Nevada Books

Clark's follow-up to City of Trembling Leaves and Ox-Bow Incident is an ambitious but not totally successful attempt at conveying the cold indifference of the natural world and man's supreme isolation in the universe. Often melodramatic, this tale of a clasically dysfunctinal family of ranchers living in the Sierra Nevada is most notable for one extended tour-de-force sequence: Clark's detailed, snowflake-by-snowflake description of a man's disorientation and eventual descent into madness as he tries to find his way out of a mountain blizzard. This harrowing section of the book may be justification enough for reading Track of the Cat.

The book is almost as much as a classic as Moby Dick is. It's the same thing, man versus nature. And Mr.Clark tells the story with such detail that you believe you're standing there with the characters.

This book is out of date in terms of card counting,there are better book out there today. What htis book offers is how to avoid getting caught by not getting out of the typical sterotype of a card counter and look more like a regular gambler. Anyone that in card counting or thinking about should read this book.

The challenge of cardcounting is not learning to do it, but "conning" the pit personnel into letting you do it.

I was the stereotypical counter till I read this book (felt guilty, avoided contact with pit supervisors, neglected value of rapport with dealers). The result was very quick shuffles and even being told not to make any more blackjack bets.

Since I have adopted the mind set described in this book and the resultant behaviors, (engage pit personnel in conversations that interest them, appear to play just for fun and the money means nothing, dress like you can afford to lose) I have enjoyed deep penetration into single decks for multiple hours at a time (the difference that makes the difference).

I agree with the top authors on the game that this is the best book on casino comportment and developing your "act".

"The history of the Patten family, naval and otherwise, is presented with excellent rundowns of members from circa 1850 to 1945. This lengthy period also mirrors the history of the nation to a considerable extent. The military history woven into the fabric of the book is fascinating and educational without being overly text-like or tedious to read. One can easily appreciate the laudable patriotism of the family members while learning a great deal about ships (American and Japanese), their construction, armaments, aircraft, etc. Each theater of World War II is covered, some more extensive than others. Battles, including Pearl Harbor, are well described with searing details. Maps, pithy sayings, and more photos embellish the lucid and candid text."

I'm never sure what to make of Nevada's outdoor opportunities. On the one hand the state has some spectacular scenery. I think Red Rock Canyon is the best Vegas has to offer for hiking and sight seeing. I also like exploring (spring time only) the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Mt. Charleston offers fine mountain hiking and Great Basin National Park is a real gem in the national park system. On the other hand, I also like being able to drive an ordinary car to trailheads, and it is here that Nevada presents obstacles not found in my home state of California. A significant percentage of the hikes Mike White describes in this book require a high clearance vehicle just to get to the trailhead. On top of that, in many cases trails are not maintained. Fortunately White provides very detailed route descriptions, an absolute necessity when attempting Boundary Peak and several lesser known hikes in the state.

On the whole this is a good book. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but is rather a selection of what the author thinks are the best walks in the state. The Ruby Mountains receive a lot of attention, as does Nevada's half of the Lake Tahoe region. I was pleased to see that Cathedral Rocks State Park also received a nice write-up. Sharp pictures and decent location and hike maps will help those who want to further explore the Silver State. But in the final analysis, for many casual dayhikers (I am often in that category and my wife always is) the rigors of getting to the trailhead will discourage attempting many of these trips. What Nevada needs is an outdoors book along the lines of 'California Hiking' by Steinstra and Brown. Such a book would be far more comprehensive than this one and list hikes for all levels of walkers. It would also provide more opportunities for those whose sense of adventure does not include replacing the transmission pan on their vehicle after, or worse yet during, a trip to the mountains. But if you are willing to risk it, this book is for you. It offers high adventure without the crowds found in other western states.

I picked this book up at the Basque Cultural Center in Boise, ID. I had developed an interest in this European minority from my periodic studies of Spain, the Spanish Civil War, and the Basques's schizophrenic support of the Republican side. Their language that knows no connection to any other language, their stoic personalities, their ability to spend months alone sheepherding in remote locations, the continuing efforts of a few extremists to keep the issue of Basque Independance alive; all this and more makes the Basques an interesting subject. What would a sampling of short stories by authors of this interesting culture be like. Well, probably what you'd get from a sampling of Iowa writers or Oklahoma writers; some good stories and some mediocre stories.

I did not come away with a feeling that I had gained a lot of insight into the Basque mind. There were some stories that added some Basque flavor and one in particular ("Like the Waters that Release their Dead") that I thought was a brilliant retrospective of the Spanish Civil War's effects on Spain. Some of the stories were fantasy-like imaginations of what things might have been. Others left the imagination to ourselves. There was an unusual but interesting love story from the Spanish Civil War titled "Black as Coal". My favorite was a brief, two-page story entitled "Maria and Jose" that gives a refreshing look at love. There are many memorable stories in this volumne. They were better than I had expected but I tend to follow authors rather than anthologies. I'm glad I read this book and as for discovering the Basque mystique, well, I also picked up "A Basque History of the World" in Boise. I'll settle for that to be the illumination of the Basques. I'll settle for "An Anthology of Basque Short Stories" to be what it is; a good (not great) book.

This book is useful for people who wish to identify ants in the southwestern united states, since most of the genera that the Wheelers discuss are not restricted to Nevada. It has many useful keys, most of which have small line drawings that illustrate what the node of the key is trying to ask the reader. This feature alone makes the book very valuable to me. I often get lost in keys...

The taxonomy does not always agree with that of Bolton, Wilson and/or Taber. I suspect this is due to recent taxonomic revisions.

The genus and most of the species deescriptions have small discussions of natural history. These are not always as detailed as one might like. There are range maps for Nevada in the back of the book, and textual descriptions of the world-wide range in the species descriptions.

The book has quite a few photographs. Many of the photographs are of ant nests, which I must confess all look the same to me. The majority of the photos are black and white, except for some color habitat photos. Most of the ant photos are too small to be of much use.

The overall feeling I get when reading this book is that it is a larger format, expanded, Nevada version of 'The Ants of Deep Canyon' - another book by the Wheelers which I like alot.

to have the opportunity to study around Dr. Dodd at Kansas State University, and hear her speak about her own work from time to time. This new book of hers is mighty fabulous! Dr. Dodd's use of sound, and her careful attention to what makes a poem cohesive as a whole really creates a memorable experience for the reader. The imagery is lovely, and well executed. Though I am but a student of poetry, I judge Dodd's work in a category unto itself-- one definitely worth reading and passing on.

My favorite poem in particular from this collection is "Parietal."

Not very exciting, but the big battles werent fought out West. Very good research. If your from the West and love civil war history this is a book for you.

I was once a member of Harlequin Romance fromm 1994-1995, then I moved to the house I'm in now, and I lost the book. When I found out I was able to purchase it, I said "Thank you Amazon.com!" :) The reason I say this is because the whole plot about hypnosis, the want for a child as well as struggling with trust is the background for this book Cyn was a wonderful heroine that all indepent women (including myself) can relate to. Along with a good heroine, ther has to be a evenly spectacular hero. Chance perfectly fits this mold. As the comedy of errors allow fate to bring them together, this book will allow you to watch along the way.

This is a good guide for those that are experienced at backcountry winter travel.He shows several routes and peak descents,and rates them according to difficulty.There is some basic information on winter travel, including snow camping and avalanche safety, but you would be wise to study these topics further before attempting any of these routes.