Texas Books

Myrna Temte's "Seven Months and Counting . . ." is emotionally rich and satisfying . . . it's the reason I keep coming back to romance. I fell in love with Rafe Stockwell's integrity and determination, and I could related to Caroline (Caro) Carlyle's struggles to do her best for her unborn child and her father with Alzheimer's. Myrna Temte doesn't short change the emotion in this book. I laughed at the antics of Caro's dog and cried over Caro and Rafe's problems. Treat yourself to Seven Month and Counting . . . You'll be glad you did!

Good God, she was pregnant!!

That was the opener of Myrna Temte's SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING... The second part of the Stockwell of Texas' series. I haven't read the others - but I sure will - but I LOVED this one. Rafe Stockwell, Deputy US Marshall, found out that his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Carlyle, was heavily pregnant. She dumped him 4 months ago and mentally counting he figured that the baby was his. Caroline denied it of course but Rafe was so certain and he wouldn't let Caroline raised the baby alone. After all "a Stockwell took care of his own"

I found out that I've been reading this book over and over. It was absolutely great and highly recommended. Rafe's determination to take care Caroline was genuine. He still deeply cared for her eventhough he didn't immediately realized it was love that he was feeling. Caroline's fear for loveless marriage was also real since she experienced it with her parents before. And nice to see other Stockwells appeared to show the family bond. I will surely buy the 1st and the rest of the series. I wanna know how it turned out anyway

The miniseries Stockwells of Texas continues with SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING... by Myrna Temte. When ex-girl friend Caroline Carlyle unexpectedly encounters Lawman Rafe Stockwell, he can do the math, realizing that she neglected to tell him the consequences of seven months ago. When Caroline finally agrees that Rafe can be her partner until the baby's born, then they go they separate ways, she underestimates his determination to convince her to marry.

Caroline has been badly wounded by her experience with men who put their careers first. When she became pregnant, she ended her relationship with the baby's father because she doesn't believe that Rafe can put her ahead of his job as U.S. Marshall. She believes that eventually he won't be there when she really needs him despite his protestations to the contrary. Indeed, she's determined to protect her child from the hurts she suffered from having a father who put his work ahead of his family.

Until his niece arrived at the Stockwell mansion, Rafe assumed that babies were "annoying little creatures who did nothing but poop. Spit up and squall in restaurants and movie theaters." Now his small niece has captured his heart and Rafe finds her irresistible. If the baby's his, Rafe will marry Caroline and fulfill his obligation, although he still has reservations about kind of husband and father will be. First, however, Caroline has to admit he's the father. Then she has to agree to marry. Rafe has his work cut out for him.

The subplot of SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING... also continues the inquiry into the Stockwell's family history as well as the deterioration of the family patriarch, mirroring the loss of Caroline's own father. The ill health of Caroline's own father doesn't overshadow the narrative, but does lend Carolyn's story a convincing touch of depth and poignancy.

SEVEN MONTHS AND COUNTING... provides delightful reading. Temte continues the Stockwell tale seamlessly, with a powerful narrative voice that keeps the pages turning. The strong characters clash with convincing passion, leading the reader through a maze of emotions, thereby weaving a convincing and energetic tale. Next month continues the Stockwell's miniseries with HER UNFORGETTABLE FIANCE by Allision Leigh. Highly recommended.

If you love your sharks, this is the book you need to get. It has a well-written introduction, a very nice classification system to help you identify that shark you saw last week while diving, and in-depth descriptions of just about every shark prevalent in these waters. I would have liked to see more color photos of the sharks, but that's just picking at nits. This book will be a well-read part of your reference library for years to come.

I found this to be an excellent reference book. It is an easy read and presents taxonomic information in a way that everyone can grasp. Information provided for each shark species includes facts about the species biology and relation to man - information most field guides gloss over. As a marine biologist, I have found this book invauable.

If you ask the average person to name as many sharks as they can, they might come up with about 15. This book has a lot more. It has an entry for every shark that can be found off the shores of North America, and because sharks are wide ranging animals, this means most of the sharks in the world. Castro, a scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Department, starts off with a very well done introduction to sharks in general. Then there is a dichotomous key to family and to species for all species covered. The write up on each species has a line drawing in profile and of the teeth. Aside from ID information there is a plethora of useful biological info that is hard to find in any one source for all species. This includes litter size, pup size and frequently age and size at maturity. If you have an interest in the natural history of marine animals, this book is a must have.

I also am looking for a copy of this book. It contains my family history as well. If anyone knows where i can get a copy please email me at dzrogers@hotmail.com thank you

i saw a copy of this book years ago, if you know where I can get a copy e-mail me at rajones8@yahoo.com. thanx

This book contains historical information about my ancestors please help me locate a used or new copy

I love this book -- it's a great inspiration to travel in my own backyard. Too often we spend our weekends running errands, doing the laundry, cleaning house, etc. Do yourself a favor -- next weekend pick a chapter from this book and go somewhere! Each itinerary is easily done in a day. The maps are helpful and the descriptions of each location include some historical flavor. Instead of speeding through small towns on your way to somewhere else, you get a chance to explore for hidden gems. Even the smallest towns have an antique shop, BBQ joint, or interesting historical site that's worth a stop. Happy trails!

My Husband and I visited Houston, San Antonio & Austin, we only had a couple of weeks in which to fit in as much as we could. This book was a brilliant way to get the most from a short time. It helped us to enjoy our visit to the full. We hope to visit more of the USA and shall certainly use this type of book again.

I really enjoyed using Day Trips from San Antonio and Austin to plan several recent weekend excursions. I found the book very helpful and used it to plan a trip to Corpus Christi and another to the Hill Country. Even though I have lived in this area for over 20 years, I found many hidden treasures thanks to this guide!

To utter that I like this book is a gross understatement. The characters exude an affinity of total and complete adoration. An emotional realm of pleasantness and pleasantries entertwined intricately and beautifully with a sense of thrill, are somewhat in approximating a more realistic expression, though only your personal imbibing of this wonderful piece could accurately reflect my thoughts! Bruce stands out in my mind, as you'll no doubt concur upon reading So Long Simpson, Texas.

Click on each hyperlink that follows to check out other excellent books for your reading pleasure and education. Fluctuating Life Quest for a Dream: A Life Committed to Progress


So Long Simpson, Texas

Let's Talk Africa and More



Great work, Mr. Ken Woodard, from your colleague and author of Let's Talk Africa and More. (NB: Mr. Woodard did not ask or suggest in any way that I make this commentary. I did it from my own volition and with a sense of appreciation for quality when it does, though rarely, exist.)

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a fun picture of life growing up in the 50's in a small, Texas town. The characters are appealing. I found myself rooting for Bruce throughout the book and feeling down when things were not going well for him. I can't wait to read the next book (I hope there is one) to see what happens to Bruce next.

I enjoyed reading this book as the characters were likable and it was very easy to become emotionally involved in their lives. I especially liked Bruce and worried about him when things were not going as planned in his life. I can't wait to read the next book (I hope there is one) to see what happens to Bruce.

This book does a lot to shed light on this very important topic. Soldaderas played a very important role in the Mexican Revolution and in the Mexican military from the time of the MesoAmerican Indians up though the period of the Revolution and even afterwards. Their role has, unfortunately, been overlooked, except in some of the songs of the period of the Mexican Revolution, which focus on certain almost mythical soldaderas, such as "La Cucaracha" and "La Adelita". The author of this book, Ms. Salas, whom one gets the impression is a sort of a chicana activist, does not mix chicano politics with the historical treatment of this book, much to her credit, but rather she gives a very serious treatment to the subject, and the whole account is moving and interesting. It is both historically relevant and easy to read, and in my opinion, it is a really important book for anyone who is interested in history of Latin America - specifically of Mexico. Whereas it has been demonstrated that Pancho Villa is the most famous Mexican of all time, and the most intriguing considering the amount of attention he has gotten in print, then the background of the Mexican Revolution is indispensable for understanding his own saga. However, the other characters are almost of equal importance - at least - and the most overlooked but deserving of the same kind of attention that Villa and otehrs have gotten are the soldaderas, who were, frankly, in my own opinion, fascinating. The one soldadera that I am most intrigued with is "La Generala" Petra Herrera, who was actually a general, and she had an all woman troop, and had any men caught sneaking into her camp at night summarily shot! I recommend this book! I read it, and I loved it.

i feel that the book gives readers the ability to learn the history about the soldaderas.

I bought this book to do research on the soldaderas and was amazed by the information I found. I had been searching everywhere for information about this topic and everywhere I looked, this book was referenced. I found everything I needed and more. There should be more books like this and about this topic. This is a must read!

This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever bought. The other one was "La Pinata" also by the Junior League of McAllen. The recipes specialize in South Texas cuisine and are very well written.

I received this as a gift when I moved into my first apartment many moons ago.

I have not tried a recipe that didn't receive rave reviews. Many have become "signature" dishes in our household and for pot-luck meals.

A good starting point for good South Texas cooking! I'm considering it as a gift for fellow friends and family who are ex-pat Texans.

This is one of the best cook books that has the best recipes for the type of food served in South Texas, part American and part Mexican. A lot of people like Mexican food but no all Mexican food places prepare the true Mexican food as it should be. The book is self explanatory and simple to follow. Recipes are easy to follow and the ultimate outcome of each dish is absolutely delicious. This has been my favorite cook book since it came out. I also use the cook book published before this one by the Jr. League of McAllen League, Inc. called "La Pinata" which is hard to find nowadays. Try it you will like it.

Cotton Smith is fast becoming one of my favorite western authors. His characters and plots just seem to get inside you and stay there. Sons of Thunder is a fascinating story -- with one of the greatest villains ever!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down. The characters and their stories were fascinating. I definitely recommend it. Cotton is in my top five of my all-time favorite Western authors!

I loved "Pray for Texas," so I was glad to see the return of Rule Cordell in Cotton Smith's next installment. The book grabs your attention with all of the plot twists and the two memorable villains -- one who thinks he's reincarnated.

tugs at the soul of everyone trapped "in the closet".. a true "fairy tale" gauranteed to make the heart smile and the soul giddy...

This is so beautiful and moving and hilarious and lovely! WHY don't people know about this book?

Edward Swift is one of my favorite authors. This book made me laugh out loud and then weep for joy in knowing that a great author like him is writing and living in our midst. Has Oprah heard about this guy? His book, "My Grandfather's Finger" captured my heart and imagination a few years ago and since then I have read all of his books that I can find in print. Such a gift he has for capturing the souls of human beings on paper. Thank you Edward Swift for touching me in a way that no other author has been able to.

Fraser's book is a tight rope act: on one side lies the easily sentimentalized; on the other, the cold unflinching truth of his brother, born with spina bifida. His poems, by being at once repelling in their candor and compelling in their humility, take enormous risks. From the beginning lines of the first poem, "Ars Poetica," Fraser calls into question any artistic posturing: "All poetry begins," he declares boldly, "with my brother's legs." What follows is an imaginative return to the womb where his brother is transported to "the light of his becoming" when he was merely a "run-on sentence of flesh, / until the dark germ rode, dormant fate for steed, along / [his] spine, flung the false logic of his DNA, dragged / him down." Such a mixed bag of metaphors is typical of Fraser's more lyrical moments. Fraser, however, gets away with yoking the odd metaphors together, the sheer intensity of the moment able to override any quibbles we might have with the apparent incongruousness of the poetic machinery. And if the aesthetic gravitas of a loaded word such as "light" appears part of a familiar landscape, Fraser refocuses the lens a handful of lines later: "Making light is easy. Watch: / half-wit, numbskull, saphead, lamebrain, nincompoop, dope." Fraser's is the voice of someone speaking from the far end of the lived and of the living. He speaks not with well-intentioned sympathy but with a terrorizing tedium able to anticipate most any taunt aimed at his brother. And as poetry itself offers no consolation, Fraser also bids "farewell to verse that rollicks by light's name."

_Strange Pieta_ is a tour de force of craft, lyricism, and imaginative reach. The poems addressed to Fraser's brother Jonathan, born with spina bifida, will certainly interest readers involved in disability studies, but the appeal of this book is broader than any particular subject or person. The poems are wise, angry, tender, unforgiving of human cruelty but richly generous in their understanding of frailty and their desire for connection. The precision of Fraser's language, his daring leaps of wit and image, and the profundity of his insights into love, desire, and loss--all combine for a stunningly beautiful first collection.

A breathtaking journey. For the theorist, Strange Pieta enriches the discourse in disability theory. For the common reader, Fraser provides a heartfelt and emotional look into his brother's life, a life that has always been deeply intertwined with his own. Emotion and wit never ceases to flow from Strange Pieta's pages.