding of Route 66, both past and present.

Terrific book with great photography. Really gives a sense of the place. My husband and I grew up in New Mexico and know many of these locations first hand. Seeing the pictures made me feel right at home. New Mexico has a varied past in which these churches have played an integral part. The author has provided an interesting text to give everyone a sense of that history.

I was born in Gallup NM, and am related to many of the people in this book, including the Carolyn Volpe. I found many interesting facts about my family and friends of my family that I have heard about for years. Most of those people are gone now, so I found this book very good in providing information for events that I have no one to ask about. I truley enjoyed this book and think Carolyn did a excellent job.

An impressive body of work that includes a compilation of thirty-one interviews impressive, author Harvey Kubernik draws upon his years of experience and expertise as a former West Coast director of A&R for MCA Records and as a former TV music and talk show host in "Hollywood Shack Job: Rock Music In Film And On Your Screen" to chronicle the role rock and pop music have played in films and on television in terms of their esthetics and influence on commerce and culture. A kind of oral history spanning sixty years of film and television production, Kubernik includes observations by and on directors, music supervisors, musicians, historians, screenwriters and others. A unique and strongly recommended contribution to music fan, film buff, as well as professional and academic music history, in addition to film history reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Poignant stories of Mexican-American people. Told in an easily readable style. Each story gives pause to reflect. Highly recommended.

Hot Biscuits is a very highly entertaining and recommended anthology of 18 original stories about the ranching West by both men and women provide a fine Western flavor and diversity, from a story of cowpokes who wrangle bargain horses to Dick Hyson's story of cowboys, truth, and a good yarn. Chatty, revealing, and filled with twists and turns are these old-fashioned Westerns.

Most books about writing seem more like revenue generators for the author or editor than they are helpful to beginning authors. Most have little practical information that a beginning writer can apply. "Hot Coffee and Cold Truth" is not only a very practical guide for beginning writers but is a great read.

W.C. Jameson has done a masterful job in selecting the contributors for this anthology. The book draws its strength from its focus on writers that love the American West in all of its many facets. The breadth of the scope of primary interests of the various contributors is comprehensive. But, throughout the articles contributed by the various writers, there are commonalities that bind them and provide guidance for beginning writers.

It is apparent in reading the selections that if one is going to write about the West, one must have a passion for it. There are no formulas and the techniques of the various contributers are quite different. All of them manifest a true independence of mind and a disregard for the politically correct.

After reading the articles, one comes away with the feeling that it would be a real privilege and pleasure to sit down and converse with any of the authors. They are an extraordinary group opf people to be sure.

Of particular benefit in reading the pieces by each author is the recommendations they make about the sort of books that need to be read by beginning writers. The practical inspiration for writing, regardless of publishing success, is the primary benefit that will be drawn from this book.

Some "magical realism" stories (with dead relatives interacting with the living) seem contrived; this memoir's use of the same device does not. Though I am not Hispanic nor Spanish-speaking, I am a native of Texas and loved this book. It resonated with me in part because much of it takes place in Texas (El Paso), and also because I find family histories compelling (my own family -- and other families).I disagree with the New York Times reviewer (above and on the book jacket) who says the author's use of Spanish phrases cannot be picked up from context clues. Nonsense! The author gives the English translation right in the same paragraph!A good read that can be picked up and put down as time warrants.

Wow! You must step outside your current view of life in these United States to make sense of Birchfield's knowledge, cynicism, sarcasm, wit, and predictions for the future of our country. He bases it all on past history that you probably have never heard (nor had I). I challenge you to read the book, and then act on some of his suggestions! Do beware if you believe in God. There are a couple of tough pages in the book that explain his atheist views. I was able to separate that from everything else he says and still appreciate his work.

This is a valuable book (resource) for budding entrepreneurs. It seems to try to cover all the bases for starting a small business, but it can't do them all well in the space available between its covers. The book is only 288 pages long. If you are in the planning stages of starting a small business, then I highly recommend you get a copy of this book. Read it, study it, and outline it. There are helpful checklists to help you grasp the subjects. You will come up with a plethora of keywords and terms that you will want to google to find Web pages giving more detailed (and maybe more current) information.

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be "educated customers" ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns
2. Your business' structure
3. Business start-up details
5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)
7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)
8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don't treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn't. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can't complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 51 versions of this book sold; one for each state and the District of Columbia. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!