Mexico Books

In "The Heart's Calling" Pamela thinks she is in love with a man back in Kansas City whom her parents disapprove of and believe is only after her money. When Pamela learns of the Dawson's plans on going to Colorado she invites herself along. Going for a midnight walk she finds herself kidnapped, believing it is her love come to rescue her she offers no resistance. Much to her shock, she finds out that it isn't her love, but a complete stranger named Jim. Jim has a surprise in store to, he thought he was kidnapping Zandy.
On his way back to bring her home, they are set upon by another set of kidnappers. They leave Jim for dead and take Pamela for ransom. In all this turmoil both Jim and Pamela grow up enough to realize who they really love.

In "Forever Yours" Daughtry Lucas runs away from home when her father and brothers become to overbearing. She sees an advertisement for a bride in the paper and she writes to him. When he writes back she is quite taken by the way he signs his letter. Forever Yours. In one last attempt to reason with her father, he refuses to back off, so she leaves that night to become Mrs. Nicholas Dawson. They are married by proxy and she arrives at her new home, but Nicholas is nowhere to be seen. She spends days cleaning the house and falling more and more in love with her husband, who she has yet to meet. When Nicholas finally arrives he realizes how much God has blessed him with this little wife of his. Both hide a secret from each other, one is hiding from her father, the other from a group of outlaws. As they face each of there pasts their relationship grows, as does their love.

"Angel's Cause" is all about a strong minded girl who always has a certain cause. This time she's taken up the women's suffrage movement. She runs from home to join her new political friends and her parents send Gavin Lucas out to fetch her home. Gavin becomes more and more worried about her as he overhears conversations of her so-called friends. He then comes to her rescue when she needs him the most.

and finally in "Come Away My Love" Joelle and John plan to be married until John is in a plane crash and is in danger of never walking again. Joelle tells him that it doesn't matter and that she can support them both. But he thinks if he can't support her like a proper husband then she must find someone else. Joelle is determined and she slowly brings him around, until tragedy strikes again. When renegades attack to kill all soldiers, Joelle and John's mother try to hide him and Joelle goes out to try and hold them off. When all is clear, and John's mother goes out to find Joelle, she meets with a horrible sight. Feeling used and unclean, Joelle refuses to see John, thinking she is no longer worthy of him. He begs her not to do this to herself but when she finds she is with child she runs away. John begins to learn to walk again with one thought on his mind, to go and bring Joelle, his only love, home . . .

New Mexico Sunset is a wonderful set of stories. I've read them all a countless amount of times. Tracie Peterson is a marvel in the way she intertwines faith and life so there is no longer a difference, but they become one and the same.

If I could have given this book a thousand stars, I would have. I would like to see more like this from Tracie.

After book one, the author fast forwards a few decades and introduces the adult children of the first book. It is done very well, with enough of the familiar to make the reader comfortable, enough new to keep interest and more than enough intrigue for me!

There are, again, four short books in one. The first, The Heart's Calling, is Pamela's story. She is a rebellious young woman who loves the shady Brady. Her parents attempt to stop this destined to fail romance and send her away to live with her grandmother. While there, sulking and hoping to run away, she is suddenly abducted, but not by the man she hopes has come for her. Threading the story back to book one, the reader immediately knows why the kidnapping happened and who it was intended to save. However, I am not sure who was the more surprised, the kidnapper or the victim!

Forever Yours follows, with 23 yr. old independent, stubborn Daughtry Lucas trying to escape the smothering she perceives she is getting from her father, Garrett. As a remedy, she secretly answers a mail order bride ad. She decides to suddenly run away to accomplish her "freedom" all the while having no idea that even as she is using Nicholas Dawson, he is using her as well! He is her ticket to freedom from her home and father, and he, himself has a less than open and fair agenda.

In number three, Angeline is chasing the cause of womens' right
to vote. She meets and follows a strong but deceptive Willa and an even more dastardly Douglas on the circuit for suffrage. She is very young, headstrong and stubborn but finds herself in grave danger and finally realizes the value of an old childhood friendship. But does she realize this just a bit too late?

The last story takes place a little later still - Come Away My Love. Joelle Dawson plans to marry the handsome pilot son of the local town doctor, Daniel Monroe. Howver, while they are engaged, John's horrible accident threatens their relationshop and redirects their lives. When John finds himself paralyzed, Joelle has some serious decisions to make. John tries to make her hate him for the less than whole man he has become. She, on the other hand makes his recovery her purpose in life. In the small Texas town of his rehab, a horrible, violent accident takes its toll on Joelle. This time, it's not only physical, it is mentally, emotionally and sexually destructive. How do these two young Christians in love survive the incredible odds of ever finding happiness? This last story was my favorite of them all. You will be surprised with the ending of this wonderful Tracie Peterson duo set in the young New Mexico wilderness.

We all experience those dark nights of the soul. A sure cure is to follow author and photographer Christina Nealson on her pilgrimages to out of the way places in the state Georgia O'Keeffe called "the near faraway." As I accompanied Nealson on her spiritual journeys, I felt the strong, luminous presence of artists and writers like O'Keeffe and D.H. Lawrence. Nealson makes New Mexico seem "near" enough, but she never treats a sacred site in a way that robs it of its "faraway" feeling. She also shows a sure touch in her moving and respectful renderings of Hispanic religious and cultural practices. Well worth the trip!

I think New Mexico was the greatest experience from the outside world that I have ever had. It certainly changed me forever...something stood still in my soul, and I started to attend. ~D.H. Lawrence

Of all the places I've visited in America, New Mexico is where I felt closest to the earth. The heat radiating from the earth as you walk free and barefoot contrasts with a sudden hailstorm where you have to find shelter.

Christina Nealson delves into this land of mystery and intrigues with her stories of places with great cultural significance. If you are a fan of D.H. Lawrence's writing, then you may want to visit the D.H. Lawrence Memorial in San Cristobal. Apparently Lawrence's ashes are in the walls of the shrine because his wife Frieda threw them into the concrete mix.

Each listing has detailed information:

Location
Description
Spiritual Significance
Solitude Rating
How to get there
Accessibility from highway
Facilities
Fee Area

There are 111 full-color photographs, 6 maps of New Mexico regions and color-coded tabs on the pages for easy reference. There is a list of Native American Feast Days and a Historical Time Line of New Mexico.

Picturesque churches, mineral spring resorts, tree shrines, white deserts, petroglyph sites, snowy mountains and Navajo hogans make this land a choice location for spiritual renewal. If you are planning a trip to New Mexico, then this guide will give you ideas for day trips and places to stay. The solitude ratings are helpful if you are looking for quiet locations.

Places I thought looked fascinating and a few quotes from this book:

Monastery of Christ in the Desert: "How long has it been since you've heard live Gregorian Chant?

White Sands National Monument, Alkali Flat Trail: "My brain said snow, snow, until I stepped from my air-conditioned car into the piercing heat and the immensity of a million great dunes."

Casitas de Gila: "A short walk down the bluff puts you next to the stream, where a hammock invites you to dawdle."

Of all the books I've read about traveling, this one makes me wish I was a travel writer, wandering through untamed lands. Christina Nealson's writing style is comforting and her knowledge of this area shows her love of travel and her deep appreciation for the need to find a sacred sanctuary where you can relax and heal.

~The Rebecca Review

This book made me want to get in my car and drive straight to New Mexico! Every page inspired me to visit yet another awesome, beautiful site. Not just the petroglyphs, but White Sands, and the Miraculous Tortilla Shrine! The descriptions of the sites and the fascinating historical tidbits kindled my desire to go New Mexico and see it all for myself. Not only am I motivated to travel to all these locations, I feel I'll approach them and even my home, with a renewed sense of reverence for the beauty all around me, after reading Nealson's inspired prose.

WOW! another great book. Can't wait for the next.Once I started reading I could not put the book down.Stayed up until 3 am to finish. It kept me very interested,afraid,and always wondering what's just around the corner.I would not have guessed it would have ended as it did,but was glad anyway. David sure knows how to keep everyone in constant suspense. Don't miss this thriller!!!

I pretty much skipped or slept through my Greek history & mythology classes - but because I loved David Angsten's first novel, Dark Gold (pot-smoking brothers, babes, Mexico, sunken ships, treasure maps, monsters), I thought I'd give this one a shot. By page two, I was hooked. David Angsten's books are like mini-vacations for us arm-chair adventurers. With NIGHT OF THE FURIES, he gives us another smartly written, "guilty-pleasure." This time, those same brothers, and a sexy archeologist, are in search of an entirely different "treasure": a metaphysical experience, called the Elusinian Mysteries (your basic drug-induced, pagan divine revelation), sought by Plato, Socrates, Augustus, etc. - and now our heroes. Of course, true to their natures, the brothers find themselves in a whole lot of big, bad trouble: secret-ritual organic drugs, orgies on a yacht, a dead body, and one terrifying night of fleeing flesh-tearing women, unleashed when the brothers discover their ancient ritual. With his terse, engaging prose, David Angsten deftly takes us on this scary-as-hell, tightly-woven, wild ride of a tale, that blows Greek history and mythology right into the 21st century. Girls Gone Wild? No... just your basic Greek history come to life.

Maybe David Angsten has created a new genre -- the "mythic adventure," where we absorb the fascinating ancient history behind the mythology of exotic places, while running for our lives alongside his protagonists as they flee present-day manifestations. These books are as edifying and dramatic as historical novels, but always suspenseful, and dependably atmospheric with dread and sexual tension.

NIGHT OF THE FURIES makes myth credible, tangible, and finally frightening -- by updating the motivations for macabre ancient Greek rituals, and then reenacting them in full gruesome splendor. The urge to back away battles our compulsion to see it all, like stepping toward an open doorway through which a few drops of blood are visible on the floor.

Once inside, plenty pray they'll live to tell, but no one has. In elegant, vivid, involving prose, this author keeps the outcome very much in doubt, and that keeps us turning pages.

Stephen Mertz has written a great story and I could not put it down until I finished it! The story is suspenseful, fast moving, main characters likable, and he used a theme of romance, suspense, and the mystical, which really works. I do hope we have another book soon from Mertz. An enjoyable read!

Stephen Mertz has written a fast-paced, exciting novel. Robin Curtis and her son Paul move from Chicago to the small town of Devil Creek, New Mexico, so that Robin can escape from a bad marriage. Naturally, Devil Creek harbors all sorts of dark secrets despite its idyllic appearance. The plot edges over into Dean Koontz territory at times, and Mertz's sure-handed writing keeps things popping. This is a very entertaining book. Highly recommended.

This excellent book is both a mystery and a good character study of the two principal figures in the story. Set in the beautiful Southwestern desert, Mertz writes with both economy and a depth of description that leaves the reader fully immersed in the story. It literally was a book that was hard to put down and kept me up late a few nights, unable to stop at the end of the chapter. With diabolical skill gleaned from years of polishing his craft, Mertz leaves each chapter with a hold-your-breath cliffhanger scene that caused me to actually want to skip chapters to see what happened, and then backtrack. But of course, as readers, we can't do that! I particularly enjoyed the angle of the main female lead having recently moved to the new town with her 12 year old son. This is a book that has many moving parts and much for readers of all kinds to relate to.

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the "knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories," is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the "knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories," is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories, is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

I started reading and became completely engrossed. Nine Lords of the Night has a plot that thickens and twists with every turn of the page, an array of intriguing characters, and an unexpected finale. This is easily one of the best mystery novels today, kudos to E.C. Gibson.

I sat down with this book and got all caught up in the intrigue. Couldn't put it down....great for a long plane ride!

I have actually had the pleasure of working with Eric on this by reading it SEVERAL times to proof and get it ready for publishing. It is one of the few books that I have read through more than once in a short period of time, and not been bored by about the third one. It is a great read - one of those that you don't want to put down until you have gotten to the end. I know that he is working on the sequel, and I personally can't wait.

Enhanced with 160 superbly presented full color photographs by acclaimed photographer Miguel Angel de la Cueva which accompany an informative, almost lyrical text by Bruce Berger, "Oasis Of Stone: Visions Of Baja California Sur" presents a beautifully showcased survey of southern Baja California complete with its unique geology, as well as its coastal, desert and mountain ecosystems. Of special note is the succinct photo-essay on 'The Newcomers" providing a perspective on the contributions and impacts of humans that range on the positive side from cave painters to rancheros, the negative as illustrated by rivers poisoned by pollution and junked car heaps. An essential acquisition by California libraries, "Oasis Of Stone" will also have dramatic appeal for non-specialist general readers with an interest in nature and the environment, as well as armchair travelers seeking to explore the wonders and beauty of the relatively unknown and heretofore underappreciated Baja peninsula

This oversized table top book is simply amazing. The photographs are otherworldly yet these are the visions of Baja Califonia where desert stone meets the sand and shore. Photographer Miguel Angel de La Cueva presents pictures of Baja California that are mind blowing land and sea visons that look unreal. The photogrpahs reveal glimpses of habitats and micro-habitats that look as though they are from some alien planet. The views from above ,revealing the terrain as it meets the sea looks like molecular observations, it is as though you were looking at blood running through veins in a body;in many ways it is one and the same. The photographs of the various cacti are magnificent, the sun illuminating the spines, making the cacti look like angels with halos or at times their thorny presentation looking like a medussa of devil horns highlighted by the sun. The shots taken at night are superb revealing the austerity and serenity of the desert. The colorful flowering plants of the desert are a sight to behold whether you are a Baja traveler or an arm chair adventurer. The Sierra de La Laguna exhibits some of the most colorful depictions of the desert that defy our sterotypical thoughts regading what a desert looks like. Nature is presented in all it's beauty. Seeing a tree growing like the wild fig, on the side of a cliff, with it's roots extending the length of city blocks is a sight that goes against our normal perceptions of tree growth; the natural beauty of the landscape is impressive. The section on the creatures of the desert is interesting but the photographs of the land and sea far exceeeds those about the animals that hunt and survive. The text is lyrical and expressive of the beauty of the desert that is Baja California. This book is recommended for all Baja enthusiasts, community libraries or high schools. Unfortunately there were only 5,000 copies printed in the first printing so get yours now while you still can.

For those who doubt it--check out "Oasis of Stone"...Every glossy page fairly bursts with color and the photos have that amazing depth that only very talented photographers can capture; where it looks as if you could step right inside and walk across a sun-washed valley or into the warm turquoise waters of the Sea. The text as well is both beautiful and deep--one of my favorite non-fiction writers, Bruce Berger, who dazzled all Baja book lovers with "Almost An Island" does it again, taking us deeper into the natural world of this unique peninsula and its inhabitants.

Of course I haven't been able to look at all that this CDrom contains, but I have enjoyed part of the music, part of the gallery of portraits, part of the maps from the Archives of India and almost part of everything.
It is technically excellent and full of information for everyone who wants to travel to Oaxaca or wants information about this wonderful part of Mexico.
Oliver Sacks with his Oaxaca Journal will enjoy going back through this CD.
Congratulations

Martin Ruiz Camino

This is probably the most brilliant CD-ROM I've ever seen for a travel destination. The Spanish to English translation is incredibly good (the translation team must have been geniuses), and what a well designed product.

Highly recommend this one.

It is important to note that rarely is the enthusiasm and devotion that goes into a work/project so clearly translated into a vibrant and engaging experience for the novice. A common pitfall is that the end product tends to struggle under its own weight and over-arching ambitions, whether the intentions are honest or not. This is not the case with "Oaxaca in the Heart of Mexico". Its author and those who contributed to its articulation at every stage of the creative and productive process have managed to not only show the multi-faceted aspect of Oaxaca, but also enliven the whole interactive experience using a whole array of devices which do not hinder but accentuate the affection and fondness with which the whole project has been encapsulated. It is this contagious tendency which leaves some traces of sub-conscious emotive residual on those who explore this CD-rom, and which will remain until evoked once again in the pysical context of Oaxaca itself. For that is where this touristic opus leads one in the end, and the location the author himself would like others to see for themselves. One could not ask for a better introduction than the one that Antonio Ruiz Zwollo and his team have presented here.

Have you ever thought of being able to light fires with your mind? In "Fire-Starter" by Stephen King that is exactly what Charlie McGee does. She is an 8 year old girl how is "hunted" by the "Shop"[an organiztion like the C.S.I.,and the F.B.I., with less power]. I would recommend this book to any one who liked "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings". One of the most vivid memories I have from this book is when Charlie is at some ones house and the "Shop" turns up. She starts lighting the guy's hair and faces on fire. Stephen King allows me to feel sorry for Charlie even though she has all those extrordinary powers. This book has so much suspense that I never wanted to put the book down. By: Kasta Howland

Este libro de Stephen King es el mejor de los que he leído. Relata la historia de Charly una niña de ocho años y su padre, los cuales tienen poderes sobrenaturales a consecuencia de un experimento del gobierno los cuales los persiguen para terminar con ellos.
Este es un libro donde hay accion de principio a fin.

De todos los libros de Stephen King que he leido, este es el mejor. Toda la historia se encuentra llena de accion, la cual trata de una niña de ocho años y su padre con extraños poderes, los cuales son perseguidos por el gobierno para ser aniquilados.

Diagnosed with brain cancer. What are you gonna do? Cry? Hide? Rend your clothes and take to your bed? Not Patch Rose. He chose to meet his experience head on, with honesty and humor, and to share it with the rest of us. I chuckled, sighed, shed a tear, and laughed out loud. He says he's an ordinary guy, and I believe him because he shares what are very common experiences. But his talent to bring us in close to share it all with him is extra-ordinary. This is a wonderful read. I'm a physician and have recommended it to my physician friends, patients, and patients' families.

A wonderful recounting of the ups and downs of living with cancer. Amusing and inspiring at the same time. It is neither pollyannish nor fatalistic, showing perhaps a middle way during what many would see as a hopeless time. I would recommend this book to anyone who has trouble in their lives (all of us), not just those with cancer.

UP-FRONT DISCLOSURE: Patch Rose is my brother... but I read him anyway... he's good, so give him a try!


Of the eighteen columns included, I smiled and laughed, nodded knowingly, and experienced blessings sent and received when reading A Woman Like Velma (you'll begin to think that an IMRT radiation machine is a real and powerful person... shades of 2001: A Space Odyssey), Little Missy (on the allure of comforting, but junk, food), Miracles (how Patrick's circle of support worked some), Cookie Crumbling (how Sylvia, Patrick's wife "Cookie," experienced care-taking and giving), 3rd & 10 (a creative account of cancer and recovery narrated by famed sportscasters), and, Two Phone Calls (writing about recovery helps someone clear across the country).

As I finished my brother's humorous and hopeful book I realized he has succeeded in doing what any of us may choose to do in the face of suffering, if we dare.... To make Light of it.