This is the second volume in the Desert Roses series. Ashley Reynolds was a "Harvey Girl," working in a Harvey's restaurant in Arizona. She lived with her grandfather and little daughter. She enjoyed her work and was regarded as one of Harvey's best. Her husband had been killed in WWI. She felt she could never find anyone who would measure up to the man she lost. Her daughter met an architect working on a Harvey project who was willing to share his interest in architecture with the little girl. Natalie encouraged this friendship. About the same time Ashley's grandfather was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Throughout the story another struggle was raging - Grandfather and Natalie felt a firm faith in God but Ashley had questions which kept her from faith and church. How could God take her husband as he did? How could God let her grandfather have cancer? The mystery of the bearded architect was solved in an interesting and surprising way. This is a really good story and it shows a small section of history in the west as the Great Depression was spreading over the country. It also shares the struggle several people in the story experienced in finding faith in God.

Tracie Peterson has captured the era just before the beginning of the great depression, circa 1930. A young widowed mom is working - supporting her 10 yr. old daughter while sharing a home with a grandfather who is estranged from the rest of his family.

When hurt and bitterness have built up a wall, it is very unlikely that a newcomer to town, a construction worker, will have a chance to court her, even though her daughter is playing matchmaker.

The central figure is a young, independent but sad woman who has decided that fate and God have chosen her lot of single mom. In spite of the faith of both her daugher and her grandfather, she will not attend church or believe. Her family has turned their backs on her, never even knowing that she has a child, so she determines to be single, sad and alone. Her daughter is determined to change all that.

Lies, deception, danger and tremendous intrigue are played out it this second book of Peterson's "Desert Roses" series.

Including lots of other people and circumstances, Tracie builds a tremendous plot that will hold a reader spellbound and unable to lay the book down.

I have used the Arizona book for planning of hiking trips as well as car camping in the Mogollon Rim country. Easy to use, good quality, perfect to toss in the back seat of the car and go.

De Lorme Atlases are the best. If you are looking for a route that is "off the beaten path" they can not be beat. I use them whenever I go for a scenic motorcycle rides. They hve gotten me back to civilization when I have been lost. Buy one for every state you visit.

This book has all the gun laws word-for-word and in plain English too.

The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide includes all the state gun laws for having, buying, selling, carrying and using firearms; plus, the use of deadly force and self defense, concealed-carry licenses, special weapons, gun safety, school and kid laws, transportation, federal laws... you get the most complete coverage available for your state's handling of the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Includes more than 150 self-test questions, 22 lethal-encounter scenarios for study and discussion, much more. Used in classes statewide and widely endorsed. Every gun owner needs a gun owner's guide. Why take chances, don't guess, and don't be sorry later.

•Answers your questions about owning, carrying and using guns

•It's like an entire firearms law library at your fingertips

•It doesn't make sense to own a gun and not know the rules

•You sure don't want to be in trouble for a rule you never heard of

•Ignorance is no excuse-it's better to know the rules

•You have a right to know what the laws are

•Cheaper than a lawyer, and better than many!

•It's actually fun to read!

•If you knew all your rights you might demand them

Alan Korwin has done a great job of summarizing the legalese in Arizona laws pertaining to guns and their utilization in this state. In clear and concise English, he explores the ins and outs of gun ownership, legal self-defense with a gun, carry restrictions, concealed-carry licensing, and legal definitions. Illustrated with cartoons to help you remember via visualization. Can you carry a concealed weapon with a license to do so in a restaurant? Check the book, and it tells you under what circumstances it's legal. What are the requirements to be issued a concealed carry license? Check the book. In short, it's an indispensible bible to be sure you walk the line responsibly with a firearm in Arizona. Ignorance of law is no excuse, and although Arizona is one of the most "firearms friendly" states in the union, there are pitfalls for the uninformed. This book covers them well and thoroughly.

Arizona has a lot of places with strange or unusual names. Before I can across this book I often wondered where these names came from. If you're interested in Arizona, it's history, or trivia about the state you'll ejoy perusing through the pages of this book.

Ten years ago, someone at the University of Arizona Press decided to reissue this book and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate that person. Even though the book hasn't been updated since the mid 1930's, the text is of extreme value to the historian, researcher and casual reader as is. By reissuing the book the University performed a valuable public service.

With high hopes and expectations, I purchased this book with the intention of doing research on place names along the Santa Fe Railroad in Arizona. I am pleased to report that Arizona Place Names was the most valuable reference in assisting me with that project. But, for me, there was a bonus. The book also served to reacquaint me with the Arizona of my youth as I was born and raised in Yavapai County and often traveled with my parents around the state. It has rekindled interest in my roots, far exceeded my hopes and expectations and brought me back to better times in my life.

The author's style is more like a mentor and friend. There were times that I felt I was riding with him on horseback discussing the name origin of a nearby spring or butte. Factual and accurate, his style shows that he loved what he was doing. The text is short, to the point, and can be read by the casual reader who would like to sit back in the rocking chair or recliner and escape to Arizona.

What more can I say except if you have any interest in Arizona, this book has to be the cornerstone of your libary. Once you pick it up, it's hard to put down. Five stars -- and then some....

Linda Kranz's newest journal certainly won't disappoint! Broken into a section for day trips and a section for weekend excursions, Linda's helpful thought-starters and Klaus's beautiful photography combine to give writers a framework to create a journal that is uniquely their own and will be treasured for generations to come.

Perfect for residents and visitors this will get you journaling about journeys within the Grand Canyon State that will be a lasting chronicle of special memories. For those outside Arizona, don't think that this journal is not for you! With the inspiration of the beautiful photography this journal will inspire you to seek out special adventures where ever you live or travel. The thought-starters are general enough to ensure that they will get you writing now matter where your travels take you.

Author, Linda Kranz, truly is the mother of the personal journal. She has enticed young people to uncap their pens and write about their worlds and she has led parents to record their history's for their children and their children's children; all with beautiful photographs and her signature "thought-starters." Linda is one of those souls who truly loves the personal, written word and she has now authored a travel journal on her beloved Arizona. A true "good-will" ambassador for this beautiful State, she has translated that love into a wonderful travel journal for the visitor or resident.

Separated into two categories: day trips and weekend trips, the writer has places to record dates, locations, people we met, mementos and incidentals such as weather. Rich photography, by husband - Klaus, is interlaced throughout making this latest journal offering a joint (ad)venture. The hard bound cover makes it easy to write in (even if you are standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon) and allows the journal to take a bit of a beating as you will not want to travel without it. The perfect gift for a new resident or visitor to Arizona as well as long time residents who share the same love of this spectacular State.

This book is helpful to find out about often overlooked small Arizona towns. The author toke lots of time and attention to detail to create a masterpiece such as this has become. It will forever be remembered as one of the great arizona books.

I like this book and I often find myself going back to it and rereading chapters. It's well written and the photos are great.

[Paired review with Ghost Towns of Colorado, by Philip Varney]

I'm going to be lazy here, and refer you to my review of Varney's Colorado book, nearby. Both are splendid, and both belong in the library of any ghost-town fan.

Pete Tillman visited his first Colorado ghost towns some 40 years ago, and has since been to hundreds more throughout the West, both for work and for fun. Vulture (AZ) is his current favorite "true" ghost. But, hmm, Bodie (CA) is bigger and better-kept.... And Jerome (AZ) has the best views... And I've *still* never been to Crystal (CO). So much to see, so little time....

This book contains a wealth of factual background data on each ghost town, as well as numerous "back then" and "see it now" photographs. The book maintains the high standards expected from the publishers of "Arizona Highways Magazine"

The history and current photographs of the courses of Arizona are beautifully arranged. The colors are vivid and the information is relevant. I was amazed when I learned that the author actually played a round or two at all of these courses. The author, a major golf radio talk-show host, has spent most of his life writing about golf, so it's only natural that he can identify the great courses within his home state.

In this book describing Arizona's greatest public, resort and private golf courses, former golf writer for The Arizona Republic,Bill Huffman,has written an interesting history of golf in Arizona. If one reads carefully his selections, an anthology develops . Each course section features excellent photography and descriptions of the course, its founders and tidbits the average golfer would never know from reading other publications.As a frequent winter visitor and golfer, the pictures alone would suffice to refresh my recollection of the great desert courses. However, after reading this book, I look forward to returning to Arizona and enjoy golf even more.

This is a great book for anyone that wants to learn about this desert and the plants and animals that live in it. Unlike some of the other books about this topic that are written in an academic/textbook style, this book is written in a lively, question & answer format and is full of interesting and unusual facts. I've lived in this region for over 25 years and I learned quite a bit by reading this book.

I only saw this once in the bookstore, and just by flipping through it, I knew it had to be a part of my book-collection. Just moving to the desert southwest, I have been thirsty for more about my new eco-system and home........I may not have so many dilemmas now on critters and plants..........

I've lived in Arizona most of my life, and had a good general background understanding of information on earlier times in Arizona. This book really helped to fill in a lot of blanks, and explained things in a very sensible, well-thought-out manner. Starting in pre-historic times, leading into the early Native American migrations and settlements in the Southwest, on to Spanish exploration and colonial days, followed by Mexican and then American ownership of this territory - all of this is well laid out, and well researched and explained.

I would highly recommend this book for any resident of Arizona, anyone interested in early history, and especially for anyone with interest in how we ended up where we are today.

I've read several books on Arizona history and in many ways this is one of the best. I think that there are several things that set this book apart. First, it is very thorough. Each of its 400 plus pages is filled with fact and information. Additionally, it covers some topics in more depth than similar books. For example, this book contains a lot of information about early Hispanic settlers, their history and impact on the state. Other texts seem to focus more on the history of European settlers who came to the state. It also seems that the author spent a lot of time researching this book from original records and documents. He is not just restating information found in other history books. If I had to come up with a negative for this book it's that the writing style leans toward being "academic." If you're looking for a "fun" book on Arizona, full of colorful stories or humorous anecdotes, then this is not the book for you. However, if you really want to learn about the state's history then this book should be part of your collection.