In "The Alamo in American History," author Roy Sorrels does much more than look at the 13 day siege of the mission-turned-fort in 1836. Sorrels begins with the arrival of American settlers and the influence of Spain and the Comanches on the region. After detailing how the widening gap between the rich and poor increased in the newly independent Mexico, Sorrels explains how originally the American settlers were welcomed as a buffer between the Mexicans and the Comanches. However, when Santa Ana's government tried to quash Texican autonomy, the result was an outright revolution. Sorrels includes short biographies of Sam Houston, James Bowie, Davy Crocket, James Fannin Walker, as he tells of how an old mission in San Antonio became the pivtoal point in the war for Texas independence. Of the various juvenile histories of the Alamo I have read this weekend, this one does the best job of explaining both the overall military situation and the specifics of the Alamo's defense, including several maps. Two chapters are devoted to the aftermath of the battle, including the victory at the Battle of San Jacinto that secured Texan independence. A final chapter completes the story of how Texas became the Lone Star State. Throughout the book are scattered Source Documents, such as Travis's "Victory of Death" message, while the illustrations are an effective mix of contemporary black & white photographs and paintings of the battle. In terms of the amount of information provides and the attention to military detail, "The Alamo in American History" goes beyond any other juvenile history of the siege I have yet seen. Teachers and students alike will probably more information than they need to expand what they find in their American history textbook. Other volumes of the In American History series include "The Battle of the Little Big Horn," "Native Americans and the Reservation," and "Japanese-American Internment."

This fine history of the Alamo is readable, accurate, and a fine introduction to the subject for young readers. It should be in every school library in the country. As a history buff with a special focus on Texas history, I heartily recommend it!

Molly and Carson's friendship and eventually love begins to grow with each mile they travel in "All the Way from Texas." Carolyn Brown makes the reader want to hop in the car and continue the travels with her in her many romances and historical romances with Avalon Books.

If you ever wanted to read a story about traveling, then you should reach for this book. From the first page all the way to the last you will be surrounded by a road trip that Carolyn Brown has given her readers moments to pause as they travel from Texas to Canada and back. Even a trip to Alaska as Carolyn paints us the whale with the snow and gray skies in the back ground. It was breathtaking when we read about Niagara Falls but when the couple get to Alaska, the moments of pause and beauty are picturesque. Ms Brown delivers another wonderful story from the beginning about the 'cow patty' to Carson losing a bet at pool to cooking breakfast. This book is terrific. The conversation between Molly and Carson draws you right in their midst.
I loved the part where every time they traveled and stopped, they were asked where they were from by the difference in the way they spoke. Who doesnt't get that when they travel?
From the long awaited kiss after the mind bantering while they were eating the Taco's was wonderful. Not to mention how their muscles ached from all their traveling. You are there with the two every step of the way.
Beth and Darrin deserved to be together. A lot of people like that in this world. Molly never needed anyone like that man in her life.
Carson and Molly will be characters in my mind always whenever I travel the open roads.
Ms Brown shared the open road in picturesque beauty with the characters and moments that she wrote in this another wonderful book that deserves a ten plus. It's a keeper!!!

This is by far the best travel guide I've come across for ANY city. Finally a travel guide that doesn't seem to be written by a tourist. My only complaint is that Edge Guides can't be found in more cities.

I have lived in Austin for 5 months now, and still find that I carry this book around with me and use it to guide me around the city. I think the highest compliment for this book is the fact that friends of mine who have glanced through it find it to be right on target as to what is worth visiting. And these are Austin natives. It is especially useful in helping us who choose not to partake in the whole "fraternity/college" nightlife and hang out with the rest of the music geeks on 6th street. The best investment I made before moving down here!

Captain Jace Riley of the Texas Rangers has just two months to track the killers who murdered his mentor during an armored car robbery. So far his undercover assignment as a summer relief driver of a parcel service has turned up nothing in the West Texas mountains. Now he only has two weeks left and no leads. Then a chance encounter with a stranger takes him to Dana Turner's rented trailer.

When she opens the door, Dana sees a man in uniform and fears he's there with an arrest warrant. She spent seven months in prison for the murder of her sister until a judge overturned the conviction. Although she was innocent, she knows many people will only see her prison record rather than her exoneration. Worse, prison changed her. Her claustrophobia has gotten much worse, and she's learned to appreciate every little mundane freedom. Rather trust for her fellow man, she is now filled with suspicion.

Dana came to West Texas to work at an isolated observatory and gaze at the stars. Now for the first time in a long time, Dana is attracted to a man. Conflicting emotions lead to alarming complications to her previously quiet existence. Worse, Dana and Jace come to realize that she's in danger from her landlord's grandson. And Jace can't decide if she's associated with the cop-killers, or the woman of his dreams.

I confess to having a weakness for bold characterizations with an unconventional past. Author Rebecca Winters fills that type with flair, creating heroine Dana who tries to leave the pain of imprisonment behind her while embracing the newfound strengths such an experience produces. Her understandable distaste for law enforcement creates a delightful conundrum since her soul mate happens to be an undercover Texas Ranger. Further, Jace's early misgivings about her background create the perfect balance of tension and passion. Indeed, the balance of strong characterizations and a fascinating plot makes BENEATH A TEXAS SKY a terrific read. Very highly recommended.

Six months ago in Austin, two men held up an armored car stealing a million dollars and killing three people that included retired Texas Ranger Gibb Barton. Most of Gibb's law enforcement associates mourn his death, but Ranger Captain Jace Riley obsesses on bringing the murderers to justice as he lost a close friend. Clues lead Jace to go undercover in the Cloud Rim vicinity of the Texas' Davis Mountains.

In Cloud Rim, Jace wonders if female astronomer Dana Turner, recently released from prison when a California judge vacated a murder conviction, is involved with the killers. He plans to interrogate her, but to the shock of Jace and Dana, they are very attracted to one another. However, she does not trust males except for her famous father because of her murder rap and a graduate student stealing her scientific work while she lingered in prison. He does not trust her because he feels she must be a cohort of the killers. Though this couple falls in love, an infinite future together seems darker than the night sky over the Davis Mountains.

BENEATH A TEXAS SKY is an engaging police procedural romance that stars two delightful but wary lead protagonists. The hunt for the killers engages the audience on two levels: that of the actual investigation and the growing romantic feelings between Jace and Dana. The astronomical tidbits interwoven into the enjoyable story line provides fascinating starry references. All this leads to the fact that Rebecca Winters remains a writer for all seasons.

Harriet Klausner

I haven't read the other books in the series, but if they are anything like this one, they have to be nothing but spectacular this book was very well written, and holds you in suspense throughout the whole story. Definitely good reading.

This is a gripping story with wonderful characters!

Although I feel the use of exclamation points is excessive, I found the book to be a great reminder of all of the ghost stories I heard while growing up near the Texas coast. It brought back a lot of great yet frightful memories. I am now on my 3rd book by Mrs. Williams, I think it would be great to take her ghost tours. Happy Haunting!

We love all of Docia's books and look forward to many more!

Big Bend Landscapes by Texas painter Dennis Blagg is a breathtaking, coffee-table artbook of oil on canvas landscapes so captivating, they seize and hold one's attention as surely as the finest of photographs. Mood, mystery, natural serenity in the Big Bend National Park of Texas fill these compiled outdoor paintings austere mountains and dry deserts with a very special dignity and beauty. A joy to simply page through at leisure, each individual painting is enhanced with a brief but informative commentary in this outstanding and memorable collection.

Unique landscape artist, Dennis Blagg, shares selected paintings and drawings of West Texas. He captures more than the camera can and his style evokes a viseral response. Perhaps you must have "been there, done that" to appreciate that each one is a gift. Blagg also shares brief notes with each entry. That adds a personal touch with a underlying theme of conservation for this special landscape. I must confess I skipped right past the introduction by Ron Tyler and straight to the views of the Chisos that I can't get out of my mind.

Big Bend Landscapes is a feast for the heart and soul for all you Big Bend National Park lovers out there and believe me there's a lot of them. Dive into all the moods of the desert and let it carry you away. I just returned from a trip to Big Bend on Feb 25, 2003 and my question is "Was it real or was it Blagg?" Make the book purchase and do the trip and you be the judge.

Nancy Bell never disappoints. This cozy muystery series is so charming, but if you haven't read the preceding books , please postpone this one until its turn comes around. You'll probably find yourself reading these books in a Texas drawl which will make the whole experience even funnier because Bell's humor is southern and her turn of phrase is just perfect. These books are such relaxing and pleasant reads that you'll hate when the last page comes. J.R., the 12 year old narrator, is well ajusted despite being taken from his mother, " a nervous type", after the death of his father who was Biggie's son. His adventures with the warm, wonderful and clever Biggie are just plain old fun. Biggie's cook/housekeeper Willie Mae and her husband Rosebud add tremendously to the stories, and Willie Mae's menus will have you drooling all over yourself. Then, of course, there's J.R.'s best friend,the spunky Monica Sontag, who only has half a head of hair because she was set too close to the fire when she was a baby. On top of all that, there are the townspeople of Job's Crossing, all of whom are diverse and quirky. This series is a real winner, and I hope it continues for a very long time.

When J.R.'s father died and his mother proved unable to care for him, Biggie took him into her heart and home in Job's Crossing. He's going to take his best friend to the school dance but before that can happen, some excitement comes to the small bucolic town. Biggie's first love, Rex Barnwell and his young wife open up a camp for overweight girls. In all good conscience, Biggie is forced to tell J.R. and Rex they are grandson and grandfather, respectively.

When the duo visit Rex, they are forced to stay overnight due to a bad storm. That same night somebody shoots and kills Rex. Biggie is determined to find out who the killer is and Officer Red Upchurch is reluctantly getting used to her involvement in homicide investigations. He encourages her to see what she can find out.

BIGGIE AND THE DEVIL DIET is the perfect cosy to snuggle up with on a cold winter's night. Biggie, her grandson, and the small Texas town where the story takes place will beguile readers. J.R. narrates the tale so everything is seen from his perspective. This makes for a pleasant change from books that are told from an adult's viewpoint.

Harriet Klausner

J.R. Weatherford and his grandmother Biggie visit Quincy, Texas to learn what it would take to put together a historical society. Quincy (based on Jefferson, Texas) is obsessed with its history including a colorful ghost. Yet the dead woman J.R. discovers in the fountain outside his hotel room is no ghost. With the Sheriff sick, Biggie is called in to investigate.

BIGGIE AND THE QUINCY GHOST is fun. J.R. is the point of view character and author Nancy Bell does a fine job remaining true both to the 12-year-old character telling the story, and to the East Texas setting. Anyone who knows Texans will get a smile (or belly-laugh) from some of the expressions that J.R. uses.

Bell provides the reader with a rich serving of Texas history, Texasisms, and a purely enjoyable mystery.

Although some of the materials may be inappropriate for children, BIGGIE AND THE QUINCY GHOST is easy to read and a lot of fun.

Biggie Weatherford is famous in Job's Crossing, Texas because her family founded the town and she is the richest person in it. Her notoriety has spread to East Texas because of her work in the DAR and her knack for solving various homicides. Her twelve-year-old grandson lives with her and adores his grandmother because life with her is anything but dull.

Biggie's latest project is starting up a historical society in Job's Crossing. She, her grandson, and a few townsfolk travel to Quincy (near the Louisiana border) because their historical society is giving a four-day workshop on how to preserve the local history. The hotel Biggie and company are staying at is supposedly haunted but it isn't a ghost they see from their windows. It's the body of the waitress who served them the night before, a butcher knife in her chest. When the sheriff is suddenly hospitalized, he asks Biggie to help him in his investigation, a job she eagerly accepts.

This story is written in the first person narrative through the viewpoint of a twelve-year-old boy who has seen more tragedy and evil in his life than most adults ever do. Although BIGGIE AND THE QUINCY GHOST has a dark side to it at times, this cozy is full of homilies and charming stories about small town living both past and present. Nancy Bell knows how to tell a good story with characters that represent the spectrum of the human race.

Harriet Klausner

I used to read Sunny Nash's column in the Bryan-College Station Eagle. It was my favorite part of that paper and I was saddened when she left. Bigmama Didn't Shop at Woolworth's is an amazing look back at what for some Americans -- either for our age or our background -- is an unknown history.

Every White person in America should read this book! Sunny Nash writes the story of her childhood without preaching or ranting but she made me realize for the first time just how much skin color changes how one experiences the world. When she was just three years old her grandmother taught her how to read 'colored' and 'white only' because that was a survival skill just as important as 'Don't get in a car with strangers.' The book is remarkable. I was taught, and I teach, that skin color doesn't matter any more than hair color. But, if your skin color is brown, it matters a great deal to a great number of people. I needed to learn that, Sunny Nash is a great teacher.