The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, ...) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, ...) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, ...) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

The year is 1847, and thirteen-year-old Katherine Haufmann lives with her family in Fredricksburg, Texas. The Haufmanns and their neighbors are immigrants from Germany who founded the town the year before. Even though she has been in Texas a year, Katherine still thinks of Germany as her home, and longs to return. After her father joins a peacemaking expedition to the Comanche Indians, Katherine and the other residents of Fredricksburg notice strange fires on the hillside outside of town, that appear each evening at dark in the same exact two places and last until dawn. With fear rising of a possible attack, either by the Comanche or by bitter Americans who feel the Germans have stolen their land, Katherine takes it open herself to find the origin of the mysterious fires - and puts herself in far greater danger than she ever could have imagined. Based on real events in Fredricksburg, Texas, in the spring of 1847, this is the story of a spunky and courageous young girl who, in her quest for the truth, finds that her home is where she least imagined it being.

This history book of my hometown is very intersting. I learned many things about Hillside that I was not present to witness. I urge anyone in Hillside about the past schools, businesses, and communities of this 85-year old town! Hillside Ave. School, Union Trolley bridge over 22, Barnam & Bailey Circus on Central Ave...it's all in there!

This guy HAS done his homework, has NOT been "duped" and was in fact on an E! special all about the Hillside Strangler. This is an excellent book about Ken Bianchi, and regarding the so called "faking" Schwarz explained that Bianchi could indeed have been a multiple when first arrested, but throughout all the interviews, multiple psychological testing, it was likely that these multiple personalities became self-aware.

I ever read. I am stunned that it has gone out of print. This book got me hooked on perennial gardening as a recent college grad with a postage stamp yard. Frederick McGourty is a devoted and experienced gardener with a wit. He is funny and very informative and the photos of his Connecticut borders are wonderful. He talks about plants as one would discuss neighbors, family, acquaintances and close friends. I have been recommending this book to friends and family for 10 years and own two copies, neither of which I allow out of my sight for more than a few months. If you are a new gardener, track this book down and it will save you years of frustration. If you love to garden, buy this book, don't lend it out, and treat yourself to a great winter read which will recommit you to a rewarding pasttime. If Mr. McGourty ever writes another gardening book I will snap up two copies in a second. He is a national treasure.

Ron Fridell's book, Terrorism: Political Violence at Home and Abroad (2001), helps us understand the long history of terrorism, who terrorists are, why they do horrific acts of violence, how they operate, and how government agencies fight the war against terrorism.
Mr. Fridell does not forget the victims of terrorism. In this book, he also tells about the search for victims and the subsequent building of memorials that followed both the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building and the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
Mr. Fridell's book provides a responsible account of this important issue. He does not write to shock or frighten. Yet the clearly written information, appropriate for middle school, high school, and adult readers, serves to help Americans make informed decisions about our American way of life in the 21st century.

I don't know who is stranger? This author or Angelo Buono. The biggest hero in this book is a alcoholic philandering cop who, when he gets liquored up he shoots off his gun. I am inclined to believe Angelo Buono was innocent after reading this geeks view of the world.

I reread this book every couple of years. This is an must read for any true crime junkie. It was so well written and showed all sides of the story. It made me realize random acts of violence against women was the "high" for these two idoits. They killed women they knew as well as someone they just spotted on the street. They were cold blooded murderers ...and ended up where they needed to be... a premanet resident of the state prison. As a female it made me more aware of my surroundings and I never get out of my car without looking around first for weirdo's lurking. :)

I loved this book. I inherited among others from a deceased family member (among other books).

The "Hillside Strangler" became an everyday headline that frightened Los Angeles for a year or so in the late 1970's. During that year, bodies of young women started showing up on the hillsides around the city. But the horror waned beside the revelations that came to light in what became the longest criminal trial in American history--BEFORE O. J. Simpson's 1994 trial--and one of the most controversial

The Hillside Strangler was thought to be one person with a real fast pace in killing. With TWO OF A KIND, Darcy O'Brien gives the inside story and is the first book to make the shocking disclosure that "the Hillside Strangler" was not one man, but two, and not only that -- they were were cousins!

In Mr. O'Brien's riveting story examines the relationship between the murderers and the drive behind their hideously evil crimes. It tells the entire story of the Hillside Stranglers as it has never been told before. He begins with the stranglers themselves who just decided one night out of bordom that they hated women and wanted to kill them (even as one strangler was living with a pregnant girlfriend and hiding the truth of his killing spree from her).

It reveals the torture, the prostitution ring, the killings. But it also shows the other side of the drama--the law. The police were so baffled by the disappearing women and then the subsequent finding them on a hillside dead, that they took drastic measures to ensure justice would prevail in this case.

TWO OF A KIND is a true story of crime and punishment here and now. But even more disturbing, it is a tale of primal evil rising from the darkest human depths and our age-old struggle to defend ourselves from it.

The 1999 edition of this book is available from the publisher, Builders' Book Inc, at 800/273-7375).

Do you want to build a dream house? Do you want to build a home that soars into the hills, or do you want one of those tiresome boring homes on the flats?

For me, there could be only one answer. "A boring home? NEVER!" was my rallying cry. But, after checking out many books about homebuilding, I could find no information about building on a hillside. And I mean that: None. Everyone assumes you have some boring flat (preferably gently sloped) lot on which to create an impossibly dull home just like all the others.

What I wanted was "Hillside Building for dummies". What I got was this book. I'm not sure if it's deliberate, but the book feels like it contains just enough information to tell you "Hire Authur Levin. He's good".

He is. The explanations of the basic concepts of hillside building are lucid. The examples are interesting, albiet a bit lacking in detail. This book is a shade too technical for the layperson to fully comprehend, but you'll most likely get the gist.

This book talks about many hidden problems and potential disasters lurking in the shadows, cruel traps for the unwary. "When is a flat lot not actually flat?" is but one of the questions he answers that you probably didn't know enough to ask. (The answer: When part of that flatness is created by fill. The fill will settle, leaving you with a broken house. So make sure you have "compacted fill" or you'll face big trouble down the road).

So why didn't I give this book five stars? Two reasons. First, the book has a number of highly technical passages that laypeople are unlikely to understand. You'll get the gist, but not the whole story. Second, and more importantly, the book is a streamlined 172 pages, including index. Once you get intrigued by one subject, the author is off to the next. His single-paragraph anecdotes are interesting and even funny at times, but they would have been a lot more interesting as entire chapters. I'd say he's crammed a 600 page book into 172 designer-short pages (fully half of the book is pure white space), but I would have loved to buy the 600 pager instead, even if it had been more expensive. This book gives you a taste of what you need to know, but in the end leaves you hungry.

To be fair, legal requirements insist that you hire an engineer to design your foundation in any event, and it had might as well be Arthur Levin. As I said, he's good. But I shudder to think what his professional fees would be, let alone those for the architect, geologist, surveyor, etc, etc, etc that he says you need to hire.

So if you want a taste of the hills before taking the plunge, buy this book. If you've already decided what to do, call Arthur Levin. He's good.

But can you afford him?

(The 1999 edition of this book is available from the publisher, Builders' Book Inc, at 800/273-7375).

As most Sunset books - this one does a good job. Lots of pictures and a detail section for retaining walls and steps. Very broad. I found most the pictures too small to get a good sense of the area they represent. I would recommend if you need some ideas and info to get grounded on how to approach.

I just received this book today and have been unable to put it down. I never expect to be so impressed with a book in this price range, but I highly recommend it for anyone who is serious about landscaping and has to deal with hills or slopes.
Having just recently purchased some hillside property, I was looking for the kind of book that would help me and my land partners develop this in the fashion we want. This book gives me much more than I could ever imagine. Not only is it chalk full of great suggestions for developing practically EVERY kind of sloped surface, but it great tips on garden design, plant choice, decks, multi-leveled lawns, walkways (all types), retaining walls and much, much more. There are also loads of great instructions and diagrams to help anyone from beginner to expert. The second chapter, "Inspiring Ideas," is worth the price of the book alone. Yes, the photos are sometimes a bit small, but there are so many good ones here of, in some cases, some of the cleverest landscapes I've ever seen that it more than compensates for any photographic shortcomings.
Hard to go wrong with this book. Really. Highly recommended for anyone who has to deal with this type of landscape.

This book was written before the police psychologists realizedthat Ken Bianchi was faking multiple personality disorder. For the real story of the Hillside Stranglers (there were two of them, Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono), read Darcy O'Brian's "Two of a Kind: the Hillside Stranglers" instead.

Firstly, there is a new paperback version of this book, which I have been very impressed with, good quality and nice cover. (Get that one!) Now to review: This guy HAS done his homework, has NOT been "duped" and was in fact on an E! special all about the Hillside Strangler. This is an excellent book about Ken Bianchi, and regarding the so called "faking" Schwarz explained that Bianchi could indeed have been a multiple when first arrested, but throughout all the interviews, multiple psychological testing, it was likely that these multiple personalities became self-aware.

I am a big serial killer buff and have a fairly large collection of books and videos about mass murderers. This is easily one of the best I've ever read:it places you inside Bianchi's warped mind and discusses possibilities for why Bianchi killed. Ranks up there with The Only Living Witness, Buried Dreams, Confessions of Son of Sam, and Silent Rage.

Very non-traditional, Califonia-style homes; few floorplans. Very disappointing.

I'm renovating my hillside home in California and wanted to understand what "traditionally" has been done in this style with its open wood beams, redwood and glass. This book is a great introduction. I like short books, but wish it were twice as long. Each of the 12's houses is unique and original, even the dabblings in trussed prefabs.