WHile there are a number of flower books for the Sierra available, I found this one particularly useful because the plants are arranged by family so you can learn how to identify plants that are not in the range covered by the book. THe introductory section was also really informative and interesting.

Weekends in Tahoe are tons better with this book in tow. It is way cool to know the names of the gorgy plants and flowers with whom you are sharing your away-from-work time. I especially like being able to answer my two-year-old's question, "What's dat one momma," as he begins to take an interest in the names of the plant life surrounding him. A great gift for parents of children who go to Tahoe from time to time...or for anyone still young at heart/inquisitive enough to want to know more about Tahoe vegetation.

Without a doubt, this is the best plant or flower book I have ever read. The author clearly knows Tahoe Basin vegetation and natural history like nobody else. The key is masterful in its simplicity, the pictures spectacular and the text brilliantly concise (and sometimes witty!). You can leave your tent, cell phone and coffee mug behind, but you must not forget Mr. Graf's book when going to Tahoe.

I found Rabbit Boss as an impressionable 16 year old, living in a small town in the English Midlands in the mid-1970s. It's hard to say quite why it made such an unforgettable impression on me, but suffice to say that I logged on to this site to try and find THIS book - I have been searching for years. Now I find it is regarded as a canon of American fiction - and rightly so. Sanchez's brilliant evocation of a state of mind, and of a whole way of being, was entirely new to me and has haunted me ever since. The quality of the writing is simply stupendous.

This novel put the author's name on my must-read list. It is a powerful story of the effect of white culture on the native American. Starting with an encounter with the Donner party, it continues down to the early 30's. Parts of the novel are written in a visionary style similar to "Black Elk Speaks." There are numerous memorable characters, especially Hallelujah Bob and Captain Rex, who loses his thumbs. There is violence and tragedy. Sanchez has an excellent ear for dialogue, especially considering that this book was written when he was only 21. I have read this book three times (at over 500 pages) and recommend it to all my friends.

Yeah, this is the one! Well, at least one of the TOP FIVE BOOKS read this year by me! Honestly, you'll get plenty of honesty in this hear piece of fict'n... purnhaps even mor'n you already know, heh? Wonderfully written, and like Kerouac used to say, it's an "Indian thing". The story follows the natural flow of generations of Washo people try to eek out a meagre existance in the "wild" west; beautifully documenting the collapse of the many layers of native culture since their "discovery".

Todd Borg is a Tahoe resident and small businessman. He also teaches part time at Lake Tahoe Community College. TAHOE ICE GRAVE is his third Owen McKenna and Spot mystery. Mr. Borg's first two novels in the series, TAHOE DEATHFALL and TAHOE BLOWUP, won several awards, including "Top 5 winner of Bay Area Independent Publishers Association" and "Librarian's Choice, Best Fiction 2001" by the Cincinnati Public Library.

Thos Kahale's body is found naked near Rubicon Point in Lake Tahoe, his clothes neatly folded onshore and a bullet through his head. Thos's mother, Janeen Kahale hires Owen McKenna to look into the death. Thos was an upstanding young man with a successful business and a discreet nature, and there is no apparent reason for his death. Owen has to dig deep to find the reasons, and in the meantime the Kahale family seems to be dying at an alarming rate. All Owen has to go on is a suicide note left by Thos and his family history:

"'Janeen, Thos's note says he was responsible for the deaths of three people. Jasper's father and brother have died in the last few weeks. Could they be two of he people Thos referred to?' 'Of course not. Jasper's father died of lung cancer. His brother in a car accident. Obviously, Thos could not have had anything to do with either death.'"

One of the real strengths of the Owen McKenna series is the characterization. Mr. Borg has a knack for telling a "tall tale" with larger-than-life characters. Owen himself is 6'6", and his dog spot is a Great Dane who is perfectly tuned to Owen's commands. McKenna's girlfriend Street completes the triad; an entomologist (science of insects) who deals with the grisly forensic side of murder. Together the threesome make for a winning combination of grit, intelligence, strength, and tenderness that is captivating to the reader. But Mr. Borg's plots are also super-twisters that take the reader back and forth, into and out of the mountain scenery at a dizzying rate. TAHOE ICE GRAVE is as compelling as any of Todd Borg's tales to date. With each book his writing advances to a new level, much to the delight of his growing audience. A big thumbs up.

Todd Borg knows how to win fans...
Taho Ice Grave is a well executed story that
provides fast moving, compelling suspense.
Owen and Spot pack the realism that all mystery
readers enjoy.
Add Todd Borg's name to your list of favorite
authors!!!

Murder in the deep icy waters of Lake Tahoe; the search for a priceless manuscript and the ruthless killer who would do anything to get his hands on it; a frantic chase up frigid mountain cliffs to a hidden ice cave-Owen McKenna and his faithful Great Dane "Spot" are at it again.
"Tahoe Ice Grave," Todd Borg's third thriler in the Owen McKenna myatery series, is every bit as fast paced and spell binding as his first two, "Tahoe Deathfall" and "Tahoe Blowup." Borg's attention to detail and unique talent for character portrayal go a long way to make "Ice Grave's" people and places larger than life. A fast paced read that will keep you turning the pages 'till the wee hours of the morning.

If you've never been to the sites listed in Adventure Kayaking, Jenner gives the info a kayaker wants to know to make an informed selection: Clear accurate directions to the put-in sites . Comments on winds, tides. Suggested paddle routes. Maps. Notes on the presence or absence of power-boats and picnickers. Where to camp. What a joy to read a guide book, go to a place and experience no major surprises!

Jeneid's writes beautifully of natural features and wildlife encountered. Clearly he has a love for birding. If you are a kayaker and a birder, then I highly recommend this book before you plan your next outing.

I checked this book out at the local library and thought it was so valuable that I bought my own copy. My only complaint is that I wish the book could of been bigger so more trips could be included. I had already done some of the trips in the book and I found the book to give not only a fair representation of the area, but I learned a few new things.

This book is so accurate and descriptive it made hiking the Tahoe Desolation Wilderness a pleasure. The authors describe the trails in detail, steep, vertical, not for beginners etc. The map included in the back is an assest, the detailed book a must for anyone heading into the wilderness of Tahoe.

This is the best book to get for hiking around Lake Tahoe - it is written clearly with step by step descriptions of each hike, the flora and fauna of the area and the difficulty level for each hike. Definitely a must when visiting the Tahoe basin area.

Read this book after reading "Frozen in Time" (about the Franklin expedition lost in the arctic) and "Alive" (about a 1972 plane crash in the Andes), both terrible and true tales of people forced to fight death and starvation.

This book is as stunning as the other two!

The book is well researched. Dramatic. Brings to light details and hypothesis of how these people coped in the face of death.

It is interesting seeing this team piece together the Donner party's activities.

Fantastic read if your into human adventure & spirit!

I have enjoyed other books in the "story behind the scenery" series and wanted to share with my children the riches of Lake Tahoe before we go there for another vacation. This book was wonderful! We have been there before, but we learned things about Lake Tahoe we had never heard before. The pictures are beautiful and true to the real place. The kids asked so many questions from the pictures that it was great that all the answers were available in the pages. We are now interested in visiting specific sites and participating in certain activites because of the thorough information and history covered in this book. Anyone interested in the history of the Lake Tahoe area should give this book a read!

Carol Bonser sure knows her area and gives great directions and commentary. The maps are easy-to-understand and thorough. I've spent many fun hours on the trails she recommends. This is a good book to use in conjunction with her other titles, all about the same general region. I understand she grew up there and so has an in-depth, insider's view to where the most fun is to be had. A definite thumbs-up.

Todd Borg is a Minnesota native who followed the lure of lakes in the mountains to live in Lake Tahoe. He has created the art-loving detective, Owen McKenna, in his action-packed series beginning with Tahoe Death FALL, which was published in 2001. He quickly followed his maiden book with Tahoe Blowup. Thriller Press launched its business with Todd's Tahoe Death Fall, which was an astute decision.

Fourteen-year-old Jennifer Salazar, a wealthy young heiress, shows up at Owen McKenna's office to hire him as a private investigator because she feels the death of her twin sister nine years before is no accident. She has the I.Q. of a genius, is set to inherit almost four hundred million dollars, and is rightly convinced someone is out to kill her. McKenna, his Harlequin Dane named Spot, and his girlfriend, an exotic beauty who is an entomologist named Street, believe Jennifer. Her claim is verified everywhere they turn as dead bodies from the past and present speak of a family full of evil secrets and unsuspecting victims:

"'That's what they say,' Immanuel said.
'What do you mean?'
'Just what I said. That's what they say.'
'You don't believe it?'
'Put it this way,' the old man said wearily. He leaned his head back and rested it
against the pillow. 'There is something wrong with the woman. She is disturbed.
No doubt about it. But a paranoid schizophrenic needing to be locked up? I doubt it.'"

Todd Borg writes a rip-roaring, suspense-driven mystery that keeps the reader glued to his book until the final breathtaking denouement. His characters are superbly crafted, especially his dog Spot, who looms over the action like a benevolent giant, finally risking his life when necessary. Borg knows how to spin a yarn, and he is adept at utilizing every nook and cranny of the Lake Tahoe area as his backdrop. Tahoe Death Fall is an outstanding effort from a true up-and-comer in the mystery business. Borg is able to send shivers up our spine and make us think twice about checking all the doors and windows before we go to bed at night, as well as looking for skeletons in our ancestry. A tremendous read from a great writer.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

I picked up this book at a local (to Lake Tahoe) independent bookstore. It is a treat of a book and as a local to Lake Tahoe, I appreciated that all the references were accurate. Owen and Spot, along with girlfriend Street, were dynamite in this book. The book is well written and I was hard pressed not to stay up all night finishing it. I have the second book which I am anxious to start. Well written, well research, and a great story! I urge others to pick it up and give it a read!

LIVELY AND ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER THAT WILL SPELLBIND MYSTERY
FANS WITH THE NOTION OF A NEW AND EXCITING AUTHOR.
I FOUND A WONDERFUL SETTING WITH CHARACTERS YOU CARE ABOUT AND
A PLOT TO KEEP YOU TURNING PAGES!
DEFINITELY AN AUTHOR TO WATCH!

The old pro (pronzini) did it again. I did not like Matt Cape
and for the most part I was glad that this was a short book. But the last chapter changed everything. Including how I rated this book. (before the final chapter I was going to rate this book a 3) I have been a fan of Bill Pronzini for over 20 years and this is far from one of his best. Read Blue Lonesome or Wastland for Strangers if you want to see him at the top of his game.

When I started Steps To The Graveyard Easy, I was unsympathetic to the protagonist Matt Cape. He was a man with a stable family, good job, and someone well thought of by most people. He purposely turns all of this upside down and abandons everything and everyone to ostensibly find true "freedom" by heading for the open road. But was this his real motive for giving up everything? Along the way, Pronzini paints a picture of Cape that seems to stretch one's thoughts about him and his actions to the point of being unbelieveable. But, that's the genius of Pronzini's writing and one soon finds great empathy and positive feelings for Matt as the meanings of his actions become known.

While not as long as King's The Stand or as broad in scope as Long's The Descent, this is a book that feels like it and if it were any longer would be superfluous.

This is a suspensful story with a good plot and with chartacters that are completely believable. This book has several moral dilemmas, along with a great murder/mystery, that are resolved quite nicely and the twist ending begs the question "What would you do?"

Outstanding book from the very start to the last word. I think it is Pronzini's best since A Wasteland Of Strangers.