I use this book constantly to identify Pacific Northwest plants and get information about the conditions under which they grow in the wild. The pictures are especially helpful. Ethnobotanical information is interesting, too.

This is one book that travels with us wherever we drive; it is filled with bookmarks & scribbled observations whenever we've seen something new to add to Messrs. Pojar & MacKinnon's awesome efforts. Naturally they alone did not compile this book & it is an impressive & accurate effort of a large collection of dedicated people.An easy-to-use field guide featuring close to 800 species of flora commonly found from Oregon to Alaska, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, aquatics, grasses, ferns, mosses & lichens. From shoreline to alpine, including the Olympics & the western Cascades. The perfect gift for anyone who wanders the land!..............

I have about thirty field guides on geology, fungi, plants, and wildlife generally focusing on the Northwest. I consider this to be best field guide of all - the standard by which other field guides should be measured. It is fairly comprehensive. It is concise and user-friendly. The color photographs are generally guide good. It even has occasional bits of interesting trivia to help you get familiar with the plant in question. I have heard from a biology student that there were a couple minor inaccuracies in the taxonomic classification, but unless you are a professional whose career depends on total precision, this book is your best bet. Buy it and get out and get to know your land a little better. Have fun but stay on the trails!

How often can you pick up a book and think right from the very beginning, "As soon as I finish reading this book, I am going to write my own."? That is what Kaya McLaren's words did for me. They were an absolute inspiration. Her style is crisp and refreshing - not intimidating. She tells a wonderful story in a narrative that lopes. (It doesn't gallop like Frank McCourt's did in "Angela's Ashes" - a book you can't put down but one that leaves you exhausted.)

"Church of the Dog" is a work of fiction, but it is about people who are real. People you have met if you have ever lived in the rural west. Mara is the extremely creative and energetic single woman any single woman would like to emulate. She has dreams that help her and her friends navigate through life. Edith is the exuberant grandmother who has not let life's tragedies embitter her. In her advancing years, she is still singing the song, "It Is New Every Morning." Her practical, taciturn rancher-husband has not cramped her style one bit, but it is too bad her love of life did not rub off on Earl a little bit more. He might have wanted to stick around a little longer. The somewhat-troubled grandson evades true involvement in life by hiding behind his camera lens. The pictures he takes capture events and scenes - recording them more clearly than memory.

In the end of the book, love and family and hope prevail. I cannot think of three better reasons to read a book.

P.S. Don't be discouraged from reading the book if you saw it at a bookstore and were turned off by the poorly-written blurb on the back of the book. I am certain Kaya McLaren did not write those words. She knows how to construct a sentence with matching subjects and verbs. She knows the English language very well indeed. And she knows the human heart.

This gem of a book will be a favorite library edition and you will read it over and over again (5 times already!). In this day and age that an Author of Kaya's intuitiveness and spirituality is uplifting and such a positive affirmation of our life. Kaya's characters come to life with a belief and caring for each one. As I am of the older generation, I particularly loved Edith and Earl and their love story. Keep on writing, Kaya and thank you for this Angelic gift!!!

Kaya McLaren is a fabulous author. I found myself hurrying home to read more of "Church of the Dog". I wasn't ready for it to end. This book gave me insight into new ways to love and be loved. I will never chain up my gaurdian soul dog because of Kaya!

Soon after moving to the Northwest I read The Lusty Life of Loon Lake Lloyd. The stories are rich and provided great insight into the culture and history of Oregon and the region. I knew many ole' timers just like 'Lloyd' back in Colorado. Individualistic, hard-nosed and harder working, honest (perhaps too honest), self-reliant; sage men, full of the kind of wisdom that you can't get necessarily from a book. The art renderings and the stories are authentic, unique, and well worth the read.
Michael Thessen
Eugene, Oregon

I'm sure you get many letters and compliments on your book, but my husband has never commented on a book as much as he has after reading yours. He thoroughly enjoyed the copy loaned to him by his cousin, and I thought a copy of his own would be a nice Christmas present! I'm so glad that you wrote this book about your very interesting and adventurous life. So many stories are forgotten or lost to us, your book helps to preserve these tales for future generations to enjoy.

The Lusty Life of Loon Lake Lloyd is the funniest, down to earth book I have ever read! His vivid descriptions mentally place you in each funny situation.

I first read this book in March 1997 when it first came out. Even after three and a half years, and the reading of many more books, this remains of my favorite books ever. It brings the Oregon Trail to life and puts faces on the countless brave pioneers who braved the hardships of the trail to make new lives in the west. The narrator is a fictional thirteen-year-old farm girl from Missouri, Hattie Campbell. Through her diary, written in a voice that truly sounds as if it belongs to a young girl from that time, the reader experiances the events of Hattie's journey west - her friendship with Pepper, a fourteen-year-old girl from the wagon train, the beginnings of a romance with Pepper's brother Wade, and many others. Hattie was a character that I really came to care about, and I was sad to put the book down when it was finished, but since then, I have read it several more times. Kristiana Gregory is an amazing author that has given a distinct voice to each of her narrators in this book and her two other Dear America books. I hope she writes another Dear America book soon; she's one of my favorite authors from the series. I highly reccomend this book to historical fiction fans.

This adventureous and exciting story is about a young girl named Hattie Campbell, growing up in Missoura in 1847. This story is about the exciting sensation she gets when her father anounces they are traveling west to Oregon. This story is about her triumphs and losses along the Oregon Trail. After she meets a 14 year-old girl named Pepper Lewis, they plan everything about their 'soon-to-be' life in the west. Everything changes when Pepper gets married...Will all of their plans change? Soon, Hattie longs for someone to love, just as Pepper has. Will she survive the long and harsh journey west?

I loved this book! I deffinetly am glad I gave it 5 stars, because it's true! This is a very adventureous book and it makes me wish I lived in that time, for everything is so fun...But it turns out life is harsh on the trail. I recommend this book for 10-14 year-olds. When I bought this book I also bought "My Heart Is On The Ground" and "Voyage On The Great Titanic", all great stories of girls and their changing lives. Once again, I couldn't put it down! I loved it! :)

This book was tragic But adventureous. I felt like I was Hattie. It is about a girl who leaves her hometown in Booneville, Missora and heads out west to Oregon. Their are a lot of deaths in the story but none of Hattie's family members died on the Oergon trail so don't worry. I'm eight and I didn't have nightmares for a week but if I were you I would not let anybody under eight read this. they may get scared. There are great characters like Pepper, Gideon, Wade, Ben, Jake and of course Hattie Campell. If you like adventure and danger I recomend this book to you.

This was the first book of Jane's that I read. It amazed me how much she did and survived to tell about it, sometimes in a funny way. It is a great way to get to know Jane personally.

This was my favorite of Jane's many books. Jane's tale held me spellbound from beginning to end. I could hardly believe how much she and her husband lived through in order to establish a home in a very difficult environment. I felt like I lived the entire ordeal with them. Very worthwhile reading.

This is truly a "can't put it down" book. Jane's own story is deeply inspiring to anyone facing his or her own challenges. She writes with great humor and a deep faith in the power of the Almighty. Throughout the whole book the reader finds herself laughing and crying with Jane and cheering her on. Her descriptions of events are so vivid that the reader feels like it is taking place right here, right now. Jane has captured the spirit of the pioneer woman that she could have been if she had lived 100 years earlier.

Joyce Weatherford captivates you with a well-researched history of the region of Oregon, as told through the growth and development of her main character, Iris Steele. She includes within her story vivid depictions of the trials and tribulations of family relationships, as well as realistic and often demanding aspects of life on a ranch. The addition of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, and their claim to the land that has been in the family, helps to create a reading experience of both interest and insight. Each character Weatherford introduces is colorful, interesting and one of the many reasons the book is nearly impossible to put down. I am looking forward to future books and, hopefully, a continuation of some of the characters in this one.

The Heart of the Beast is a powerful and beautifully written book. It is so hard to find books that involve strong, independant women who are dealing with tough issues of family and love, and this book delivers on all fronts. It captures your interest immediately and keeps you spell bound as the author masterfully unravels her tale. The unusual background of the Northwest farming and ranching life only enhances the tough unrelenting perseverence of the main character, Iris Steele. I found myself indentifying with her on many levels and wishing I could meet her. Many thanks to Joyce Weatherford for bringing such a wonderfully textured character into our lives.

This is a larger story told from the point of view of Iris Steele, a woman finding her way in harsh circumstances. She had had to be tough to survive her family and grow up on the land. And that toughness is needed for what she had to deal with here. As the novel begins, her mother is dying and the Nez Perce are suing for a section of her home ranch. She fights to keep it, but with ambigious feelings. In the course of the novel, Iris reconnects with two family members and the first man she loved--three people who resurrect details of her history that she must come to terms with as she finds out what she truly values.
Reading this book, I cared deeply about her, thanks to the care that the writer took in revealing both her weaknesses and strengths.

I also appreciated the grounding of this story in the wider context of the settlement of the West, the hardships, battles and injustices that are part of the heritage of all who live here now. The name of that disputed section of land, "the heart of the beast," suggests vulnerability, feeling, and a will toward life that is universal--no less in the beast than man, in Iris's brutal father, Ike, than in Henry, who was her lover and became a doctor and humanitarian.

I am thankful to the writer for this book. It is beautifully written. There are scenes so dramatically and masterfully rendered that I don't believe I will ever forget them.

This book is the best written book I have ever read. I believe I think about this story every day. I wonder if Diane Downs has ever felt any remorse for what she did to her children? I have so many questions about this book. Do Christie and Danny, now that they are grown, have any contact with their mother? Do they have any memories of the shootings anymore? Ann Rule did an excellent job at writing this book--I must say her best yet. I feel I was right there and watching Diane Downs whole life due to Ann's writing. A couple of things still disturb me though. Both Steve and Diane Downs came from big families, yet neither side of the family came forth to adopt either child after Diane lost custody. Also did Lew and Nora stay together even after Diane went to prison? Did Lew have any contact with Diane after she went to prison? I hope Christie and Danny were able to put the horror behind them and live a normal life. A must read for any true crime reader!

This book is truly one of Ann Rule's best true crime books. The story of Diane Downs is so shocking one cannot help but think, "Who could shot their own children in cold blood?" Ann Rule looks in depth at the life of Diane Downs to unearth the hidden motives of this murderess. This book is incredibly interesting to those who like the psychology behind criminal motives. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in true crime and the mind. It was definately a page turner that left me wanting more. Ann Rule has a website that keeps her fans up to date on the subjects of her books. You to can find out where Diane Downs is today.

After reading Ann Rule's Small Sacrifices I had to re-read it again. I could not believe this story was true. Above all I congradulate Ann Rule on excellent coverage of this tragic story. By the end of the book I have adopted Danny and Christie and feel the loss of Cheryl as if it were my own. I hope Diane never sees her children again and that she is never allowed into general population again for who knows what she is fully capable of ... after all this is a mother who tried to fulfill her own twisted obsession by killing her children.

This is the story of ten year old Rachel traveling with her family from Illinois to California. She keeps a journal that is more of a scrapbook of their adventures and disasters along the way. Rachel puts in pictures of things that she doesn't want to forget making this book all the more enjoyable. The ending is abrupt but the rest of the story puts you right there with her family.

This book was quite interesting. It is a story of a young girl, Rachel who is traveling by covered wagon from Illinois to California with her family in the 1850's. She keeps a journal/scrapbook of their adventures/disasters. Her illustrations or "doodles" in this journal were very well done. They clearly defined a great deal of what life was like for any family back then and the courage that they had in order to seek what they thought was going to "better" their way of living.

Just like Marissa Moss' "Amelia" books, this was a hand-written, journal-style book, with lots of pictures. It is the journal of ten-year-old Rachel, who travels with her family of pioneers from Illinois to California in search of a better place to live. In her journal, she records the trip and there are many details! It has humor thrown in, great pictures, and a nice journal format. I've enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to read all of Marissa Moss' other historical journals.

I recently read this book, and, although it was a good page-turner, the ending didn't seem right. From the Woodhaven escape plot until the end, the story became far-fetched. I also feel that the detailed events surrounding the mother's death should have been revealed by the person responsible. (We're given the assumption that it was definitely Brian, although, for all we know, Kevin could have just been denying the murder. After all, the narrator didn't witness the events).

I read this book in one day; I just couldn't put it down! "The Good Children" is a deep, intense look into a girl's life and unique family situation. I loved it so much that I read it again just a few months later!

Kate Wilhelm did an excellent job in putting this book together. The characters where describe well, and the book was suspensful. I read this book in 3 days. I really wish that my teachers would use books like these, instead of those boring books, for assigned reading. It makes reading much more enjoyable. As you go along you also find yourself trying to solve each problem. FANTASTIC!

Really funny book that deserves to be on the shelf of all the Dirk Gently fans out there. One man: six identities = great fun -- and a really well-equipped private eye. If you wondered about the passions of documentationalists (or tap-dancers!), this will reaveal all. Vukcevich is a premiere modern surrealist, with one eye on the punchline, and one foot dangling off the wire. Read everything he's written. With any luck, there'll be a sequel to this...!

Ray Vukcevich's fiction is so off the wall it's astonishing. Hilarious, outrageous, ingenious fun.

This book contains some of the weirdest, wackiest, cops, crooks and gumshoes you will ever meet. Vukcevich populates his vision of Eugene, Oregon, with characters you can't ignore. I can't say this is a book you can't put down, because you do - you want to savor the gems he presents to you before moving on.

My only complaint? It was over way too soon. I am now waiting for the further adventures of Howells, et al. In the meantime, I'll have to content myself with Mr. Vukcevich's short fiction.