Montana Books

The book was in great condition. And I loved it! It's such a sweet story.

Alex and Casey. Not a whole bunch of depth, but a really cute book. Reader was easy to listen to and I didn't want it to end!

I don't think that Ms. Evanovich has ever written a bad book. True to her usual sense of humor, this book is a whirlwind of humor and adventure with a great ending that makes you want another hundred pages. I don't usually read in the romance genre, but I love her books!

I have read all of the Janet Evanovich books starring Stephanie Plum, but I had not realized that she wrote romance novels. I ordered all and read them all! I absolutely loved them. Within the first page or two you always knew who was going to fall in love, but that did not ruin the fun in watching get to the end of their journeys together. These are books that I will lend to all of my friends and family!

This is a comical, quirky novel about a 29yr old executive from New Jersey who's about to turn 30, and feels that her biological clock is starting to tick. She sells her $400,000 condo and resigns her high paying executive job for a beat up (she is unaware it is beat up)cabin and a hardware store in ALASKA! She is under the notion that Alaska is outnumbered by men and therefore feels that it is easier to find a husband there. From the first moment she is transporting her belongings to Al she comes across all sort of mishaps along the way. It is a lovely romantic story about how she finds true love.

This was written in the early 80's when subjects like child abuse were hugely ignored. Meet Burke, ex-con, criminal, gambler, scam artist and private investigator. He takes cases that cops and most other private eye's will not touch. If he takes the case at all. Burke is suspicious of everyone except his close-knit adoptive family: Max the Silent: a deaf, mute, silent Mongolian martial artist, Michelle: a Transvestite hooker, Mole: a genius inventor who runs a junk yard packed with vicious dogs, The Prof: a brilliant philosopher street criminal. Mama: the Chinese restaurant owner and racketeer. Pansy: Burke's mastiff with a personality of its own. Burke drives a souped up performance car, given to him by a former client. The car looks like a beater, but is a small tank that out-races a sports car. One day, a woman named Flood approaches Burke to find the killer of her friend's baby. Burke takes the case which takes him through the world of pimps, prostitutes and mercenaries. Because of his criminal background, Burke is able to enter doors where the normal citizens or police cannot...do not want to go. Eventually, Burke lures the baby killer into a trap, where his client, Flood, challenges the killer to a death match. Good fight scenes. I liked the short paragraph writing style and the social commentary about child abuse, human traffickers, drugs and the criminal justice system.

WARNING: contains spoilers

This is the first Andrew Vachss novel I have read. Everyone seemed to rave about the Burke series novels. I did enjoy the book, however, Burke is nothing more than a sociopath. He seems a bit paranoid. I think the ending with the pimp was a little bit stupid. Once the Cobra was dead the book should have ended. Could you imagine if he was a real person, and was trying to get a job. He'd first cut the lights and the security system. Then he and his crew would come in through the window and attack the interviewer and tie him up, and then well I think he probably would not get the job. Anyway the book was ok, and I will read the next one in the series to see what that one is like.

This is dark stuff bigtime, but so well done and entertaining. Plus, you learn a lot about some unfortunate things that happen throughout our society.

Vachss stories always seem to have potential but in the end turn out to be cliched and corny. He puts an interesting mix of characters in his books however they come off as cardboard cutouts. He also has the habit of taking the safest politically correct route by making the villians Nazi pedophiles. Wow your really going out on a limb there eh Vachss? His writing has always seemed to be better suited for comics, but even those ventures turned out to be disappointments.

This is not Vach's first book. There is an even earlier book out there that was never published! If you go to Vach's website, he has on there his first unpublished book that tells the story of Wesley. It is equally amazing as the rest of the Burke series. I just read it and it cleared up quit a bit for me. I suggest everyone else to give it a try.

Teenagers write better blogs. And this book is just the author's blog. That's all that this book can aspire to. It's just day in, day out of the author's most inner personal feelings and...but wait...nothing ever happens and the author is as shallow as an elk piss puddle. I read to the part where the author starts to cut wood for the winter. I thought, how boring. So I jumped about 35 pages. Still cutting wood. Jumped again. Still cutting wood.
So if you want to watch this guy cut wood, every stinkin' little chip, then this book is for you.

Rick Bass's "Winter" is a short account of a winter spent with his girlfriend housesitting a ranch in a remote valley in Montana. Rick was a writer; his girlfriend Elizabeth an artist; both were experiencing their first real Northern winter, the kind that closes in and dominates your life for months at a time.

As the subtitle notes, it really is "notes from Montana." Rick turns out to be a competent writer, observant and appreciative of the relatively unspoiled Yaak Valley and the solitude that comes free with living there. There are plenty of interesting observations about the self-selecting, independent handful of inhabitants who share the valley; about the joys of cutting wood for heating cabins; and about life away from electricity, phones, and television.

While this might seem like a trip to the Moon for dedicated city-dwellers, there are no grand relevations here and perhaps there were not meant to be. Rick's experience is common to many who move to remote locations like Alaska, to get away from the crowding and the hustle of the average American city. For those who like it, the elbow room and the natural quiet allows folks to slow down and see/hear/smell/touch and taste things they might miss driving by at 65 miles per hour. At the same time, the removal of the safety features of urban life makes one more alert and more cautious of the dangers of wild animals, fire, and accidents miles away from the nearest hospital.

This book is recommended as a pleasant and interesting read for those curious about a different life, one harder to find in an increasingly urban world.

Having experienced the Yaak during winter, a few years in a row, I know what it's like... Kinda boring but very pretty. That was a few years ago, when I was a young teenager. I knew Rick and his family; I went to school with his daughters. In fact, his oldest daughter was one of my best friends. I remember one time I stayed over at their house with another one of our friends and we played hide-and-seek, and Rick was the seeker. It was a lot of fun. Anyway, I actually haven't read any of his books, I just wanted to say that Rick Bass is a great person, and if I could ever find his books in the local library, I'd read them, and definitely suggest them to other readers.

I am Doug Hiser, author of The Honey Bee Girl, Wink-Eye Creek, Crow Canyon, and Secret Grotto. Rick Bass is an author who resides in his own genre. Winter is a fabulous book and I did not want it to end. Bass brought the world of Montana to me down here in Texas. Rick Bass is a master author with incredible description and odd yet powerful storytelling. The Watch was the first book I read by Bass and his short stories were intriguing and profound. He has been a tremendous influence on my own books. Winter-Notes from Montana is a book with a spellbinding story of survival and how a man changed his life by moving from Texas to a place without electricity and communication in the snowy mountainous region of Montana called the Yaak. He writes there on a typewriter by lantern light. He describes his metamorphosis from a Texas writer to a true mountain man learning to survive the intensely cold winters of the wilds of Montana. Bass describes many encounters with nature, moose, elk, bear, and others and fills the chapters with the wonderful characters that live in near seclusion in this place. Rick Bass presents an alternative lifestyle of survival and conservation, toughness of the human spirit and a grand love of nature as he actually lived the story of his book. A beautiful read and you will cherish the images and words of the writer Rick Bass.

Looking through books for ones to send to the thrift store, this one leapt to the fore. Each of the three times I've sat down to read it, I've soon set it aside, thinking 'life's too short to spend with books like this.' Rick Bass may be a great guy (some reviewers point out that he is), but this book is forced and soulless. Within my own experience with environmental nonfiction, "nature writing" as some will call it, I can think of nothing with which this book would compare well. Teale's 'Wandering Through Winter' is broader and more informative, more interesting because it is more interested; Abbey's 'Desert Solitaire' is more personally engaging; Thoreau's 'Walden', Leopold's 'Almanac' or 'Sketches', anything by Muir, Mowat, or Lopez -- more philosophical, more lyrical, more evocative, far better by any standard of measure.

Sorry to have to fasten the 'one star' rating here, Mr. Bass, but this book is nothing beyond mediocre.

This book and "Chili Queen" are the best books by Sandra Dallas. The rest of her books don't come close to being as good.

I have read Sandra Dallas's other books and loved them.
This was very disappointing. I kept reading and hoping it would get better, but it did not. If it had been the first of her writings for me to read, it would likely have been the last. I am glad I saved it for last, because I really loved her other work.

I liked this book, but I didn't pass it on to my reading buddies. I felt the characters were less convincing than most created by Dallas, and I didn't feel a real affinity for any of them. I don't regret reading it, but a quick read and a shrug at the end is all it was worth to me.

I have now read all of Sandra Dallas' books, and this one was by far my favorite. I loved reading about Effa Commander, Whippy Bird, May Anna and the rest of the gang. They're such a fun bunch.

This book is about Effa Commander and Whippy Bird getting out the true story about the lives of their two best friends Marion Street (May Anna) and Buster Midnight. May Anna grew up to be a famous Hollywood starlet and Buster a champion boxer. This is mainly their tale, but we also get to learn about Effa and Whippy.

Hollywood has tarnished the reputation of Buster Midnight after a grissly murder involving he and May Anna, and Effa and Whippy Bird are tired of it. So they've decided to 'set the record straight' and let everyone know the real Marion Street and Buster Midnight. How they grew up, what they we're like and the relationship between all of them. And it's quite a story!

This is a really hard book to put down. If your a fan of Ms. Dallas you'll LOVE this story. I was very sad to see it end. I really recommend this book, and only hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

This is our reading group's March selection--otherwise, I'd not have stayed with it. It simply seemed too contrived, from the names (Whippy Bird, Effa Commander--always use the whole name!, Bumbo, Moon, and so forth), to the oh-so-tragic ending of movie star Marion Street. I felt manipulated, after having read nearly 3/4 of the book, to finally encounter the crime and scandal, only to see it brushed over in a very few pages. And then we never exactly find out the true story--who ends up protecting whom in the scandal? For a story purporting to tell the "real story," this one falls short.

This is a great book for someone like me --- I have never been to Montana. I'm leaving the end of August 08 -- and this book has been so informative and helpful. It has given me so many tips and recommendations. If you've made numerous trips to Montana, it may be repetitive. But, again if you're planning a trip there for the first time, then it's a MUST read!

My wife and I live in Montana and love to explore the small towns and out of the way places here. This book has been a great help in our trips and explorations. We particularly enjoy the historical explanations related to the various areas, as well as appropriate recommendations regarding sights to see, restaurants, outdoor activities, road quality and more. There are very good sections about Glacier and Yellowstone that are helpful in planning a visit to these wonderful parks. If you are going to visit Montana, I would recommend you pick this book up before your visit.

This book is a wonderful resourse for anyone visiting, touring, or considering re-locating to Montana. It is conveniently divided into geographic sections and provides lodging, restaurants, attractions, hiking trails, campsites, weather, driving distance, you name it...it's in this book. There are photos of almost every place mentioned. It's a real must for anyone taking a leisurly tour of Montana. I highly recommend this atlas.

If you actually own a copy of this book, you have to laugh at the critical reviews below. They were obviously written by people who have never even opened the book, let alone actually own a copy. Maybe other publishers can't compete with this guide, so they bash it instead. I read those and just had to have a say. I have a third copy of the book and am getting a fourth because I use them to death. If there was a better guide, I would buy it. But I would have to buy ten or more of the other guides in print to get everything that I find in this one volume. Plus there's stuff this book has that no one else covers.

Glorified yellow pages?? If that's what you call a complete, east to west, north to south directory of every travel and vacation related subject. I'm not sure why that's a bad thing. I like the fact that the publisher lists every place to sleep in the state. The only places I found missing were places that opened after my edition of the book was published. I like the fact that they list every single eating spot, from gourmet, $50/plate bistros, to the nearest fast food spot. Every other guide I've found on the state handpicks a few upscale places and tries to convince us that they are the only place to eat or sleep. I want to know all my choices, I want to know how to find them, and I don't want the author injecting their snooty opinion into who gets in and who doesn't. Show me everything and let me decide.

Besides listing every hotel, if you'd rather sleep somewhere "different", they list hundreds of bed and breakfasts, hundreds of vacation homes and cabins, hundreds of guest ranches and resorts, and every public and private campground in the state. If you're carrying your shelter with you, there's not a legal place to pitch a tent or park an RV they missed... except maybe the Wal-Mart parking lots. The book is worth the price alone just for the campground listings. And this is the only book I've found that lists all of the Forest Service cabins. I wrote the Forest Service for info on the cabins and they sent me exactly what is in this book. These cabins are the best-kept secret in Montana, and a great experience. Every other guide book on Montana either gives them only passing mention, or ignores them completely.

There are well over a hundred maps in this guide (which works out to a map every 5 pages or so), with maps for towns so small you wonder why they bothered to make one. In the Glacier Park area, I counted over 20 maps. There are maps of the park itself and several trail maps. And the section on Yellowstone Park is just as comprehensive with lots of maps.

Need stuff to plan your day's activities? If you can't plan out of this guide, then nothing is going to help you. I've been using one edition or the other of this guide to plan my trips, and I've only found one thing that the author missed in the first edition. They added it in the second edition. I actually consider it a challenge, while exploring the state, to find something worth slowing down for that these authors left out. If the authors are at fault for anything, it is for giving away all the secret attractions in the state that only the locals knew about before. While the other guide books focus on the tourist-heavy western part of the state, the Ultimate people give every square inch of the state equal attention. They tell you about every ghost town, hot springs and roadside curiosity there is. The way the book is organized, once you find where you are on the map, you will know what there is immediately around you, whether it's food, lodging, attractions, history of the area, historical sites, etc. There are so many hikes and scenic drives in here it would take years to do them all.

There is advertising in the book. Thank goodness for that. The advertisers allow this book to be such a great value. Logically a book with five times as much content and information should sell for five times what the other guide books sell for. In fact, it sells for the same price give or take a dollar. Clearly the advertising makes that possible.

I think the choice is clear. You can get this guide and be done with it. Everything you need is in here, everything. Or you can load up on all the other incomplete guides and spend more time digging through them for barebones information and spend more time finding what you need than you actually spend on your trip. Choose wisely.

Very different from product description! poor quality black and white photos with real estate agents being featured as part of attractions in local areas. The book should be free. It is mostly poorly done advertising. Unusable for announced purpose -- guide to Montana. Jumbled, unorganized, poorly written, and evenly more poorly proofread. I am returning the book even though I hate to pay the return shipping for such a falsely represented product.

Without a doubt, John Fante is the greatest American writer - ever. He can switch from first to third person so smoothly it isn't noticed, and the same for present and past tense as well as point of view. Amazing. Yet, he is like a masterful chef who only prepares one masterful dish; that being, of course, the life of Arturo Bandini.
Jerry Smith

This book contains several wonderfully memorable scenes, including the great battle against the crabs, the drowning of Bandini's women, Bandini's attempt to pile more than thirty boxes on a hand cart, and his sister's reaction to his silly novel. In addition, the book perfectly captures male lust and the delusions of grandeur that bites many male teenagers. All and all entertaining read.

I enjoyed this book in its own right, but my expectations for the book were not met because of the reasons that this book was recommended to me. I was told that this book would be very similar to "A Confederacy of Dunces," which frequently produced laugh-out-loud moments during my reading. I found this book to be much darker, and though the protagonists are probably equally outlandish, Ignatius' behavior often came across as light and humorous to me, whereas Arturo Bandini appeared tortured and to be pitied. Clearly, a book with a tortured protagonist does not limit its quality, but I suppose that the mindset that I had coming into this text [that of a lighter comedy] caused me to have mixed reactions towards it.

This is the first novel of Fante's that I have read and I am interested in reading some more of him. There were times I wanted to throw the whole book in the trash, yet I couldn't stop reading it no matter how terribly repugnant the main character Arturo Bandini was. Arturo is your quintessential megalomaniac and sociopath. At about a third of the way through the novel (page 63 to be exact, when our antihero began torturing flies) I was about to throw in the towel and give up completely. However, something kept me reading. As demented as Arturo was, you can't help but read on to see what in the hell he was going to do and say next. After all, just because you can't stand the main character doesn't necessarily mean that the prose isn't profound. On the contrary, I found Fante to be a very interesting, courageous, and an extremely unique writer. Remember folks, this was written before Bukowski (who thought of him as his 'God') and Toole's classic, Pulitzer prize winning "A Confederacy of Dunces". There is no doubt of the impact he had on both authors and God knows how many countless more. Those of you who love Bukowski and/or Toole's classic should really enjoy this novel by John Fante (his first book, by the way).

I think it is safe to say this novel will never make it in Oprah's book club. Most of the masses will probably not enjoy this at all. On top of being an ego-maniac and a sociopath, Arturo is also sexist, racist, violent, sex-starved, mean-spirited, friendless, indolent, obnoxious, arrogant, profane, completely self-absorbed, etc... ad infinitum. He also enjoys reading Hitler and considers himself a Communist. However, all that being said - he is extremely hilarious to say the least! I especially enjoyed his constant battles with his younger (albeit much more mature), religious, reserved sister Mona and his neurotic, over-bearing, ditsy mother. It's so dysfunctional it will either make you depressed or have you rolling on the floor with laughter (or like me, perhaps a little bit of both). Especially when you take into account this was written before WWII. That is what truly amazed me. It's no wonder Bukowski loved him so much!

it's wonderful little novel. there is a lot of confusion, of pain, of loneliness, but there is a lot of joy and of happiness and of hope. it's the story of a young arturo bandini losing jobs, working in the fish cannery, living with mother and sister, and trying to write a novel. it's a little masterpiece. it's one of those books that grab your attention and strike a chord inside you. it's a five stars to me.

The actual story of the 5 boys would make a good chapter in a book about avalanche disasters. There was not enough story in itself for a whole book, so the author turned it into an historical narrative about the formation of mountains, snow, avalanches, etc; the history of mountain climbing, rescues, etc.; a brief biograghy of everyone involved in the rescue. Way too much irrelevant information if you just want an exciting story. I kept forgetting what I was reading about because so little of it had to do with the story of the 5 boys.

I am not a mountain climber, nor a skier, but I love the outdoors and the mountains, thus my interest in this book. I was pleasantly surprised by the author's flowing writing style and the way he seamlessly incorporated historic details about avalanche disasters and the science of snowflakes and snowpack. This book offers a wide breadth of fact while expertly narrating the gripping story of the plight of these five climbers, and the lives of those they left behind. If you enjoyed "The Perfect Storm" or "Into Thin Air", you will not be disappointed at all with this book. This ranks up there with the finest natural disaster books I have read, and I highly recommend it.

Throughout history, mountains have held a certain irresistible appeal, an unknown feeling of holy ascendence. That appeal has held through the ages, and envelops people who have already done something important with their lives, those who haven't, and older people as well as young people. Being close to nature, risking everything for the beauty of the view from the top of a mountain, for the physical prize after a hard climb, for the closeness a peak brings heaven or any sentient all-powerful being; these are all rewards from a successful climb, and these are not all. But there is also so much to risk - life itself, which, being already so short, is worth more than anything imaginable. People risk themselves constantly through mountain climbs or extreme sports, believing the rewards far outweigh the losses. The White Death is a well-told story of five boys who risked it all for the climb of a lifetime.

McKay Jenkins transforms the elusive and unknown world of avalanches to an intriguing story of mountain rescues. Don't read this book expecting it to focus on the lost boys; it won't. But you'll learn all about avalanche rescue techniques, types of snow and how to test them for avalanche safety, helicopter rescues, et cetera. You get my point.

I would completely recommend this book to any skiier, boarder, hiker, climber, or person interested in the outdoors and rescues. I picked this book off the shelf because I liked the cover, then read the flap and borrowed it. It is definately worth the time to read "The White Death".

This book does a great job of blending snow science and the history of human avalanche experience with a compelling personal story of five unfortunate young climbers. If the scientific and historical perspectives in this book had been available to these climbers, their story would likely be a different one. Anyone interested in skiing or climbing in mountainous backcountry should find this book to be informative, intriguing, and, if not for the tragedy, enjoyable. This book presents the dry text of snow science in a package that will hold your interest. Though flawed in its accuracy regarding personal history, details of mountaineering and local geography, it provides knowledge about the nature of snow and its metamorphosis that any mountain adventurer should be aware of. I am sending a copy to a friend who teaches avalanche awareness classes, as I know he'll thoroughly enjoy it...in spite of the tragedy.

I spent several years as the book critic for Outside magazine, during which time I had the opportunity (and sometimes misfortune) to read dozens of books about mountaineering tragedies and triumphs. The White Death is one of the genre's very best, in part because of Jenkins' considerable skills as a storyteller and wordsmith, and in part because--unlike the professional climbers who typically write such tomes--he has healthy skepticism about the sport itself. This is not simply a tale about "tragedy and heroism," as the subtitle indicates, but also about hubris, teen angst and dumb luck. It's also a paean to an extraordinary place (Glacier National Park) and an endlessly fascinating and mysterious phenomenon (snow). Written with flair and suspense, it unfolds with the power of a wall of white cascading down a slope.

As other reviewers before me have noted, "Gig" is a fun book, but it's not an in-depth study of people's relationship to the jobs they do as was Studs Terkel's excellent "Working."

In "Gig," the interviews are a little shallow, and even the prostitute seems to like her job; had the word.com actually used oral history techniques, they would have interviewed the subjects over several sessions to get to the "meat" behind their stories. Of course everyone wants to be happy with their jobs. No one is going to confess from the get-go that his or her life is problematic.

Some of the interviews mirror our celebrity-saturated, status- conscious world of today. Heidi Klum and Debra Messing gush over their work, but their one-in-a-million careers do not necessarily mean anything to us "regular" folk. However, having the art mover interview appear right after the interview with the famous artist did provide a nice contrast.

"Gig" makes for a great and easy read. If you really want to understand the whole concept of work, however, I recommend "Working" and "American Dreams" by Studs Terkel.

Then you should read this book. Gig is an unexpectedly engaging collection of vignettes of diverse American workers. It makes you think long and hard about your job...as well as all those jobs that someone has to do, but that no one really wants to. (What does the garbage man really think about when he's riding the back of the truck?) My favorite profile: man who runs a company that cleans up murder scenes and homes where people are simply found dead from natural causes.

I only read one entry a night to drag it out. It's that good. Not only is there much hilarity, you actually learn insider info about how things work--excellent cocktail conversation. I must have told 20 people things I've read in here, and I"m only a third finished.

I've actually confirmed some of the comments with people who really have those jobs--and they're true!

This is by far the best book i've read in 2 years. The stories are perfectly edited, so they are either concisely funny or heart-wrenching or appalling (mostly funny). YOu never know what you're going to get when you start one of the 3-page nuggets.

Not only was this fabulous escapism during the recent Horrors, it gave me truly useful ideas of how to better use MY life in a way that is rewarding and of use to the planet!! And how to appreciate the value, the contributions, and/or the sheer hilarity of my many jobs, past and present.

There are three fundamental questions about work.

* What do other people do?

* Who actually does that?

* Is their job better than mine?

As it happens, all three questions have the same answer: you'd be surprised. After collecting years of a column on "Work", the editors of Word.com can tell you exactly what Americans do all day, and those jobs are both more bizarre and more mundane than you might imagine. As _Gig_ demonstrates, Americans are working as florists, lemonade salesmen, clutter consultants, smokehouse pit cooks, paparazzi, Elvis Presley interpreters, buffalo ranchers, heavy metal roadies - and in most cases, loving it.

_Gig_ is fascinating for its variety alone. But more importantly, _Gig_ is inspiring. It's hard to read this book and not be impressed: impressed by Americans' creativity, by their insight, even by their dedication. A receptionist echoes the voices of the 120-plus interviewees when she says that "I take pride in my job. I really - it's my baby, you know? That front desk is my baby. I just take a lot of pride in what I do."

There's no one way to read _Gig_. You can turn to the oddities. (Yes, crime scene cleaner is a real job.) You can look for the parallels and contrasts. (Temp, preceded by CEO, preceded by slaughterhouse human resources director.) You can flip around for anecdotes. (The systems administrator's tale is riveting.) Or you can take heart in homespun philosophy. A steelworker says that "you work with people you like, and they like you because you do your work, and you're with them. You're together." A lawn maintenance man articulates his dream to "finish up school. And then maybe I'll try to get one of those jobs where you can wear khaki pants and relax."

At times the editors try too hard to keep the interviews raw; the constant punctuation of "[Laughs]" can wear thin. But overall _Gig_ is extraordinary: part entertainment, part oral history, part homage to the work of Studs Terkel. _Gig_'s editors pay explicit tribute to Terkel's 1972 _Working_, yet the collection will remind you too of _Hard Times_, his brilliant collection of interviews on the Great Depression. If _Gig_ is a documentary, then it's a documentary in which the central participant shapes the structure and uncovers the meaning. Not unlike a job.

As an avid non-fiction reader, I come across many books written in a typical journalistic style. I also come across many clunky, personal exposes that never culminate in any larger message about humanity. Tom Groenberg not only avoids these styles, but approaches his adventure with the most beautiful, clear, prose I have read in ages. The topic matter has so much potential to be a cliche, but he deftly avoids falling this trap. I savored this book like a good meal, and I dare anyone with emotional depth to find not find something in it that rings deeply true to the modern human experience. Thanks, Tom. You inspire me to write more.

I feel that this book was quite refreshing.I really enjoyed the book in the end, but at first I thought it read somewhat slow. I was very suprised at the way Groneberg pulled me in by displaying such a well written description of his life. Mr. Groneberg is a strong writer who keeps my attention, displays good organization/structure, however he could do a better job of giving definitions on certain "cowboy" terms that those from the city may not know or understand. Mr. Groneberg establishes his credibilty in this book by explaining that he has lived and worked on cattle ranches. He does a good job of giving descriptive details, personal experiences and observations, and examples and illustrations. Mr. Groneberg's book is recent and more applicable to this generation of "wannabe" cowboys. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the cowboy way of life.

As you may have gathered from the other reviews, this book may not be what you are expecting. But in the end, you may well find its something more.

It is not so much that its romantic, poetic, or any of the other 'literary' virtues you may associate with the American West.

It is something bigger, something better: its true. Not merely in an autobiographical sense, but in a universal, human way that will touch you deeply if you let it.

Truth is its skin and skeleton, and the sinews that hold it together. If that isn't enough for you, if you can't see the poetry and romance in the triumphs and tradgedies of life on the land told with utter honesty, then your mind is too small for this book.

And much too small for Montana: I've lived and worked on ranches here for 25 years, and we seriously don't need more people looking for sequined cowboys or photo ops with 'old salts'...

But there will always be room for Tom Groneberg, and people like him.

Can a city guy go from college to wrangler, ranch hand and ranch owner? Can he live through the Montana winters? Will he give it up and take up accounting in his home town? The author is brutally honest as he answers these questions. The angst is hard on the reader, but you want to follow him through his tough decisions. Many of the characterizations are memorable. I look forward to reading the next installment and seeing where this continuing experiment in ranch life takes him.

Once you get started reading, this book appears to be the real thing. Although it may be a true life experience, it becomes very hard to keep your attention and rambles on concerning some big dreams financed by his father's forture, only to become a total failure. To top the story, he must to turn to medication to keep his senses and continue to " dream " about being a cowboy. After reading this, I wonder what would have been the true outcome if he didn't have parents to finance his way, and stay away from the mood-altering drugs. Don't waste your money on this one, that is, unless, daddy is paying for it

very good, excellant. if you are a fan of terry gross and npr, you will enjoy this book.

Not as enjoyable as her live show (but, then, what COULD be), but still a fun look back at some interesting people.

The ever intelligent, inviting, and capable Terry Gross is someone I'll always listen to if I happen to be in the car when Fresh Air is on the radio. This book is both a meaningful read-thru of some of Terry's personally-selected (mostly early) interviews out of the thousands she's done since Fresh Air went national on NPR in 1987, and a nice private tour of how Fresh Air really works. It's also a little like enjoying a candid conversation with Terry Gross about her life and career and views on radio as a whole. Recently, if I may note this, Terry's website has mentioned that a number of the tapes storing Fresh Air have begun to deteriorate with age (Fresh Air's archives pre-date digital) and a call has gone out to help preserve these truly significant bits of our cultural heritage. Fresh Air gives a chance for those who helped define our age to voice themselves, and surely that's worth preserving for posterity. But that's going off track a bit. In this review I mainly just wanted to say I read this book, it was a nice read, and I recommend it!

Terry Gross has one of the best interview programs on radio called Fresh Air. As a journalist, I can appreciate her prepared questions but also her flow with the interview to ask follow-up questions and find the undiscovered gems of conversation.

This book is the equivalent of the Fresh Air programs yet it's in a printed format and portable to read any place and any time. I loved every chapter and recommend this book.

If you love Fresh Air and Terry Gross, but can't catch all of the interviews, this is a great way to catch up on some of the most significant. This book covers writers, actors, musicians, and artists, and includes figures as diverse as Gene Simmons from Kiss to Eric Clapton to John Updike to Conan O'Brien. Keep in mind that the interviews are edited for inclusion in this book, so some are shorter than others, and some are combined with other interviews Terry has conducted with the person.

The best thing about the interviews chosen is that every one offers fascinating information, whether it is about a trade, like writing or acting, or about the figure, like Jodie Foster's feelings on her childhood stardom. Another added bonus to this book is Terry's introduction to each interview. In some, she adds some context around the interview, such as what she thought about the guest or newspaper reports about the interview. In others, she offers personal information on her preferences and passions, and in others, she provides further biographical information about the guest.

I greatly enjoyed reading this collection and read every interview. This is a book that I will keep for years to come, but I am hesitant to give it five stars because I can't imagine getting anything additional out of it if I reread it. Perhaps some of the interviews would be more meaningful at one time in my life or another, but they aren't as in-depth or complex as a novel, memoir, or biography, so I don't feel that this book, as enjoyable and fascinating as it was, is multi-layered.