Western Books

A friend let me borrow this book to read. Great book! I will be purchasing it to add to my collection. It's Very well written and a true life story. If you enjoy history (how people lived before this day & age) or outdoors you'll enjoy this book! Would recommend for anyone around age 10 & up. Tells how they lived in a very rural area of Southeast Alaska where boat was your main way of transportation. They hunted, trapped & fished to provide food for themselves & to sell to make living. Their experiences through all this give you a very real idea of what it would have been like. I think this took place in the 1940's-1950's, but I don't remember for sure. Some of the expiences have some humor in them too. This book talks about a mailboat coming with mail & goods...there is also a book out about that specific mailboat called "In the Wake of an Alaskan Mailboat" by Dennis Sperl, also a very good book.

I have lived in Southeast Alaska for the past eight years and am still learning a great deal about this magnificient part of the world. One of the ways that I learn is by reading books about the area and particularly those of local writers who have experienced the lifestyle. The Cheechakoes and Wayne's second book, This Raw Land, are two of the best I have read. They truly give one a feeling of what it must have been like in those early years. Having grown up in rural East Texas during the same time period as the books, I found that the part I enjoyed most was comparing the experiences of Wayne and his family with those of myself and my family. While many things were similar, the books truly give one the feeling of the vastness of the area and of the frontier spirit of the people who settled it.

These are great reads. I highly recommend them for all ages.

This one is hard to put down! END

I LIVED IN ALASKA FOR FORTY YEARS, AND THIS A VERY TRUE STORY OF THE FAMILY, I WAS AQUAINTED WITH THE SON MARK SHORT AND HIS WIFE LORENE, MOUSE TO HER FRIENDS, ALSO MET BARBRA AND WAYNE, LIVED IN PETERSBURG, WHERE WAYNE WAS MAYOR AT ONE TIME, I THINK BARBARA STILL WORKS THERE AT THE TIDES IN IN THE SUMMER. GREAT READ, DON'T MISS IT, ALSO THE SECOND BOOK, THIS RAW LAND, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT. THE FIRST BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE'S DAD TOOK THEM TO ALASKA AS CHEECHAKOE'S, GREEN HORNS, AND THE SECOND BOOK IS WHEN WAYNE WENT SOUTH AND MARRIED BARB AND TOOK HER BACK TO ALASKA, TO BUILD HIS OWN FAMILY AND HOLDINGS. DON'T MISS THIS.

Paints a very realistic picture of what it was like to be a fisherman in Alaska. Plenty of interesting stories about the people, and the adventures the Shorts had when they first arrived and started fishing for a living.
I bought it at a garage sale when I was 12, and I still enjoy re-reading it. I thought it had gone out of print, and wouldn't loan it to anyone for years for fear of losing it.
The only disturbing part is that wildlife (fish, mink, bears and seals) are something to be harvested and/or cleared away for the people. Loads of animals meet their maker in this book.

I can't stop looking at the lovely pics. of all Chet's 60 guitars. And the stories in his own words. The best book in the world.

This is a ghost written autobiography of Chet and his various guitars. It has outstanding photography and provides insight into the character of the man.

At first I just meant to thumb through a few pages but Chet's easy-going and enjoyable writing style sucked me in. The next thing it was 2 am and I'd finished most of the book. Although I suffered the next day at work I didn't mind it a bit.

If you like vintage guitars or Chet Atkins' playing I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is full of beautiful color pictures and behind-the-scenes descriptions of the development of some very interesting and historic instruments. Chet's stories of the people he played with, the guitars he played and the music he made are wonderful and totally engrossing. Buy this book today!!

As I Chet fan, I am always wanting more photos, information etc. on Chets's life, guitars, equipment and technique. This book is fantastic!! The book quality is superb and the photos are exquisite! I am very well pleased to have this book in my Chet collection.

Chet relates the story of his life and describes the guitars he owned and helped design in an easy-going, yet informative, manner in this book, which is lavishly illustrated with photographs of his guitars. As a country music enthusiast, I found Chet's story to be very interesting -- he had much more contact with some of the early artists (such as Karl Davis and Bill Carlisle) than I'd realised. Chet's narrative is characterised by his modesty and generosity to others: for example, he relates how Mother Maybelle Carter and her family fought some elements of the Nashville establishment to ensure he was permitted to play in Music City; and he is very complimentary of other guitarists (e.g. to Australia's Tommy Emmanuel).
I have no hesitation in recommending this book to any country-music enthusiast or country guitarist, though the book also has a much wider appeal.

"Chiricahua" by Alfred Dennis is a western, clean writen as opposed to carnal. Not boring. Captivating. Fictional but a life-like represenation of a wild west era, native American people, and locale. Especially suitable for readers who look for novels which are not crude or crass. Move over Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey and all other western zenre authors, make room for Alfred Dennis.

Excellent story. Great read. Couldn't put it down once I started it. Action and adventure mixed with suspense and romance. Would make a great movie. Left me longing for more. Can't wait for the sequel!

It was well worth the price. For those who like western novels with strong characters, realism, action adventure, suspence and romance, this book has it all. So well written that you feel like you are right there watching the story unfold. I would highly recommend Chiricahua. Keep an eye on this new author. If he doesn't have an agent yet,I would snatch him up. Can't wait for his next one. My sister said it's the best novel she's ever read. I have to agree.

The novel Chiricahua, by Alfred Dennis, is an adventure to read.It is realistic and action packed throughout the book.

The charactors erupt from the book. Yet it has a simple and easy dialogue. The book is full of suspense. Read the 1st page and it is hard to put down.

I find Mr. Dennis to be an author who is a great storyteller with an impeccable since of horsemanship. I can't wait for the sequel to Chiricahua

I would love to see Chiricahua made into a movie for the big screen. I think it would be a great success

Hurry with the sequel, Chris Vaughn

I found "Chiricahua" a vibrant, active story that held my interest from page 1. The descriptive narrative is realistic, and it is obvious the author knows horses.
The book moves at a fast clip and the characters are strong. This story is readable for people from 10 to 100 and it doesn't take a Western fan to appreciate the style, content and excitement. I believe fans of all genres will love it. If you like Louis L'Amour books you will like this.
This is an excellent book and would make an excellent movie. I sense that the author, Alfred Dennis, is a natural story teller, and self taught. That is refreshing in itself. This book doesn't insult the readers intelligence, nor is it over the readers head. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good read, even non-western fans.

Gerald L. Nelson

Horowitz writes in a lively and approachable fashion, telling the story of how music and musical performance evolved in our country with brisk and provocative ideas. He's both scholar and journalist, an unusual talent.

As you may well guess from the title, Mr. Horowitz isn't very happy with the current trends in American music. In many ways you can't but agree with him. He claims that classical music in the United States peaked at about 1900 and that since then it has been falling in impact, in quality, and in just about every other way.

I'm not so sure that I completely agree. One of his points is that American orchestras have become fixated on performing only the music of the old masters and ignoring American composers. In fact he says that at the turn fo the century we were waiting for a major American composer to come in and set the stage for the new country. And that didn't happen.

Music has certainly changed in the last hundre years, but there are more symphanies than ever before. Even the smaller cities like Salt Lake city, San Jose, etc. sport local orchestras. Performances at places like Vail, Colorado and Tanglewood draw good crowds.

I think that there may be a discussion waiting to happen on what is classical music. Shakespeare is certainly classical literature, but it was theater of the masses in its day. Musicals on Broadway, movie themes like John Williams work on Star Wars aren't defined as classical. But in a hundred years Phantom of the Opera may well be considered classical.

Mr. Horowitz certainly raises interesting points, and has crafted a book well worth reading.

For the classical enthusiast, this is a must read. It puts into great perspective the problems currently facing us -- and frankly leaves me despondent about the future of live, symphonic music. Everyone involved gets blamed: conductors, soloists, union members, orchestra managers, audiences, composers, music schools...
The book is nicely divided into historical periods, and all the big (and not so big) names are here. Horowitz obviously knows his subject, writes about it passionately and communicates to the reader well. He also likes obscure words: more than once I had to grab a dictionary.
There's a nice Naxos web page that offers up substantial samples of much of the music mentioned in the book.
My only complaint is that I wish he had added a last chapter: What We Need to Do! There are plenty of people who need to read this book, but I fear that it's length will prevent wide readership.

For years we have been sustained by a notion that we could, if we worked hard enough, use documents of all kinds (musical scores, diaries, images, letters, etc.) to figure out something like "what really happened" in the past. Alas, the past is a much vaster ocean than we imagine. The refreshing thing about Horowitz's brilliant Classical Music in America, is that he's not about writing a chronicle, he's about telling a particular story. In the end, it's not whether you agree or disagree that there was something like a Golden Age in the United States around the turn of the century followed by a gradual but inevitable slide, but that the reader is bathed in the very richness of the tale and the telling. Through his passion, his gifts as a writer and thinker, and actually through the very idiosyncratic thinking that can annoy, cajole, and prod, he compels attention, and stimulates deep thought about the past and the present.

Horowitz has been one of our leading cultural critics for decades, and this is a book that should be on every music lover's bookshelf.

Horowitz's panoramic history traces the development of American classical music institutions, performers, and composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Emerging from such low-brow entertainments as "monster concerts" with multitudes of choral and orchestral performers, so numerous that they could hardly hear each other, the American musical scene came to maturity both in Boston and New York, two locales around which much of the author's chronicle centers. Horowitz's chronicle charts in detail the history of many performing institutions in both these cities, the men who ran them, and those who kept a watchful eye on their doings: the music critics. Orchestras, opera companies and solo performers parade past in dizzying array, kept from totally overwhelming the reader by Horowitz's firm organization, both by chronology and by topic area.

It is the attempt to establish a distinctive and indigenous school of musical composition that most interests Horowitz, and here his discussion is at its most valuable. He gives due weight to names that are now fashionable once again, such as Amy Beach, but also speaks up for some that are still neglected, notably George Whitfield Chadwick in Boston. The distinctive musical cultures that arose in the two cities are painted with a sure hand, resulting in many fascinating revelations: Edward MacDowell's chilly relations with many of Boston's pre-eminent composers, for example, came as a surprise to me. Alas, according to the author, though America has produced many major composers in the twentieth century, a truly distinctive and thriving culture of original composition has never succeeded in establishing itself. Horowitz blames this failure on the cultivation of what amounts to performer worship and the endless recycling of a canon of old masterpieces that took hold after World War I. His conclusions may be arguable, but his observations are unfailingly lucid and engaging. This is a book that will sit by Richard Crawford's recent book on American music, and books on American opera and singing by John Dizikes and Peter G. Davis, on my shelf of frequently consulted sources.

The last two reviewers have said most of what needs to be said. It should be noted that one of the most amazing things about Curley's translation is the Dutch-English-Latin terminological glossary at the end. Its extraordinarily useful for anyone wanting to really get into Spinoza's text. And the translation, notes, etc., are all top-notch. I can't wait for Volume II!

I believe that the previous commentator was confused. First, "ideatum" cannot be a dative noun because there is no "--um" dative ending. An "-um" ending indicates a nominative, accusative, or third declension plural genitive. Second, I do not know what word the commentator is thinking about. "Ideatum" is a technical Latin term, which refers to the object of an idea. So, if for example I have an idea of a cow then the cow is the "ideatum." Curley translates this word as "object" most of the time and explains why in his extensive notes. The term is difficult to translate into English, but Curley does a fantastic job. I would ask the previous commentator what translation he would prefer because both Shirley and Ewles use the same translation of "ideatum." Third, I am unclear what the previous commentator was talking about when arguing that Spinoza "presents a devastating criticism to the rationalist project at every juncture." Spinoza is often considered a rationalist philosopher because he accepts many of the assumptions of the other rationalists. For example, Spinoza clearly accepts what Bennett calls "explanatory rationalism," which is the thesis that every event (and thing) has an explanation (and cause). I would direct the commentator to the first few chapters of Bennett's book. I agree with the previous commentator that Spinoza should not be read simply as a Cartesian (it seems likely to me that he has significant medieval influences), but Spinoza was clearly deeply influenced by Descartes. Descartes is the only philosopher mentioned by name (twice) in the Ethics (although Spinoza does vaguely point to "the Hebrew" philosophers in his mysterious Scholium at 2p7). Nevertheless, I have serious worries about the previous commentator's statements and would not take them too seriously when considering whether or not to buy this fantastic book.

Despite what the previous reviewer wrote, Curley's translation is an accurate, literal, and consistent translation. It is perhaps less readible than Shirley's, but it is more literal. I would also like to note my disagreement with a few of the previous review's specific charges. The reviewer complains that Curley reads Spinoza as a Cartesian. I have no idea how Curley's translation is supposed to encode any such reading. Moreover, the reviewer suggests that this is incorrect because Spinioza is not a rationalist. I'm not sure what the reviewer means by 'rationalist' but on any standard interpretation of that term, Spinoza most certainly is a rationalist. The review also critizes Curley for translating 'ideatum' as object without offering a alternative. His or her reason for doing so is that the word 'object' causes him or her to think about the subject/object dichotomy, which Spinoza is alleged to reject. I'm not sure that Curley's translation should be held accountable for the reviewer's free associations. In any event, students of Spinoza should not be mislead. The translation is excellent.

I have read a number of translations of the "Ethics", and this is the best by far. It is lucid, clear, and sensitive to the meaning of its Latin-Dutch terms. Curley is an outstanding Spinoza scholar, and he brings his expertise to the fore, not only in his readable English, but also in the helpful footnotes with which he punctuates Spinoza's text.The price is steep, but well worth it for what is the standard for Spinoza scholarship. The text includes not only the "Ethics," but also his earlier works and letters. If you hesitate at the price, and all you want is the "Ethics," then get the considerably less expensive Curley translation of that work. I wait for the release (will it ever?) of the second volume of Curley's work on Spinoza's texts, especially his translation of and commentary on the Theological-Political Treatise.

This book is the best translation for the research of Spinoza. It provides nearly all what you want. The translation is faithfully based on the Latin version and the terms are delt with very carfully. But the pity is that I have expected the volume II from 1985, but it had not publish untill now. I hope Curley works on his translation, and see the volume II as soon as possible

A fast-paced read. This book has all the elements; strong moral characters, action, humor and the ever-present sense that the guys in the white hats will always ride in to save the day! Can't ask for more than that! Put this book on your Christmas list!

We received the book as a gift. Thought it wouldn't be our type of book, but read it anyway. Couldn't put the book down and we both finished it in one day. Bought eight copies for gifts. Terrific non-stop action. Can't wait for his next book.

Clive Cussler made me adore Dirk Pitt, but Ray Mize made me love Reid Matthews. And how can you write about a strong man without a female to counterbalance him? This book had all the good stuff that kept me turning the pages. Even the dogs, Lips and Feet, were incredibly well developed characters! If you like to snuggle down with a good book, this is the one!

A Kill Line grabs you on the first page and keeps you in suspense through out the entire book. The author makes it easy to identify with the characters immediately. Do not start the book before bed time because you won't be able to put it down before it is finished!!!!!

Author B. Ray Mize debut novel, The Comancheria: A Kill Line is a rapidly paced adventure novel that plays out on a modern Texas ranch and on the streets of New Orleans. The reader is quickly engaged with a series of memorable characters that range from Native Americans, Cajuns, and cowboys, to thugs and career women. The story is superbly crafted and thoroughly entertaining. The Comancheria is one of that class of novels that are so easy to pick up and so hard to put down!

This is an excellent business math book. It's easy to work with and has lots of examples for practicing. It breaks the subject matter down in a manner where it's easy to understand. Chapters 10 through 14 are really great for individuals to learn about their finances. Chapters 15 through 17 are excellent for businesses. There are other chapters that are really great in establishing the basic foundation in business math. Overall this is an excellent book to use for brushing up on math or just learning about business math for business or individual use. Another excellent book to read is "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul."

Im a college student and when I first started using this book I said to myself this is like H.S math. Little did I know it does get more complicated but its on a college level as you go on. It takes you back to the basic mathematics and then to a college level mathematics. I liked the book very much so. There is also a answer key in the book (but only for the the odd #'s)which is very useful as well.

I think this book is great, becareful not to get the instructors edition, I got that edition by mistake then ordered a student editon used, it did not come with the cd like it said it would.

This book was incredibly helpful for a college class in Business Math. Many of the adults in my class had not studied any sort of math in years. This book made the subject easy with great examples succinct and thorough summaries. Recommend it for other teachers in the same area.

There are several typos in this book, but don't let that get you down. This is an excellant review of business math. It begins with the basics of operations, and then progresses to more complex formulas. It will help everyone from business majors to consumers to better manage their money.

Ms. Booth gathered an extraordinarily versatile collection of very capable professionals willing to share their memorable recipes. Those of us fortunate enough to have received this book as a gift can leisurely savor diverse meals we were unable to enjoy while scurrying through the mountains during our hurried ski vacations. Anxiously awaiting a sequel...please.

We have tried about ten recipes so far from the book and have been pleasently surprised in the outcome. In addition, the photography puts you there. Highly recommended!

This cookbook combines the ease and speed of preparation with beautiful pictures of Colorado. Most ingredients are readily obtainable at my local supermarket. The dishes taste great and never fail to get me compliments from my guests. Ms. Booth has done a remarkable job of getting some of Colorado's best chefs to let us in on some of their best recipes.

This cookbook is both a feast for the appetite and a feast for the eyes. It presents a great variety of delicious meals in an easy to follow "no fail" format. I'm a cookbook collector, and this is one of my favorites.

This is a great cookbook. The recipes are easy to use and create elegant meals. The photographs by John Fielder are gorgeous. It's also a terrific present for anyone.

A great story by Dotti Enderle and a great tribute to Texas, where everything is bigger! The illustrations are eye-pleasing and my children laughed several times at the sheer silliness of this tale!

As a long-time Texas State Fair goer, I'm thrilled to own such a fun book that is full of the flavor, adventure, and excitement of the Fair. Dotti Enderle does a wonderful job of creating a monstrous cotton-candy day for one boy and for everyone who reads this delightful book. The pictures are bright and sure to catch a child's attention. You can almost taste the cotton candy as you read!

In this tallest of tale tales, Enderle spins a story about some cotton candy that's spun out of control, gumming up the works at the Texas state fair. A great choice to read before a trip to the Midway, or to bring back memories after-the-fact. Be sure to have something sweet on hand while you read -- this book'll make your tummy rumble for a box of caramel corn or a plate of sugar-dusted fried dough. Put on your best twang for maximum read-aloud pleasure.

Whenever I get a picture book to review, it's always a team effort between myself and my 4-year-old daughter. About THE COTTON CANDY CATASTROPHE, she said, "It was fun and funny. And it had a haunted house that I want to go in. And I like how it got sillier and sillier because the cotton candy made more and more mess." I agree. This is a great tall-tale story of what can happen if you aren't careful with that fluffy pink stuff. The illustrations are a hoot, too -- full of fun -- I especially loved the chickens. And you'll even get a peek at Big Tex, the 52-foot-tall cowboy who really does greet visitors to the Texas State Fair. It's a great regional book and a fun read-aloud.

I loved following Jake and his cotton candy through the Texas State Fair. Wish I'd been there to witness the commotion that followed. This is a delightful tale that children are sure to enjoy.

The story held my attention from the beginning to the satisfying end. I loved all of the characters (even the secondary ones were great!) Linda Broday has become and auto-buy for me and I wish she'd write more!

I was impressed with Linda Broday's first novel, but she's made a committed reader out of me with her second/latest release. THE COWBOY WHO CAME CALLING is giant steps toward the masterful storytelling one gets from Larry McMurtry--great plotting, vivid characters, and lots of heart. The pace is page-turning, the characters are memorable, and the parallels to LITTLE WOMEN made the plot earn a bullseye in storytelling. Ms Broday raises the genre.

This beautiful sensual love story is the sequel to Knight on the Texas Plains and tells the story of Luke mcCain and Glory Day.

Luke is looking for a killer by the name of Mad Dog Perkins who has ruined his life and and Glory is also looking for Mad Dog perkins to collect the bounty on him as her father has been imprisoned and she hopes to get him released.

Glory is struggling to look after her mother and sisters and keep their farm from being repossessed. She is also going blind.

Glory accidentally shoots Luke and cares for him on her farm where they eventually fall in love.

Luke helps Glory to clear her fathers name and he is reunited with his family.

Linda Broday writes a very sensitive and compelling story and
gives a strong message that people with disabilities and and do lead a full and normal life.

In 1881 Texas, former Ranger Luke McClain (homage to Lucas McCain?) lives for vengeance on the man who destroyed him. Luke cannot turn to his family because he feels guilt for several reasons towards his sister-in-law, who obviously cherishes his brother.

Glory Day knows her family is in trouble as the bank pressures them for payment on the ranch. She plans to capture escaped prisoner Mad Dog Perkins in order to collect the bounty. She traps Mad Dog, but Luke gets in the way and she ends up shooting the wrong guy. Luke heals on the Day spread where he charms and helps her family. Glory wants him to leave until they kiss. She realizes she shot the right man because that made him stay in time to fall in love.

THE COWBOY WHO CAME CALLING is a warm western romantic sequel to the graphically vivid KNIGHT ON THE TEXAS PLAIN though charcaters from the first novel make limited appearances in this book. Thus, readers have a choice to either go back or to peruse this delightful stand-alone tale. The story line is fun as Luke exacerbates Glory by his not only taking over her role with her family, but their appreciation of his doing so. Linda Broday is a skilled author who shows her ability to provide a solid novel in which the romance takes center stage with western and suspense elements providing profundity and focus to the love story.

Harriet Klausner

"The power of love in the wilds of frontier Texas"
Glory Marie Day is one tough little cookie. She has been the sole provider for her small family ever since her father was falsely imprisoned. Glory works hard to put food on the table and keep a roof over the heads of her younger sisters and her depressed, overmedicated mother.

When Glory learns of the opportunity to pursue and possibly capture a wanted outlaw, she saddles up and sets out to bring the man in and claim the reward money. Unfortunately, someone else has the same idea.

Luke McClain is a former Texas Ranger who is out to clear his name. As he is going in for the capture of one of the men who can help clear his name, he is literally knocked off his feet by a fiesty little lady with a glorious name.

Yep, Glory shot him. Accidently, of course, but shot him all the same.

As Luke recovers on the Day family farm, he soon learns how much this independent little lady does, and as his admiration for Glory grows, he discovers that he is falling in love with the Texas spitfire, and vows to help her in any way he can.

As the two become acquainted and their feelings for each other deepen, it is evident that Luke must help Glory clear her father's name as he clears his own. If she will only let him.

THE COWBOY WHO CAME CALLING is the charming, entertaining second novel from Texas author Linda Broday, and it is a spectacular continuation of her story begun in KNIGHT ON THE TEXAS PLAINS. Broday's style of storytelling is captivating; readers become emotionally involved in her stories, and are not disappointed in their outcomes.