Western Books

I just recently purchased a couple of Doug TenNapel's graphic novels after reading an article on the groing craze of expressing world-views through this form. As I scanned the shelves at our local bookstores, I noticed that most of the novels I saw were very unappealing to me. I finally stumbled upon Doug's work and thought that it really stood out from the rest. It is real, raw, entertaining, hilarious; yet a very serious art form. Doug's style is unique. I loved the story flow throughout Iron West as well. It is a story of a very self-centered egotistical outlaw who changes in the end. It takes a few shoves out of the door, but it finally registers with him that being completely consumed with himself is not working out for the good of others. A much needed message for our day.

I give the story and the drawing 5 stars.

I'd never heard of Tennapel, and at first glance, this graphic novel looked a little too cartoony and goofy for my sensibilities. But it had cowboys and robots, so I was willing to give it some leeway. And while it is pretty slapstick and silly, I did end up having a fun time with the quickly paced genre blending story. Yeah, the humor's kind of broad, and the pacing is sometimes too rushed and hectic, but it's hard to go wrong when you combine a card-cheating reluctant hero in old California with elements like evil cowboy robots, a hooker with a heart of gold, an Miwok shaman, Sasquatch, an evil Transformer-like train robot, and the Loch Ness Monster. Somehow, these disparate elements work well together in Tennapel's able hands and fluid artwork. Good (mostly clean) fun.

What an outrageously joyous story. I had the pleasure of meeting the author for the first time at this year's Comic Con in San Diego. Very nice guy, and very humble. Iron West is actually my first exposure to TenNapel's work (besides Earthworm Jim). A friend lent his copy to me. I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy most of his work he had on display at Comic Con.

I highly recommend this book. I am not really into comics, but this is a great great starter to get you into it; if not into comics, then into TenNapel's wonderful creativity and imagination.

Doug TenNapel is an artist of many strengths. Most apparent to the casual observer is his incredible ability as an illustrator; he fashions some truly beautiful images and depicts motion with singular fluidity. His visuals alone would be enough to make his work worth checking out.

But there is much more to this guy than his drawings. He also happens to be one of the best storytellers around, one whose characters and situations are exceptionally compelling. None of the people or events in his stories ever feel like filler or formula. They all contribute beautifully to the work as a whole, be that contribution a thoughtful reflection on faith and morality or be it a good old-fashioned fart joke.

"Iron West," while it does carry a well-stated moral about responsibility and integrity, focuses more heavily on silliness than TenNapel's last few books. Whereas there is a good amount of philosophizing and allegory to be found in his "Creature Tech" (one of my very favorite graphic novels), TenNapel presents "Iron West" as more of a straight ahead romp. But it never, ever feels shallow or empty; it just feels incredibly fun. TenNapel pulls disparate elements--cowboys, robots, and numerous surprises which I would not want to ruin--into a coherent whole. Everything gels, and it does so in unpredictable and constantly delightful ways.

This is one of the most truly entertaining graphic novels I have ever read. I highly recommend it, as well as Doug TenNapel's other excellent books. "Creature Tech" is my personal favorite and an excellent place to start, but "Iron West" is tough to beat if you're in the market for a wild, bizarre, and truly satisfying ride.

Iron West has a sense of action and cool that I just don't see in the vast library of whiny emotional alternative comics that turn up every year. Still, I must admit the thought of a western sci-fi tale didn't really catch my attention at first, but knowing that the art would be great, that was enough to get me sold. Don't get me wrong, the art itself is reason enough to buy Iron West, as I have filpped through the pages just admiring it, but Iron West also has a fun story to back TenNapel's incredible style.

If you haven't figured out by now, the story of Iron West starts out with the protaganist, Preston Struck, being chased down by a group of bounty hunters, when he discovers a race of lethal robot cowboys and has to make the decision to save his town from being overrun. In the process of all this he faces a sasquatch, a shaman who is part of a colony of robot "Injuns" (Indians), and a giant train transformer with a western flare. Like his art, It's weird, and thats what makes it so interesting and worth your time. The whole story is non-stop action just like it should be. Surprisingly this is also the funniest of TeNapels's books and made me laugh quite a few times, something other GN's of this type don't even try at.

Iron West looks great, reads great, and is great. There really is no reason you shouldn't pick it up. Sure, it could have been longer but whats here is so good its more than forgivable. highly recommended.

Unlike others, I was compelled to read this book because of Annabelle's previous occupation and once I started, I could not put the book down, compelled by the artistic way Alexander drew me into the hearts and souls of the characters by her incredible talent to write them in an honest and compelling way, set to the backdrop of an incredible story. It is a story about grace and coming to truly know and believe that grace.

I'll try not to "spoil" the story too much in my review, as I hate that in other reviews.

"Revealed" starts out with Annabelle losing her husband and her regret at not being able to love him the way she wished she could. In her travels to grant her husband's request of being buried by Fountain Creek, she must find another driver to help her meet up with the wagon train that she and her husband were traveling with to the ranch he owned. The new driver turns out to be her husband's brother who did not approve of Annabelle and her past.

The story follows these characters on their journey, both physical and emotion. We are captivated by the way Alexander shows in authentic ways the growth of both characters throughout their struggles.
I can't wait for the next series coming out next month!

I really liked this book. I read all 3 of the Fountain Creek Chronicles series and this one was my favorite. The characters were easy to like and the plot was great.

Loved this book. Wasn't sure I would at first but once I started reading it, I could not put it down. Good author. Can't wait to see what else she writes. The faith and scriptures mentioned in this book touched me in many ways.

I did not think that I would enjoy this book because of Annabelle's former occupation but I ended up loving it. Annabelle and Matthew's conversations with one other on the trail were so funny! The way they rescued Sadie was absolutely wonderful! Hearing how Annabelle and Sadie began their life of prostitution was heartbreaking, drawing the reader closer to the characters. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it highly!

When a prostitute is bought out of a brothel and marries a man she does not really love, the reader wants to dislike her right away. Soon enough, Annabella was my hero, even with her jaded past. A tragedy, and we met her as a pregnant widow. Matthew Taylor needs a job, so he applied as trail guide for Annabelle's trip to Idaho and the land her deceased husband loved.

To say these two literally despised each other would not be stretching the truth, both had deep, dark secrets and both had reasons not to trust the other. However, Matthew got the job and much of this book is about the long, 900 mile journey, searching for tiny little Sadie, a 15 yr. old prostitute, nearly losing their lives in the process. Why was Matthew so edgy and seemed to look over his shoulder a lot? The wanted posters told Annabelle some of the reasons--- she was traveling with a criminal.

This book deals with many issues, prostitution in the early settlements of the West, the dangers of whiskey, gambling and women all thrown together and the struggle to forgive oneself even after God has shown complete forgiveness.

Traveling by wagon was not easy, especially when two people who disliked and distrusted each other were alone for three months and there were inate dangers as well as physical and environmental ones. Personally, for me, I related completely to the subtle description of dementia of a very elderly, mean relative.

I have already begun my search for book three by this author. Where did she come from and how did she get to be such a sucess so quickly? Books one and two only slightly overlap with towns and people and book three has a huge reputation to live up to. Thanks for the Christian, historical fiction book that shows the power of change when asked of God.

Robin Cody, Ricochet River (Knopf, 1992)

So there was a big flap a couple of years ago about the new edition of Ricochet River, which got edited (in Cody's words, "I toned down one passage and cut another...") before being reprinted. So I figured I'd get my hands on it and see what all the fuss was about. First and foremost: I entirely disagree with the assertion (in the same interview from which I took the last quote-- Rachel Simon's January 26, 2005 piece in the Oregon City News) that "...sexuality is peripheral to the actual story, Cody said...". It's a coming-of-age story. Sexuality is central to it. Looking beyond the coming-of-age motif, however, sex stands at the heart of this tale of three friends on the cusp of college-- Wade, the high school sports star; Lorna, his girlfriend; and Jesse, the new kid, who's better at sports than Wade, but has a lot to learn, and a lot to teach, about life. As the book opens, Wade and Lorna are at the start of a rough patch that lasts off and on throughout the novel, and Jesse, seeing a woman in possible distress, moves on in, which colors the relationship between the three of them. How can sex be peripheral?

That's not to say that sex is the only thing explored in this novel. There's a great deal about salmon, as well (though the salmon and the sex do tie into one another intermittently), and family ties, existential teen angst, friendship, individuality, the raw deal given the Native Americans, and a whole lot of other stuff. But Wade, Lorna, and Jesse are the focus of the story, and taking away from that, however little, undercuts it. This is a good, solid novel, and it deserves to be read in its original form. ***

RICOCHET RIVER
By Forrest Joe Hess

I'm writing a paper on the story Ricochet River. And I'm trying to determine to see who is the main character of the story and in my opinion I think Jesse is the main character,
Because he's always in the story and he's always doing sports better than every one. Like baseball, "He switched his glove to his other hand. Than he wound up with a mirror image of that hose we'd all seen and whipped another bullet. Right-handed! I was stunned. The pitch was a perfect strike." Or like football, "Jesse was open all night. The first three times we got the ball, he scored twice on an end around."

Jesse loves to tell stories about a guy named coyote. Coyote and Jesse have a lot in common. There both rebellion and athletic. These are the stories Jesse loves to tell, he will even tell them in class. "Huckleberry told Coyote to tie a thong to the spear, so he could haul Wishroosh in. Ho, said Coyote. That's what I was going to do. That was my idea all the time."

Jesse is always getting into trouble, its ether stealing from a store of getting into fights or even shooting pet animals. "The point, and it just made me sick, was we had just stalked and killed a farm-fat defenseless cripple."

Having myself grown up in a small Oregon town in the 1960's, I can assure you that Robin Cody has accurately captured this experience for others to share. He has woven a rich tapestry, taking you into a one-industry community, where local high school sports heroes reign supreme and small town mentality clashes with any thing, person or idea that--simply by being different--challenges the cherished status quo. Where bright young people who dream of a life beyond the city limits despair of ever escaping.

Robin Cody's profound understanding and respectful rendering of all cultures represented--small town; timber industry working class; teenagers and Native Americans--makes him my Tony Hillerman of the Northwest.
Katherine Lawrence

I am an avid reader, but tend to gravitate towards more "feminine" books in general. However, Ricochet River was a hit with me from the start. I really enjoyed the masculine, teenage point-of-view, despite my being an adult female. It was believable, funny, and good for any age. This new version has been slightly toned down to make it more appropriate for younger readers, while retaining its draw for older ones.

Robin Cody's award-winning RICOCHET RIVER is available in a new and improved 2005 edition. The author chose to revise his manuscript for high-school audiences, with the help of the editing students at Portland State University's student-run Ooligan Press. Re-reading his work after fourteen years, he found he could make distinct improvements. His legendary coming-of-age story, originally published as an adult novel by Knopf, is now stronger and more vivid than ever. Every parent of a high-school student should find it wonderfully appropriate reading. Anyone of any age who lives in the Pacific Northwest will benefit from reading this book. Place is a major character, and the story is tremendously enriching. I wish I'd read it when I moved to Oregon thirty-five years ago, and I've hastened to order copies for my born-in-Oregon children.

I have read the Romantic Suspense books by this author,The Edge of Recall,Halos: A Novel,and Freefall which were all wonderful. I couldn't get enough of her writing skill,so decided to try her Christian Historical Romance.

Mrs. Heitzmann has not disappointed me yet! Her skill amazes me.

This book and the whole trilogy,was almost painful to read,due to the heartbreaking life histories of the two main characters Quillen and Carina. The author goes into great detail letting us in on their sad backgrounds.

However,we are also treated to the development of some new wonderful friendships for Carina,and a few older ones of Quillens,and some genuine humor. I loved Quillen's fascination with Carina's hand gestures and expressions as she speaks,especially when she is annoyed/angry.

There was also some real suspense and mystery concerning possibly fraudulent property deeds. Carina had gone from Sonoma,CA to the mining town of Crystal,CO on the belief that she owned a house she saw and purchased,from a newspaper advertisement,to get away from the man who had betrayed her love.

I believe Kristen Heiztmann is without a doubt one of the best Christian Fiction authors out there,and I am so thankful to have come across her books,which make me doubly thankful that the Lord blessed me with a love for reading.

Her books will also amaze you with how descriptive she is of the surrounding and weather,so that you feel that you are in the scenes.

I hadn't read Heitzmann before tackling this series, and I've got to say: she's good. The names struck me as a mite corny, but what did I expect from a historical, romance series? Once I got over Quillan, Flavio, etc I thoroughly enjoyed reading the series.
Only buy it if you're ready to put in the time though, cause you won't want to put it down for anything mundane like eating or sleeping:-)

Excellent book!!!!!
In my opinion the beggining of the book was a little boring, but when I was around page 100 the story became very compelling, a page-turner, full of action, suspense and even romance !!! I highly recommend you to read it.

When Carina DeGratia finds out her fiancé has been unfaithful, she leaves her beloved Sonoma, California and heads for Crystal, Colorado. With the deed to her dream house in her hand and little else, she quickly finds out things are not always what they claim to be. Once in Crystal, Carina grabs the attention of two men. One a town leader, the other a man she just as soon wished she'd never met. Again, Carina learns a hard lesson in trust when she begins to realize neither man is who he seems. When violence begins to escalate in this small mining town, Carina must decide who it is she will turn to for help.

THE ROSE LEGACY, the first in a three part series, was a very enjoyable read. I'm glad I already have book two so I can plunge right in and see what else is in store for Carina, her husband, and the town of Crystal.

I have looked at Kristen Heiztmann's books on the bookstore shelves for years now, and never once bought one, thinking they were just the run of the mill historical Christian fiction, with not much meat in them. However, when I recently bought her books Secrets and Unforgotten when they were on sale for half price, I couldn't put them down! Upon finishing those two, I immediately took the Rose Legacy series books out of the library (whose storyline precedes that of Secrets and Unforgotten), and had them read in less than a week (ignoring other important tasks at times!) I love them even more than the first two I read. The characters are real and it was easy to hear the voice of the Lord in my own ear as I read their words. The Lord knew when and where I needed to read these!

This is a really wonderful cookbook which I have owned for years. I often go back to it to discover new recipes, as well as my tried-and-true favorites. Add it to your cookbook library! A+

I've had this cookbook for years, and it remains at the very top of all the cookbooks I own for being used again and again. I can't even count all the recipes I make regularly from this book (we're talking weeknight meals!): Mount Rainier Chili, Harvest Bisque, Spinach Salad with Warmed Shallot Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese Potato Salad, (extensive salad section - all amazing), Tortellini Picnic Salad, Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce, Salmon and Salmon Chowder, Salmon with Cilantro Pesto, Rosemary Walnut Chicken, Apple Blackberry Crisp... I could go on and on, and I just picked a few of the recipes we use all the time. Rarely is there a cookbook where you actually cook most of the recipes in it. The recipes are all sophisticated and unique and so yummy. They are not full of difficult ingredients, just good basic stuff with a better twist. This is pretty much my desert island cookbook - if I could only take one cookbook with me to a desert island, this would be it. The only problem is that around here, almost everyone I know owns and worships this cookbook. I once brought Tortellini Picnic Salad to a potluck lunch, and someone else brought it too!
Bottom line: Amazing, amazing cookbook. You will never regret having it. I predict it will become your favorite!

(By the way, it is much better than Celebrate the Rain, the Seattle JL's next cookbook - which is good, but I don't think anything could live up to Simply Classic.)

I grew up in the Northwest and live in Arizona. I love this cookbook and decided to share it with friends this year so I purchased 3 for gifts. Every recipe I have tried has been a hit with my family and friends. Simply Classic - The perfect title.

If there is a bad recipe in this book, I've yet to find it. You can always count on whatever you make being a hit. I've given this cookbook to several friends. They agree. The recipes are easy to follow with results you can depend on. This book should be a basic in every cook's kitchen. A perfect gift, too.

This is a GREAT cookbook. I have had it for 5+ years, and I still use it all the time. I can vouch for the salads, soups, and entrees especially. I have not made many of the desserts, but I would not hesitate since everything else I have made from the cookbook has been so successful.

What a great book for your pre-teen! Enough "romance" without the nitty-gritty details. I loved the storyline and ordered the 2nd and 3rd books right away. I worked in an elementary school library for 5 years and became good friends with one particular student. She would ask me to suggest books for her. To this day, we have continued our book club of 2! After I finished reading this series, she was delighted to get them. I know she will enjoy reading them over and over! Thanks for such a great series.

I bought this novel used, not knowing what to expect and not realizing it was the first of a trilogy. I loved this book! It dealt with the relations of the Lakota and whites back in the 1800s. Walks the Fire is a white woman who is captured by Rides the Wind. They are distant at first but a love grows between them that is every woman's dream. Their life together is not easy, but they find joy in their lives. I can't wait to get the rest of this trilogy! I'm hooked! This was my first by this author but it will not be the last. Some of her other series sound interesting and I plan to read several of them. To the author: Thanks for a beautiful....though sometimes sad...story!!!

Not a typical christian romance. This is "old school" christianity, back when the Bible was a regular part of a family's daily regimen. And, this author has done her research and made the novels historically accurate. Yet, if you aren't a history buff and not into Bible study, you'll still love these novels because they are so well written. You get drawn into loving the characters and caring about what happens to them. One of the few books that have made me laugh, cry, and hope. I devoured this series and went on to the next. Let this review stand for every series this author has written. Great work!

All I can say is this book swept me off my feet. I finished this book which is 300 pages in less then a week it is that good! What a amazing story it is. I highly recommened this book to anyone that loves these kind of stories.

I discovered this book at a used booksale, and since I love stories about the west and Indians, I bought it. And once I started to read it, I couldn't put it down! I even thought of the characters during the day until I could get back to the book! I could even picture them-he was very handsome!! I also read Part 2 of the series, and just now I'm going to start reading the 3rd Part Red Bird! Even though parts are sad and made me almost cry, the happiness is there too, and the love of God! An excellent book in all regards!! I'm going to read everything she has written!

What a wonderful and descriptive book outlining life in rural America. The character came alive with love for our farm and the lives that surround. The book is so well written that you can smell the wheat as it matures, feel the bitterness of the coldest winters, and enjoy the harvest moon as it hovers in the horizon.

Definitely a must read.

I stumbled across a copy of this book that was printed during the war, stamped "This book is manufactured under wartime conditions in conformity with all government regulations controlling the use of paper and other materials" which made it so much more of a treat, in my opinion, since the book was written during this time and really allowed me to enter the world that the author creates in this book. I grew up in the Midwest (central and southern Illinois and Indiana), and I could truly relate to the rural life that (main character) Ellen grew up in and eventually returns to. It is a shame this book hasn't had more publicity, but it is certainly a classic novel and it would be great to see it in the hands of more young people. It's easy to feel for the main character and it's bittersweet as you see Ellen grow up and blossom into an independent woman as she learns the difficult lessons of living and loving. A book that all generations can appreciate. Wholesome and whole-grain ...a great book to feed the soul.

This is a beautifully written book. This author's use of descriptive language is beyond compare. I felt as if I were with Ellen each step that she took toward growing up & I was with her on the emotional rollercoaster of this time in her life. Her love for Gil, her misunderstanding of her parents love for each other, & the loss of a student. She paints a vivid picture of the starkness of Montana & I could feel Gil's hesitation in his love for Ellen, however unfair it was. Read this book. You won't be sorry that you did.

Written over sixty years ago about ranchers living in remote parts of Montana, this old fashioned coming of age novel has a surprising currency. Its bittersweet portrayal of human relationships has a deep ring of emotional truth, and its understanding of the constantly shifting nature of identity makes it almost postmodern. Meanwhile, it can be read with a kind of page-turning breathlessness that keeps readers hoping that everything - against all odds - will somehow turn out for the best.

Most remarkable for a reader growing up in a mid-century rural community, the novel evokes vividly the seasonal rounds of living and working on a farm circa 1940. Though Montana was her adopted home (Walker grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and attended Wells College), she writes with an intimate knowledge of farm work that is rare in literature. Also remarkable is the novel's wartime setting, as Walker writes of Pearl Harbor and the impact of entry into WWII on the lives of her characters, even while that war was still being fought (the novel was published in 1944).

I recommend this novel highly for its way of creating very individual characters leading quite plausible lives rooted firmly in very real physical and psychological worlds. Its lessons about hard work and survival, the bonds of love, living with insecurity, and the lifelong effects of choices made affirm a view of life that embraces both loss and reward. Thanks to the University of Nebraska Press for keeping this fine novel in print. Also recommended, Judy Blunt's "Breaking Clean" and Mary Clearman Blew's "All But the Waltz."

Such a beautiful, beautiful book. The characters are gently revealed through their choices, actions, dialogue, and even their interaction with the harsh/lovely landscape. Ellen's situation is unique to her era and environment, but then again, much about her is timeless: her longing, her confusion, her stamina, the bitterness of the lessons she learns in growing up. Her parents are--I'd say richly drawn but that makes me think of the florid descriptions of a Pat Conroy or something, and Walker is as far from that as imaginable. I'll say instead that they are hard and true characters whose own story adds much to Ellen's. You will not regret reading this wonderful book.

This is a good visual book on the life of Johnny Cash - it is indeed a collectors item.

Bill Miller, who put together this book about The Man In Black from his own personal collection of Johnny and June Carter Cash memorabilia, knew him well, loved him and was loved by him for many years. The love that Bill Miller had for Johnny Cash is apparent on each and every page from the International Fan Club button with June's autograph to the last lyrics Johnny ever wrote. There were times when I laughed out loud.. and there were times when I had to hold the book upright to keep from staining it with my tears.

An amazing book about an amazing man compiled by a friend of Johnny Cash.. What more could you ask for (except for it to go on for many more pages)!

FOR THOSE OF US WHO FOLLOWED JOHNNY CASH FROM ALMOST DAY ONE, THIS IS POSSIBLY THE MOST PERSONAL AND MOST FULFILLING BOOK EVER DONE ABOUT HIS LIFE. BILL MILLER, A CLOSE FRIEND OF JOHNNY'S SINCE CHILDHOOD, HAS PUT TOGETHER A SCRAPBOOK.COLLAGE OF THE VERY BEST OF JOHNNY'S LOVING AND CARING PERSONALITY. IT'S LIKE GOING BACK IN MY OWN CHILDHOOD, TO THE FIRST TIME I HEARD THE GREAT MAN SING. THAT VOICE, IT WAS LIKE NOTHING WE'D EVER HEARD BEFORE. LATER, THANKS TO MY UNCLE PLAYING ON VENUE'S WITH JOHNNY, I ALSO GOT TO MEET HIM, AND ALWAYS HE WAS KIND, CONSIDERATE AND TO A YOUNG PERSON, OVERWHELMING.

BILL SENT MY WIFE AND I A COPY AND IT'S JUST A TREASURE. EVEN IF YOU BECAME A FAN LATER ON, THIS IS A BOOK THAT GOES BEYOND ALL THE OTHERS. IT'S LIKE JOHNNY HIMSELF LEFT YOU SOME OF HIS PERSONAL BELONGINGS AND GAVE YOU A GOING AWAY PRESENT. WE LOVE THIS BOOK AND TREASURE IT AND THANK BILL MILLER, HIMSELF AN OBVIOUSLY KIND AND LOVING MAN. BUY IT, YOU WON'T BE SORRY AND 25 YEARS FROM NOW THIS ONE BOOK WILL BE THE ONE EVERYONE TRIES TO FIND. IT'S SO GREAT!

I just loved this scrapbook-style memoir by someone who was probably Cash's biggest fan. The photos and the stories were just wonderful and the layout was fantastic.

Bill Miller is an amazing man. He and Johnny Cash were friends for many years. They shared a love of collectibles.

This book shares some very rare memorbilia from Johnny and June's lives. Bill Miller has more CASH memorbilia than most anyone I have ever met. I am so pleased that he is sharing all of those treasures. They should be shared.

One thing you should know...Bill Miller is donating ALL monies, from the sale of this book, to the SOS Children's Village. That really speaks volumes.

God Bless Bill Miller. For his dedication to preserving the memories, for his ongoing support of Johnny Cash fans at his website (http://www.johnnycash.com), for his vision to help those SOS children, and for ALWAYS being a stand up guy. Johnny always told me that Bill was a good man. And he was always right. :)

Kelly Hancock
Hendersonville, Tennessee

We have a lot of cookbooks. Our copy of A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet. Why? Because it's the real deal. Not just a collection of recipes that look good or sound good, this is full of recipes that are great! If you like to eat, you'll come back to it over and over. Some of the recipes will become tradition. Others will be lots of fun to make and eat when you've got company. All of them will make you wish you doubled the recipe. We love it!

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves Texas and Texas recipes. Our son lived in Texas for 8 years. His wife is from Texas. They were happy to get a "Texas Cookbook". GREAT recipes. The rub for steaks is fantastic.

Guys, if you want to upgrade your lifestyle from bachelor chow, if you want to impress the ladies, and most of all, if you want to have decent food at home or at work, you NEED this book. Now.

The stories are great, the author is a killer chef, and best of all, these are recipes YOU will like. If nothing else, get it to get the secret of his grill spice blend - it takes anything and makes it instanly a cut above anything else you've made.

But best of all, Mr. Spears shows us that cooking is not some girlie man thing, it's a cool thing. You'll eat better food, and women will realize you rock. I'm not kidding. Buy it now!

Although the recipies are good, easy to make and tasty it's the stories that accompany it that make the book. Grady doesn't try to be anyone he's not. He's a simple cowboy who enjoys cooking who fell into a career as a chef. Oh, and if you get the book, try the "Sissyfied Son-of-a-B*tch" it's definately better than it sounds.

As an avid cook and an amateur collector of quality cookbooks, I've seen a lot of theme cookbooks like this that are often more story that recipe. This cookbook combines both and is my absolute favorite cookbook ever! The recipes are amazing (though to all of you out there counting points/carbs/calories, etc., this is probably not for you), the back story is interesting, and the knowledge expressed in these pages is priceless to anyone from an aspiring weeknight cook to the most recent C.I.A. graduate (the cooking school, not the espionage organization). In short, there's something for everyone, and everyone will love the food from this book. As I write this, I'm enjoying the buttermilk biscuits that in a few days I will make into the buttermilk biscuit pudding with Southern Comfort cream!

Robust account of one of the seminal figures of early America, one attempting the creation of an indigenous culture cast in a more universal mode than that of the provincial Christianity of his roots. The courage to give up his secure life as a minister for the uncertainties of exploration and creative renewal marks Emerson's trail through a pioneer's psychological American wilderntess, to touch on and integrate everything from the post-Kantians, to the Buddhists/Hindus to the Persians and Sufis. That Emerson evolved into a near firebrand abolitionist is an aspect of his life unsufficiently told, and this part of his later career runs clear in this book. All in all, a first rate pioneer story of another kind.

This is the only biography of Emerson that truly matters. Richardson locks in on the essentials - the development of a seeking mind is search of the ground of being and the nature of reality. Emerson is our Founding Thinker and to do him justice, a biographer has to grapple with the how and why a mind grows, changes, struggles and reaches new heights. Even if you haven't read much Emerson, this biography sheds light on what Emerson meant when he said, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

In the past, my experience in reading Emerson has been similar to reading the Tao Te Ching; interesting, non-mainstream in its point of view, puzzling to understand what exactly it means. So I would pick up the Tao and read it at different times of the day and different frames of mind, hoping that it would resonate with me, but it never did. Maybe it was the cultural difference, or the language, or not being able to easily identify with Lao Tzu. Such had been my experience with Emerson. I wanted to understand him better because what little I did understand made me want to learn more, but I just couldn't get there.

This biographer, Richardson, really did his homework and any who want to understand Emerson better should appreciate this work. Emerson kept exhaustive journals and collections of his thoughts for many years. He read widely and deeply, kept detailed notes, and thoroughly indexed the notes. What perfect material to access for writing a biography! Apparently Richardson went back and studied much of the source material that Emerson references in his journals and brings into this biography an understanding of who Emerson was reading and what it meant to Emerson, so we receive the pleasure of following along on a journey in the development of a powerful mind. Then Richardson is able to write about this development so that it is easily readable to us moderns. It's quite a remarkable achievement.

"Mind on Fire" shows me that Richardson is certain that studying Emerson and his message is worthwhile. So much consideration has gone into this biography that when I laid it down after almost non-stop reading for several days over the holidays, I felt like I really understood Emerson for the first time, and now have much better insight. I plan to let this book simmer in my mind a few more months, then pick it up and read it again.

If Richardson could also write something as lucid and detailed to help me understand the Tao Te Ching, I wouldn't have 10,000 questions about the 10,000 things. ;-)

Mr. Richardson's 'Thoreau A Life of the Mind' was not only the best biography I've read on Thoreau, but one of the most exhilerating and enlightening reading experiences of my life. So I decided to read his 'Emerson The Mind on Fire.' And it was every bit as intimate and intelligent.

There are times you feel that you're intruding upon Waldo and Henry on one of their walks. It was an endless stroll of two intellectuals and humanists on the path of being very human. Each of the one hundred chapters (both books) are kept short, which helps move the reader from topic to topic without ever feeling put upon (too much detail can drag what is otherwise very interesting.) Though, for me personally, I would love to savor every moment these two great men shared. I don't think I could ever get bored.

Emerson has many close friends with whom one gets to know intimately. His personal address book was a whose whose of literary and intellectual greats.

The relationship between Emerson and his second wife, Lidian, is of great interest. She was also intellectual and as much a partner in life as she was a wife. Her presence is everywhere in Emerson's life.

Emerson's essays are pure poetry. And the behind the scene snippets into how they became a part of his legacy was both insightful and relevant to the day to day interactions and causes he committed himself. His transformation from the unremarkable child into the neverending 'student' of self-education and commitment to social conscience throughout his entire adult life is one to be admired.

Mr. Richardson is one of the best biographers of nineteenth century literaries. He is truly one with his topic.

Robert Richardson's biography of Emerson is superb. Though, as Richardson reminds us, Emerson did not like superlative language when precise and adequate language would do, it is the case that at times the superlative, the precise and the adequate converge (as, in fact, they often did in Emerson's writings). Richardson's biography is indeed superb in its unfolding of Emerson's life -- the loves, the friendships, the losses, the intellectual and spiritual hunger, the religious quest, the writers in America, in Europe, in Persia and elsewhere to whom Emerson owed and acknowledged debts, the grasping at and for a world, the determination of a single, brilliant human being to find his way and to see his life, and all individual lives, as imbued with the divine and thus worth living.

The book is also superbly written. Each short chapter offers enough substantive insight to urge the reader into the next. It is a long book, but not long-winded. Richardson provides the reader with some morsel of insight in a few pages of narrative, and then offers a rest to digest what has been said. His placement of quotations from Emerson's journals, essays and other works is brilliant, offering the reader a useful sketch of Emerson's metaphysics and ethics. In my own case, this has allowed time to reach for other literature more fully descriptive of the events or scenes offered in a particular chapter, or to reread chunks of Emerson's writings while moving through the biography. The book is a useful tool not merely for a study of Emerson's life but for a study of Transcendentalism and of the interplay of ideas across the Atlantic that shaped American thought in so many ways. One sees more clearly where and how such writers as Nietzsche and Thoreau obtained the seeds of their own truths from Emerson's works and thoughts.

Richardson has set the standard for the writing of future biographies. Again, simply superb.