Nevada Books

In 1868, Christy McQuarry, her younger sister Megan, and their servant Caney reach Fort Grant, Nevada where they meet Marshal Zachary Shaw. The law enforcement official escorts the young ladies to the land they inherited from their deceased grandfather in Primrose Creek. Christy finds herself attracted to the dirt poor Zachary, but vows to only marry for money. At first glance that may seem mercenary, but Christy worries what will happen to Megan and Caney as she understands insecurities ever since they were thrown out of their father's English home upon the death of their mother.

Zachary enjoys his squabbles with the snob. However, he is unable to open her eyes to his love as Christy becomes engaged to the wealthy lumber baron, Jake Vigil. As the wedding gets closer, Christy realizes she loves Zachary, making her wonder if she should marry for love or money?

THE WOMEN OF PRIMROSE CREEK: CHRISTY is an entertaining western romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy due to the battle of the sexes. The story line is fun as the lead characters take center stage. Christy may seem spoiled but inside she wants to insure Megan's future even if it costs her own happiness. Zachary is simply a passionate hero. In the second Primrose tale (see BRIDGET), Linda Lael Miller provides her audience with an enjoyable lighthearted romp.

Harriet Klausner

Linda Lael Miller has written another winner. "Christy," the second book in the series "The Women of Primose Creek" is a good book.

Christy, another of the strong willed McQuarry women, comes to Primrose Creek with her sister, Megan, upon returning from England after the death of their mother. Christy is as stubborn as her "cousin," Bridgette. Their parting was on bad terms. Now Christy has her share of the land bequeathed to her from their grandfather which is across the creek from Bridgette's and Skye's. Christy wants to sell her share and marry a rich man to provide for her and Megan. However, love does not always come with money. For Christy, love is in the form of the town's marshall, Zachary Shaw.

Zachary Shaw, tough and handsome, is attracted to the lovely Christy. Zachary realizes his feelings for Christy, who tries to deny her feelings for him. Also, Zachary realizes that Christy has agreed to marry someone else because of money. Zachary is hurt and sets out to once again take up bounty hunting to gain money. However, Christy insists to everyone that she will marry Jake Vigil, who owns the lumber mill. Will Christy succumb to her need to be rich or will she let her feelings of love dictate her actions?

"Christy" is indeed a winner. Keep up the good work, Ms. Miller!

My sons all enjoyed Nathan and his friends and adventures. The youngest boy especially got interested in reading because of Nathan and his dog and his travels west alone looking for his parents. I would recommend these books to any family. Great for girls too!

Plenty of action and suspense, definitely written for boys, although girls will especially like the constant tension between Nathan and his friend, "not your girlfriend" Leah. This two-volume series has six stories of Nathan in the wild west of the mid 1800's. As a Christian mom, I love that Nathan is constantly firing off prayers during the many sticky situations he finds himself in. I read this to my two boys (5 and 13) right after the Lloyd Alexander "Taran" series, and both boys really enjoyed both series. In the ever-increasing struggle of finding exciting yet "safe" books to read with your kids, I was thrilled to find this series.

This was one of the funniest book I have read in years! It is a must-read for anyone looking for a good laugh, I couldn't put it down and was rolling the whole time..... Have to pick this one up for sure!

Never having been to a brothel in my life, I always wondered what went on in those places. Now that I've read Dolly's I have to admit I'm even more interested! This is a great book that has a real humorous slant on the whole thing. The cast of characters that went through that brothel the author was running was outrageous. I especially liked the chapter, "Beauty vs. Personality", very funny stuff. Plus, the tips on running a brothel was very interesting and stuff I never imagined you had to take into consideration. (Not that I'm planning to buy one).
If you ever wondered what really goes on in a brothel or if you want a fun read, I heartily recommend this book.

I bought this for a friend who lives in France so they could see what the West looks like. The photography is wonderful

This is a wonderful book. The pictures of the Nevada landscape, from a very talented photographer who sees light in a magical way, are exceptionally beautiful. Particularly touching are the photographs of the authors' family and other workers at their ranch; one could wish that more of these very personal shots had been included.

The text is a perfect match for the photographs, conveying the flavor of life on the ranch and the exceptionally close family ties that develop when three generations work together with a common purpose. The reader is left hoping that this very exceptional environment and life style can be maintained in the generations to come; however there is a poignant description of the forces working against this outcome.

This Nevada ranch is a unique spot: the book makes an excellent gift for anyone (particularly western fans) who may not have the opportunity to visit the area in person. Highly recommended.

While perhaps not for the hedonistic traveler intent on enjoying the nightlife in Las Vegas or Reno, this book is an excellent primer for those interested in understanding the origin of the geologic structures observable in the Great Basin.
I checked it out of the Library and have since determined to purchase it as it explains much what I observe around me (as a resident of the area in question) on a daily basis.

The National Park Service maintains an excellent website devoted to exploring geology in the national parks. It developed the site primarily for teachers, listing a host of educational resources devoted to national parks from Maine to Hawaii. The materials are specifically designed for teaching geology, but they could be easily incorporated into a general science class. Best of all, they provide an reliable source of information for the general reader as a starting point.

As one example, John McPhee got me interested in the Great Basin with Basin and Range, a wonderful book about the history and geology of the region. (Another excellent book on the region I enjoyed is The Sagebrush Ocean, Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Natural History Of The Great Basin, by Stephen Trimble.) I've traveled there a bit, and always enjoy reading more about the Basin. As a general reader, I thought that NPS's review of this book was a perfect description:

"This book is filled with black and white and color photos as well as sketches that explain the geology of the Great Basin. A terrific jargon-free guide for anyone who wants to know about the physical characteristics of the region. This best-selling book has introduced casual readers to the geologic wonders of the Great Basin for over ten years. From the sun-scorched sands of Death Valley to the briny waters of the Great Salt Lake, Fiero takes readers on an earthly tour that encompasses nearly 250,000 square miles--in six states. Magnificent color photos and informative diagrams are combined to make it easy for the nonscientist to understand this still relatively secret part of the North American Continent."

If you have any interest in the national parks, stop by NPS's wonderful website. If you have any interest in the Great Basin, follow NPS's suggestion and pick up this excellent book.

Robert C. Ross 2008

The Great Basin is generally regarded as "flyover country", meaning you either fly over it or drive through it on your way to somewhere else. The big cities are all on the edge; Salt Lake City, Reno, Las Vegas. And it isn't "scenic" for the most part, having only one national park. Say the two words, and most Americans think of a dreary, dry, empty expanse of overgrazed sagebrush. Well, most Americans are wrong.

The Great Basin, explored on its terms, is a fascinating expanse of unique geology, as Bill Fiero, a professor of geology at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, shows you in this fine book. Written in easily read style, and understandable to anyone who has gone to high school, the book takes you on a general tour of the wonders of Great Basin, including well-known Bonneville Salt Flats, a remnant of an Ice Age lake bigger than Lake Michigan. You will also read about recent volcanoes, earthquake activity and faults, deep trenches such as Death Valley, ancient, dried up rivers, and fossil sand dunes. Canyons, badlands, and mountains are also part of this region, and author Fiero takes you through these areas as well, all the while explaining how and why all of these features came to exist as they do.

The book not only has excellent color and black and white photographs, following side-by-side with the narratives, but gives the reader an excellent background on physical geology in general, Indeed, it could easily be used as an introductory college text. Remember that one advantage to the Great Basin is its aridity, which enables you to see and understand the rocks and what they tell much better.

I bought the original edition two decades ago, and the recent revision is even better. Anyone planning a trip to the Southwest, in particular, Nevada, would be well advised to obtain this book. As with most folks, I like to gamble and see the shows when I go, but this book will show you many more fascinating things to see and do. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the geology, or the Southwest as a whole.

from dust jacket review about the author..."he plans to return to his gambling book as soon as he gets rid of the pervading smell of Chanel No.5 : it seems to be the chosen scent of the girls, whether veterans or Lolitas..."

Don't be deceived by the hot pink dust jacket! This is not pornography, but a surprisingly engaging read that sheds light on the nuts and bolts of legalized prostitution--not to mention the human condition.

Croft has such stature in the climbing world that by mere inclusion of a Sierra route in this book, he will define it as a classic for the next generation of climbers. We bought this book in an East Side climbing shop en route to the Sierras to bag classic climbs, and found it very useful. The topos aren't up to modern standards (e.g., "Supertopos"), but there is enough detail to get an experienced climber up most of these routes. The major contribution is to identify the classic routes of the range, something he is highly qualified to do. If you plan to do much technical climbing in the High Sierra, buy it.

This is probably my favorite guide to the Sierra and I drool just thinking about the opportunities Croft has opened up for anyone seeking a challenge. Mt tattered dog-eared copy sits right over my desk, so I can take it down and be reminded of all there is that is great.

I've used Good, Great, Awesome to add to my list of High Sierra routes. With great photos by Galen Rowell and Dan Patitucci, topo maps and Croft's hand-drawn routes, it's thorough and to the point. This is the way a guide book should be done.

John Hart is the real deal, and anyone hiking the Great Basin needs this book. His mileages are accurate and so are his descriptions of routes. The only criticism I offer is that the book is a bit dated--for example, there is an easy-to-follow use trail to Morey Peak instead of the XC route description JH offers. Also worth noting is that JH must have a very low-slung vehicle. Driving a garden-variety SUV (1996 Jeep Cherokee) I have never had any trouble on any of the roads he describes.

Happy Hiking, M

This is a book that packs a lot of worthy information into a small book that is easy to backpack. You will need detailed topo maps as those in the book are for overview only, but the hikes are exquisitely detailed and accurate. Many of the trips are in the less well-known areas of Nevada and Eastern California and will please those who like to hike without meeting anyone else. The author encourages readers to find alternative routes to destinations and, although most of the trips are to peaks, there are some easier canyon hikes. Longer trips definitely need experience and route-finding abilities.

I have read this book several times. What I would really like to know is more about the internal conflict had about taking a bigger job for the post office or going to Washington. I believe that it is the mindset he had that allowed him to win this money. I believe that what he delt with after is not as important as how he got where he was when he won. THAT SAID - I enjoyed the book and am VERY HAPPY for John and his wife.

Great Book! I really found this book very interesting and enlightening! Well written and great insights! I would highly recommend this book not only to jackpot winners but to anyone who "dreams" of winning.

Bernard Schopen again does an outstanding job of taking the reader to the Reno, Nevada of PI Jack Ross. The storyline, the twists and turns, and the depiction of the natural beauty of northern Nevada combine to create for the reader an escape to this world. Let's have another one soon, Mr. Schopen!

Bernard Schopen has a superb prose style and a sure eye for the telling detail. His characters are well rounded and his protagonist--the lawyer-detective, Jack Ross--is hard boiled but sensitive, in the tradition of Spenser and Elvis Cole. This excellent novel in an excellent series deserves to be widely read.