I first found this series at the library, and I have bought them all because I like them so well, I want to be able to introduce friends to them.
Literate, funny, the characters are eccentric and believable. And for all those woman who love Martha Grimes' Richard Jury, get ready for Jules. Catches the flavor of a small town and Montana.

Jamie Harrison is without peer - more novels about Jules please!

Jamie Harrison writes more into the first 80 pages than most authors put into an entire book. Characters, scenery, emotions, undercurrents and tensions between characters, they are all there. In a world of a lot of ho-hum writing, Harrison really stands out head and shoulders above the rest! I am reading her second book in the series, GOING LOCAL, right now, and it's another excellent book proving that the first was no fluke. For a book like this, I wish the ratings included more stars. It's just that good! Get it, read it, and put it on your keeper shelf. I'll be reading this series more than once!

When handed this book I thought I'd never read it because of its length, subject matter, and title but ended up thoroughly enjoying it. John L Moore wrote this book using the most descriptive yet, strangely enough, concise language I have read in years. He writes this completely utilizing the English language for all it is worth. I couldn't wait to reach the end of this story and yet was disappointed when the book was over.
The only true disappointment to this book was that it ended and I could not find another book by this wonderful author. Read "The Breaking of Ezra Riley" and enjoy the ride it takes you on.

This isn't a thriller, or a shoot-'em-up western, or even a mystery. This is a raw and real story, set in the recent American West, where men are expected to be men, and dreamers are tossed to the side.

Ezra Riley is an artistic kid stuck in Montana. He loves the land and the work, but his personality is being stifled. Through a series of events, he returns to his childhood home and memories, forced to face his fears and inadequecies.

Moore writes with depth and feeling, slowly dragging you into the story, slowly twisting your heart into a knot. When he finally lets go on the last page, he doesn't do so flippantly or tritely--like many Christian novelists--he does so with tough and tender appreciation for his reader, his protaganist, and for the God that Ezra Riley's been fighting throughout.

This book will set in your thoughts with all the warmth and poignancy of the setting Montana sun.

I have had the pleasure of corresponding with John L. Moore and purchasing other books from him. He is a very genuine man. Some of the out of print books available in limited numbers by the author. I highly recommend this fabulous book. While not a fast reader, I was able to complete the saga of Exra Riley in a matter of a few days. One does not wish to put the book down and I often would tell myself ,"just one more chapter." This novel hit me in the right time and place and has me aching for wild spaces. It has been an encouragement as well, especially for all of us who feel that we don't measure up in some way.

Every time Polly McMaster misses a meeting she is assigned to complete some huge project. Last time she ended up as mayor of Elmer, Montana and this time she has been put in charge of The Great Montana Cowboy Auction. The auction is designed to raise money for Maddie Fletcher, a foster mom, who has raised half of the town and who is about to lose her home. To make matters worse former local bad boy and foster son, Sloan Gallagher, now a Hollywood star, has volunteered to be auctioned off to highest bidder. With that announcement Polly's hometown becomes a media circus and even the local residents are acting a bit crazy. Added to that is the fact that Sloan and Polly have a bit of a past and you have the makings of a rousing romance. This is a humorous addition to a series featuring different residents of Elmer, Montana and a sweet love story.

This is the kind of book I know I should hate, but I don't. This book is thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. What is wonderful is that many plotlines run through it, with love stories for all generations, ranging from 19 year old Sara to 60 year old Joyce.

The real thrust of the story is about Polly and Sloane, the former Montana cowboy turned George Cloony superstar. Suspend your disbelief and wallow in wonderful story of how Sloan courts Polly and wins her over, ostensibly by agreeing to be a bid in a cowboy auction! Cool or what.

Actually, the best story to my mind was that of Celie and Jace - I found myself skipping the Polly and Sloane parts to get back to those two. Thankfully Ann McAllister is taking up the threads in her next book - she has left a great cliffhanger.

I really recommend this book - I am sure you will love it.

I just finished "The Great Montana Cowboy Auction", and I couldn't put it down! It was a great mix of romance, comedy and reality. I love how Sloan loved her his whole life, how her son was getting rich off selling "authentic Elmer rabbits", and the realisim of the closeness that a small town has. It had me laughing and cheering Sloan on the entire time. I can't wait to read "A Cowboys Pursuit", the next book in the series!

The Christmas Menorahs is a compelling story. The Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles selected this book to be included in its public radio production "One People, Many Stories." One People, Many Stories is a 6 CD set of over 30 children's Jewish stories read by Hollywood talent. This particular story was read by actor,Bill Pullman who happens to own a ranch in Montana...the location of this true story of tolerance and sensitivity. You can purchase the CD set (6 CD set $$$) to hear Bill Pullman read The Christmas Menorahs

I don't generally review children's books but, I bought this for my niece and read it. I was touched by this heartwarming tale. This is a true story of the people of Billings, Montana who stood up against hatred when anti semitic skinheads through rocks through the windows of Jewish homes displaying Hanukkah menorahs. The good people of this city got together and displayed menorahs also. Since there were not enough menorahs avilable, many displayed pictures of menorahs.

This charming account is told from the point of view of a young boy whose window was smashed. Seeing the events unfurl from his eyes and the eyes of his parents truly humanized the account of events. It is written to read like a fictional story even though, for the most part, the events are true. This book is worth reading by the whole family, Jewish and non Jewish alike. All kids, even good readers, are entitled to be read to occasionally and this book should be read by the family together.

I first saw the documentary of the true story in Billings, Montana on which this book was based. The story comes to life through simple yet powerful words and vivid drawings. When thousands of non-Jewish citizens, including young children, fight bigotry by putting menorahs in their windows, they inspire us that no issue is too big to face head on. Every child over the age of nine should read this book, no matter what the racial or religious make up of his or her community.

A great collection of characters, like all of the Dorothy Garlock stories, that should entertain even the pickiest readers. This was an extremely entertaining story, however, not my favorite of hers. Still - it's a story that shouldn't be missed! It's very entertaining, suspenseful, romantic, and full of exciting twists. Ms. Garlock is the best creator of characters. I hope, as other readers will too, that Dillon Tallman will come back in another of Ms. Garlock's stories. My favorite thing about the Dorothy Garlock stories, is that characters from other books will return and give you a continuing glance of what is occuring in their lives, long after you finish the novel they were a key character in. Ms. Garlock is currently my favorite storyteller... you are sure to venture into a remarkable journey with every story. Enjoy!!!

Man, I sat down and read this story all day. I just couldn't stop. I kept wondering, "if I put it down, I won't know what happens next---" in the sense that----
A rancher is out in the wilderness, defending property of an attractive woman who comes to the wilderness, to the Larkspur, to have something of her own. She finds this rancher dude there.
Its a slow blossoming romance, but sweet. The suspense part was when was the land grabber gonna attack? Were the Indians hostile?
Who was the little old timer? Was her brother gonna come and get her and make her come home? Would this be her home with this man?
It was good. Made you feel like you were in the story.
Out on the western frontier, miles from anywhere. Indians and gunslingers at every turn---would they find love, too?
A real shoot em up! Its good.

Dorothy Garlock is one of the best romance writers of our time. This book is just one example of her outstanding work. This is one of the first books from her that I read. Since then I have read almost all of them. I can not say enough about Larkspur. If you haven't read it then I definately reccommend that you order it right now. I too would like to see more stories with any of the Tallmans in it.

Cited on its own cover as "Reality Bites with a cowboy twist," that pretty much sums it up. In fact, it's probably a better read if you a) don't read that comment; or b)don't get the 'Reality Bites' reference. All the major events of the early 90s fad flick line up with the events of this short novel. Not that it's bad reading. It's well-written, though not strikingly so, and has that everyday-life feel that can catch the reader and keep you gliding through. Probably better reading if you can RELATE to the lead character, who's caught between what's expected of him in the real world, and his artistic leanings. A good thoughtful read for anyone in transition, or wishing they were. Some humor, though I didn't have the impression the lead character was as funny or smart as he seemed to think; that has to do with the writer RELATING to the character. I have half a mind some of the scenes (the slower ones?) are cut from Emmon's life.

Being from Montana, Cowby Angst realy hit home. The Characters in the book seem like old friends. The reality of life in the west and the struggle with family and friends will relate to many people. I hope there is a seguel.

This is a comfortable story, easy to read and believe. You find yourself wishing Dennis McCance was your friend. If he was, he'd go out in a storm to get more wood for the fire and, while he was at it, run by the store and get another six-pack. Dennis is a young man in turmoil, too young to be having a mid-life crisis, but that's what it feels like all the same (without being pathetic, though - maybe he's just a forward-thinking sort of dude). Dennis is examining his values, his beliefs, his morals. Okay, his life. But in a deliberate and endearing way, one that draws you in and makes you feel like a confidante. Dennis may think he's stymied, bottomed out on a dead end road, but little by little he's putting his life in order. Just maybe not the order he had in mind.

Never heard of Mr. Kittredge. I borrowed the book from a neighbor - picked it up, opened it in the middle, read a paragraph and said to myself, 'OK, this guy can write.'

It was a pretty good read. Between chunks of self-obsessed, mawkish ranting, there are some wonderful descriptions of eastern Oregon, and many short, vivid character studies.

I'll take a chance on his fiction when and if I run across any. Whether it'll be good or not, I can't tell from this memoir. But I'm sure it'll be well written.

And if I'm ever in Montana, I'll bang on his door and get him out for a round of golf.

William Kittridge's autobiography, A HOLE IN THE SKY begins in the wilderness around the foothills of southeastern Oregon and retells, in lucid detail, the events of his childhood leading up to his time in the Air Force, to his many marriages, to his emergence as a writer who writes in a prophetic voice with a great sense of prose.
Looking back to his childhood years, Kittridge aims to return to that innocent age and allow the reader to engage in his coming of age...to the point where your feet are engulfed in the wet grass of early morning dew, and you imagine the grandeur of taking care of 8,000 acres of open territory.

In the end, he claims that: "We are a part of what is sacred. That is our main defense against craziness, our solace, the source of our best policies, and our only chance at paradise." Thus, we are open to the realities that life, growing up on the western plains, was not an American historical fairy tale, but rather a true test of ones self-worth and distinction.
A wonderful read...I highly recommend!

Kittredge's excellent, thoughtful, and well-written book is a memoir of growing up on a ranch in southeastern Oregon. This is arid country where spring runoff from the mountains gathers in lakes and swamps used for millennia as a stopover by migrating waterbirds. Enter the enterprising Kittredge family, and during the 20th century thousands of acres here were transformed into a vast irrigated ranch, its chief output evolving from cattle to grain to hay to feed milling and feedlots. More to the point, they built an agricultural empire and became wealthy.

The author, born into this world in the 1930s, looks back from the vantage point of 1992, long after leaving the ranch behind and settling in Montana. What he sees is the wreckage of three generations blighted by ambition, greed, arrogance, and no small amount of alcohol. Kittredge talks often about how personal stories illuminate and ground people's lives, yet he and so many of the people around him are directionless and unmoored. His book is a story in which words like "reckless," "hapless," and "heedless" are often used to describe actions.

It is a painful book because there is so much heartache in it, so much confusion, shame, isolation, and fear. There are betrayals, infidelities, friendships and marriages ended, deaths from accidents and mishaps. In all of it, from earliest memories to those of a man on the verge of middle-age, the author describes a deep uncertainty about his own worth and his purpose in life. For many years, it seems to be only the grueling hard work of the ranch, which he only half understands, that keeps him distracted from a sense that nothing is real. (Steady consumption of alcohol and extramarital sex also figure into the mix.)

The book is something of a coming-of-age story about a young man whose manhood continually seems to elude him, well into his thirties. He can go through the motions in the hardworking environment of seasoned cowboys and field hands (an episode in which he takes the place of an injured hay stacker is an example), but he remains unsure of himself, wanting the security of the family ranch, while hating himself for not pursuing the writing career he believes is his real vocation. It's a wonderfully (and frustratingly) complex picture of a young man self-destructing. And in his seeming indifference to his own children, you sense a repetition of the same indifferent parenting that has led him into this emotional cul-de-sac. Significantly, he remarks often about the lack of a guiding hand to show him the way to be a man.

As a kind of confessional, it is a compelling book, and the impact of the story is underscored by the vast Western landscape against which it plays out. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the West and ranch life, cowboys, family sagas, and coming-of-age memoirs. As a companion volume, I'd also suggest Judy Blunt's ranch memoir "Breaking Clean" for its similar themes of emotional dislocation.

Rick Bass has written a plea that is at times elegant and at other times shrill. The best writing in the book are the stories of long-time valley residents (both human and animal) trying to exist in a habitat that is shrinking in the hands of indifferent government and corporate stewards. Every 30-40 pages there is the ripe whiff of the holier-than-thou that usually occurs when a gifted writer transplants himself to the West and somehow comes to believe he is the only one who can truly interpret its significance. But this is possibly a quibble based on the prejudices in my head as a longtime Wyoming rancher. In any case, it's good to know that each member of the Congressional delegation received a copy of this book, although it's doubtful that Conrad Burns or Craig Thomas ever cracked the thing.

I bought this book after visiting the Yaak. and loved the wonderful prose and the enormous feeling of the wilderness.

I loved the book, and recommend it highly -- it really focuses on the valuable resources we have but often don't appreciate.

A very well written glimpse of life in a wild valley in northwest Montana. Book is an account of some of author's experiences in the Yaak, but much of book focuses on author's lifelong struggle to fight against the destruction of his home. As other reviewers have noted, this book serves as a powerful motivator for activism in the service of our national forests and against the wasteful, short-sighted strategies of Forest Service timber management. Much of his points can be found in Sierra Club pamphlets (e.g., through the forest service, U.S. taxpayers lose millions of dollars annually to build roads to allow timber companies to clearcut forests, the profits go to stockholders and executives and local economies suffer, etc., etc.) but his prose makes it all seem fresh. I got as mad as the author. However, this book is far from an "eco-rant", it's a moving argument for the importance of a place and community and a call to end the disastrous economic practices of the timber industry. Bass argues for sensible logging that sustains communities.

I resented the hell out of this book, and about midway through I realized why. It's not really adventure writing - it's adventure writing *for girls*. Most of these articles would only qualify as fluff or travel pieces, or maybe reflective essays, if they'd been written by men. Because the author is a woman - well, because she's a woman, a trip to Venice qualifies as adventure. A drive in Ireland qualifies as adventure. Fishing in Canada qualifies as adventure. In other words, this is an adventure travel book that only features travel - and fear.

Fear is a necessary component of any adventure article or book, but fear shouldn't own the author and the story; in Femme D'Adventure, it does. Even the introduction, by Lorian Hemingway, talks about how much women have to fear these days, and surely we do, but I *live* the mundane terrors of a woman's daily life - I don't need to read about them in an adventure travel book. From adventure writing, I expect exceptional fear, life-affirming fear, thrilling fear, and this book is sorely lacking in that department. I mean, I was awfully glad to read that the author got over her fear of flying (and, in another article, her fear of rafting). But if I'd wanted to read that kind of story, I'd have bought a self-help book. In an adventure story, I want fear induced not by boarding an airplane but by jumping out of one.

Another irritating aspect of this "adventure for girls" writing is the language. It's cute to the point of inducing nausea. "If the Italian Renaissance painters had been dentists, their dentures would have looked like Venice," the author informs us. Fine. What an adorable sentence that is. Of course, it's also meaningless. And I can't call to mind any other adventure writer OR travel writer who relies so heavily on alliteration. You can only read phrases like "the wicked Wicklow wind," something she repeats more than once in her article on Ireland, so many times before you start reaching for something a little less cute.

Maybe I'd have liked this book a little more if it hadn't been so clearly marketed as adventure writing, right down to the word "adventure" in the title. And then again, considering the language, maybe not. Either way, though, this book mostly serves not to show us, as women, how far we've come, but rather how far we still have to go.

A wonderful series of essays reporting on a wide range of adventure travel undertaken by the author. From spending a few hours with Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, to wandering the streets of Venice, to seeking giant salmon in Outer Mongolia, Jessica Maxwell masterfully conveys the joy that exists in simply being somewhere, doing something.

This book is a great counterbalance for all the people in our modern society that have succumbed to our inate fear of nature, of experiencing places and events that are completely out of our control, of simply being uncomfortable.

The essence of Maxwell¹s writing is that she admits that doing new things and visiting new places can indeed be uncomfortable and scary. These are not tales of extreme travel there's nothing like "and then I looked the snarling grizzly in the eyes and stared him down" in this book. Rather Maxwell let's you know that the prospect of whitewater rafting on the Snake River terrified her; that she didn't cast at a giant salmon in Mongolia because it was so big and ugly that it forced her to abandon the river. The key is to understand that despite discomfort and uncertainty she did it anyway, enjoyed it anyway.

I highly recommend this book for anyone though particularly people who avoid camping because there might be a rock under the sleeping bag.

Jessica Maxwell has a knack for finding adventure on her way to the refrigerator. Fortunately for her readers, she chooses to venture further away from home and take us along as we whisk from page to page. Maxwell shows us that adventure is trying something new, whether it's flyfishing in Mongolia or bracing the rapids and fears of whitewater rafting. Her refreshing literary style creates a sense of place that allowed me to tag along to Alaska, Ireland, Italy and elsewhere. Most of all, the book is a fabulous reminder that adventure is in the eye of the adventurer, and to step outside one's comfort level leads to life's richest rewards.

What is there to see and do in Montana?
The answer is simple-just get a copy of the Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia. This 600-page softbound book is the ultimate reference guide to the Treasure State.
Whenever I travel around Montana, whether for fishing or a tennis tournament, I carry about a half dozen travel guides and reference books so I'm sure not to miss any of those neat out-of-the-way spots that makes our state so special. This book replaces them all.
The introductory chapter lists county license plate numbers, the "Cowboy Wave", movies made in Montana, a Montana glossary and even the infamous "gumbo."
On a trip to Lewistown, I learned that town was the geographical center of the state. I also learned the Ringlings, of circus fame, owned over 100,000 acres and once contemplated establishing a circus headquarters near the town that bears their name.
I learned the Murray Hotel in Livingston is still using its original hand-crank, glass door, 1905 Otis elevator. And, closer to home, how to reach Garnet, a ghost town east of Missoula.
One thing that separates the Encyclopedia from other travel books is advertising. But, that's not bad.
On an April trip to Helena, we read that the Montana City Grill and Saloon, just five miles from Helena, had world famous huckleberry BBQ pork ribs. Not only were the ribs great and the menu large and varied (my wife had lamb kabob), but we were treated to one of the nicest, friendliest waitresses we've ever seen!
Without the advertising, we would have missed one of the finest dinners we've ever had in Montana
So what else is in the book? More than 350 public campgrounds, 1,796 restaurants, 685 motels, 96 Forest Service cabins, 150 guest ranches and resorts, 140 Lewis and Clark points of interest, 71 public golf courses and 300 museums and historical sites, plus more than 25 hot springs, over 255 hikes, 65 scenic drives, and over 50 ghost towns.
This book has it all!

With a skepticism born of the east coast, my tendency upon seeing something described as "the ultimate" is a "Yeah, right" response. But in this case, they may be on to something. "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia" by Michael Dougherty and Heidi Pfeil Dougherty is an incredible compendium of facts, stories, information, advice, suggestions and observations. The Doughertys call this book "the essential reference guide to the treasure state," and that's an accurate description.

I like to read guide books, and I have stacks of them that I've perused: of places I've been, of places I'm going, of places I'll never visit. As an inveterate reader of guide books, not to mention a traveler to some of Montana's most arcane and unusual places, as well as being a collector of trivia, information and gossip, I didn't expect there to be much in this book that I hadn't seen already. I was wrong. It was chock full of unusual and interesting information, and it was all I could do not to grab my keys, jump in the car and head for parts heretofore unknown.This book still had things to tell me.

The entry for Livingston puzzled me as I couldn't figure out what criteria had been used to give commercial establishments a big write-up or to essentially pass them by with a simple mention. A phone call to the writer-editor-publisher shed light on this mystery. Those commercial establishments that got big write ups paid for them. I'm not certain what my philosophy is about this . . . certainly Triple A does much the same. I felt better after I knew that's how the decision was made, because you can use the appropriate pinch of salt, just as you would when reading an ad. Publisher Michael Dougherty explained that this revenue greatly helped to pay for this project and certainly they would have had to have charged a lot more than thirty bucks for this book without that. Still, there are also entries that are clearly included because the Doughertys were enthralled by them, and those are the pieces that make for the most engaging reading. This guide covers everything from kitsch to class, with everything in between. For eclectic travelers it really is a treasure trove.

Because they want to make this the ultimate guide to Montana, they'd like to hear from readers about great stuff they might have missed. The Washoe Theatre in Anaconda, for instance. This was an immense project and that they manage to include as much stuff as they did, stuffed into a reasonably sized package of a book (about the size of the Spokane phone book) is quite an accomplishment. You can't fault them for missing a thing or two, and if you call them up to tell them about it, they're pleased to hear about it, and will include it in future revisions.

The guide is stuffed with detailed maps, mile by mile information for all Montana State and Federal Highways as well as information on Dining (1796 restaurants), lodging (685 motels, 150 guest ranches, 200 bed and breakfasts) 350 campgroudns, 96 forest service cabins, shopping, auto services, hiking (255 hikes) and fishing( 225 sites), Lewis and Clark information (140 points of interest), scenic drives, adventure, entertainment, area information, local history, roadside geology, 270 outfitters, quick reference guides, 71 public golf courses, 25 hot springs, 200 historical markers, 65 scenic drives, 50 ghost towns, 700 annual festivals and events, 40 rodeos, 31 ski areas, and a partridge in a pear tree. Just kidding about the partridge.

Essays on a variety of subjects pepper the volume, including such fascinating topics as the Frontier Cattle Industry, Lewis and Clark, the history of Butte, Kid Curry and the Wild Bunch, a great section on Ingomar (including, if you will, a "bed and breakfast") the Indians and Fort Union, the Nez Perce war, the Bozeman cemetery and the Pryor Mountain Horse herd as well as all sorts of interesting Montana trivia like: the area surrounding the Yellowstone down around Colstrip was once home to one of the largest herds of bison in North American, more than a million and a half animals. Did you know that Petroleum County, the last county established in Montana in 1925, is also the smallest in population with only 518 people? Or that Alzada, Montana is closer to the Texas panhandle than it is to Yaak, Montana? From the town in the southeast to the town in the northwest is 800 miles, or a 12 hour drive.

In any case whether you're traveling from Alzada to Zortman, or Glacier to Yellowstone, or Scobey to the Monida pass, or just hitting the highlights as you speed through on Interstate 90, "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Guide" makes an excellent traveling companion and earns the space you give it behind the seat of the truck, in the glove box, the map pocket or under the seat. An excellent find.

My only criticism of this book is that it may be too much. Its as if the publishers refused to leave anything out. I am a Montana junkie and own every guidebook on Montana I have been able to find. I could have saved a lot of money if this book had been available earlier. The maps in here are better than the one the state travel bureau sent me. While they are not in color, their detail is impressive. And they are on a much larger scale than any foldout map. They are the only book I've found that has maps of towns other than the few major cities--I counted 45. The book is incredibly well organized. It is broken down into 15 regions of the state rather than the six regions that most books are divided by. The level of detail for each region is unbelievable The regions are ordered geographically with the maps as the starting point. It is very easy to look at where you are on the map and find information relevant to that immediate area. I found the information on Yellowstone and Glacier Park to be more complete than most books dedicated exclusively to them. The book is huge--as big as many phonebooks. Aside from its being the most impressive guidebook I've ever seen for any state, it is fascinating reading. It is loaded with historical tidbits, and fascinating pieces of information that you simply don't find in any of the other guidebooks. All I can say is, if you're even thinking of visiting Montana, you would be frankly dumb not to have a copy of this book. Oh and one secret the publishers for some reason are silent about--if you send in a card in the back of the book, they will send you a 32 page book of coupons with over $3,000 in discount.