Oregon Books

I literally just got back from my trip which spanned from Berekely, CA- Vancouver, BC and we used this book throughout the whole trip. The hotel and restaurant recommendations are excellent and for every price range. We did a lot of last minute changes of plans and the book was able to help us with those hotel reservations. It also contains great maps and excellent background history of the area. If you are traveling through the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend this book.

We used several guides in planning a recent trip to south and central Oregon, with a stop at Mt. St. Helens on the way home, and this one was by far the most informative! Before we went to a particular destination, I would tell my family, "First you have to listen to this!" Then I would read Lonely Planet's description and historical/geological background of the site we were about to visit. I think we all enjoyed our trip much more because of this "anticipatory set."

Highly recommended, not only for first-time visitors to a region, but for natives to learn more about the beauty and history right in their own backyard.

This is a really good book for exploring the Pacific Northwest and we had a fantastic trip using it. The only place it left out that we think it should include is the heavenly ZEN GARDEN Bed and Breakfast on the Oregon coast in Manzanita.

The rooms are beautiful, it is almost on the quiet, dreamy, seven mile beach, nearly in the forest of the Nehalem Bay State Park, and the breakfast is Huge and DELICIOUS.

Full of ideas and covers all the good stuff.

This is not a city resturant guide, however. Someone else gave this book 3 stars because it only told them about the highlights of what makes the Pacific Northwest special, and didn't name the 5-star resturants. I am a 4th-generation Seattle-ite and fancy resturants are not my scene. Go anywhere, eat wild salmon and a latte, then go do some more walks or boat trips or something like that!

While this book provides fairly accurate guidance regarding natural features and campgrounds, don't use it a reliable guide to travel necessities that are market driven like hotels, restaurants, admission costs, etc. Each time we used the book to choose a hotel, we were surprised and sadly disappointed in either the quality, the cost, or both. The same for recommended restaurants. Admission costs were generally 20% higher than listed. No big deal, but again, for a current publication it fell short in accuracy. It's as if an earlier printing was simply published as current without checking on the accuracy of the contents.

Use it as a guide, but not as a reference. I'm sure there are other sources of more accurate information for travelers.

My husband was raised in Oregon, but there are things in this book he didn't know about or had never been to. We've also found some of our favorite treasures that we recommend to our friends are included in this book.

Moon Oregon (Moon Handbooks) This book was the best thing I could have purchased prior to spending 3 weeks on the road touring Oregon this past September. I like how the book doesn't just highlight the most popular places to stay or eat. We tried a couple of small cafes for breakfast that were recommended and were completely satisfied with the reviews given for both. Highly recommend this handbook for anyone wishing to travel in Oregon.

I enojoy Moon guides every time I read them. very detailed, updated with all relevant info, phone numbers, etc.
Gives you the tip for the non common places, guide you to places along roads in resolutios of feets and where to find the places.

I usually buy Lonely Planet or Moon guidebooks for US travel. Often I carry both. Lonely Planet books tend to be very straightforward and consistent, often the product of a "committee" of authors. Moon's books seem more conversational in tone and are the product of one or two authors and therefore can vary more in style. I usually prefer Moon books to Lonely Planet due to their more descriptive nature. This is not one of them. This book lacks the imagination in style that most Moon books have. Planning a trip to Oregon? Go Lonely Planet.

MOON OREGON is one of the most comprehensive guides to Oregon ever published. Whether you're looking for the urban pleasures of the Portland area and/or the Eugene/Corvallis/Salem corridor, the healthy activity ideas of Eastern Oregon or the Oregon Coast, or a little of everything, this book has it for you. Even if you're not travelling to Oregon any time soon, you'll find MOON OREGON to be an interesting and exciting read.

A lawyer's worst nightmare is having an innocent client with no defense. It's easier to get a known criminal off or with a reduced sentence by admitting to a lesser charge, but to prove a person did not commit a crime when only mitigating charges can send him to jail for something he did not do is common and almost impossible to prove or disprove.

I do believe that the state of Oregon is populated with transplants from Tennessee who name the places after the towns they left behind. Strawberry Mountain could be Strawberry Plains north of Knoxville, and everybody knows that Lookout Mountain is in Chattanooga. They even have a town named McMinnville after one in Middle Tennessee.

These mountain people with their ranches and gun-justice as different from those in the East. The western part of the United States was full of outlaws, cowboys, bank robbers, those who bought their own justice. These legal maneuverings took place in conference rooms, hallways, anywhere except the courtroom where the judge is supposed to be impartial and dispense justice fairly. It never works that way. Most judgments are decided on in private conferences and already in written form before the perpetrator ever gets to stand before his judge.

This story is no exception. From start to finish, you know that the accused is not guilty of her husband's murder, which she thought had been a possible suicide. Her lawyers take her on an emotional joyride before making sure she goes free. But, that's the way lawyers enjoy doing things. It makes them feel like saviors and deserving of the high costs they exact for play-acting in and out of court. Criminal lawyers bluff their way by blackmailing the other side, and sometimes the judge. Judges love to grandstand. It's all here in much detail. In the past, I worked for some lawyers and know first hand how the judges use and abuse them, sometimes just for the fun of it. Once, I was told by the police chief that "don't you know, there is no justice." I do know that smalltown judges hate big city lawyers, and will do anything in their power to see that they lose the case. Now, that's not justice. It's not what our Constitution stands for, nor what the accused is guaranteed under the laws of this land. In the West, they make their own laws, and always have.

Kate Wilhelm likes to write about legal matters; she did write a science fiction classic, WHERE LATE THE STREET BIRDS SANG, and THE GOOD CHILDREN destined to be made into a movie. She is from Oregon and uses that background for the subjects she knows.

"No Defense" brings out the best in Kate Wilhelm's style of courtroom drama. The reality of the criminal courtroom in her series is really not the time in court (punctuated by unexpected admissions of guilt or anguish by witnesses or defendants, that you see in TV courtrooms) but the planning, strategy and negotiation that goes on before the trial starts, during the trial, in and around the offices of the defense and the prosecutor, and the location where the defendant is held until the trial is concluded.

Without the hystrionics, Wilhelm's courtroom may be a little too colorless for both, as well might her main character, Barbara,
who has no quirky behaviors or hidden secrets. Barbara's main relationship in life is with her attorney father - another reason why the series may be too boring for those who like the addition of sex and violence.

Nevertheless, the straightforward telling of a murder case that may have been a suicide was difficult for me to put down, and the final actions and reactions that reveal the murderer, and a lot of the town secrets, kept me guessing up to the final pages.
Throw in some terrific writing about scenic Oregon (most of us will learn for the first time about the desert in the eastern part of the state), and a bit of comedy connected with Frank Holloway's budding career as a writer, and you get a terrific tale that you will really enjoy.

A talented, award-winning novelist who can outcraft the "attorneys who are also novelists", Wilhelm will quickly become a favorite for you.

If you like mysteries, then you should read about Barbara Holloway, super sleuth/lawyer who rescues another victim of shady proceedings. This one barely had any defense when Barbara is called upon to defend the wife of a man who was killed in an accident. Only, after an investigation, the man was discovered to be murdered and the spotlight of suspicion turns upon his wife. Barbara has to find evidence that the wife didn't do it ~~ and she takes you along on a journey of investigating what really happened that night on the mountaintop!!

Once again, Kate Wilhelm takes you along for a ride. She draws you into the story ~~ just look at the first sentence in the book ... "The rising sun is veiled with desert haze, rose-red streaks extending north and south against a royal blue that only gradually turns maeve." And there you go ... hooked into the story with its backdrop against the desert and the mountains.

Wilhem is a master writer ~~ everyone should try reading one of her Holloway books and once they do, they're fans for life. Wilhelm doesn't disappoint her readers!!

REVIEW There are times when I'm just plain tired of high powered legal thrillers. You know the type. The featured attorney is either the most eligible bachelor in town or the most drop-dead gorgeous female to ever grace a courtroom. And while defending their clients, they become embroiled in a life-or-death struggle with the real villain of the piece --- barely escaping bullets, bombs, and the like. Sound familiar?

In NO DEFENSE Kate Wilhelm has recaptured the good old-fashioned courtroom drama, the Perry Mason style of suspense, and done it admirably. No fireworks, no superhero stunts, no murderers lurking in dark hallways; just tough investigating, smart deducing and a few courtroom theatrics to heighten the anticipation. It works.

Wilhelm's featured character, Barbara Holloway, is a defense attorney with a passion for seemingly hopeless cases. When her father Frank is approached by a young woman with a mysterious request for legal advice, he enlists Barbara's help to unravel a peculiar puzzle. Lara Jessup's husband has died under mysterious circumstances. Was it suicide or murder? What happened to the documents he was supposedly taking to Harris McReady that night, and what was in them? And what does a large box of papers --- years worth of investigation into this powerful man, Judge McReady, --- have to do with Vinny Jessup's death and the disappearance of Vinny's son years ago?

Even though the Holloways suspect McReady is involved, as well as his powerful in-laws, Thomas and Anna Lynch (who are backing McReady for a Supreme Court judgeship), they soon find that their client was seen at the site of the murder and is the one being charged. It doesn't help that the Jessup's were a May-December marriage and there's a large insurance policy involved. With no apparent defense, Barbara and her team must research the perplexing mound of paperwork to discover why the judge, his wife Babe, and his father-in-law are all so anxious to find the originals of those missing documents and railroad Lara into a plea bargain.

Not only is the blow by blow courtroom narrative fascinating, but the characters that Wilhelm has fashioned are interesting people that add further dimension to the storyline itself. Take Manny Truewater, for instance. A Native American lawyer who shared a practice with Vinny, he knows the history behind the Jessups, the Lynchs and McReady. He moves in and out of scenes, dropping tantalizing details and throwing up a few roadblocks here and there to antagonize the opposition. He's a man with more insight than others realize and who knows far more than he's telling.

Barbara's father is someone you'd love to know; someone you'd fondly describe as "a character." He's the anchor that keeps Barbara from drifting into trouble, the calming influence when the case appears lost, and the inveterate social butterfly who can get literally anyone to tell him anything. Toss in a wiseacre investigator named Bailey, who hates working in the desert heat and never met a meal he didn't like, and you've got a mix of people ripe with personality to add a bit of fun to the lawyerly proceedings.

NO DEFENSE may be a little too laid-back for those who demand larger-than-life heroes, psychotics running amuck, and a body count that could populate Toledo. But then again, if you enjoy grappling with whodunnits that will keep you riveted, Kate Wilhelm is just the ticket.

--- Reviewed by Ann L. Bruns

Combine a suicide which might be a murder, a young widow with a big insurance payoff, an old unsolved disappearance/murder, a rich family which controls the county, and a federal judge with secrets and you have the ingredients for a first-rate mystery. As this story unfolds and Barbara Holloway, a no-nonsense lawyer, comes onboard to protect the interests of the widow, we know that something dark happened and we know that more than one person is hiding knowledge of just what happened. Not until near the end, however, does the author unveil the explosive secrets. This novel will grab your attention from the beginning and the suspense will sustain you 'til the denouement. It is, in a word, excellent.

Pour a glass of Evolution Wine and kick back with this entertaining memoir. If the technical aspects of starting and maintaining a business is not a favorite reading topic there is still plenty of life drama going on that is highly readable and easy to relate to. Having lived in Oregon for 22 years and seen (and tasted) the state's wine industry mature I was fascinated with finding out the inside story. If you live in Oregon you might enjoy a few "I was there" moments when the author describes the wonderful concert series in her vineyard. Ah yes...Johnny Mathis under the full moon. Wonderful memory, wonderful book.

I found Hargrave's autobiography pompous and dull, but Susan Sokol Blosser's account of building a life in the Dundee Hills of Oregon speaks to me on many levels--as a woman working in the wine industry, a woman working with her husband, a woman running her own business, and a mother. Susan turns her trials into triumphs and exercises a sense of humor along the way. From the Great Goose Experiment to the day her tearful son rides his bike all the way to school by himself, this is a story that will transport you into "The Life" of owning a vineyard and winery, with a judicial salting of reality and romance.

This book, down to the "pioneer" theme,and dustjacket synopsis, seems to owe a significant debt to Louisa Thomas Hargrave's The Vineyard, which covered similar territory at a similar time on Long Island's North Fork.

Well, except when the weather deals them an unwelcome clout....

I live smack dab in the middle of wine country (California) myself, but am no vintner. And it happens I took a scouting trip to the McMinnville vicinity in Oregon last year, thinking it a prospective new home. So, when I spied the lush, green-vined cover of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD, I was hooked and had to investigate one woman's (and her family's) experiences establishing and nurturing grapes from plant to bottle.

Susan Sokol Blosser writes a chatty, wide-ranging history beginning in late 1970, when she gave birth to her first son and her then-husband Bill "closed the deal on our first piece of vineyard land." She traces the stages of the vineyard and the winery that was built later with an easy, honest style that disarms and charms. It is soon apparent that this woman is an engine of energy. During the years her three children are small, she mainly toils in the vineyard, tilling, planting, picking, spraying, fertilizing, etc. But she also finds time to join the school board and various associations. She also teaches briefly at a McMinnville college. Later, she is twice a candidate for state public office, once losing by a questionable "whisker." As the family wine business expands, so does the wine industry in Oregon. Susan and Bill do their part to uphold and promote the burgeoning reputation Oregon wine slowly acquires -- particularly its Pinot Noir which grows full-bodied in the cooler Northwest climate. In 1990, Susan takes over from Bill as president of their winery and slowly refinances and then gains full ownership of the enterprise. She changes winemakers to improve quality. She travels widely and often to see distributors and explore new markets. She modernizes the labels on their bottles and gains national attention with a blended white wine. She deals with lawsuits and legislative hurdles. She also decides to shift to organic operations and embraces sustainable agriculture. Then, in the early years of the new millennium, she decides she will focus on gradually handing over the reins of power to the son and daughter who have decided to follow their parents into the family business.

While the author relates the chronology of the vineyard and winery she owns and manages, she doesn't ignore the personal side. AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD includes some cute anecdotes about farm pets, and it mentions family concerns such as her father's Alzheimer's without dwelling on them. At one point, I wondered how in the world anyone could juggle so many balls in the air -- family, business, many friendships, and political activism. Something seemed bound to tumble. Well, something did, and the author unflinchingly, and without wallowing, tackles the changes in her life after the children grew up and left the nest.

For anyone who has ever considered starting up a winery, AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD illustrates the kind of commitment and fortitude such an undertaking requires. But even if you aren't planning on being the entrepreneur that all the members of the Sokol Blosser family are; if you seek stories about rural life, want to know more about the Willamette Valley, or are interested in one outspoken and undaunted woman's adventures as a corporate executive, then snag a copy of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD and -- maybe with a glass of wine in hand -- imbibe it cover to cover.

This is a brilliant book written by a highly intelligent and unusual woman. It is probably headed towards becoming a minor classic. Like all great books it is not easy to classify. At its most superficial it purports to be a history of the Oregon wine industry, a subject of limited interest. At another level it is a business autobiography by a woman who heads a successful Oregon winery, a subject of slightly wider appeal. Yet both levels simply form a frame to answer more eternal questions: who am I and how did I get to be who I am? At that deeper level the book may come to have a more lasting life.

Emerging into adulthood in the early 1970's the author and her husband bought land in Oregon and planted grape vines which ultimately led to the Sokol-Blosser Winery. That they were in their early twenties with no business experience, no knowledge of the wine industry, and no knowledge of agricultural did not then occur to them as an insurmountable obstacle. Nearly forty years later after taking over the business from her husband, surviving the disinvestment of her brothers, droughts, rain storms, a volcanic eruption, separation from business partners, 20% interest rates, three children, a three-legged cat, recalcitrant geese, a mid-life divorce, love unexpectedly found anew, success in business and failure in politics, the author recounts with great honesty the trials and tribulations of a woman's life in the second half of the 20th century as mother, wife, and CEO.

While the author ascribes the emerging success of her business mainly to determination and some luck, her intelligence and judgment shine through and provide a more convincing explanation. That no rancor invades the author's tale, despite many instances where bitterness and acrimony would be a natural response, suggests that her skill and judgment in negotiating difficult situations may have counted more heavily than simple determination. The author's seriousness is often leavened with humor. It is a book well worth reading.

As a native Portlander who had spent many days on Mt. Hood, I remember rather clearly those days back in May of 1986 when the tragedy referred to in this book took place. I remember the painful days when searchers were looking for the kids trapped on the mountain, and I remember the swirl of controversy and questions that surrounded the days, or weeks after the accident.

One of the materializations that still stick out is how even though a tremendous amount of energy went into trying to understand how and why this happened. And even though several reports were written by various sources, nothing absolute, detailed and concrete was presented in the form of investigative journalism written for the public. Even though as a mountaineer I had read virtually everything I could on the tragedy, there were several pieces in the puzzle still not told. Parts of those pieces could only be told by the dead. But other parts could be filled in by four main survivors. Survivors that for one reason or the other, remained rather silent. Perhaps for disrespect of blaming the dead (as the group leader, who made the most decisions, did not survive). While this is understandable, it doesn't sit very well for those trying to understand what happened. Especially when professed by those wanting to make sure this never happens again. Even to this day, I am not completely certain what went on up there. Perhaps one may think I have too much of a morbid curiosity, but I believe my feelings are felt by many.

All of this leads us to this book. Written by the mother of one of the survivors (Giles). Who was perhaps the toughest survivor. While this book recants some of what had already been covered in most all of the reports, it still does not fill in the missing blanks. But I must state, that once that is accepted (probably more difficult for those of us who remember what happened, and what didn't), this book is quite well written from a very personal, caring viewpoint. The difficulties and recovery of the mother and the son are quite powerful, and sometimes inspiring. It is truly an amazing story that touches the reader on a deep level.

All that said, if you, like me, are looking for a final detailed account of the 1986 OES Mt. Hood tragedy, this book isn't it. But what it is, is a moving drama of a family's will to survive and understand life in the face of tremendous adversity, and can be recommended on that level.

Retelling this incredible true story is a triumph and needs a place on every parent's bookshelf. While reading about Giles and his tremendous ordeal, one cannot help but wonder what his/her own reaction would have been if put into a similar situation. Mrs. Holaday's factual account of what happened is so moving - going from the lowest depths of human emotions to the highest possible ones is told with a frankly refreshing candor. The compilation of feelings running through Mrs. Holaday as she maintains her vigil at the Providence Hospital in Portland are soul revealing. Gazing upon her son struggling for life, she takes us back to her English background and then her travels into the world and all the factors that came to make her and her family what they are. Definitely a worthy read of the 5 star caliber. Hopefully, Mrs. Holaday will publish a children's version of the accident for a younger audience.

Through mere coincidense I had the opportunty to first meet Giles Thompson and a few weeks later get to know Ann Holaday. During my meeting with Giles he mentioned very little of his accident and his mother never talked about it, they both live a normal life. It was only through luck and a little bit of detective work that I discovered Ms. Holaday's book. I am thrilled that I did find it. Initially I was hoping for a book similiar to "Into Thin Air" in it's depth of the experience on the mountain. I quickly found that it was not the tale of the horrors on the mountain, however it is a story of survival after the disaster. The story really starts with Giles coming off of the mountain and finding the extent of the damage to his body and the difficulty in overcoming those challenges related to his recovery and learning to live again.

I think it is a great book for anyone who faces challenges in the life and an inspirational story for all. Ms. Holaday is a talented writer and a refreshing pen in the world of literature.

I know the expression "couldn't put is down" is not original, but that's how it was with this book. So often I had to blink back tears and swallow the lump in my throat as I read. The story of the devasting impact the Tragedy has on a family and the way courage, hope and prayer help them carry on is awe-inspiring.

This moving and poignant story begans on Monday afernoon, May 12, 1986, when a routine climb on Mt. Hood, Oregon, turned into a nightmare. Ten students from Oregon Episcopal School and three adults were caught in a freak snowstorm. With no visibility and at least one student suffering from hypothermia, the party dug into a samll snowcave. The next morning, the guide and a student managed to decend the mountain, thus begining a frantic search that would end up lasting well over two days.

Ann Holoday, the author, was one of the parents who saw hope fade as the storm left any sign of the cave and its climbers buried under an emmense white blanket, while another approaching storm left rescuers with a dwindling timeline. Her son, Giles Thompson, was one of the sophomores on the annual climb. As she recalls those dark hours of gazing at Mt. Hood from Timberline Lodge (Built as one of F. Roosevelt's WPA projects), Ann recalls the circumstances that led her family to the Pacific Northwest, from England, Puerto Rico, and Texas. The author recalls times of joy, but also uncertainty about leaving England, guilt about a career that left too little time for her three children, and a bitterweet recollection of a marriage that almost ended, but came together before her husband's death from cancer. Remarriage led her family to Longview, WA, and her children to OES in Portland, OR.

As rescuers were about to end their search on Thursday afternoon, May 15, a probe struck a backpack near the cave's entrance. Of the 11 who had been in the cave 72 hours, only two would survived; Giles, and a girl, Brittany.

For Giles, recovery would be especially grueling. For a week he was unconsious with his survival in doubt, before doctors were forced to ammutate Gile's legs. The proceedure worked, freeing his system from the toxins brought by dead tissue, but the following weeks brought more compications, infections, and multiple surgeries. One feels the pain of Giles as his mother recalls in detail the long ordeal.

Finally, in August, Giles was able to return home, and, the following month, to OES. Memories of the climb, trying to study with nerve damaged hands, and learning to walk with prosthetics provided more challenges.

Giles adjusted, though, and Ann recalls with pride her son's success at learning to ski again, even participating in the Handicap Olympics and becoming active in Ted Kennedy Jr's (who lost a leg to cancer) organization, Facing the Challenge.

Giles gruaduated from OES and Colorado College and now lives in Seattle with his wife and two young children. His brother and sister are doing well, too, as are Ann and her husband. Yes, there are happy endings.

Ann's ending for her book includes this statement: "If this book leaves the reader with any one thought, I would like it to be the celebration of this human spirit which brings us closer together in times of trouble. I don't think we will ever completely recover from the accident, but it is possible to move on and get on with life."

Surley, that is a thought all of us need to ponder. In any life there are storms and sorrows, struggles and sacrafices, but with faith, hope, and the love of family and fiends, we can endure. Ann Holoday does a marvelous job of sharing her son's great struggle, and how their family endured. I would highly recommend that everyone read, "The Mountain Never Cries."

I thoroughly enjoyed Set Me Free from beginning to end. I didn't want to put the book down and when I did I found myself thinking about the characters. I loved the characters Amelia, Helen and Willa and felt that I personally knew them. For a book that spans decades and a continent, it was extremely easy to follow. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's Set Me Free is a must-read.

I ADORE Beverly-Whittemore's first novel. It's one of my all-time favorites and I bought several copies for my friends. Her follow up was a huge disappoint to me. After reading the 5 previous reviews, I wondered if we all read the same book. I do not feel that any of the characters except Helen, are completely developed. Even Cal, whose thoughts occupy a huge portion of the book, fails to deliver on his motivations. Although his story is developed, as far as his relationship with his father and his experiences at Harvard, I did not find his character particularly compelling or sympathetic. The character of Elliot Barrows remains a complete mystery to me. I am a fan of the Bard, but the secondary story of the Tempest seemed contrived and ill-fitted, considering the outcome of the story. I was so disappointed when I saw where this story was going. The ending was both unrealistic and boring.
I look forward to her 3rd novel, where hopefully she will return to characters that are fully developed.

In Set Me Free, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore has created a novel that brilliantly delves into the intangible elements that make up the human identity: background, culture, race, economic conditions, stature, nature vs. nurture. The soul-searching questions that each character asks of themselves as their lives combine in the page-turning plot, are both personal and general to us all. Their secrets, that Whittemore deftly unveils as the story moves towards its tragic and enlightening climax, are as much about self-preservation as self-awareness.

The main protagonist, Elliot, has as much to prove to himself, given his on-the-surface life of opportunity as Cal, a man struggling against his perceived binds of heritage. Helen, the woman ultimately linked deeply to both, finally finds out who she really is, by leaving all she thought she was behind. And, by the time the story ends, the teenage girls, Amelia and Willa, gain more personal clarity at a younger age than the generation before them.

In all, Set Me Free, is a beautifully written, sensitive and provocative book, full of insights into the human condition and what makes us tick.

Set Me Free is an engaging read about the facts and fictions that make up each character's identity and family. It is an absolute must read for Shakespeare fans. With its creative use of an old story to structure the telling of a new one, it would be a fun book to discuss in a class or book club. After the first few pages, I just couldn't put it down.

The story probes the heart of relationships (familial, romantic, friendships) - how we connect with others, how we hold on to ideas of people long after they have proved us wrong (or right), how we deceive people, even those we care deeply about and for.

A wonderful mixture of the past and the present. Different narrations and points of view keep the story captivating until the very end. Difficult to set down.

I bought this book several years ago after hearing the author speak in
Gering, NE. I especially liked the pictures of the women who made the quilts included with thier stories. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in quilt history!

This wonderful book landed in my hands while I was researching a quilting project for 4th graders in California. The stories were an inspiration. This is one of those must haves for any quilters library.

One of the most interesting books on quilts I ever read. The histories of the lives of the women described in the book shows, what, apart from their family chores they contributed to social and cultural live in those hard times. With nothing on hand they intended to enrich the lives of their dears and their owns and given the fact, that there was a lack of goods for surviving, they even cared for their quilts and brought them to Oregon.

America can be proud for their wives and their contribution to its history. These words from a person who is not american and from a country where there is no tradition of quilting but who deeply admires this part of America.

Between 1840 & 1870 thousands of women arrived in the American Northwest Territory by way of the Oregon Trail. Stored away for months in trunks specially built to protect them from the hazards of weather & rivers, fire & dust, a host of heirloom quilts found new homes in the wilderness of a new frontier.

Treasures in the Trunk is a splendid catalog of the inventiveness of these women, their eye for color & design & the stories of where they came from, were they going & what happened along the way.

Each quilt is presented in detailed photography & discussion of how it was sewn, fabrics of the time, stitching & designs. "White on White"; "Red & Green Tulip"; "Poke Stalk", "Double Irish Chain"; "Rose of Sharon"; "Lily"; "Harlow Album Quilt"; "Star"; "Setting Sun"; "Oregon Rose"; "Wandering Foot" & "Oregon Trail" is just a handful of the featured quilts.

Treasures in the Trunk is far, far more than a simple quilt sampler, it is a fascinating diary of an adventure that fired the imagination of people as far away as Russia, Italy & Scandanavia & generations of girls & boys, looking for the bright & wild edges beyond which lived strange & wonderful things. For anyone who loves quilting & history! Do check out my site for my full review & eInterview with this quilt historian & other books on quilting.

I enjoyed this book but by the time I closed the cover, it felt more like an introduction. It's a lovely volume but seems there were only a handful of quilts highlighted. This subject and the fine writing and beautiful pictures could easily have sustained twice as many pages, and I was hoping for a more exhaustive portrait. Still, a good book to own for the historical insight.

I like the size, color and composition of this book. It looks and feels good (soft pages). In addition, it's got up-to-date references for many wonderful places to hike around Portland. I found it easy to comprehend. Great gift!

Great idea for a book- put together a list of hikes that makes it easy to decide what to do outdoors on a surprise sunny day off that are a short drive from a large urban area. Alas, the devil is in the details- the writing is adequate (you'd have to be a pretty poor writer to blow it in a three paragraph description) but the editing is atrocious. When compared to a Falcon Press, Nauvilus, or Mountaineers Book, it is obvious that the publisher has no clue about the subject matter. For example, it's organized strangely- hikes are organized by placename, not physical location. (Since the book's premise is based on a geographic organization, I would have assumed that it would have come naturally)

The real downfall of this book is that there are no descriptive maps to speak of and the driving directions aren't as clear they should be. While this book has plenty of other faults, it would have been nice to know details like which hikes need a high ground clearance vehicle to reach, or what seasons are appropriate for a given hike.

This book is dirt cheap, which is both a blessing and a curse- meaning that a limited run publisher isn't going to put much money into editing. The glaring lack of editorial direction seriously diminishes the utility of the book. I can't see how anyone who has actually used this book, aside from the author or his friends and family, could give this book five stars.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles by hiking expert and travel writer Paul Gerald showcases a full sixty superbly developed trails within an hour's drive of Portland, Oregon. These are enthusiastically recommended excursions that offer mountain views, forest solitudes, magnificent waterfalls, and wonderful ocean beaches. From flower-filled meadows on Saddle Mountain to a spectacular view of Multnomah Falls (the highest in the state), 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles is additionally enhanced with a list of hikes appropriate for children, ideal for wildlife watching, impressive for multi-use, seclusion, and local history.

An excellent guide for day trips around Portland. The author is an acqaintance of mine and on several occasions I witnessed the care with which he took in making book an accurate guide to Portland-area hiking. Gerald is a great writer and he not only gives you the details of the hike (like clear directions on how to get there, an art all too often lost in Portland hiking books), but puts the hike in a brief desciptive context of history, forestry and asthetics that is rare in a hiking book. The book helps the hiker know more about Oregon and its natural treasures.

Over the past 25 years I've bought dozens of Pacific Northwest hiking guides and this is just about the most enjoyable one I've ever owned. It is about the only hiking guide I've ever sat down and systematically read from cover to cover, simply because it was such a joy to read and because it contained so many treasures. The author isn't merely interested in telling you how to get there and how not to miss a turn in the trail, but he shows a genuine love for each of these hikes, pointing out what is amazing about each of them, often giving a little history about the trail or other anecdotes associated with a hike, including personal experiences which are genuinely amusing or informative. I especially enjoy his appreciation of trails through old growth forests, something you don't often see in hiking guides. Most hiking guides seem to get worked up only by big, expansive views, but this author sees beauty and magnificence on all scales. Although I was familiar with at least half of these hikes, I learned about a lot of new ones that I've already started exploring. For example, check out the old growth noble firs along the PCT from Barlow Pass to the overlooks at White River Canyon. These trees are absolutely mind-boggling, not because they're big around but because they grow so amazingly tall and straight. It stimulated me to read more about these trees and I learned that they can soar into such heights with so little girth because the wood is hard and light. No Douglas Fir could get this tall without putting six feet of girth on themselves. Here you see flawless, branchless trunks as straight as nature can make them, no more than three to four feet in diameter with no perceptible taper rising two hundred feet like the pillars in a cathedral before finally displaying a puff of foliage at the top no more than 15 feet wide and 30 feet tall. And then the emerald forest of moss-infested silver firs and mountain hemlocks that follow closer to timberline have the head shaking in wonder over such stunning beauty. Thanks to this author, I discovered this incredibly beautiful section of trail after hiking all over Mt. Hood for 25 years without having discovered it. There are lots of other new possibilities of this magnitude for me that I am eager to try out, thanks to the enthusiasm and attention to detail of this author.

This is a great book to have. NO COLOR pictures, but I use it to learn more about the birds I have already identified with my field guides. Highly recommend it if you are learning about birds in our State. Information on diets, nesting, migration and very detailed areas of sightings.

The reviews so far seem to refer to the original hardback edition.

Are there any differences in content between the hard and paper editions?

A week or more ago I wrote a review for this book. What happened to it?

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and have more than a passing interest in birds, you'll eventually invest in this book. It is not a field guide. It has very few illustrations. It is a reference. As such it is filled will information on distribution, phenology, behavior and much more regarding the 480 plus birds that have, so far, been recorded in Oregon. There is no other modern source like it, at least for Oregon. The last reference to come close was written in 1940 (Gabrielson and Jewett's Birds of Oregon).

Is it perfect? No. Many of the distribution maps generated from the Oregon Breeding Bird Atlas are suspect. A few of the accounts are, arguably, incomplete. Many authors contributed to the final work, this is no a criticism in and of itself given the number of accounts that had to be written, but this has led to some inconsistencies in completeness. For example, Ring-billed Gull shows up on the Breeding Bird Atlas for the lower Columbia River, but this is not mentioned in the written account.

Nit picking aside, this is a impressive work. The bibliography alone makes it worth the price.

I sure should have read the reviews before buying this book. If you want color, feast your eyes on the dust cover because that's all you get. Be sure you have your field guide handy.

If I could give this another half star, I would; it's a solid 3.5.

The author was sooo authentic with the feelings of despair, rage, emptiness that a marriage on the rocks experiences. I know, I've felt those emotions myself.

But after taking us through the depths of their despair, I was hoping the author would let us soar through the clouds a little with the couple by the end of the story. There was so much time spent on their problems, I was just hoping to be able to see them living together happily for a little while. I know the novel ended with a feeling of hope, but I wanted to see more of that in action.

I also found the flashbacks a little distracting. Some of them were good, but I skipped several.

This book is such a powerful piece of writing. I know for me it hit home. I went through many years of a difficult marriage and have seen God do some amazing things so when I read this it was very meaningful. It would make a wonderful gift for struggling couples or even those newly married. The message is timely for all of us. Karen has done an excellent job in bringing the reality of us as humans and how God can take something broken and make it new. I can't say enough good about this book. It is very emotional and I recommend a box of kleenex beside you when you read it. It's a keeper.

The Breaking Point is an excellent, honest way of dealing with issues of love and intense pain in a marriage, and the trials that come with. This novel shows a couple's way of working through their issues over a period of years until they find peace with God and each other. It illustrates how there are no quick fixes. I love how the author delves into the hero and heroine's pasts and shows how their childhood influenced the way they viewed the world and themselves even after salvation and how they had to be willing to allow God to heal them individually before they could love each other as they wanted and needed as a couple. It also gave a great accounting of the consequences of sin and the ramification of that one mistake over the years of their marriage. A friend of mine is going through the exact same thing right now. She isn't a Christian, but is open to the Lord. She just lost her baby and was almost six months pregnant and she is struggling to cope. She wants to read The Breaking Point because I told her about the similarities. I hope and pray that full understanding of who God is, and His power to heal, will result from her reading this book.

This has to be one of the most grace-filled books to be published in the Christian marketplace. Karen Ball doesn't evade or diminish the pain of the characters' story, but instead writes a riveting novel about what God can do with the patience and perseverance--and trust--of his hurting children.

The author has written an honest, realistic novel about real people and a real God. Powerful writing, wonderful characters, and a memorable story about a marriage worth fighting for.

This is Hallmark movie material--and a great read!

Gabe and Renee Roman were driving almost blind from the blizzard wracking the Oregon Mountains because he wanted to get home to put an end to this miserable trip. Renee and even their Husky Bo are frightened with this storm that leaves visibility at zero. However, Renee is also worried that she and Gabe are finished as a couple as they can no longer communicate and when they do the receiver misinterprets the sender. As Renee ponders the future, suddenly Gabe warns her as their vehicle plunges off the mountainside.

Perhaps it was the deep snow or more likely an act of God, but the three travelers survive the crash though Gabe is unconscious. Somehow they must survive the weather, their feelings towards one another, and a cougar with the most dangerous being their animosity, for to survive, they must work as a team and find their lost beliefs in God because they will need a miracle.

Inspirational romantic suspense readers will appreciate this delightful cliffhanger. Flashbacks provide depth to the lead couple, but also slows down the action caused by the current peril. The "re-finding" of God is brilliantly incorporated into the plot in a no atheist in the foxhole manner yet Karen Ball makes the growing hope and belief seem genuine, as readers will believe in miracles. Fans will reassess what is truly their personal THE BREAKING POINT while enjoying a powerful contemporary tale.

Harriet Klausner