Montana Books

Makes you want to lace up the old hiking boots and get out there, fill the lungs with that Montana mountain air. If you love the outdoors it should be on your must read list.

173 roadside markers are described in this book, arranged by section of the state. How many times have you been driving along a road when suddenly a historical marker appears along the side and there is no way to stop and read it? Books like this eliminate the frustration of passing those markers by. And from the amount of text on Montana's signs, it is much more convenient reading it from a book than from the sign itself. There is also a thorough index and a useful bibliography included. The book would be interesting to armchair travelers, too. A convenient way for travelers to learn Montana's history.

This account of the Vigilantes of Bannack and Virginia City is well documented and verifies, or, is verified by, Dimsdale's account of the vigilantes. My great-grandfather, Bob Dempsey, was a citizen of Bannack and had a ranch between Bannack and Virginia City. He was not involved with the members of Plummer's gang but somewhat on the fringe of things. My grandfather James Dempsey married Ellen LeCompte in Virginia City. Williams was the leader of the vigilantes but did not want his name used in the Dimsdale account. This account is accurate and can be verified by historical records available. Vi

Collaboratively compiled and written by Kirby Lambert, Patricia M. Burnham, and Susan R. Near, Montana's State Capitol: The People's House is a truly stunning presentation of the majesty of Montana's State Capitol building. Both black-and-white and color photographs of the interior and exterior architecture, classical artworks, and freeze-frame moments of history enhance an informative text in this visually masterful book. The reader is provided with an informed and informative text discussing the construction of the capitol, as well as the paintings and sculpture within. Browsing through the pages of Montana's State Capitol is an experience that is the next best thing to actually being within the Montana Capitol building itself.

Very good information to learn how to garden in another state. This book also explains high altitude gardening along with some very excellent tips and alternative ways to garden naturally. The only thing I would change is all gardening for each month together instead of Trees with 12 months of monthly tips, then another section and another till all categories are covered.

I grew up with Dick Hoskins on the Flathead in western Montana. He was a year ahead of me and was one of the brightest students that ever graduated from Charlo High School. He went in the Navy and I had a agricultural deferment and later went in the Army. We both graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington in 1950. I have read both of Dicks books and think they are great. He even mentioned me in one of them. Everything he says in the books is a lie but based on true life events during the 30's and 40's I'm looking forward to the next book and may even give him some ideas to put in it.

"Elanor Fraser Huntsberger was born on a homestead in one of the few remaining frontier areas in the United States - Northeastern Montana. Determined to get a high school education, however, she moved to Great Falls Montana, where she worked as a domestic while attending school." (From back cover)
The life of an extrordinary woman from her own perspective. A great read!

If you love your mysteries gentle, bloodless and with a heaping helping of scripture and inspiration, then try curling up with WHISPERS THROUGH THE TREES, the first installment in the 14-book Mysteries of Sparrow Island series with multiple authors.

Sisters Susan Plunkett and Krysteen Seelen team up for book one, which introduces Abigail "Abby" Stanton, a Cornell ornithologist and godly 55-year-old career woman who has made a name for herself in the birding world. When her widowed sister Mary, a florist, is in a terrible car accident, Abby takes a sabbatical from her job. She returns home to the fictional Sparrow Island (just off the coast of Washington State in the real-life San Juan Islands) to help care for Mary until she can live alone again.

Mary's accident costs her the use of her legs, and even with rehabilitation it will take months for her to adjust to a wheelchair and build up her strength. As Abby works with Mary to help her regain her independence, the enforced closeness is a catalyst for them to work through old grudges they've nurtured since high school.

Abby, self-reliant and single, discovers the joys of living near to her aging parents and reconnecting with old friends. The slower pace of island life, the kindness of the island people and the gradually deepening relationship with her sister cause her to put off returning to her beloved job at Cornell.

Conservation themes and a delight in the beauty of creation permeate the story. You don't have to enjoy birding to like this book, but bird lovers will find Abby's search for the marbled murrelet an interesting facet of the plot. The marbled murrelet, for non-birders, is a real-life endangered little brown seabird. When Abby discovers that a pair may be nesting in old growth timber on Sparrow Island, their presence might give her the final reason she needs to stay. "God worked all things for His purpose," muses Abby. "If the appearance of the rarities bought her more time with Mary, He had made it happen."

Indeed, God oversees every aspect of Abby's life in the novel, from praying for patience with her sister, to "stepping out in faith" to share details of a possible rare bird, to God's timely intervention in sending a strong guy to carry her grocery bags to the car. Sometimes the faith elements feel a little overdone, and Scripture verses are sprinkled throughout. However, conservative Christian readers will find that the lack of profanity, sex and violence makes this a restful read.

The middle-aged police officer, Sergeant Henry Cobb, provides a nice, light romantic note in the plot. Mary's own conflicts about beginning a new romance while wheelchair-bound (and wondering if Cobb's interest is only pity) provide more interest. And a mysterious man who leaves a journal and drawings for Abby to find adds a small amount of suspense to the story. Be warned, however --- this is not an Agatha Christie-type detective novel. Rather, it is a gentle, homespun tale with the dash of suspense serving as a secondary element. Nothing in this cozy will give you bad dreams, and most readers will figure out the mystery man before the closing pages unveil his identity.

Guideposts originally released this series through its hardcover book club and only recently began making these mysteries available to a general audience. Readers who love the wonder of creation, the joys of family ties and the importance of faith in everyday life will appreciate Abby's continuing story.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

If you or your family have ever lived in Montana, this is a wonderful reference book. Have you ever wondered how some particular Montana town got its name? That's what Cheney's book will tell you. Every Montana city or town that ever had a postoffice is listed, and so are some that didn't. Many of these towns are completely gone-- only the names and a few fading family memories remain. In other cases, a single sturdy brick building sits in a field. And of course, the biggest towns in Montana, like Billings, Missoula, Great Falls and Butte, are listed too.

Unless you're the sort of person who reads dictionaries for fun, you won't want to read this all the way through. You might, however, want to dip into it over and over again. And you might want to make sure that your local library owns a copy, so you and others can do just that.

The New Deputy in Town, Nick Rogers figures a small town is good for what ails him as he lays low, waiting to testify against a crooked cop in Los Angeles. But when an old woman is poisoned at a bridal shower, he has to wonder if small towns are all that safe.
Local girl Laney Cavanaugh insists on helping Nick as he looks into the death, as well as investigating attacks on single men and the crime spree of a kleptomaniac dog.
B.J. Daniels' tale of small-town mayhem scatters red herrings with a skillful hand in this top-notch tale. (4 1/2 stars) Pat Cooper, RT magazine