The Sierras are much nicer when visited in person. Reading about the natural wonders found there isn't the same as actually checking them out for yourself. Perhaps if you were already familiar with the areas Mr. Muir traversed, and wish to brush up un them or revisit them literarily when unable to do so physically... THEN perhaps this book would be better.

My First Summer in the Sierra
By: John Muir
Review by Austin Bauer

My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir is a book published by Penguin Nature Classics in 1987 but written in Muir's diary in the summer of 1869. It seems almost as if Muir wrote one page and repeated it 264 times. He wrote of nature's beauty and bounty when untouched. John Muir was a naturalist who lived from 1834-1914, beginning his life in Wisconsin and later moving to California to observe the beautiful sierra mountains. His intention in the writings were to inspire people, naturalists or not, to enjoy nature at its fullest and keep it that way. I think that this book was very repetitive, but the message was a positive and, to me, true one.
The context of this book revolved around the idea of nature's true beauty and how it can exist freely. Muir spoke of the ecology of the Sierra. Nearly every page of the book had a new species of plant or animal that he had observed. He then told of what its affect on him was, whether it was annoying or satisfying, beautiful or ugly, natural or processed. In short, his main context was the loveliness he observed and wanted to share in his writings.
John Muir stated "...Mr. Delaney, a sheep owner, for whom I had worked a few weeks, called on me, and offered to engage me to go with his shepherd and flock to the headwaters..." This was the beginning of his journey to the most beautiful place he could ever imagine, a place that he returned to for the rest of his life. Muir had a good companion, a St. Bernard named Carlo. The book went on to tell how him and a few others led 2050 sheep up the Sierra mountain range in California. They encountered many obstacles along the way. Some of these obstacles were bear attacks, to which Muir said, "Bears are slow and awkward with their eyes." They went on camping at different sites, spending sometimes several weeks at one site. Here, Muir made endless amounts of sketches and recordings of his observations. The group faced a bread famine, the result of a slow and lazy Mr. Delaney, but recovered and returned to their trek with the sheep to the high mountains. John's helpful substance was tea. To another, tea was nothing and he needed tobacco. Everybody had something to keep them with it, so to say. The book did gain some excitement when Muir was sitting atop a mountain and had a sudden feeling that his old professor from Wisconsin was visiting. A few days later, he realized this was true and met up with him, speaking of old times and getting slumber in the hotel. Whenever John would observe tourists going through the mountains, he would shake his head at their ignorance to the size and beauty of the area. He just saw them looking at the ground, not fully enjoying it. Towards the end, John was sad to leave the mountains and return to the lowlands, farther away from the mountains he adored so much. He said "Now, however, I must turn toward the lowlands, praying and hoping Heaven will shove me back again." He returned many times in his long life, and each visit was never a disappointment.
The work that I read had very much information on the specifics of plants and animals found in the Sierra. I learned a lot about the sizes of these organisms and their characteristics. For example, there was a section where Muir wrote of how the ants were ¾ inches long and that they "check you out" before they have the colony attack you. If you are still and seem harmless, they will not bite, but a sudden move may jolt them to bite. He said that the bite from this species of ant felt like a terrible electric sting that nobody should have to endure more than once or twice in a lifetime. So these parts of the book were good because I found this activity quite interesting, but some parts, such as the tree descriptions, got boring. I am not interested in the texture and color of the tree bark. I can get the whole picture much easier. My own experiences tell me what nature is like, so I have a good feel of what Muir is trying to show us. The honors biology class has helped me by letting me know some of the ideas behind genus species names and writings, so that is how the course helped me out. That is what I thought of the book and why I thought that way. The only question I really had was why Muir described things so detailed and run-on and descriptive. I may have an idea, but I am not sure.
I believe that John Muir described the organisms so in-depth because he wanted his audience to really be able to visualize it and the beauty it held in itself. This all fits in with the context of the environment's ecology being a precious thing that can not go to waste. So while it wasn't the most fun book to read, it still held an important message, as I have said before, that we must follow to keep the environment beautiful.

Muir tells a story of his journey into the Yosemite area in California as a shephard. While his journey encompasses other places, the story remains essentially the same since the entire book is filled with him talking about everything being so marvelous.

Despite John Muir being very well known now to many people I'm left uncertain as to why this man should be one out of so many other 'mountain men' to become famous.

His story is filled with rantings about finding different little animals such as squirrels, rabbits, and indians and then peppers each description of the animal with some bantering about whatever it is that he finds extraordinary about it, or whatever he thinks is extremely interesting, or by simply saying such and such is truly amazing.

I did however enjoy the peripherial aspects of the book, such as Muir's growing insanity from being isolated in the woods for several months. He starts his journey talking about how he's heard stories of shepards gone mad and how he doesn't really believe he'll go insane. But near the middle of the book, he's put a personality to the plants...by the end, he's having in depth conversations with plants. Ha! It's almost worth reading just for noting little things like that.

The book gets 3 stars, as opposed to 1 star, because Muir writes VERY eloquently and if you have an interest and a solid knowledge of plant and animal life and the terrian Muir is traveling, the book is relatively interesting.

This book has nothing new. Everything I read here I read in Derek Rowley's book. Childers at least read Rowley's book, since he seems to regurgitate word for word what Rowley said.

Are you a business owner - perhaps own a home business? Looking for a smart way to cut your taxes and protect assets? While it is true that a corporation in Nevada is the way to go - don't think you are going to read through this book and do it yourself.

The author states you need to park yourself in libraries pooring over tax forms getting to learn all the tax system (get real). Once you have done that - you will most likely have to STILL hire a "Nevada corporation" sharp lawyer, a CPA and a tax specialist to help you set uo properly!

It may not be expensive to file the forms, but what will it cost you to get set up with a corporation after you paid the lawyers, Cpa's ect? You will probibly have to have a lawyer on retainer after that just to keep ahead of the IRS! Well hey - if you are a millionaire, no problem!

Having said that, this book is the place to start the process moving. Taxes and corporations are complicated. The future protection against lawsuits and tax savings are serious matters for everyone to consider. Just keep in mind that this book is not a "How to form a Nevada Corporation for dummies"

The above title could be a subtitle for this terrific how-to book on saving money. This book makes sense. I had no idea there was any difference in how states treat corporations, but BOY did I find out otherwise. No wonder all the bigshots I play golf with have Nevada and Delaware corporations.

This book is a tad bit on the complicated side, but then, it has to be. This subject matter is VERY serious. Read it carefully and you can follow its directions like a recipe for making money. It works. I haven't made a million yet, but I'm well on the way, and this book helped.

The Wendover Whale is a chance to remember about dreams that don't have to come true, about possibilities and how we choose to approach and subsequently handle situations that are perceived as out of the ordinary. To find the goal of the characters (building a boat in the desert) "sort of silly" as Ms. Taylor said in her review, presents the closed mind of someone who has forgotten the excitement of slipping into a slightly farfetched adventure like those in Harold and the Purple Crayon or the Elmer and the Dragon Series. I was first introduced to the Wendover Whale as a screenplay and although I preferred it in that presentation, I found the adaptation to a novel very pleasing. I do take exception to the simpler elements of copy-editing that seem to have been neglected in this printing. There are quite a few spelling errors and although it is a working part of the story to refer to the action in a cross-tense form, I found a couple of times that it read as if someone had just forgotten to transpose tenses. There are a few Robbins-esque passages that tend to ramble on in abit of a mid-hippie disjointedness, but hidden inside each of these are fine gems of insight. It can be dangerous to approach a piece of fiction with such strong preconceptions that a person can get angry at the author for not writing the book you've decided you wanted to read. Then go write it yourself! If you are not motivated, get yourself a copy of The Wendover Whale instead and embark on a wondeful journey and an entirely pleasurable read!

I think I can best reveal how I felt about The Wendover Whale, by responding to Miss Taylor's review. The only thing I found predictable about the book, was my desire that the young boy would realize his dream, and this desire provided a great deal of suspense when the dangers of failure were imminent. Miss Taylor's comment about "no major publisher picking up the book," puts a human face on the theme of the story. Here is a new writer (Mr. Lane) unable to overcome the obstacles of entering the closed world of publishing, pursuing his own convictions (or dreams) by self-publishing. I was very interested in the many well defined characters; especially the character of the young boy and his relationship to Cap, an old sea salt, and the boy and his father, as well as Cap's relationship with his very intelligent, insightful dog. I found the book meaningful and enjoyable.

Having spent my youth dreaming of boats and time on the ocean, I could not have had a more enjoyable stay with Jim Lane's landlubbing characters. The story represents the essence of the pull of the ocean, a draw that everyone seems to notice, and that many find overpowering. The translation of a phenonmenon with such simplicity, leaves the reader to embrace the concept in his or her own terms. My feeling is that this story has everything to do with the ocean, in direct contrast with the setting in the Great Salt Desert. Many of the author's writing techniques represent a style that will undoubtedly be embraced by today's newer generations of readers. Among the techniques I noticed: a willingness to express opinions about the world (and the characters in the story), references to regional events that give insights about the author and storyline, and finally, the refusal to pigeonhole this novel with a specific type of reader or age group. To any reader, (other than those offended by language used in PG-13 movies!) I would recommend this book, and say that it will give you a taste of the salty sea that you may not have appreciated before.

The guide book gave a broad brush overview of the Lake Tahoe area. But it didn't cover any area well enough to be very useful on our vacation. It would have been fine for a tourist who might never have been to Tahoe, but it didn't help us find the true jewels of the area. We did better driving around, reading brochures and the paper.

This book is a great introduction to the Tahoe area. We have a vacation house there and it's been a good resource. For in-depth information about, for example, hikes it is not the best book. Obviously, though, the authors didn't and couldn't be in-depth about all the numerous activities that Tahoe has to offer!

Odd. We were impressed with the accuracy of the information provided in the revised What Shall We Do Tomorrow at Lake Tahoe. But we read a criticism, by an unknown person writing from Soda Springs, that some information contained in the book was inaccurate. So we called the authors. The erstwhile critic had not contacted them. The common courtesy of offering "corrected" information had not been provided. Why not?

I think the best course of action would be for potential book buyers to disregard the negative comments from Mr/Ms Anonymous. Rather, use and enjoy the book for the quality publication it is.

The 131 pages tell you little about playing the game other than to "bet the pass line and take full odds" and if the table is really good "make a couple of come bets with full odds".

Stories of casinos are generic in nature.

In one section the author talks of two casinos in Elko Nevada and the fact that neither had a craps table. He missed the largest casino in Elko (Red Lion) which does have a craps table. This was the only inaccuracy I knew of for sure but questioned a lot of other ststements.

Thumbs down on this one!

This is a sweet book! It is beautifully written by a guy that obviously has had many years of experience in casinos. The advice on money management is right on, though different from most gambling books that advise you to budget your losses! This author says it is better to manage your money plan to win. The stories of his visits to casinos around the world are fun and insightful. And the words on casino psychology may well turn a disasterous visit into a profitable experience. He demonstrates why you should ONLY make bets with the lowest casino advantage. This is a different kind of book!!! You will love it.

50 Years At The Craps Tables by gambling expert Malcolm Jay is a hands-on, "reader friendly", personal account to the nature of the game of craps and the house odds that back it. Written by a veteran casino-goer who has indeed spent a full five decades observing craps play and how to shave the casino edge, 50 Years At The Craps Tables offers a fascinating wealth of insights as to why noisy tables are best to play; why one must never play simply because of "comping"; and much more. A fascinating read from first page to last, 50 Years At The Craps Tables is very strongly recommended for any casino patron interested in playing the game of craps and/or improving their skill at this particular form of gaming.

I'm not "in love" with this book, but I certainly liked it. A sort of crunchy find-yourself-in-the-Nevada-woods narrative that borders on overly optimistic (while hiding out in the woods to escape her old life, Luna finds, naturally, a wonderful and off-beat man that just happens to live in a tent nearby. Oh, and a son of course. Who, despite his cavities, may just fit in just fine). Despite all this, however, Doris Betts managed to keep my interest with strong writing and interesting observations from the characters.

I picked up the hardcover edition of this book simply because I liked the cover - the paperback edition's photo isn't nearly as interesting.

This book has some very dynamic, well thought-out scenes - although it does tend to flounder a bit at times. The ending is also a little too predictable and anticlimatic. But the characters are compelling and there's just enough excitement and suspense to keep the reader on edge.

I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

I stumbled upon this book and now eagerly anticipate reading every word Doris Betts has ever written. Thanks to a cast of fascinating characters and a plot with more twists than a tornado, I was completely enraptured. This is one of the best novels I've read in my life: unique, satisfying, and absolutely unforgettable.

I must admit I became a Larry McMurtry fan when I read Lonesome Dove, my first McMurtry novel. Since then I have been disppointed in most of his books I have read. The Desert Rose was a huge disappointment. Had I read Desert Rose first I probably would never have read another of his books. It was trashy from beginning to end. Was it really necessary to use the f word so often? Perhaps the book is a true picture of the Las Vegas showgirl scene. There many, many, many better books to read. Your time could be better spent.

I love McMurtry's writing -- but this is far from his best. The weakness in this book is the main character: Harmony is powerless, easily intimidated and willfully blind to what goes on around her. Yes, she's a nice enough person, but she lacks the strength to take any decisive action in her life. Her daughter, Pepper, is energetic and domineering, even somewhat ruthless. Harmony watches her daughter's rise in life, but cannot seem to understand it or learn from it. She is, at the end of the book, as unfocused and weak as she was at the beginning. It's true that not every novel has to be a "bildungsroman." Still, I wanted to see Harmony open her eyes and show some spunk.

Poignant, beautiful, complex character-driven novel a must for McMurtry fans.

I had high hopes after reading Duane's writing about the surfing world, but was greatly disappointed by the shallowness of this novel.

A favorable review had me looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, the self absorbed narrator's fuzzy saga of a mixed-up friendship never seemed remotely real to me. Throw in plot devices to include a poorly explained antipathy from the father of the "best friend" plus an unconvincing infatuation with a new girlfriend and it all spells a novel in need of an editor or a rewrite. Luckily the late chapter climb sequence on El Cap redeems some of the early awkwardness. Still, I have to believe that Duane's next work will be more coherent and better overall.

I enjoyed my first book of D.Duane's. It was "required" reading for our informal climbing club, although I'm not sure why. It was easy to relate to the narrator's search for fulfillment. The metaphors were entertaining and insightful and simple to digest. The narrator's struggle with relationships and where one fits in the bigger scheme of life fit well in the context of El Cap. However, I was left with a yearning of my own satisfaction or closure, perhaps a guide for my own quest for fulfillment. Regardless, I recommend this book and look forward to more from Duane.

This is, undoubtedly, a very profound and moving love story. What makes this different from "Bridges Over Madison County" or any number of other moving tales of love is that this one is told from the perspective of a dying woman, looking back over her very recent past. Through her pain and her drugs, she is somehow able to remember vividly some very heart warming facts about the one and only time she ever loved, and was loved in return. This is an easy read, and will leave you feeling strangely fulfilled and warm. This review refers to the hardcover edition of this story.

After letting "THE FALCONER" sit on my bookshelf collecting dust for nearly 5 years, I finally read McCarthy's short novel this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. Filled with wonderful prose and heart-felt emotion, "THE FALCONER" pulled me in quickly and I nearly finished it within one sitting. It's like "THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY" meets "THE HORSE WHISPERER" meets "LOVE STORY" --only better. I'm just sorry that it ended after only a mear 140 pages! Try and finish this one without grabbing for the kleenex...

India Blake, 37, is dying, though she has never truly lived. The cancer will take her in six months, her doctor warns her. So she makes a list. A list that does not include her good-for-nothing, husband with a wandering eye, Dougie. But Dougie carries his own demons. He never made it past college with his football hopes from high school, and feels the need to cheat with any woman who will have him. Though India knows about most of the affairs, she allows him his trysts. So when India finds she is dying, she doesn't tell Dougie, just makes the list. And for some reason, known only to herself, she chooses to learn falconry with the help of falconer Rhodri (pronounced "Rory") MacLean. India falls for the falconer immediately. Rhodri falls for her just as quickly, but he holds back when he sees the wedding band on her finger. The next time India comes for her lesson, she isn't wearing it. "The Falconer" is a love story in true "Romeo and Juliet" fashion. It floats along as if on soft clouds as India and Rhodri become accustomed to loving each other. The end, however is not what the reader may expect. Have the hankies ready. You'll need them.

I really did expect a complete incorporation kit with all the things I'm used to getting like fill-in-the-blanks Articles of Incorporation, Stock Certificates, and a Stock Transfer Ledger. The real complete "corporate kit" is for sale on the last page of the book for another $79. The step-by-step guide repeatedly guides readers to the services of Nevada Corporate Headquarters, Inc., owned by Cort W. Christie. The book also neglects to say anything about the complications involved in getting your profits into your pocket without running into trouble or paying the same taxes you would normally have to pay in you home state. I was sorely disappointed.

What a waste of time, effort and money

I have wanted to move my company out of L.A. for so long & didn't know where to start & then I purchased Incorporating in Nevada & it answered all my questions & gave me the forms and guidance I needed to move my business and incorporate in Nevada. This book is very reasonably priced & saved me a great deal of money in the long run. DON'T PASS IT UP!!!!