Northwest Books

Excellent reference book for anyone who grows or plans to grow native plants. Will likely go out of print. Highly recommended for the native plant lover or nursery grower. Unusual book.

I enjoyed reading Jerry Gold's lively book of interviews. It is hard to understand how anybody could be so silly as to start a small press. What impressed me however was to see the range and depth and the money that can be made by publishing cook books, especially. You get a good cross-section of the intellectual and non-intellectual milieu of the northwest -- with all its paranoia, its utopianism, its peculiar optimism. I especially liked the interviews with Jean-Louis Brindamour, David Brewster, Dan Levant, and some of the older figures, whose interviews span decades, and give a sense of whole lives. Some of the younger people interviewed, especially if they grew up exclusively in the northwest, don't have as much to say. The book seems especially good from the viewpoint of understanding what makes publishers tick, psychologically. I liked the book and I'd personally rate it a ten, but I think the average book buyer might be a bit baffled by the reason for its existence. I see it as a very good oral history of a very interesting profession.

Author C.F. Frank's award winning book (Reader's Choice Award 2005 - American Authors Association) "Qismah" is still on my personal list of recommended books. It is great entertainment and delivers a punch with action, adventure, mystery, and even romance.

The author writes without any emotional restrictions. She puts her characters in peril and captures the reader's heart with the direction of the plot. It is a book that will bring you a few hours of enjoyment and would make a great book to take along on a trip or a vacation to read.

This book bridges cultures and social behaviors with a well-constructed plot and action. The book will be hard to put down. I totally recommend this book to all readers of adventure and romance books. This is one of the best!

Marvin S. Hill's "Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism" (1989) analyzes Mormonism as a movement steeped in disgust for American society and an attempt to build a refuge that would be able to weather a great apocalypse that was soon to come upon the Earth. Those who embraced Mormonism, Hill argued, saw little of worth in American civilization. "They wanted a society that would exclude unnecessary choices and would exclude pluralism," he wrote. "Above all, they wanted to diminish the secular influences that pluralism engendered" (p. 14).

The Latter-day Saint movement was founded on a paranoia that the world had gone awry and would subvert or coopt them if it had the chance. The result was an effort to close off the outside world, "to revitalize this magical world view [of Medieval society, to] combine it with elements of more traditional Christianity, and [to] establish a theocratic society where the unconverted, the poor, and the socially and religiously alienated could gather and find a refuge from the competing sects and the uncertainties they engendered" (p. 17).

It is a powerful thesis, masterfully argued and one that should be pondered seriously by all those seeking to understand the early history of Mormonism.

I highly recommend this book. Although it is out of print, find a second-hand copy, read it, and lend it to your friends.

A breathtaking synopsis of North America's best kept secrete, "The Rain Forests of Home" give the reader an in-depth look at some of the most beautiful lanscape the earth has to offer. The intelligent insight from some of America's top biologists is verbalized in a way that even George W. could follow. This is a must read for anyone who takes interest in wildlife, nature, or just their surroundings in general. I had a fabulous time indulging myself in this fountain of information, and I highly recommend it.

Collaboratively written by ornithologists Thomas Bosakowski and Dwight G. Smith, Raptors Of The Pacific Northwest is an informed and informative guidebook enhanced with splendid color photographs of hawks, falcons, owls, kites, and even turkey vultures native to the American Pacific Northwest. Detailed information is accessibly provided for each species' habitat, nesting and young-raising behaviors, diet, and much more are covered in this superbly presented field guide very highly recommended for anyone with a keen interest in this fascinating birds of prey.

"Raven is the protagonist in a cycle of Native American and eastern Siberian folktales that portray him on the one hand as a trickster, the comical malefactor who often becomes the butt of his own jokes; and on the other hand as a transformer, creator, or culture hero who puts the sun in the sky, forms rivers and regulates the tides, creates humans and animals, and brings fire to the human race. But a raven figure appears in the mythologies of other cultures as well. In western tradition, the raven is accociated with the Greek Apollo and the Norse Odin. The Ainu of Japan, the Australian aborigines, the Malays, and the Vietnamese tell raven stories that are tantalizingly similar to those of North America and Siberia.

Raven Tales presents an intriguing selection of raven stories from all over the world, and the MOST COMPLETE STUDY OF THESE STORIES EVER PUBLISHED.
Few readers will be able to resist speculating on the form of the tales and their cultural significance, or fail to marvel at the startling humor, insight, and perspective they provide on the human condition.

[from the back of the jacket of the book]

My husband is a model railroader, and loves this book!

Sam MCKinney's books are what inspired me to build my power sharpie (see my other reviews). I'm 70, and I figured if he can do it so can I. So I can't wait to get my boat done and follow his Colimbia River tracks. He was a dedicated, motivated, independant, off the wall, adventurous Waterman that dedicated his life to the water and helping youth learn outdoor skills. His writings are simple, homey, and inspiring. Get them all.

Terry Lesh

Peter John Raposa takes us on a adventure on how it feels to sudddenly be out of control of ones body. His anxiety consumes his every thought and daily activities when he first experiences a heart arrythmia (benign skipped beats). I found this book by accident, looking for advice on how to cope with the same condition. PJR conveys his feelings, fears and eventually his acceptance and coping techniques through easy to read pages. Highly recommend this book. Also references other books and nutrition.