In DARK RIVER, Owens creates memorable characters (one of his strenths, I think) and tells a compelling story with laugh-out-loud humor. Consider one of the minor characters: the resident anthropologist Avrum Goldberg, who wears a traditonal breechcloth and Apache leggings and moccasins. He shares traditonal lore with tourists, who mistake him for an Apache and call him Chief Gold Bird, a title he denies without success. Goldberg's dream is for the Apaches to turn the reservation into a tribal theme park to attract more tourists and generate income, a scheme that does not gain favor with the Apaches, who are reluctant to give up their cars, televisions, and other twentieth-century technologies. This is by no means the central focus of the novel, but Owens skillfully weaves his imaginative subplots and characters into the central story, his concern about what is happening on a river in the reservation where he goes to flyfish.

I think this is Owens's best novel yet. Furthermore, it is accessible to any reader--one doesn't need to be familiar with his other work or knowlegable about American Indian literature to read it. Actually this is true for THE SHARPEST SIGHT (1992), which my then 85-year-old mother compared to Norman McLean's "A River Runs Through It." She would read and reread passages from each.

I understand DARK RIVER is a finalist for the Best Novel of the West from the Western Writers of America, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wins. He has received several awards for his earlier works.

This book is witty and funny and exciting and merits a lot of attention. Filled with avatars of Apache culture heros and the creative/destructive Vulva Woman, the text is rich with wry humor. Where else will you find a sexy elder woman spiritual leader whose long dead or absent husband was a preacher named John Edwards. And the brothers, each a "surviving twin," babies she brilliantly gave different surnames to trick the gods. Where else but in a Louis Owens novel will you find the hilarious discussion of the establishment of an American Indian theme park, or a wise-cracking ghost stuck in an acrylic wolf suit? And the ending of this one is sublime, impressive in its incredible appropriateness, but a real surprise, nonetheless.

Louis Owens' latest book is a tightly woven mystery, the story of Black Mountain Apache tribal game warden Jacob Nashoba's fast, difficult trip into the Dark River canyon to retrieve his granddaughter, left there to fast during a four day vision quest by a well-meaning entrepreneurial Apache whose occupation is to sell vision quests to Anglos. Nashoba's unresolved post-traumatic stress from his days in Vietnam on long-range reconnaissance patrols has alienated him from his Apache wife and most of the residents of the Black Mountain community, and over the years Jake has routinely sought peace in the wild and deserted river canyon, fishing and hiking its length. The usually deserted steep river canyon is particularly busy this trip, and the cultural, narrative, and mythic intersections are complex. Nashoba's Choctaw roots bring new facets to the Apache creation stories brought to life in this sophisticated novel, dovetailed with popular culture Vietnam-era legends and backed by a chorus that lends anthropological and Hollywood moviemaking insights to the mix. Brothers and brotherhood, and stories and how they are told (and who should tell them) are recurring Owens themes also interrogated in this powerful and lucid story.

Like a hologram, Louis Owens' novel Dark River shimmers in the light and shadow. For newcomers to Owens' work, this mystery is an adventure that defies the common adventure stereotypes. For readers of American Indian literature, this novel is studded with subtle but hilarious references to other works in the field, and reveals Owens' versatility within the canon. For fans of Owens' other novels, this one is a tour de force, revealing again his talented verbal play and ability to charm and surprise the reader with his wry humor.

This is a flap book, 60 of them to be exact.

The popular Thomas the Tank Engine format is used to introduce children to the alphabet and their numbers. Each covers a flap that children can uncover and find a corresponding example. Other pages host more traditional flap objects (items that fit with the story), but the learning flaps have helped...associate letters with appropriate objects and recognize number representation with appropriate groupings.

The book is sturdy, which can't be said for all flap books. The typical Thomas story is here, as well as the colorful art that delights young readers.

This book is a winner. Watch them learn while they enjoy.

This is a great book for all Thomas the Tank Engine Lovers. My 2 year old is crazy about it. There are many flaps to lift and identify items. The items under the flaps are not all related to various Thomas engines, but are generally educational. For example, the book has freight cars labled with the alphabet. You lift the flap on the freight car to see an item that starts with the corresponding letter.

My 3-year-old son loves this book. Each set of pages focuses on a different concept like counting, colors, or the alphabet. One page has 10 flaps numbered 1-10, and under each flap are a certain number of items to count. Another page has the entire alphabet! The flaps aren't all the same size either, which is more fun for the kids. I recommend this book for children 6 and under.

This work of Sir Conan Doyle clearly shows that detective stories did not limit his interests. An excellent adventure and a well written one. What else do we need in a good book? This is very solid five stars.

I expected to be disappointed with these stories since I knew that I would be comparing them to the Holmes stories. But, quite frankly, I enjoyed Etienne Gerard as much as I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and when I had finished the book, I found myself wishing that Doyle had written more stories about Brigadier Gerard. Gerard is a very different character than Holmes, but the characterization is just as brilliant. I highly recommend these stories.

How Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can write a character that is irritatingly arrogant yet, charmingly loyal and naive is beyond me. The depth of Gerard's character rivals even the great Sherlock Holmes. Just as with his more famous counterpart(Holmes), Gerard is not just a hero(although there can be no questioning his bravery),he can also be a clown,(without ever realizing it)a ladies man, the greatest swordsman in the Grande' Armee(or at least so he tells us). With exciting short stories we venture through Gerard's career as a cavalry officer. He quite often bumbles his way into situations an officer of his rank should never allow himself into yet, it is these situations once gotten out of(after much daring and a little bit of luck)that build not only his career but, the readers passion for his character. These stories are an excellent companion to the more famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Where have all the writers with skills like Doyle's gone?

Wonderfully written in the best literary tradition of the South. Family saga with all the secrets finally come to light. Couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

If you've lost your belief in true love this book is for you. No matter how cynical you are you will fall in love with My Brother Michael. What a beautifully written, sad, funny, romantic book. These are people you can care about. Age-old themes: money, poverty, incest, sibling rivalry, a brother's mistake, a son's fury, a mother's love. You've known these people before, just not the inside story of what has really gone on in their lives. Brilliantly written. Boldly beautiful.

My Brother Michael is as delicious as a large glass of sweet tea on a hot Florida day! Janis Owens is a wonderful writer, with a skillfully spirited understanding of small- town Southern idiosyncrasies. This poignantly told story of love lost and found, captivates the reader immediatly with its wry Southern comfort and charm.

This is a lovely, beautiful book. Author Owen Parry brings his trademark prose style to the short story form, making "Our Simple Gifts" a true gift to the reader. In four beautifully-crafted tales, set during the Civil War, Parry transports readers to that turbulent era and gives us a sense of how love and faith endure the strongest trials. Through Parry's graceful, lyrical prose the reader is moved by the lives of a maimed Union officer returning home, an immigrant soldier seeking to make sense of his new homeland, a newly-freed slave and a Confederate soldier just returning from a prison camp. With powerful atmosphere, vivid characters and a compelling message, this collection is bound to be a holiday classic. Parry is an American Dickens. A gift indeed.

For those of us who have come to appreciate and admire his series of Civil War mysteries, author Owen Parry has given us a sparkling gift this Christmas season. *Our Simple Gifts* is not another installment in the Abel Jones adventures, however, but a wonderful collection of four short Civil War-era Christmas tales.

The characters are lively and the book is similar to Parry's series of novels in the rich textures and scenes it provides. Its stories offer four markedly different views of Civil War Christmases. The first is the tale of a young, wealthy Union officer determined to make it home for the holidays no matter what the weather, and his encounter with a poor Irish widow. Next is the story of a Yankee soldier, and German immigrant, in a winter encampment. Third, we look through they eyes of an exhausted Southern private returning to his home deep in the hills. And finally is the story of a freed slave family near the war's end. The subjects' circumstances couldn't be more different, but in each of the stories I think there's a common thread: the decency that dwells in most of our hearts, brought out by the spirit of the season.

If that sentence seems ponderous or maudlin, don't let it dissuade you from giving this delightful book a try. Fault this reviewer, not the book. The book's stories touch a wide range of emotions, much like the Christmas season itself, but one doesn't need to search for deep meaning in these stories to appreciate *Our Simple Gifts.* The stories are enjoyable and entertaining, their laudable sentiments are near the surface, and they give the reader a nice little taste of Civil War-vintage Christmas cheer. This is a book I'll pick up again at Christmastime for many years to come.

For those who haven't read any of Parry's Abel Jones mysteries, *Our Simple Gifts* will give you an idea of what you've been missing. Whether you have an interest in the Civil War, are looking for a gift with a Christmas flavor that's different and interesting, or whether you just enjoy good writing, this book will fill the bill.

*Our Simple Gifts* is a wonderful little Christmas present from Owen Parry to those of us who admire and enjoy his work, and it will be a terrific introduction to many readers new to his work. I definitely plan to give copies to some of my family and friends this Christmas. What better recommendation could I offer? Merry Christmas, Owen Parry!

Readers of Owen Parry's series of Civil War novels have been the fortunate recipients of his exquisite literary gifts for several years now. With this collection of Civil War Christmas tales, Parry offers a sublime treasure for the holiday season. These are stories of the human spirit prevailing over the ravages of war, of quiet triumphs of hope and kindness over suffering and indignity. With their grace and wonder, these tales offer a welcome respite for anyone seeking the soul of a season now besieged by crass clutter. A perfect Christmas gift from a truly gifted writer.

Had I not seen Waterdance first, this book would have been a number 1 for photography of dancers. I'm a fan of the human body, and this book shows it beautifully. While excellent, it leaves me wishing for that something more, that something that exists in Waterdance. I'm thrilled to see that Schatz has continued the water photography in Pool of Light - can't wait for it to be delivered. - Sam Hunter

Howard Schatz book of dancers photographed in the studio is a high energy look at their subtle grace. Schatz clearly was influenced by the wonderful work of Lois Greenfeild. In fact, many other photographers work comes to mind when viewing this book! But that does not diminish the overall appeal of his work. As enjoyable as his last book "Waterdance" but displayed in a larger format with top quality reproduction. My favorite photography book of 1997.

Passion and Line is one of my very favorite books and I have thousands of books. It inspires me. It motivates me. It is the zenith of what the human body can be. I get chills each time I view this thrilling book. The hard work, the incredible discipline of the dancers is exquisitly captured by Howard Schultz. Bravo to the Artist Schultz and bravo to his subject dancers.

A great read for women who are conscious of their bodies and what they are capable of. Also a great read for those beginning on the road to awareness. Women are amazing creatures and it is time we honor ourselves. It is also time we stop whining about what others have done to us and fix what we have enabled to occur.

If you are looking to truly honor the gift of the Goddess and your ability to create life without cursing that gift, this is the book is for you.

A nightmare experience at the hands of a brutal doctor who was giving her an internal exam sent Lara Owen off on this fascinating exploration into the rich underworld of the female body. It's a well-written, passionate and thoughtful plea for a return to body-consciousness and acceptance of what it is to be female. The case studies are inspiring, the ideas for self-healing and developing the creativity inherent at this time of the month very intriguing. There is no strident hectoring - Lara Owen writes from the heart - or should I say the womb - and has made a pioneering track for all women, whether interested in enjoying rather than enduring their periods, or the hidden depths of the female psyche. Men who want to understand women should read it too! If you read one book this year, let it be this one!

I was thrilled to discover Lara Owen's book, Honoring Menstruation. I myself have been exploring my menstrual process in-depth since 1988, and teach workshops to women who want to transform menstrual symptoms into menstrual empowerment and pleasure. I say these things about myself to indicate that I am reviewing this book from a particular vantage point, that of a woman who has been honoring her period for many years.

I found that Lara put into words many things that I've been thinking for years, and also introduced me to new ways of thinking about and responding to my menstrual cycle. This is a wonderful book for any woman who wants to become more empowered, more herself, more creative, more joyful.

Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts will also find it useful for helping them introduce young women into a menstruation-positive view of their upcoming or just-started periods.

I know that if you take the time to read this book and apply its wisdom in your own life, you will not regret it.

The last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, and one of the two best. It contains more detection in its first section than The Hound of the Baskervilles, with Holmes (off-stage for much of The Hound) actively investigating the murder at Birlstone, and drawing his ever-fascinating deductions from raincoats and dumb-bells; indeed it is the only pure detective story among the four, with the reader given every opportunity to solve the crime. Although the solution is justly famous, it is but a variation on "The Norwood Builder," at much greater length. The second half of the tale concerns the doings of the Pinkerton agent Birdy Edwardes in the eponymous Valley, terrorised by the Freemasons, a gripping and powerful account which is perhaps of greater interest than the detection.

'The Valley of Fear'. A real page turner but what makes it most memorable for me is not that Holmes is at his best, but Conan Doyle is. After reading this book I recommend you to read this book because it was a suspense story. The whole story moves around Mcginty who was a big criminal in the valley of vermisa also called the valley of fear. There was only one person who could face to that criminal and his name was Jack McMurdo. He behaved as a gangster and he had taken many risks in his life and he was not afraid to take more risks. Don't miss 'The Valley of Fear'. It's terrifying, exciting, and best of all, real.

I have read all of the Holmes tales many times, and I think this one reigns supreme. I believe that was also Doyle's opinion. It is the finest detective story I have ever read, masterfully composed. The Vermissa Valley section builds to the most shocking moment I've ever experienced in literature.

This book is Great!! Because it`s about two kids that have a tree house in the forest. They take a nature book, a compass, a canteen, pepper flakes, and a hat.But two other kids are in their tree house and wreck it. So the two kids set traps to scare the other boys. I like it because I like Owen Foote books.

This book, Owen Foote, Frontiersman, was an enjoyable book because of the different events that Owen faced. These events allowed me to connect with some of the things that he encountered. Most young readers would be able to connect to having a friend like Joseph and the what Owen and Joseph encounters as frontiersman. The organization of the book was easy to follow and the sentences were easy to read and understand. There are a few pictures in black and white throughout the book, but these are not necessary but are handy for readers to connect with the event taking place. Young readers, boy or girls, that were interested in the outdoors would take a great liking to this book.

This book was FANTASTIC! I have three children aged 4-10. They all read it and loved it, including me. My nine year old son liked it the most. Stephanie Greene is and exeptional author and she writes so fluidly and perfectly for kids. I encourage her to write even more books because we have enjoyed this one and the others so much. Thanks!

The southwest United States is a geomorphologist's dream... There's not a lot of green stuff covering up the beautiful geology! This book details the geologic features of Death and Owens Valley, CA. It gives the geologic history of features while succinctly describing the details of the processes that brought about these features. The Tufa Pinnacles in Searles Valley, the alluvial fans in Death Valley, the interesting history and development of Gower Gulch, the mysterious ascent of desert pavement, the glacial morraines and routes of the Tahoe and Tioga Stade glaciers at Convict Lake, the Mono Craters (Domes), Fossil Falls, the Alabama Hills and more. You'll even get the heebee jeebees when you read about the monstrous explosion of Ubehebe Crater! Certainly one of the most interesting and pleasurable books I've read in ages! Highly recommended for ANYONE who plans a trip to California's awe-inspiring Death Valley and environs! A must have!

Most years we vacation in Mammoth. This book describes a number of convenient and interesting side trips to take with the family. We wander around, sometimes visiting the same features, sometimes visiting a new site. Always appreciating more & more of the world around us. My children have a much better feel for geological processes and their impact on the landscape than do their peers.

The book starts with a five page description of Eastern California's geological history, then jumps into 30 sites of interest, nearly evenly distributed between Death Valley & vicinity and the Eastern Sierra & vicinity. A glossary, "Sources of Supplementary Information," and an index round out the book.

Each site receives its own chapter, replete with photographs, maps, geological diagrams, and even driving directions, as needed. I'm not a serious geologist, but landscape features fascinate me. The explanations that the authors give work well for me: I can understand them well enough to explain them to children.

If you're interested in how the land has been shaped, if you're willing to turn off the tube & make contact with the natural world, then this book is for you. One of the best "field guides" to geology I own. One of my favorites, too. (The companion volume, GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, is also an excellent book).

I've always had an interest in geology, but have had only a little formal education in the subject. I've also been to Death Valley and Owens Valley a few dozen times. The accuracy and attention to detail in this book along with the vivid descriptions often made me feel like I was back there as I read. On more than one occasion, I could replay what I had seen when I was out there as I read (in some cases picturing things that I had hardly taken notice of when physically there). The many photographs and diagrams also helped immensely. The occasional touchs of humor made reading fun, and it being a series of vignettes, it's easy to cover a chapter in a short time and not worry about setting it down until later. I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in geology and how the area got to be what it is today, and you don't have to be an expert to enjoy the book.