Texas Books

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

Anybody who has enjoyed other writings by Alexander Skutch on the subject of neotropical birds will also appreciate this book. After all, where else can you find interesting and informative writing about these two large and important families of neotropical birds? Not only is there a wealth of data concerning behavior, habitat, etc - but it is all presented in Skutch's very personal style, and intermingled with intimate anecdotes that really put you right there in the forest with that Bicolored Antbird, etc. Read this book before birding in lowland rainforest in Central or South America, and you will be rewarded with a much greater understanding of what you are witnessing. If you haven't yet, also read "A Birdwatcher's Adventures in Central America", and "A Naturalist in Costa Rica", as well as "Birds Asleep" - all by Alexander Skutch.

This is really a cute book and I know my niece will really enjoy it. I recommend buying and reading it to all children. It is truly fun.

My sister, a nearby neighbor of Jan Brett's, discovered this book and sent it to my then 5-year old son for his birthday. Bo's nearsighted adventures entertain; and his being lost and not knowing he's lost delights my son. Most children will envy Bo's adventure to the rodeo and understand his curioisity. Having developed quite the Texas "accent and attitude" while reading this book, it's at the top of our list of all-time favorites. Thank you Jan Brett!

This book is really cute! The 7 year old boy I purchased it for wants to read it over and over again! The illustrations are really colorful and well done. This is the type of book that is great fun for a boy or girl - ages 4 to 8, I should think. The author, Jan Brett, is very clever. I will look for more of this authors books in the future for children on my gift list.
Loriann Ringgold
Elko, NV

For children and for those who just love that critter I love so...you will enjoy this book very much. With a delightful story and wonderful illustrations, it is sure to please.

A slightly different tale from Jan Brett. Gone is the European feel of so many of her books. It is replaced by a healthy jargon-filled dose of American Western. Gone are the hedgehogs; welcome the armadillos.

Bo is one of four armadillo brothers. He tends to be curious and wander so his mother tries to keep a close watch on him. Like all armadillos, Bo's eyesight is not very good. So one day while he is following a lizard, he sees a red cowboy boot and thinks it is a red armadillo.

The boot in question is being worn by a young girl who is trying to scuff them up so she won't look like a tenderfoot at the rodeo. But Bo does not see the girl, or the other boot for that matter. Instead, he thinks he has found a playful new friend.

Chasing after the boot, Bo has many experiences while his mother and brothers search for him (as seen in the side panels). Bo's adventure takes him across the rodeo arena, to a bar-b-que, into an encounter with a jalapeno, to a barn dance, a hayloft, and ultimately to the truth about his new friend.

In the end we learn that while Bo has learned the truth of his day's adventures, he knows just what to do when he feels a little mischievous.

I usually give Jan Brett's books five stars but gave this one only four. I did that only because of the heavy use of Western jargon that needs to be explained to young ears in order for the story to make sense. But it is still a very fun book with beautiful illustrations.

Dr. Lytle S. Adams, an oral surgeon and inventor proposed bombing Japan with millions of delayed-action incendiary bombs attached to bats. His letter was forwarded to Roosevelt who endorsed the plan -- "This man is not a nut."

Jack Couffer was a 17-year-old senior at Glendale High School in California at the start of the war and worked part time in for Jack C von Bloeker, Jr., an authority on bats. Both men joined Project X-Ray under Dr. Adams, a group which included Louis F. Fieser, an expert on incendiaries, Patricio (Patsy) Batista, a "colleague" of Al Capone; and Tim Holt, an actor and flight-test bombardier.

There were millions of Mexican free-tailed bats in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and experiments showed a bat could carry its own weight. Fieser produced a napalm bomb with a time-delay fuse. Bat and bomb weighed about an ounce.

Carlsbad Caverns proved too public and a Texas guano miner led the team to two caves containing about 30 million bats. One of the best sections of the books discusses these caves and how the bats lived in them.

Project X-Ray designed a sheet-metal bomb that held 1,040 bats. At 4,000 feet, an altimeter triggered a parachute, released the bats, and pulled the pins on the times fuses. A test worked perfectly, too perfectly in fact. Six bats burned down a new air base in New Mexico.

Couffer assembled many formerly classified documents to tell the story, but has to speculate on why the project was terminated in 1944. The closest thing to an explanation comes in this extraordinary passage from the book:

"I heard the damnedest thing while I was in D.C.," Doc [Adams] said when he got back from Washington. "Some general I met regarding appropriations confused our secret project with another secret project that's apparently going on somewhere. It's the silliest nonsense you ever heard of. And evidently this project has got the backing of the president and they're blowing millions of dollars on it."

Von Bloeker looked up through his smoke and frowned.

"This general practically threw me out of his office, he was so enraged at the waste of time and money. `Don't tell me you're the one promoting that crazy notion of making bombs out of atoms?'"

"I had a hell of a time convincing him I had nothing to do with that kind of fraud," Doc continued.

"What are atoms?" Frank Benish asked.

"The smallest particles of matter. You know, everything's made out of cells. You break down cells and you've got something even smaller--- atoms --- something like that."

"And they think they can make bombs out of them?" Benish shook his head. "Man, they don't know sic `em from come here."

"Can you imagine such an idea?" Doc said. "They're throwing away millions, and I can't get a staff car and driver!"

"Where's all this happening?"

Doc shrugged. "As soon as he found out I had nothing to do with it he clammed up. But he first got the idea I was involved when I said we had some work to do in New Mexico."

"Unbelievable!"

"Yeah! We got a sure thing like the bat bomb going, something that could really win the war, and they're jerking off with tiny little atoms. It makes me want to cry."

***

This book is a wonderful adventure story, but more than that, a true story of American ingenuity at war. I enjoyed reading every minute of it.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This edition doesn't have the photograph of the original letter addressed to Eleanor Roosevelt with her marginalia and then FDR's marginalia saying "This man is not a nut - FDR" But it's a MUST for any history buff.

GREAT book!

An unknown but funny and very well-written chapter in history. The bat bomb carried zillions of bats, each of which had an incendiary device tied to it. The goal was to burn down Japanese towns. During its first test, it accidentally burned down the building housing the project! Talk about just desserts. This will cure anyone who thinks history is boring.

This book contains the funniest line I have ever read, already quoted by another reviewer: "We got a sure thing like the bat bomb going...." But there is much more to this book. The writing is incredible. For example, the author describes what happens when they use movie lights to illuminate the inside of one cave for the first time in its history. The description of almost being suffocated by clouds of bats so thick is first rate. Also, the tender retelling of his romance with Arlie is top notch. Who would have expected such deft handling of first love in a book about bat bombs? It made me want more of this material. I also treasured the retelling of the tiger mascot, "Top Sarge." Or when our hero tries to beat the cowboys at their own game in calf-roping. I could go on and on. I think the key to the success of this book is how the author treats all the characters with upmost respect. There is nothing snarky about how the author treats the self-important Patsy, who was Capone's driver, or the guano salesman.

Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Wonderfully humorous and hilarious factual account of one of the most bizarre "weapons" developed by the United States during WW-II.

This book is one I have wanted for years. I have used it several times, successfully. Her tartar sauce can't be surpassed. A wonderful gift for anyone.

I seem to enjoy reading cookbooks in the same way other read novels. I found that this book had super recipes. I have been after the Neiman Marcus carrot cake recipe for years and years. Every-time I go to the cafe I just have to have the carrot cake it is my favorite. I always asked where I could get the recipe no one could tell me. I looked inside the Neiman Marcus Cookbook and they only had a picture of the carrot cake, no carrot cake recipe. I tried making the one in this book and it is fabulous. I think it tops the one at Neiman Marcus because it is homemade and fresh. I made it in a rectangle large brownie type baking dish (not a bundt) and added 1/2 cup raisins. It was fabulous. Next I am going to try making the monkey bread in my pop over molds. That sound super too. There are really many many great recipes in this book. I am very happy with my purchase.

This is such a great book. No matter what you want to cook, Helen has a recipe for it. All of the recipes are so good.

I will pass this book on to my children.

Cannon Flowers
DALLAS, TX

The Zodiac Room, at the top of the legendary Neiman-Marcus Department store, in downtown Dallas was my first real exposure to how wonderful food could be...my Mom was an excellent Texas cook, my Texan grandmothers were wonderful cooks as well. Their repertoire was traditional Texas fare...chili con carne, chicken fried steak with cream gravy,cream pies, fried okra, cheese enchiladas and so on...and I loved their food. I grew up in West Texas surrounded by amazing, delicious food.

But the first time I ate Helen Corbitt's Guinea Hen Madeira,her Crabmeat Chantilly, her Poppy Seed Dressing, my life changed. Her food at the Zodiac Room was amazing...it changed my life.

For the last twenty years I have cooked for a living and Helen Corbitt remains my primary inspiration.

I am so thrilled to see Helen Corbitt's recipes back in print. I place her in the late 20th century Cooks Pantheon next to James Beard, Julia Child, Adelle Davis and Martha Stewart.

Stewart Wise

This cookbook reintroduces Helen Corbitt, though if you have lived in Texas for years you are no doubt familiar with her. She became famous as the head of the restaurants of Neiman-Marcus department stores, and many Texans know her through her texas "caviar", hot fudge pecan balls, retro molded salads, fabulous "potluck" recipes, poppy seed dressing, and other Texas favorites. If you cannot find the original editions, this is certainly one to own. You will find yourself using it over and over again.

If you are from or are familiar with this area of the Texas Hill Country, all the details ring true. If you are a long time fan of Ben Rehder's then you will love this one. The man can't write a bad book!

This is a great light fun read. If you loved this book also check out the author C.J. Box and his Joe Pickett adventures which also follow a game warden based near a hunting culture small town filled with eccentric red necks, corrupt officials and other fun characters, his books are set in Wyoming. Both even have similar author photos complete with dogs and bucket hats or whatever they're called inside the back covers. Open Season (Joe Pickett Novels) is the first novel in that great series, check it out!

Bone Dry the sequel to Reheder's first novel Buck Fever picks up at the start of the next year's deer season from when that novel ended. It is important to note that you do not need to have read Buck Fever to enjoy or get the most out of this novel. Other than a reoccurring main character, game warden John Marlin, as well as other eccentric county residents who appear in each novel such as local rednecks Billy Don and Red. This series of fun adventures set in Blanco County Texas can be read in any order.

New characters who add to the storyline of Bone Dry include Inga, a smart supermodel quality blond Volvo driving conservationist. Inga isn't afraid to fill a hunter's ute with bullets. A nerdy even more extreme environmentalist Thomas Peabody is her travelling companion and determined to win Inga's favour by proving he is dedicated to the cause with even more and more dangerous stunts in the name of the environment.

Witness relocation mafia man Sal and his dim-witted son Vinnie who now run a tree clearing business also add to the fun. Fans of the Hollywood's horse in the head scene will be pleased with a scene created by Vinnie in this book which is the catalyst for a number of events putting this once powerful underworld figure in danger of being discovered. Smedley a morbidly obese US marshall who is a good but lazy and not to bright man assigned to keep tabs on Sal, Sal's housekeeper and poor immigrant Maria who Sal fears has the powers of a witch complicate the situation for this mafia family but add great enjoyment for the reader.

A lazy incompetent former big city cop will learn the hard way that city tactics don't work out in rural Texas nor does trying to force a confession as he investigates the shooting of a local hunter. An of course game warden John Marlin is the glue that holds this fun story together.

Read this series, it's good!

i didn't hesitate to pick up ben rehder's second book when i saw it and was not disappointed.....this book was even more fun than the first one.....peace mary

If you enjoyed the outrageous humor in Buck Fever about cross-species sexuality and good old boys poaching deer, you will be thrilled with Bone Dry. The talented Mr. Rehder has added more targets for his humor, made them funnier and further developed the excellent goofballs, Red O'Brien and Billy Don Craddock.

In Bone Dry, you will find Italian mobsters mixing it up with the local Texas drunks, a supermodel who uses her looks and her scent to save endangered species, lots of brush-busting and scams galore. In the middle of all the resulting mayhem, John Marlin, the Lone Ranger of game wardens, finds himself running the investigation into a hunter's suspicious death.

The book combines a satire of the Godfather, a Carl Hiaasen-type story about Texas, an excellent police procedural, lots of environmental lessons and a love story with enough irony to keep your eyes blinking with surprise for days. It's a remarkable, guffaw-inducing achievement.

Save this book for the next time you really need a good laugh.

I recommend that you also go on to read the latest book in the series, Flat Crazy, which is even better than Bone Dry.

I listened to the audio edition of this book and my comments pertain to that edition.

I read the first book in Rehder's Blanco County series last year and enjoyed it. When I got the chance to listen to the second on audio, I jumped at it. If possible, I liked the second even more than the first.

If you love the zany Floridian adventures of authors like Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen, you will probably want to take a side trip to Blanco County. As those authors do, Rehder throws a bunch of semi-competent crooked folks (in this case including a Mafia family in hiding), a few well meaning folks (this time around it's a couple of tree-huggin' types trying to save a rare bird from all the brush clearing going on) and in the middle of it, a bemused decent good guy trying to sort out all the events. The center of the Blanco County novels is game warden John Marlin, who does his best to stay sane and sort out the string of bizarre events.

He has his hands full in this second book, as some bodies turn up, others go missing, and that's in between the eco-terrorism, county jail hostage stand-off, Marlin's personal life going to hell, and oh, yeah, opening week of hunting season. Rehder does a fine job of juggling multiple plot lines and a huge cast of supporting characters while keeping all the threads moving toward a neatly wrapped up conclusion. I could often see where the plot was going a few chapters ahead of time but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride nevertheless.

The unabridged audiobook is competently read (I'm sorry I don't have the name of the narrator). While nothing was particularly gained or lost by listening to the book rather than reading it, I didn't have to put the book down to do chores like washing dishes--as long as you aren't listening in places where people will give you strange looks if you occasionally laugh out loud while listening.

I recommend this book and the whole Blanco County series to anyone who likes a light, funny mystery, particularly fans of the Carl Hiaasen style.

I couldn't find this book anywhere!! Books-a-Million said that they could order it and it would have taken 3-7 weeks. I finally found it on Amazon and it was reasonable and here within 5 days. I have also ordered with Amazon before and they have the best service. I love how you can track your item down to the day it arrives.

If you are looking for an excellent translation of Jose Maria Arguedas, "Los Rios Profundos" this is it. The book retains the integrity of the origianl Spanish, and the spirit of the quechuan explanations which are left in quechuan. With a brief introduction by the translator as well as a glossary of terms at the end this English translation has made Arguedas masterful novel available to the English speaking world.

This is a gem of a book. While there are many things to like about it, I am most enamoured of the richness of detail in its naturalistic description. Arguedas, with his Indian upbringing, has a perceptiveness toward nature not often found in modern, Western society. The translation conveys this beautifully, though I've heard that the original Spanish is even more vivid in its descriptions. The characterization is multi-layered: there's even someone highly reminiscent of the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"...

Non-western thoughts, beliefs and fears still permeate 20th.century Peru, a cultural heritage of the Inca empire. Arguedas, although white, learned Quechua as an infant, forced by circumstances to spend long periods with Peruvians of indian extraction, an experience which he would forever remember with deep tenderness and affection, and which would transmit surviving elements of Inca thought as well. The problem Arguedas faced as a writer was how to express a non-western state of mind in Spanish, a western language. In "Deep Rivers", he sometimes shifts the structures of sentences, or uses diminutives, to mimic Quechua. Stones can talk, and rivers sing. Big black flies are attracted to persons who are about to die. For Inca thought, the reflections from a pool of blood relate to the reflections from rapids in a stormy river. In "Deep Rivers" Arguedas shares with us the deep undercurrents and contradictions which flow beneath the surface of modern-day Peru. Conflicting cultures related through cruelty and despotism. Deep rivers flow in every culture. Not the superficial, visible elements of a culture, but those intimate fears, obsessions, and dreams which lie at the core of its members.

This subject line is not to diminish the power of this work. Only to convey that, unlike many other "coming-of-age" stories of a youth, Arguedas' semi-autobiographical tale presents a boy already formed even before the events of the bulk of the narrative. A pantheism rushes over his pages, and the Catholicism in whose school he is domiciled for most of the story remains more of a veneer over a pagan and defiant Quechua world refusing to succumb under the oppressive colonial and clerical regimes. The set-pieces of the book, the uprising of the peasant women for salt and waiting in the town as the plague approaches, gain force when (as Vargas Llosa notes in his afterword) placed within a calmer flow of words, at times scraped by harsh reality.

The descriptions of the natural world remain moving; however, many of the supporting characters at the youth's boarding school and the girl he courts (from afar it seems more than close up) stay rather diffused and vague. Nearly no details emerge, for example, of the actual schooling he receives, but plenty of cringeworthy accounts of how Rector Linares attempts to manipulate the Gospels to placate insurrectionists. A message, I gather, that subsequent generations in Latin America learned from. The prescience of this work, given the later events in Perú, makes Arguedas all the more compelling a contribution, that even in English (thanks to the abundant Quechua blended in), makes for a bracingly vivid read, with hints of what would become "magic realism" mixed with muted political critique and personal quests for identity for a boy caught between cultures.

We all have a story--usually a bittersweet blend of angst and elation. When loss comes, whether through death or separation from someone we love, our hearts must wade through the complexity of emotion remaining.

There are many ways we can tell our stories...flanked with humor and shrowded by denial...cloaked with bitterness and oppressed by hatred...or creatively open and inspired by redemption.

This is the brilliant balance Scott Sawyer achieved in his own story. In choosing to share this story, he could have opted for denial or for bitterness. Instead, he chose a delicate blend of humor, creativity and redemption. He allows us a unique glimpse into his contemplation, his desire and his pursuit to comprehend what bearing loss has had on his life.

The focus encompasses much more than loss, however, and delightfully depicts sibling rivalry, a boy's adoration for his mother and his family, wonder at not one but two fathers, the pursuit of passion and dreams, as well as life-altering spiritual discoveries. And revelations about a Heavenly Father.

I was rapt with the flowing rhythmn of humor, contemplation, angst, passion, peace and JOY (you'll see the significance of this adjective when you read the book).

Scott was brave to bear his heart, was artful in how he did so, and gracious not to air unnecessary dirty laundry.

This is a story that will make you laugh out loud and bring tears to your eyes. And it will cause you to contemplate your own soul...journeys left midway...pain left untended...discovery still to be made.

This is a warm, and honest portrayal of a man living through time by capturing and re-evaluating his past. When the famous psychologist Alfred Adler was exploring how our identity is formed he made the following interesting and counter-intuitive claim: Our present effects our past to a greater degree than our past effects our present. This book, a journey through a lifetime of memories experienced again and bonds established for the first time, demonstrates that Alder's claim is often true. The perspective we have today influences how we view the events and feelings of the past. The author, Scott Sawyer, uses his present perspective to unearth a beautiful retrospective of his family and his fathers.

This book contains a wonderful journey, and those reading it will be blessed by the opportunity to experience it with him. I was moved and touched, and the depictions and images involved me as a member of this family for a fleeting few moments. I cried, I laughed, and I was humbled by the love that radiates off the pages.

The style of the book is more poetic than narrative. I would normally have given 4 stars on this review, because I am usually more drawn to a narrative style, in this case however, the events, images and emotions of this family and his life captured me so completely that I quickly adapted to the many transitions and sound bites of thought.

Please read this book. I found that once I settled into the story, my efforts were rewarded, and the images and emotions came to life. I had the pleasure of attending a reading of the book by the author at a local bookstore and can tell you first-hand that the emotion that went into this project is real. The scene was similar to the experience of reading the book. We all laughed out loud at the comic depictions of his childhood, and cried at the emotion of meeting and losing his father again. Highly recommended to everyone.

This is a haunting and touching memoir unlike any others I've read. It brought tears to my eyes but reminded me of the love our Heavenly Father has for us even as we struggle to make a life here on earth. Beautifully written and inspiring!

This is the true story of one young man's search for identity as he grew up in a small Texas town in the shadow of an older brother, both having lost their real father as very young children. Their stepfather was the only father figure Scott knew, yet he was acutely aware that they were not the same flesh and blood. It is also the story of his family coping with the death of Scott's older brother from cancer when he was only sixteen. His ongoing relationship with two fathers-the one he never knew and the only one he did know-ultimately helped him find his identity in the heavenly Father as well.

After reading the story of Scott Sawyer and his journey with his family of origin I am struck with the honesty, the fairness, the love that would move a man to write such a book. Obviously the events in his life have molded a grateful,tender, forgiving heart and a man who has passion for his walk with his heavenly Father. I suspect most mothers would give anything to have such a man marry their own daughters. He is truly a brilliant writer and more importantly for me, a real 'Keeper'. He is my son-in-law.

Great mystery from beginning to end. Can't wait to read more about Corie McKenna

Smooth reading, realistic characters (at least in Texas their realistic!)and enough twists, turns and surprises to keep you going. Story ends great - because it not only raps up all your questions it also leaves you ready for more. Watch out Sue Grafton !

Author has a delightful style that has you engrossed from beginning to end. Can't wait to read more about Corie McKenna !!!!

Great mystery from beginning to end. Can't wait to read more about Corie McKenna

I was totally surprised at the ending. Final Decree has a very complex plot, woven very well. The characters are very real and I'm sure Corie and I will become good friends. I highly recommend this book.

I just discovered Debbie Macomber as an author when I read her more recent book, "Twenty Wishes". After reading it, I found the earlier books of her'Blossom Street'series and then couldnt find enough of her work to read. I have thoroughly enjoyed all her series and her Heart of Texas series is no exception. The men and women of Promise, Texas are all ordinary people, in the best sense of the word. It is a study in what happens when bad things happen to good people. The running mystery in the series is the 'ghost town', Bitter End. It seems to strike fear in all their hearts, even though the truth of its desolation is buried with their grandparents. The mystery of the deserted town even begins to intrigue the new residents to the town and for all the 'oppressive' feelings of grief and sadness it seems to eminate, the town seems to bring a number of people to a deeper understanding of each other, as well. This is a good book from a very good series.

Another wonderful story by Debbie Macomber. She is such a talented author and always has a great story to tell. I thought the first two volumes were just a little better than this one.

I really enjoy the Heart of Texas books. Finally in Vol. 3, the mystery of the ghost town, Bitter End, is solved. All through Vol. 1 and 2 the mystery of Bitter End continued so it was great to find out what the problem was.

This series is wonderful. I can't wait until her next one comes out in September. NICE CLEAN READING!!!!

I love Macomber's stories about real people with individual attitudes and personalities--people we would like as friends. She never disappoints with her themes of friendship, hope, personal growth, and always happy endings. Thankfully, her stories and characters are so engrossing she has no need to "spice up" her books with unwelcome intimate details. I recommend this book along with a non-fiction one -- THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams, which has motivated me to get in shape and reclaim my life so I can be like one of Debbie's heroines.

The exiciting adventures of little Jennie continues in Book 2 with Jeannie growing into a frontier teen. The fun continues with Jeannie and her friend Helga learning to do women's work. Jeannie still longs for her own horse ranch and there is a good chance that her dream may come true, but you'll have to read the book to find out how.

Horan is a fromer teacher and counselor who has spun a good story, including some "faction" from her family history about frontier life. She has managed to create characters that jump off the page and demand that you remember them. You simply cannot get Jeannie out of your head. Now that's writing!

--jcpinkerton

In Book Two of 'Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl,' only good things can be said about it! A very simple story involving a very complicated girl; Jeannie!

Turning fourteen, Jeannie is getting to be a mature, young lady. Many things are in store for her this year. Her best friend, Helga, also turned fourteen and has a a young male caller, Billy Joe. Jeannie can't be troubled by boys and kissing, she's only interested in having a farm ranch and raising horses.

All winter and summer, the girls learn to cook, sew, crochet and take care of Helga's new baby brother. These new skills will help them in the future. Living in the 1880's is hard work. You learn to grow up fast.

Jeannie's wish might be coming true soon enough. She has always dreamed of having her own farm ranch. Her mother just inherited some money from a relative so Jeannie has a sizable amount in her savings. Will she be old enough next year to have a ranch? Who will she want to work on her farm with her? She might have someone in mind!

Look for Book Three, coming soon!

I just finished Book Two. It was great and very adventurous. I am in the third grade at a Christian school Mrs. Horan visited. I also read Book One. I want to get Book Three when it is published. I want to say God bless you to Mrs. Horan.
Love,
Victoria

Evelyn Horan is not only a talented writer but she is a delightful and charming woman to boot. A true talent in her chosen genre of books and me (a grown man) loving every word she writes! I have ordered copies of her books for my own nieces and nephews. Her stories are well-written and educational. Her school teaching experience apparent with each book she writes. I look forward to the remaining books in her charming series!

John Savoy

"With Morning Star trotting along behind, the girls guided their horses to the wooded, north pasture. In a small clearing near a stream, they dismounted and walked toward a white picket fence enclosure surrounded by yellow sunflowers and a cluster of brightly colored Indian paintbrushes. A few baby blue eyes lingered among the shady cedars and live oaks." pg. 15

Evelyn Horan is a native Texan who has spent many years as a teacher-counselor. Over 200 of her children's articles have appeared in over 80 periodicals and publications. Her grandparents told her many stories about their adventures, traditions and customs in an earlier time. Evelyn wanted to write about these memories so children would know what life was like in the 1880s.

This is the second book in a four book series set in the Texas frontier. Books 1-4 were written for children and grown-ups who love to read about the Texas Frontier.

In Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Book Two, we find Jeannie and her friend are now 13 and 14. (In Book three they are 15 and by book four they are 20 years of age. The content remains appropriate for younger readers.)

The second book is a continuing tale of friendship and adventure. Jeannie has two new playful puppies to look after and the start of the book presents a cute situation where "Princess" and "Junior" play near a braided rug by the stone hearth as Pa, Ma and Jeannie enjoy the puppies antics.

The reader is immediately drawn into the story as we read about Jeannie's brother and her parents. Jeannie wishes she could be more like her mother because she is such a great cook and is a real frontier woman who knows how to make a delicious aromatic vegetable soup. She can't wait for Helga to visit and together they remember Jeannie's experience when she met a mountain lion.

Henry, Billy Joe, Helga and Jeannie go fishing and catch a catfish and Ma shows Jeannie how to fry the filets in a black iron skillet. Ma also makes a blackberry cobbler. You can just imagine a table filled with food as the aroma of freshly baked cobbler mingles with the crisp evening air.

There are stories about visiting Mr. Wasserman's store, piano lessons, drinking punch at a party and a Christmas Eve Nativity play. This was a time when people made strings of popcorn for their Christmas trees. One of my first memories of Christmas was making a string of colored popcorn for a tree, so this book brought back some memories of my own more recent childhood. Evelyn also writes about childhood memories from the 1800s, like "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865.

In this book you will find out:
1. How the girls help a family in need.
2. How Eagle Feather changes Jeannie's ideas about the Comanche Indians

There is a West Texas Map from the 1800s and this shows where Jeannie and Helga live. The locations of the Church, school, creek and Trading post are all on the map.

Evelyn Horan is today's " Laura Ingalls Wilder" and she has created unique books that not only capture the excitement of living on a frontier, she also focuses on daily life and has a flair for writing about cooking! Her descriptive writing is something I look forward to and I can't wait for the third book!

In Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Book Three, Helga trains Morning Star and Jeannie's dreams of her horse ranch start coming true.

~The Rebecca Review