Texas Books

Too often historical fiction concerning the 1900 Storm is riddled with inaccuracies presented as fact or suffers from weak characters and a forced plot to incorporate the Storm. Marian Hale surpasses all of this.

I fell in love with the Braeden family and even though I knew what was coming next, Ms. Hale wrote it in such beautiful, flowing language I found myself looking forward to the rest of the story.

Ms. Hale treated her characters with respect and honesty--especially Seth's observations and relationship with Ezra and Ben--without resorting to exaggeration.

On a personal level, I appreciated Ms. Hale's ability to incorporate many real-life characters and situations of the first hand accounts reproduced in my own publication, Through a Night of Horrors: Voices from the 1900 Galveston Storm. I easily recognized familiar settings and stories experienced by Seth and the Braeden family, and found a loving tug at my heart that Ms. Hale had given so much thought and attention to bring them into her novel seamlessly.

Under my ever-searching intense eyes I found only only one teensy historical error that can easily be overlooked. This is a Galveston I recognize, with factual history blended smoothly in a way that propertly sets the touching story and characters.

I highly recommend this novel for use and will be giving it to my own 4th grade daugther to read - especially since she's not interested in reading mine just yet. Thank you Ms. Hale for an excellent novel.

I originally read both books by Mrs. Hale because I know her personally, but was blown away by this one. It is a story about a 17 yr old boy's, Seth, experience with the devastating Galveston Storm of 1900. It is so precise and well-written historically, I actually assigned it to my students to better understand the impact the storm had in Galveston. The only thing I want to warn about is the graphic nature. Some of my students had some trouble with the descriptions of the bodies, devestation. So if your child has a queasy stomach, you may want to wait until he/she is older. However, overall, it is a great historical fiction book!

The Galveston hurricane in 1900 was a tragedy in which over 6000 died. The author has interwoven a touching fictional tale with the facts resulting in a gripping, fascinating story. I highly recommend this and Hale's first novel, The Truth About Sparrows.

This is a moving and beautiful story based on the actual events surrounding the Galveston storm and flood. As with many of today's books for younger readers, this is a novelist who is writing for young adults yet dealing with issues and life decisions in an intelligent way--edited to a reasonable length--so that an adult would find this a most satisfying read. I certainly did, and the images and lessons of this story will stay with me for a long time.

A friend told me about Marian Hale's first book, "The Truth About Sparrows". She said that even though it was written for pre-teens, she had enjoyed it very much. I must agree with her. It was an excellent book, and when I finished it I wanted more! As soon as "Dark Water Rising" was available I read it. Sometimes when we have expectations about a book we are disappointed, and then there's that old axiom about everyone having one good book in them. However, I was delighted to see that Ms. Hale had done it again!

"Dark Water Rising" captivated me from the beginning. When I was reading it, it was as though nothing else existed. I looked forward to the limited time I have each day for reading. This book seized hold of my mind and my heart, wrapped them in tears and smiles and wouldn't let go. I made it last as long as I could, because I didn't want it to end. I was amazed at Ms. Hale's ability to achieve such depth and detail of content with a warm simplicity. I would not like to see adults pass this book over thinking it is only for "children". Any adult who enjoys good writing will love it!

It's been a long, long time since a writer has taken me back to the first good feelings that I associate with books. My grandmother read to me as a child. She sat in front of a blazing, crackling fireplace with me on her lap, reading the same stories over and over. Her gift to me was a love of reading. Ms. Hale's books take me to that same lovely, warm place. She obviously has a superior gift as a storyteller, and I impatiently look forward to many more books.

This book is for Young Adultsand older. It's a true historical and depicts a more simple and basic way of life. The contents are suitable for any age group. It's more than just bare bones historical facts and dates. It goes to the heart of the people who lived the story. Emotions come to the surface and simple pleasures are relived, fears surface and a wide range of raw apprehensions and a subtle suspense creeps in at times. The key word was survival.

He had been chozen by her mother, and the marriage ceremony had been a simple affair beside her mother's dying bedside. DELPHIA'S new husband was a railroad man---helping lay the tracks for the railroads that would criss-cross the country. He was a good worker, and (as her mother had shrewdly surmised) a good provider, but he had no roots nor a place he called home. Now DELPHIA gathered everything into a covered wagon and prepared for her journey into the unknown with a stranger---

He had been chozen by her mother, and the marriage ceremony had been a simple affair beside her mother's dying bedside. DELPHIA'S new husband was a railroad man---helping lay the tracks for the railroads that would criss-cross the country. He was a good worker, and (as her mother had shrewdly surmised) a good provider, but he had no roots nor a place he called home. Now DELPHIA gathered everything into a covered wagon and prepared for her journey into the unknown with a stranger---

This is a profile of the frontier woman---the biography of Delphia Eliza Odell Reoh and her journey from Kansas to Oklahoma in a covered wagon. Delphia's husband was chosen by her mother, and she struggled with tubuculosis. This book chronicles her wild ride in the Oklahoma Land Rush, and encounter with a mad dog. Frontier women struggled with birth, death and bed bugs while establshing a home. They settled in Spokogee--- present-day Dustin. Delphia bore eight children and lost three before they reached adulthood. Delphia's last journey took her to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, near present-day Raymondville, where she and her husband established a farm. All are buried in the Raymondville cemetery, but the name endures in the Valley.

I was thrilled to be able to read this account of my great-grandmother. I got to meet her once when I was very small; little did I realize the life she had lead.

The book takes you into her life. You feel what she feels and you see her life through her eyes. You understand her fears, her pride, and realize the tact she used in dealing with her quiet, intense husband.

The book recounts a time gone past. It vividly describes south Texas and what is was like to live there. You see this young woman who is reticient about south Texas, age to an elderly woman who loves the valley.

It is a book like no other I have read. I recommed it highly.

Excellent condition.Excellent translation of Bakhtin whose writing is a Russian take on phenomenology. In the Dialogic Imagination he considers ficition writing--I enjoyed discovering his analysis of the "road" or journey.

Bakhtin is quite a character, and much more accessible as a writer than the reviewer below might suggest in this volume. He has been regarded as the most important theorist of the novel, perhaps ever. But when he celebrates "the novel," it is not always obvious if he's discussing actual novels, an idea ubernovel, or a quality that is novel. I prefer the latter interpretation, but all three are possible.

The crown jewel of this collection of essays is the third one, on the crhonotope. Here, Bakhtin inquires into what amounts to genres of being in narrative space and time. The vampire's lair, the old western saloon, the medieval castle... These chronotopes circulate around in our heads, and can get dangerous if you try to actualize them in the wrong way. Bakhtin himself experienced the horrors of the Stalinist version of the Worker's Paradise chronotope. Enter "the novel", the potential for nongeneric being, open-ended action. That's freedom, no?

Meanwhile, it's great fun to inquire into how the chronotopes in your neighborhood operate, and perhaps to unpack them. Ideals in the U.S. about how a "perfect American" may move and have his/her being might be a good place to start, assuming introspection is not yet so unpatriotic as to become illegal yet...

Bakhtin arguably at his best. Sure the final essay in the volume is not an easy read, but if you think Bakhtin is hard to read try Heidegger when he grooves along with his own lingo. Bakhtin's key idea of contextual language and the many voicedness of novels against the backdrop of an author's voice and that of his times is prehaps the sum total of what the novel as a genre is. In fact, the novel is not quite a genre but an ongoing process that escapes ossification as it changes with the times. Wonderfully done.

I was introduced the Bakhtin, by way of this book, in my grad literary theory course. I found him at the time to be a long-winded individual who took 200 pages to say what could have been said in 50. How wrong I was.

I've since become very enamored of Bakhtin's ideas and I think now that this collection was a wonderful place to start. Yes, Bakhtin is demanding but once you step up to the challenge you will find yourself rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

The key to this whole collection is the final essay, Discourse in the Novel. This is perhaps his most influential work and it contains some very interesting ideas about the novel, the definition of language and how labguages interact with one another. I would not recommend that a newcomer to Bakhtin start here. If you pick up this volume start with the first essay, Epic and Novel, and go from there. The writing gets progressively more dense and the ideas build on each other so you'll be quite lost (like I was) if you try to tackle Discourse first.

This book consists of four essays of Bakhtin's "Middle Period", two short and two longer works which have been arranged, according to complexity, with the most accessible essay first and the most difficult last. Cooincidentally, this is also the reverse order in which they were written. None of these essays were avaiable in English before the present translation/compilation by Emerson and Holquist, and judging from its many reprintings (the 10th by 1996), quotations and misquotations, and various interpretations, it is the most influential of Bakhtin's works.

Some brief notes on the four Essays:

1. "Epic and Novel" dated 1941 - A rather straightforward comparison of the Novel and the Epic. Its aim is to show the distinctiveness of the Novel. This can be seen as a transitional essay between the Chronotope Essay and the Bildungsroman Fragment. It is well organized and introduces several characteristics unique to the novel such as three-dimensionality, imagery and openendedness.

2. "From the Prehistory of Novelistic Discourse" dated 1940 - This is in essence a brief history of the novel according to Bakhtin. It concentrates on style, theory and as the title states, discourse, beginning with Greek works and going to the Renaissance. Conceptually this is strikingly similar to Erich Auerbach's "Mimesis". This essay is incomplete.

3. "Forms of Time and Chronotope in the Novel" dated 1937-38 - Another long (175 page) discussion on the distinctiveness of the novel. The concept of the Chronotope is introduced simply as "time space" and the essay seeks to show its use from the Greek Romance to the novel of the 19th Century. Bakhtin inserts here also a discussion of the "Rabelaisian Chrontope", the role of the clown, etc. Special emphasis is also given to the Blidungsroman. This essay, it seems to me, is essentially, Bakhtin's own favorite Reading list in which he experiments with his own concept of Chronotope, skillfully fitting it to each work. Despite its digressions it is basically a chronological presentation.

4. "Discourse in the Novel" dated 1934-35 - Another lengthy essay which is in essence Bakhtin's discussion of his philosophy of language. This essay also seems to be unfinished. It consists of five distinct parts in which Bakhtin experiments with different approaches to discourse in the novel. As is often the case with Bakhtin, this essay is also open-ended.

I find this compliation of four essays to be most stimulating. It seems to be well translated and edited. Ample footnotes assist the reader with Bakhtin's many, sometimes obscure, literary references. In my opinion, particularly the last two essays, constitute Baktin's most important work on the novel. Those expecting distinct conclusions and theories will be disappointed, because this is not the aim here at all. Bakhtin instead provides many different starting points from which to continue the study of the novel. This is, for example, what makes the chronotope indefinable, because it is constantly changing. I highly recommend this surprisingly accessible book. I believe that it is, along with "Speech Genres and other late Essays" Bakhtin's most important work on the novel.

Even though I have lived my whole life in Houston, I often find myself at a loss when I'm trying to think of fun things to do with my kids. This book has been a valuable resource, providing me with information on educational activities, parks, playgrounds, and so forth.

My in-laws are about to come into town from South Africa, and I will be relying heavily on this book as we plan out outings with the kids.

This is a wonderful resource to have for showing Houston to out of town guests. Visitors can tell you what they would like to see,and there is no guess work left for the host. It is a great book to have on hand for young or old visitors. I have also given the book to families with children and grandchildren.

This is Deborah Frontiera, Jasper Frontiera's wife speaking in this review. As a kindergarten teacher in Houston, ISD, who is in charge of planning field trips for the grade level, I am always on the look out for good resources. Elaine Galit and Vikk Simmon's book, Exploring Houston With Children, is one of the best, most complete, easy to use resources I have seen in a long time. Everything I need is right there all in one place and neatly organized.

Simmons and Galit explored the 4th largest city in the United States, and found lots and lots of fun stuff to do with kids. They researched and interviewed and spent a lot of time gathering so much information that you couldn't possibly get to it all in one summer.

This book is a must for finding the perfect summer or all-year-round activities for your school-age children. It's great for the big kids too, because even if you've lived in Houston all your life, like I have, you didn't know about some of this great stuff!

I was surprised to find so much great information on the space program and astronomy, in general, in and around the Houston area; and I was happy to find so much to do "In your own Backyard," on a shoestring budget.

This is a great bargain in the investment of your kids' childhoods and futures. I wish we had a book like this when I was growing up.

As the author of "Offbeat Houston", I'm always looking for interesting and fun places to see in Houston. "Exploring Houston with Children" is packed with lots of great places to go and fascinating things to see. If you're looking for ways to entertain and educate the kids, you'll find lots of great ideas here. There are many suggestions on integrating the featured attractions into lesson plans, and the resources, photos and web listings provide plenty of additional information. The kids will have fun while learning and, who knows, you just might learn a thing or two yourself!

I came to this site to buy this book, but after seeing the prices I called a local non-discount book store (the one with Star Bucks in it) and bought it new for $24.95. What's with the inflated prices for a used paperback? Makes no sense to me.

We have snakes. Lots of them. But rather than "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out", as my husband prefers, I take this book with me during ourdoor activities and literally look up the snake I'm looking at. The photos are extremely helpful, limited only by my own perceptual problems---for example, Texas brown snakes look like rat snakes look like copperheads to me, even in the pictures. But the majority of the snakes in Texas and in the book do NOT deserve to die...life imprisonment, maybe...this is a very comforting book to own.

This field guide on snakes is excellent. The pictures of each snake are clear and you can identify them easily when you see them in the wild (or in you're house). The organization of this book splits up into two sections venomous and nonvenomous which allows a very quick way to tell if you should be anywhere near the snake. The infromation on each type is plentiful and everything you need to know is included. There are maps of where to find each type and whether they are endangered or protected in the state of Texas. A system is given in the beginning of the book for how to easily determine a snake and also what to do if you happen to be bit by a venomous type. The only thing I would like to see in the next revision is the striking distance of each snake which isn't given in this book.

A great book. A fantastic book. It's slightly larger than what one might expect for a field guide, but the difference is put to good use. Not only are the excellent photographs printed at such high resolution that you expect to see these scaled beauties slithering off the pages, but the accompanying text is so easy to read that you might find it to be a page-turner that ranks with some pretty good novels. This book is crammed with really useful or, at the very least, interesting info -- like the relative potencies of venoms from different snakes. (You might be surprised...) A detailed discussion of the mechanisms associated with different snake venoms and what might be done to counter them is really fascinating. The text for each species is accompanied by a distribution map; that text includes information on whether the snake in question is venomous, its behavior, reproduction, abundance, size, etc. I can't say enough good stuff about this book. If you live in a state adjacent to Texas and Mr. Tennant hasn't written a book about your snake population, it would well be worth getting this one. He also wrote the "Field Guide to Snakes of Florida," so you guys in Florida are lucky, too! This book made me want to head out at night to the local megapuddles that form near my house south of Houston to see what might be after those little frogs that seem to appear out of nowhere in the spring. Now, that might seem to be a little strange, but if you've read this book, you probably know what I mean.
Come to think of it, I'd like to give this one 7 stars...

Very thorough research, orderly referenced example pictures, and easy to use.

Excellent Book!! We will be giving several as gifts this year. The service provided in processing our order was superior too. Thank you!

Anyone who begins a book on Galveston by describing it as haunted knows his Galveston. A wonderful history and guide to the island by someone who truly appreciates its uniqueness. I have a bookshelf of Galveston books that I love and this one is on it.

This is the most facinating and interesting book. It's amazing how much history this small island has to tell. I grew up going to Galveston and have always loved the city, but I had no idea it had this much history. You really won't be able to put this book down, every section is more intersting than the previous. Mr. Carwright has always known how to weave a tale. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in facinating history, written in a compelling way. Be aware that after you read this book you will have the most incredible desire to visit this wonderful island. Galveston is truly a treasure and I always tell anyone visiting the Houston area to make it their top priority.

This books gives a detailed history of the island of Galveston from it's first inhabitants to present day. Unlike some historical accounts this book is a real "page turner," completely absorbing the reader in each different time period from hostile indians to mafia men. The author lays out areas on the island to explore as well as important historical landmarks. He helps one understand the rise and fall of the island's fame and fortune along with it's leading families. I highly recommend it whether you are visiting Galveston or you are just interested in history.

This is simply the best and most entertaining historical study that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It literally made me laugh out loud as well as tear up several times. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. It reads like a very well written novel whose topic is endlessly fascinating. I've given it as a present several times since I first read it about 10 or 11 years ago and the recipients have all been as thrilled with it as I've been.

Debbie Macomber is an excellent writer who pulls the reader into the stories so that they have trouble putting the books down until completed. When they are finished you can't wait until the next one is started.

Debbie Macomber's book are nice to sit down with. Caroline's Child and Dr. Texas are the next two stories, in the Heart of Texas Series. These stories are only two of the adventures in this set, the whole series is a must read, it is what makes the story line more interesting and complete. I don't want to spoil any of it for you. I will say....... I love the people of Promise Texas. All the characters seem real and they all have interesting stories. Debbie Macomber does her magic once again. I couldn't wait to see what was happening to all the people in town and what the BIG SECRET was, that ran through the story line, of all the books. You won't be disappointed in the Heart of Texas series. If you like romance and a little fun, all these stories are worth the cost of the set.

I throughly enjoyed this....I am addicted to all of her series....very hard to put down her books...

I loved reading all four stories in the Heart of Texas series. Debbie Macomber does a great job telling a story.

The author did not disappoint me. The first volume was excellent and so was this one. She has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are in the story with the people she is writing about. I can't wait for volume 3.

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.

I could not wait for this book to be delivered after reading the first two in the series and I was not disappointed. Debbie Macomber books are easy reading and the characters are so real that you do not want to put it down. The twists she puts in are good but not too "out there". If you have read the first two Hearts of Texas books you should definitely read this one. But if you have not read the other two and just "pick" this one up she will fill in the blanks during the story so you will not be lost as to how these events came to pass. If easy reading is what you are after, this is the book for you and the author as well.

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.

This book is awesome! I beleive that Texas Angel is better but
This book is to great to put down.I love the fact that Judith Pella didn't end the Fued between Micha and his father.Even though we feel sorry for Micha.We also hate his stubborness at times.Especially when almost throws away the best thing in his life because she's mexican but we still love the story. I personally believe that Texas Angel+ Heavens road should be made into a movie. But no adding or removing from the book.And no Unnessary scenes about Elise being a slave Prostuite.
Thanks for a great books Judith Pella!

There were several places in the book where I would have liked to knock some sense into Micah Sinclair for his stubbornness. His father and stepmother, Benjamin and Elise, are minor characters in the story, whereas a trail guide in "Texas Angel," a minor character in that book, is now a Texas Ranger and saves Micah's neck more than once, especially when he is sentenced to be executed as a horse thief.

Micah takes several years to finally forgive his father for the past, and to overlook the fact that the lady who loves him (despite her father's misgivings) is half-Mexican. The ending seems rather hurried to me, as though a whole year is suddenly thrown into the last 2 chapters and leaves you wondering, "what were these people doing since the the previous chapter?"

This was A wonderful sequel to Texas Road.Micha Sinclair played a man still furious at his father for Killing his mother.But he found a way to love again.There were many times I grew so angry at him.I mean he almost through the best thing in his life away because she was mexican. Silly boy. But all in all it was a great book.I think I liked Texas Angel better. I also beleive that Texas angel and Heavens Road should be made into a movie.But no adding or removing from the book. And no specifics on Elise Job in Texas Angel. Thanks!

Again and again, Pella shows her talent for creating flawed characters that have to learn the hard way. Micah is a perfect example of this, as he struggles with hate and anger and must learn both how to accept love and how to return it. Though I was expecting Book Two to be a continuation of Elise's story, I'm now glad that this one focuses instead on Micah, who has matured from a bitter and confused fourteen-year-old (see "Texas Angel") to an angry twenty-two-year-old with an agenda for revenge. Though this novel can be read alone, the depth of Micah's feelings cannot fully be appreciated unless one has read the prequel. I must again salute Ms. Pella's skill as she creates people that "just happen" to meet and are changed forever in 300 pages. As always, secondary characters do not disappoint, and the main plot sweeps us off our feet and carries us to 1830's Texas for an unforgettable tale of hate and love, sorrow and joy, tragic darkness and sweet light.

Taking up a few years after "Texas Angel" ended, "Heaven's Road" features preacher Benjamin Sinclair's oldest son Micah, who is still a teenager and estranged from the father he hates. Micah has fought a war and desperados and has seen death too many times. He now finds himself in less than desirable company.

Alone except for his outlaw friends, he is sentenced to be executed, but his life takes a surprising direction, due to the fact he is so young and the intervention of a dear, old friend. Micah is forced to choose between hanging and serving as a Texas ranger, on the other side of the law.

There are several things which Micah hates violently, most notably his father, religion, and Mexicans for their part in the slaughter of his beloved Uncle Haden.

It is his hate which seems to drive him and keep him alive. All that changes when he meets young, beautiful Lucie Maccullum, whom he is determined he will NOT love, will never be beholden to, and will never, never allow to change him or tame him.

Micah's loyalties are torn forever at the discovery of who Lucie really is, who it is that leads the notorious, dangerous Mexican fighting men, and who and what his father has become in his absence.

Truly a cliff hanger, as well as a tender, religious fiction love story, and one which covers politics, history, and family relationships.

I sincerely hope and trust that Judith Pella is planning book #3 and soon! This book really deserves more stars than the 5 allowed on this site!

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first picked up this book. From the moment I cracked it open, I was completely hooked. Mudaine train rides to work and back were suddenly filled with the crazy adventures of two (nearly) fearless California gals, staking their claims and burning their initials into the heart of Texas. Before I knew it, I actually started dreading the announcement that my stop was next. I absolutely loved every chapter and recommend this to anyone who is looking for their next favorite book.

These are two chicks you'd wanna hang with, but we can leave the reds behind. All the talk of the dancers at Antone's, how a midnight run to Gardenridge and the yearly Marie Calendar's pie special is my Austin too. To hear a newcomer's view of our bugs, the heat, the twang and the rodeo made my laugh alot. I think most Texans would get a kick outta Heidi and the Reds.

I truly enjoyed this book of short stories. The chapter about Georgia's sister was very endearing. I loved that each story was independent of one another and yet they all seemed to fit together because of the city's backdrop. You really get to know the two main characters, Georgia and Vivian as they go through their everyday lives, from minimum wage jobs they love, to their friends that visit and give life to their adventures. The chapter about Georgia's Uncle relating back to the songs of Tom Waits reminded me about how different songs and movies can jog someone back to the memories of loved ones. I highly recommend this book.

As a long time Austin local, I must say that I approve. I'm not one to want to encourage Californians to move on out here, but Heidi & the Reds doesn't lie. We got the bugs, we got the slackers, the singers, the blues, Stevie, Antone's, you name it and Heidi's got it. The book's more about family and friends and dreams then about any city or state, but I think that's why everyone will like it. And if you ever was curious about rodeos, carnivals, the blues and the Southwest you won't be disappointed either. I'd recommend it to all my buds.

I read The Doldrums and have been waiting and waiting for Mel's next book. Heidi did not disappoint. Although this was totally different from The Doldrums, I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. 'The Bug Killer' was my favorite chapter. I think everyone can relate to that fear of cockroaches and she paints Austin, Texas so vividly that I felt like I was there. It almost seems like a little Berkeley in the middle of the South. After reading 'Heidi' I'm ready to cruise on down to 'Pint Nite at Antone's.' Maybe we'll run into Mel.