Western Books

This is a beautiful book that burns you turning your thoughts upside down about life and society. If read closely it will rescue you from the mundane. READ IT.

E.M. Cioran is one of the peripheral (non French [technically], non German, non Anglo-American) characters of philosophy but, as any of them are, he is an interesting aside to the major ideological fights. Part of the rich history of Existentialism, Cioran is certainly not a philosopher of hope and inspiration but rather the man who could make Schopenhauer feel absolutely dreadful. Meditations and lamentations on life and it's futility, he is a tangible example of the 'moody Existentialist' stereotype many people hold in their minds.

Starting his career when his mother told him she considered an abortion for him, he took himself to new highs and lows of explaining why being born was the ultimate immoral act and how death is no better. Bleak, unintentionally funny, and comically Existential, I would recommend this to people interested in characters such as Schopenhauer, Ortega y Gasset, Unamuno, Sartre, Camus, and others from the rich canon of literature relating to existence. Also, a great book of aphorisms to liven up any party!

Cioran has a great style, indebted to Nietzsche, in which he raves cynically, a la Schopenhauer, about life. Definitely worth reading.
Also recommended: Toilet: The Novel by Michael Szymczyk (A Tribute to the Literary Works of Franz Kafka)

His name is pronounced cho-ran. With an accent on the last syllable. He happens to be my spiritual doppelganger. And he might be yours as well. What's especially endearing about Cioran is the fact that he hates God as much as he hates everybody else. He's a gnostic. He's convinced that the universe was created by an evil lifeforce. And he's right. Everything makes perfect sense as soon as you realize that God is evil.

He's brilliant. The most daring philosopher of XXth century. It's like a revelation. Iconoclast at extreme.

I really enjoyed this book! I have not read very many of Ms.Thomas contemporary novels; I prefer her historical novels, but this one caught me from the start. Her characters a lovable and her heroine/hero are ones you can root for! A great summer read!

In this story you read about two generations and how love for a grandmother the affection that never really died between a grandmother and her affection for a man that she never forgotten and a new love between the grandauther and the man she met. And the emotion of the gradauther when she is confronted with when grandma starts loosing all memory of life.

I'm a huge fan of Jodi's historical romances but I liked how this one started out and thought I'd give it a read. I'm glad I did.

Jodi Thomas writes the best romances, and they're just that "romances" not bits of dialogue used as filler between sex scenes - she gives you an actual engaging story that you want to follow all the way to the end.

Keep up the good work, Jodi!

Allie Daniels was not only poor, but unlucky to boot. Her mother had left her on her grandmother's doorstep and seemed to forget she had a child. For years, Allie and Nana tried to stay one step ahead of poverty but it seemed to be closing in on them.

When Allie gets a letter from a lawyer in Texas she is surprised to find a cashier's check for enough to pay off her bills and travel to Texas to look into the piece of lake property on Twisted Creek that was left to her by her Uncle Jefferson.

But one problem made her believe that her luck hadn't changed ... she nor Nana knew of an Uncle Jefferson!

Allie and Nana make a pledge to make a go of the little store and cafe, at least until the lawyer discovers he made a mistake and contacted the wrong Allie Daniels. Nana is proud commander of the kitchen where she hangs her most cherished possession, a wind chime. Their store is revived and soon becomes the gathering place for both good times and trouble.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. But most of all, you'll remember, as you share the stories of a motley crew of folks who bind together in a time of crisis ... one that will change their lives forever.

Not only did the cover of this book draw me to it, but the excellent reputation of Jodi Thomas did also.

I loved the main characters. They were very real. These people, you feel like you know them, maybe because her characters are just like the people you know. The secondary characters were great as well, I wanted to know more about all of them. All these people were vastly different, yet were a family. The story was well written, and flowed nicely. You feel for all the characters in the book, and Jodi Thomas leaves you wanting more.

I enjoyed the characters of Annabel and Gabriel, also the introduction to their son Nicholas and Olivia and their journeys in the old west.

THIS BOOK GETS 5 STARS FOR BEING STEAMY!! Good book finished it in two days... I enjoyed seeing older H/H with adult son. I completely bought their love for each other and their love for their child. Good book! I do however agree with another review I felt like a women who left her husband and child for 12 years.... she should have caught more heat from both her husband and child, both seemed to accept her back way too easily and let her off the hook! I thought that would be the climax of the story but it never came......

Linda Lael Miller did it again. This is a very well written story. Really enjoyed the characters and the plot.

"The Vow", another of Linda Lael Miller's great works. When Annabel returns to her home in Parable, Nevada, the sparks fly between Annabel and her husband, Gabe McKeige. Both are too stubborn to admit that although they lost a beloved child years before, their love for each other did not die. After unsuccessfully trying to deny their feelings, eventually the passion erupts, the fire is rekindled, and the promises made long ago are once again being fulfilled in "The Vow."

I love Ms. Miller's books and each gets better than the last. Read "The Vow" and I promise you will not be disappointed.

This bk is awesome. Really it is. It's different than other romances and contains alot of depth in the characters. I put off reading this bk for a long time b/c I didn't like the idea of a Mother leaving her child and husband for 12yrs. I could not fathom a reason why anyone would do this especially in the 1800's!! Well, I bought Anabelle's reason for leaving (I certainly did not agree with it) and I loved how she stayed true to Gabriel all those years.

It was also interesting to watch the H/H interact with a grown child as well as how he interacted with them. I would have liked to have seen more of a scene where Nicholas vented his anger to his Mother over why she left him but even without that scene the bk was great.

If your looking for something different than the usual romance this is it.

I decided to pick up War Horse after the nice, new cover caught my eye in a local bookstore and immediately brought it home, cracked open the cover, and allowed myself to be swept off into Joey's story.
I love the fact that this book comes directly from the "horses point of view," which is similar strikingly familiar to Black Beauty by Anna Sewell as to compared to Michael Morpurgo's War Horse.
The story starts out with the description of a painting of a horse, and than jumps into the horse painted in the picture, Joey, who is bought by a farmer and brought home to Albert, who loves and cares for him similar to Joe Green did in Black Beauty. The stories end similar, with different twist. But we aren't focusing on Black Beauty here...
Joey ends up being sold into war, where he learns the task of bearing men through the machine fire of war, dragging the dead away in carts and even being used to pull the cannons to the front lines. His life is hard, but he does the best he can under many different owners, the majority of them kind and caring, from going to the English to the Germans themselves, we see the innocence of the Deutschlanders struggle to fight the war against the British and the French. Joey also makes close friends with a fellow war horse called Topthorn, a tall, black stallion that seems a lot like Ginger. The two remain together for a long time, always partnered up and never too far away from the other.
All the while Joey wonders about Albert.
This is a nice story to read to anyone whom loves horses and there point of view on things. The war that Joey took part in was a frightening one and isn't for young children. I found this a nice read and a nice companion to Black Beauty. So if you love World War I, and horses, try picking up and reading War Horse.

a simple short and well written story which is appealing to any age reader, if you enjoyed books like "all creatures great and small" or "charlottes web" you might enjoy it. Contrast to "I am the Great Horse" another horse story but written creatively from Alexander the Great's Bucephelus' point of view, which is more child like.

Michael Morpurgo's WAR HORSE tells of war horse Joey, who began life as a farm horse with a gentle boy master and was sold into the army during World War I. Fans of Black Beauty and other classic animal stories will find this first-person horse's eye story of war and change brings to dramatic life all the conflicts and struggles of battle.

I recommend War Horse because it is a story about dealing with death, and growing up.
Joey is a horse that is taken by a farmer. Then he is sent off to war.
This book will interest many people especially people who like horses. You never really know what will happen next.
When I read War Horse it was like I was there, and I felt like I knew him all my life.
The characters are explained so well that I could see all of them perfectly in my head.
This book only has 21 short chapters, but they have so much information in such small chapters. My favorite part is when...never mind, it will give it away. To find out what my favorite part is you have to read it your self. It might be your favorite part too!
I enjoyed War Horse, I hope you do to.

Wow! What a thrill to find this book still available after over 40 years! I read it repeatedly when I was in about 4th grade. It says a lot about the quality of the story that it has stuck with me all these years. It really showed me at a young age the suffering that some animals must endure, and the quiet patience and courage with which they endure it. I can still picture Joey struggling in thick mud to pull his load. And even as young as I was, it made me understand more what my older uncles had experienced in WW1. I am definitely getting this for the kiddies, but before I give it to them, I am going to read it again myself!

Hard bound book, easy to read and to the point of how to train your horse. Nice big photos, applicable diagrams, spelled out how to compete and be successful.
I wish it had been the FIRST book I read!
This is a book I will NEVER loan out.....ever.
Time to go practice what I read~!

This is the singular most effective tool that I have ever used in working with both young and old horses. As an equine professional, I have applied many of the techniques and methods to my own herd. Doug is truly the pleasure master. I believe that many people outside of the industry would enjoy this beautifully photographed and well written journal about pleasure horses.

This is a good book for people who want to train for show and for those who want to have a well trained horse. It explains in terms that novice horse people can understand and appreciate and still covers the finer points of training. The book keeps your interest and is easy reading.

Covers everything from basic bloodlines to breeding, buying, and then training and showing. This is the definitive reference book on Western Pleasure.

This book covers everything from breeding a pleasure prospect to working out the kinks in an older seasoned show horse. This will certainly help my new 3 year old filly and I make it in the AQHA show ring. I recommend it for anyone who wants to win!

Accessible to any reader interested in what philosophy was like before it was taken over by the academic professors, especially under the influence of Christianity. This book is an introduction to the problems and arguments that constitute ancient philosophy. In keeping with Socrates' dictum that the unexamined life is not worth living, Hadot shows that philosophy was not simply a process for creating theories but, more importantly, a way of life for many.

Although we should be grateful to the translator for performing the tedious task; the translation is somewhat flat. However, I doubt there is a specialist in ancient philosophy who will not be enriched by reading this book and warmly recommend it to those in between.

The crucial thing about this book is that its author, while a noted practicing Philospher himself, clearly understands, and can clearly explain, the deep divide between what passes for Philosophy today and what it once was. Ancient Philosophy was a way of looking at one's life, and a way of living one's life. But don't expect a new-agey self-help book, either! This is not a book of platitudes - it is a thoughtful and at times difficult book.

The main focus of the book is on the development of Platonism and Stoicism - but Hadot takes us on a few side-roads as well. There is a great deal of attention given to later Platonism in particular. This aspect of the book is what makes it so important, in my opinion. Hadot tells the story of how the "Hellenes" circled their philosophical and spiritual wagons in the waning days of Classical Civlization - so-called Late Antiquity. But there is no sentimentality or histrionics.

If you are like me then as soon as you finish this book you will get and read Aurelius' "Meditations" - and then promptly move on to reading Plato. More than anything else this book is a perfect starting point for reading Plato.

Pierre Hadot's thesis is that the ancient Greek philosophical schools did not view philosophy merely as an abstract theoretical discipline, but as a transformative spiritual path. He also shows how this view became incorporated into Christianity and how it has definite similarities to Buddhism and Taoism. Ancient Greek philosophy has much to teach us, and Plato would have agreed with Marx that philosophy should not just interpret the world, but also change it. A fairly easy book to read, and (if you are interested in philosophy) enjoyable.

Accessible to any reader interested in what philosophy was like before it was taken over by the academic professors, especially under the influence of Christianity. This book is an introduction to the problems and arguments that constitute ancient philosophy. In keeping with Socrates' dictum that the unexamined life is not worth living, Hadot shows that philosophy was not simply a process for creating theories but, more importantly, a way of life for many. <br /> <br /> Although we should be grateful to the translator for performing the tedious task; the translation is somewhat flat. However, I doubt there is a specialist in ancient philosophy who will not be enriched by reading this book and warmly recommend it to those in between.

The idea of philosophy as a lived practice, rather than an academic discipline from which one retires at the end of the work day, is articulated by Hadot through the many examples of ancient philosophy in the western tradition. The writing here is engaging enough that it doesn't matter if you don't know Epictetus from Epicurus, you will get something out of this book. That aside, even the most lofty, Greek-reading classicist should be able to find something of interest since Hadot presents his ideas (and the ancients themselves) with such life. This book is another reminder that the history of philosophy isn't just the history of ideas and disembodied arguments, it is the history of people, their situations, and their practices.

wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hank the cowdog is a great book for the family or by yourself . john r erikson did a wonderful job on this book . you need to read it to belive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I love all the Hank books, and this is a great one for the Christmas season. These books are hilarious and more important to the young reader, fun to read. I'd also check the rest of the series.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

This is one of my favriote books it is funny and exciting. It takes the perspective of a cowdog on a ranch in east texas. That thinks he is head of ranch security and goes through a lot of hillarius storys.

In this book a buzzard gets hurt, and he gets taken care of.Well,one day Slim,Little Alfred, Drover(the dog),and Hank(the dog)was driving to town to get Christmas presents,and a buzzard named Wallace flew into the wind shield.He got hurt pretty bad,and Little Alfred begged Slim to take him home and take care of him.Slim took him home after he went shopping,and cured him.Then Wallace flew away with his son happily ever after.

Hank the cowdog is "head of ranch security," and tend to act like Barney Fife. the entire seires of Hank the Cowdog stories are hilarious. The story is told from the perspective of Hank and the animal characters in this story, such as Drover, the young pup in training for ranch security, are constantly causing problems for Hank. In one story Hank gets sick after eating a frying pan full of bacon grease. He knows what he should and should not do, but always finds himself being overcome by his true nature--egotistical, gluttonous, etc.

Read this book and you will be addicted to Hank.

Yesterday's Yarns is an incredible collection of western stories. This is one of those books that you just can't put down. Ken Overcast has a unique writing style that gives you the best of both worlds. You'll get a life-like view of what the "real west" was really like and all the humor he incorporates into his writing makes it an incredibly fun book to read. This is one the whole family can enjoy and I've found that it has made a great gift for family and friends!

I think it is the way he puts the stories together. His writing style itself adds to the humor of the stories. Only a real cowboy could ever think and write this way. It is worth having in your library.

Ken's humor and history are sure to keep you smilin. It's a cinch!

Nothing removes a person from the humdrum of eveyday life faster than a good book. One such good book, "Yesterday's Yarns," will entertain anyone who delves between its covers, whether the reader is a rancher weathered by years on the range or an urban grandmother who has never seen a cow pie in her life.
Yesterday's Yarns, written by Montana rancher and cowboy Ken Overcast, provides good entertainment for readers from all backgrounds. The short stories and vignettes contained in the book consist of both factual and fictional tales of life in the west as observed from a true cowboy's point of view.
Overcast's stories explore family history, repeat tales concerning colorful Montana villains and good guys that helped shape the west, and bring everyday events, such as a pesky neighbor child or an unruly cow, to vivid life.
In his fictional stories, Overcast has the ability to take an ordinary situation, see the humor contained in the predicament, embellish the facts and the characters, and turn out a rollicking good yarn. His factual stories depict life as it was in the old west as well as life in the modern west today. He shares with the reader small gems of little-known Montana history, written in a way that makes a person either want to laugh out loud or weep in despair.
Some of the stories blend fact with fiction. "It's all true except for the part I made up," Overcast observes at one point in the book.
Those of us who live in the west can identify with nearly every story or situation described in the book, such as coming out on the losing end in an argument with a cow, or sleepwalking through a night calving check. The beauty of Overcast's work, however, lies in the fact that those not familiar with our way of life can still read and enjoy the book. They may not understand how to ride a fence line, or recognize a prairie oyster when they see one, but they can still empathize with the situations in the book, appreciate the humor and the eccentrics they meet, and learn a bit about the American west in the process.
I highly recommend this book for urban and rural folks alike.

This collection of humorous anecdotes, little histories, little mysteries, regional folklore, cowboy philosophy, and intimate glimpses into family life on the Northern Ranges is a rewarding cultural tour of the Highline region of Montana.

Ken Overcast himself is the real deal. A real cowboy from a real ranch family in one of the least hospitable agricultural environments in the world, his is the voice of the real West. Unquenchably optimistic, friendly, and as familiar and reassuring as Grandma's oatmeal cookies, his warmly conversational style immediately involves the reader in circumstances sometimes quirky, sometimes profound and with characters who are wise or good or naïve or comically villainous or deadly as a prairie rattlesnake.

These little stories cover just about every topic you could name, from the best excuse ever for being two hours late for school, to an unsolved murder mystery, to advice on what to do if you drop your favorite shovel into the irrigation ditch and then you spot your wife swathing hay in a bikini less than a quarter mile away.

No matter whom you are and no matter where you are, you will find yourself at home with Ken. His delightful stories take you far away from your ordinary day-to-day experiences. He puts you, willing or no, onto the vast Montana ranges or high among the peaks of the Bearpaw Mountains and among people you wish you could know.

If you think the present world is full of contradictions, of opposing philosophies, and that it might be doomed, please give a chance at this set of essais by Isaiah Berlin. Not only his writing is clear and flowing, but his argumentation is very enlightening. Isaiah Berlin will never be controversial. He will never take a strong position. He will let you decide. Like an archeologist, he put back to life the ideas who were considered crazy at their time, and now looked much more reasonable. Even the introduction by Roger Hausheer gives you a lecherous taste of what is inside. And I was not disappointed. Thinking that there are ten more books on essays by Berlin, my head is spining. Did he not say already everything in this one...?

Sir Isaiah Berlin was the greatest exponent of Liberal Pluralism
in the 20th Century. "Against The Current" is probably his best collection of essays. The essays on Verdi and George Sorel are worth the price of the book alone. Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will not regret it.

Itis simply a great pleasure to read Isaiah Berlin. His richness in thought, his verbal fluency his strong sense of values and clear understanding of the historical context in which he is presenting the ideas- all this combines to make reading him an adventure of the mind. In this work the third group of his essays put together by his faithful student and friend Henry Hardy the theme is those thinkers who go against the current, who walk their own way, hear their own drummer. Macchiavelli, Vico,Hume,Montesquieu, Herzen, Disraeli,Moses Hess, Verdi, and Marx, Sorel are all interpreted here . There is an essay on' The Counter- Enlightentment, one on The Divorce between the Sciences and the Humanities, one on ' Nationalism: Past Neglect and Present Power. The introduction to the volume is written by Roger Hausher.
As with all the writings of Berlin one will learn a great deal by reading this work- and have great pleasure in doing so.

Sir Isaiah Berlin was the greatest exponent of Liberal Pluralism
in the 20th Century. "Against The Current" is probably his best collection of essays. The essays on Verdi and George Sorel are worth the price of the book alone. Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will not regret it.

In this, his most accessible work, Berlin deals with a host of subjects. The volume contains one of the truly great critical essays on Machiavelli, a brilliant parallel lives exposition of Marx and Disraeli, the classic essay on the Counter-Enlightenment and an amazing 'Hedgehog and Fox'-like analysis of Verdi. Yet again Berlin shows us his gift of imaginative insight - what Vico called 'entrare' - that allows him apparent access to minds, ideologies and cultures utterly alien to his own. He also shows us his gifts as a musician and rhetoriceur, using all his old tricks of repitition and word association. This is, as is usual in his works, as much a flaw as a blessing,and his 'entrare' often ends on a note achingly reminiscent of his own political pluralism, but for all that it is still a masterly collection.

Great book, i've read most of the bio/autobio's about the old guys, Bob Capa, HCB ect and this is a whole new game. These guys were in my opinion, better than their older counterparts, the risks seem higher and with less payoff.

Much more than simply a book about photojournalists, The Bang Bang Club tells a haunting tale about several young men growing up in a rapidly changing and often hostile world. The friendships that form and are later ripped apart by bullets and suicide comprise the bulk of this well-told history. That South Africa's most important history is taking place as a background only mkaes it that much more of an interesting and enjoyable read. Yes, there is some violence, but that violence defines the world these photographers live and work in.

Not for the weak, The Bang Bang Club takes readers directly to the violence and brutality depicted in the four prize-winning photographs scattered throughout the pages. The writing is down and dirty, like the photographers themselves. But it works because of the subject. Get in click the photo and try not to throw up while you're doing it. Like most Yanks living a cozy life, I didn't know many details about the famous struggles in SA in the early 1990s. And I wouldn't have chosen to read a straight history. But the combination of first-person accounts of tragedy together with terrifically vivid and horrible photos and a gripping tale of danger lurking around every corner makes for an ideal way to learn something about that fascinating and difficult time in world history.

This is a disturbing book. After the first three chapters I put it down and only picked it up again two months later. Perhaps I was just emotionally at low ebb the first time, but the brutal honesty of the descriptions in those first chapters got to me. Even though I am a South African and lived through that eventful period, I was unprepared for the honesty of the authors. At the second attempt I finished the book and am glad that I did as it is really well worth the read.

The book describes the experiences of four well-known South African press photographers, at the peak of the political transition period of the country. Of the four, only two survived. Most South Africans as well as international readers interested in photojournalism, will remember the killing of Ken Oosterbroek by a stray bullet while covering an unrest situation in the townships. And the whole world was shocked by the brilliant photograph of a starving Sudanese child with a vulture patiently waiting in the background. Kevin Carter committed suicide not long after winning a Pulitzer Prize for that image. Although the book deals mainly with their work experiences, it also provides insight in the personal lives of photojournalists. It focuses mainly on events in South Africa, especially during those eventful years in the early nineties. However, there are also references to other African countries. A few months before I read this book, I also read Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa by Keith Richburg. This was another excellent and very honest book by a black American journalist who was assigned to the African Desk of the Washington Post. The combination of these two books gives an excellent perspective on the Dark Continent and scares the hell out of you.

I can strongly recommend both these books. It is a must-read for anyone interested in photojournalism and for people interested in the political transition period of SA. People who enjoy biographies will also appreciate the book.

This is an exciting account of South Africa, as observed through the lenses of four "conflict photojournalists", roughly between the time of Mandela's release to South Africa's first non-racial elections. There is a gripping, raw and ultimately, compassionate, quality about the writing, and the photos powerfully convey the horrors that this country went through. Equally enlightening are the insights into conflict photography, and the moral issues that arise by being a witness (and recorder) of human suffering. This book would interest anyone who's ever wondered how conflict photographers get into those crazy situations, the risks they took (sometimes fatal), and the adrenaline-laced thoughts that rush through their minds.