I visit Portland often and have long wanted to also spend some time in Seattle. As much as I get to Portland, I had no idea about some of the places mentioned in this book. Lots of attractions, where to eat, where to shop, what to wear in both Portland & Seattle, and so forth. With all the times I've been in the great Northwest, I had no idea how much there truly was to see in both cities. And the book is written in a casual enough style, so that not only can you read about various places to see, but also this can be used as a quick reference.

The next time I travel to Portland (and when I get up to Seattle), I'm definitely taking this book with me so I can visit some of the areas and restaurants I've missed in my previous travels there.

Anyone planning a visit to either city will enjoy this book.

A book about my two favorite cities, I was bound to like it.

This guide should be very helpful to anyone visiting the area. I have lived in both Seattle and Portland, and even I learned things in this book about these two cities that I did not know. These are the two most important cities in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and it's nice to see a book published about them. Even residents would enjoy this book.

This is a wonderful book that introduces through color photography and historical references many of the national parks in the pacific northwest and Alaska. While a little outdated to be considered a true travel guide - it is great for reference and a wonderful guide for those who only can travel to these majestic and mystical places through pictures.

There are no more beautifully written or pictured guides to the national parks than this series put out by the Sierra Club. For a historical, geological, and biological snapshot of a park, no book does it better. If you need very specific information, contacting the park is your best bet. There is some information about trails, camping, contact info, etc. The main purpose of the book, however, is to give you an understanding about all aspects of the park. These books are truly treasured in our home.

This book was allright but not as good as the other Treasured Horses book release at the same time, Ride of Courage. Spirit of the West is about Jessie, a Nez Perce Indian girl whose pride and determination to show off to her new friends causes a valuable foal on the Oregon ranch her father works on to wander off, and now Jessie must search for the foal.

This is one of my all time favorite books about horses by one of my favorite authors.

I just finished reading The Stubborn Twig today. I love to spend hours in bookstores looking for different kinds of books and am pretty quick at purchasing what I know I will like. This book intrigued me just by the title - it went right to the top of the pile of books that I brought home that day. I started reading it right away.

The story deals with how the Yasui family copes with the trials and daily living of being different. It also gives a look into how they at times fit in with their white (hakujin) neighbors and no one noticed.

The story is both touching and exciting as the reader goes through the generations of Yasui's and how they feel about the world around them.

I think that Ms. Kessler did a very good job of telling the story of each family member while weaving them into the importance of the famliy as a whole. I too come from a large family with generations of history. It has inspired me to start better record-keeping for my own children and the ones to come.

I never knew of the reasons behind the internment of the Japanese Americans during the war. This book not only gives facts and history but the details of how real people had to cope to survive. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, and an admirable approach to finding the courage to start over in life.

I found this book while browsing in the stacks one day. I had no idea that Japanese had been imported to build the Railroads in the Northwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (this was because Chinese were not available... laws had been passed making their immigration to the US illegal), and mainly ONLY MEN. It was a real eye-opener (I have seen NO such information ever in any US History book I read in school, and I am born and educated in the US -- graduated from UC Berkeley).

This book is very easy to read and become engrossed into. I could not do anything else in my spare time other than work on finishing reading this. It goes a long way to filling in much of the missing pieces with Japan of US History before, during, and after WWI and WWII.

Most US Citizens NEVER heard of Min Yasui, a newly minted Lawyer and Japanese-American US Citizen (by birth) from Hood River, Oregon, who decided to challenge Executive Order 9066 by deliberately disobeying it, getting arrested, charged, convicted, and put into Solitary Confinement for the duration of WWII even as the US Supreme Court ruled against him regarding the Constitutionality of it. And, yes folks, Executive Order 9066 could be reissued today, against anyone (even you), without Due Process. You too could be treated just like the Yasui's, ripped out of your job and home, have your bank accounts frozen, told you had 48 hours to pack and could only bring what you personally could carry with your hands and nothing more... and then lose your property and home when you could not pay the property taxes (because your Bank Accounts had been frozen by the Federal Government).

You say you're a US Citizen? So were the Yasui's (except for Min and his wife, who were prohibited by Federal Law from ever becoming Naturalized Citizens -- a Law that was not changed until 1958!! Whites could, and Blacks after the Civil War in 1865 were added to the list. But Asians were never mentioned anywhere. It didn't say they could not, but it didn't say they could either. It just didn't say... and so the US Supreme Court ruled that Asian Immigrants were EXCLUDED from ever becoming Naturalized US Citizens. Hard to believe? Read about how the Yasui's coped with this issue. And the next time you eat an apple from a box marked HOOD RIVER, OREGON... you will know "the Rest of the Story... ".

This book should be Required Reading for anyone taking or even remotely interested in US History.

This title contains a wealth of knowledge about the tillamook burn as well as some stories about people caught in the burn. It covers each of the burns and has a lot of information about the reforestation efforts made by many people. It failed to give information about a so called "lost steam engine' wich we were trying to locate in the burn area. Other than the lack of detailed information about equitment lost in the fire it has more genral information than most books on the subject. This book would be a best buy for someone looking for general information on the burn. If someone has imformation about the "lost steam engine" in the woods please e-mail me.

I could not put this book down after I started it If you enjoy the outdoor and the forests then this is a must for you.

Mostly unknown by the general public and historians, the story of the ill-fated Utter and Van Ornum parties in 1860 ranks high on the list of most moving struggles of the westward-bound emigrants along the Oregon Trail. This story, inaccurately recorded until now, rates as a must-read by any afficianado of Oregon Trail history. Mr. Shannon spent several years researching this book, and the quality of that reasearch shines through on almost every page. The names of all the players in the tragedy are there. Details of every conceivable facet of the story is included. There are many very rare photos and drawings included, and well-drawn maps of each part of the tale grace the pages of this invaluable resource. The story itself is compelling beyond measaure. There is heroism, cowardice, death, destruction, and intrigue at every turn. If only the story of 13 year-old Emmeline Trimble and her 10 year-old brother Christopher were included in this book, I would still recommend it highly. This slim volume, however, is easily read in one sitting and yet covers the subject of the "massacre" completely. The writing is energetic and entirely factual. This is easily one of the best books on Oregon Trail matters written in the last ten years. I recommend it highly. Anyone interested in how the west was REALLY won and lost should consider Donald Shannon's book an absolute must-have.

I grew up near the scenes in this book and I have received considerable information from local folks. I summarized the tragedy in a Malheur newsletter several years ago, but Don Shannon's book far exceeds my work. He has done a beautiful job of spicing his narrative with letters and quotes from survivors and pioneers of the time. Don's book is so moving I sort of wept at some passages. It has heroes, a particularly savage Indian group of renegades, and some blundering ordinary people. And it is all true!

Wonderful book if your interested at all in either the oregon trail time period or exotic foods. A simply must have book. Very interesting information.

Good read for those interested in how their ancestors ate -- especially if it is known one of them was among those who went west using this paticular route. Highly recommended.

David Lavender's WESTWARD VISION spans the period from the mid-17th century to 1849 as he chronicles the search for a reliable overland route to, and the subsequent settlement of, what would become known as Oregon, principally that area which borders the Willamette River as it flows into the Columbia (at present-day Portland). As the subtitle of the book indicates, this is "the story of the Oregon Trail".

For the sake of summary, I arbitrarily divide this book into five parts: early exploration of the Upper Mississippi River by French-Canadians seeking a route to the "western sea", the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the subsequent unsuccessful efforts to establish an easy route to Oregon via the Missouri River and its headwaters, the influx of "mountain men" into the area and the discovery of a more southerly route (the Oregon Trail), the early settlement in Oregon of Christian missionary groups sent to proselytize the Indians, and the massive immigration of land-seekers in the 1840's which ultimately resulted in the establishment of a U.S. Oregon Territory.

WESTWARD VISION is the result of extensive research on the part of the author. Its wealth of details is both its strong point and its undoing. Probably the most commendably concise chapters (5 and 6), considering the length of the event, deal with the amazing Lewis and Clark Expedition. Perhaps Lavender thought the history of the two-year trek adequately covered elsewhere. In any case, the following chapters on the exploits and travails of the fur-trapping mountain men and the missionaries are so full of minutiae that it would require the reader to take extensive notes in order to keep track of the various groups and individuals endeavoring to cross the Great Divide into Oregon in the 1820s and 30s. (Reading this book for pleasure, I wasn't prepared to expend that much effort.) Only in Chapter 19, which gives an account of the 1843 journey of the first large immigrant train - almost 1000 persons- over the Oregon Trail, does the narrative regain a concise clarity. A major failing of the the volume is the lack of adequate maps to locate the majority of the named and innumerable places and geographical features: rivers, river forks, buttes, mountains, rocks, forts, mountain passes, river fords, trapper rendezvous, and settlements. Perusing contemporary state highway maps didn't help much. And in a work this extensive, I would have expected a large section of illustrations. Except for several very crude drawings, there were none.

What elevates WESTWARD VISION, and compels me to award four stars, is that the author makes his point magnificently, i.e. that it took many tough people with large reserves of true grit to expand the fledgling United States to the Pacific's shores. The crossing was hard:

"At the rainswept crossing of the North Platte, blue with cold, cramped by dysentery and pregnancy pangs, Mary Walker (an 1838 pilgrim) sat down and 'cried to think how comfortable my father's hogs were' (back home). As for Sarah Smith, Mary sniffed, she wept practically the entire distance to Oregon." And even recreation had a sharp edge, as at the 1832 trappers' rendezvous:

"... a few of the boys poured a kettle of alcohol over a friend and set him afire. Somehow he lived through it, and fun's fun."

Finally, Lavender eloquently suggests the reason so many embarked on the Oregon Trail at all:

"What matters is not whether fulfillment was attainable in reality (at the Trail's end), but rather that at long last in the world's sad, torn history an appreciable part of mankind thought it might be. That was both the torment and the freedom - to go and look."

This is an excellent account of the great quest for the Northwest, which eventually culminated in the vast migrations of Americans along the Oregon Trail. From the early exploration efforts of Jacques Cartier (1530's); Jean Nicolet (1630's); Marquette and Joliet (1670's); LaSalle (1680's); Bourgmont (early 1700's); the Verendryes (1730's to 1740's); Jonathan Carver (1760's) and others too numerous to mention, we see how the English, French, Spanish and Americans all had the goal to establish roots in Oregon. When the mountain men came into the picture searching for their beaver pelts in the early 1800's, it was this breed of men that finally opened the routes across the Rocky Mountains which lead the wagon trains through to the Northwest. Lavender then takes us up to the first overland migrations (1840's) of the missionaries and others in search of a better way of life, along with all their sacrifices and perils. This is a great book and very insightful of events leading up to the Oregon Trail.

Burke is back on the job, scamming, stealing and doing what he does best: tracking a missing girl who may be running from a pain no one can imagine--except Burke. All while out of his native New York and without the protection of his family of choice. New friends and enemies abound in this "not always what it seems" story of betrayal and risk taking, that finds Burke trying to operate in a very different Portland than the tour guides depict.

The search for the missing girl, Rosebud, is the obvious, but along the way are twists and turns that could cost Burke his freedom, and maybe even his life. Great characters, both new and old, bring a seemingly straight-forward story to life. But Vachss never fails to add an unexpected element to their motivations or their personal pain. Are the girl's parents being honest for why they want Rosebud back so badly? Who is the chameleon-like Ann O. Dyne ... friend or foe? And what of Gem, the woman who calls herself Burke's wife, is her past going to destroy Burke's future?

More mystery than some of his previous outings, Vachss has done a fantastic job of weaving a story that you won't be able to put down. Definitely a must for Burke and Vachss fans and anyone else who wants a sharp, well-written and stunning in its conclusion story by one of the masters of the crime-fiction genre.

Long-time readers of Andrew Vachss's "Burke" series have come to expect certain things from the series, and "Pain Management" certainly delivers. As always, there's intriguing storyline, with Burke's search for a runaway teen bringing him into contact with vividly-depicted "minor" characters so true to life you might swear you'd met some of them, helping or hindering his tracking efforts for reasons of their own. Vachss fans have also come to expect unflinching social commentary delivered deadpan - and dead-on - by Burke, and they'll not be disappointed.

As the threads of the story converge, Burke and the reader are drawn into the world of "pain management," in the form of a group of citizen-outlaws made fanatical through personal experience with suffering, and with being powerless to stop it...and in the form of runaway/throwaway street kids and the hangarounds seeking to help them or use them.

A unifying subtext throughout is family, with the interactions of individual groups, traditional "nuclear" families as well as fiercely-bonded packs of strays making statements about loyalty and and trust, and security on many levels.

It's an amazing book, and long-time readers who feel they've come to know Burke over the course of 13 books may be in for some surprises. New readers are in for a treat, and will be able to dive right in - the "backstory" is a coast away, haunting and shaping Burke in ways readily understandable to any reader who has ever loved loved someone, and missed them.

Prepare to be blown away.

Vachss has produced yet another insightful, enlightening work with his new Burke-series novel, Pain Management. The by-now infamous anti-hero/protagonist, Burke, greets this new book with yet another issue that will resonate with many readers on multiple levels--the concept that the war on drugs so beloved and embraced by the medical establishment and government alike, in actuality denies those suffering at the hands of interminably painful *terminal* illness without benefit of copious and much-needed old and newly experimental drugs due to the nonsensical idea that taking these drugs with abandon will only result in drug addiction. . . a strange proposition considering that individuals in this situation are more than likely going to face their makers any day now in any case. . .Vachss is known for writing with not only amazing knowledge and breadth of information, but entertaining while doing so, with dark humor, minimalist-style clipped sentences, that leave the reader alive with the prospect of what will come down the pike at the turn of the next page. . . although his subject matter is all inclusive of issues that are perhaps too directly hard-hitting for those not wanting to venture into the mean world of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, . . well, abuse of *any* kind, and would rather limit their diets to evening news snippets and mild conversations and move on to the rest of their lives, most readers and fans of Vachss' prose realize the import of these books. . .not only as a source of reading pleasure but, more importantly, an invaluable resource for enlisting those in the world population against the war on abuse, for children in particular, and anyone who is deemed defenseless. . . in this case, Pain Management scores highly, as do all of Vachss' preceding works of fiction. For the novice to Vachss' books, both his urban style and sophisticated level of humor might intimidate, but will surely bring the reader back for more. . And, for those inveterate Vachss' fans who await Burke's return to NYC, there is more than an intimation in Pain Management that that is precisely where his next book will take place, hopefully with his usual familial cohorts, and the always hard-edged streets of New York to keep the reader off-balance and panting in the race against whatever new villain(s) Vachss' conjures. The mere fact that the Burke series has endured for such lengthy period is nothing less than grand testament to its ineradicable nature to impart readers with more than just another book of crime fiction--it can anger, all the while displaying astonishing poignancy. . This book is yet another example of Vachss' uncanny ability to rope the reader in with headline-glowing issues, while maintaining unique intrigue and interest in characters and story alike.

A story guaranteed to send a chill up anyone's spine whether they are a parent or not is the news of another school shooting. And we all look around and think "it couldn't happen here." In Lisa Gardner's latest, The Third Victim, the people of sleepy little Bakersville, Oregon are subjected to the unthinkable when a shooting occurs at their elementary school. Rainie Connor, local girl and police officer, becomes the primary investigator when the suspect in the shootings turns out to be the sheriff's son. Rainie, who is battling her own demons having been accused of shooting her alcoholic, abusive mother 14 years old, is torn between wanting to make sure justice is served and making sure an innocent boy isn't railroaded. With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, she uncovers a deadly truth about this and other school shootings that will almost cost her her life. Gardner has created a spine-chilling look at our youth that will leave you breathless when she brings it to its conclusion.

Having read "The Perfect Husband," and "The Other Daughter," I was well ready to pick up "The Third Victim," when I saw it on the shelf in my store. I gobbled the book in a single night, and have to say that this is definitely of higher calibre writing than the other two.

For one, the character depth of the heroine and the villain is much more complex: I was three-quarters of the way through the book and still unsure of who I could trust, who might be the killer, and why this was all happening. Starting with a contemporary ugly reality: the school-shooting slaying of two students and a teacher, this book takes off from there and continues with a semi-manic pace throughout.

Gardner allows you into the mind of the killer without giving who the killer is away, which is a rewarding experience, but it is in Lorraine, a sherrif in the town where the shooting has happened, that the truly good writing occurs. A woman with a somewhat shady past of her own, this shooting may be about her in some way, and it's a great ride finding out just how.

The only quibble I had with the book was the occasional plot wrinkle that made me blink in confusion. There were a few passages I had to read twice to understand - not many, mind you, maybe only twice, but it did call a minor break in my reading.

Regardless of those minor stumbles, grab this book. It's a thriller perfect for those of us that like a healthy mix of mystery tossed in to our edge-of-seat-reading.

'Nathan

Lisa Gardner is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The problem is she doesn't write quickly enough. I am already waiting for her follow-up to this novel.

Rainie Conner is a police officer leading her first homicide, a school shooting, where the shooter is the police chief's 13 year old son. Rainie doesn't suspect everything is as it appears to be, and with the help of FBI agent Pierce Quincy, they try to find the truth about the shooting that leaves 3 dead and a town torn apart.

I did not want to put this book down. I made myself read it only at work on break as not to devour it in one sitting. The teaser chapter for her next novel which involves Quincy's daughter is very enticing and I can't wait for it to come out. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed :)

Thanks for reading :)

**Pandora