As with all the books in this series, you simply cannot go wrong. On a recent trip to central Texas, we took this guide with us and were able to follow along the drive and both visually and scientifically understand what the geology was all about. A truly great geology guide for Texas.

This book is very easy to read and understand - even by someone who knows nothing about geology! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the geological beauty of the beautiful state of Texas!

This is the best book of the Roadside Geology series. Spearing explains not just the location and character of the rock formations one encounters on TX roadways, but the processes which made them. Best of all, he specifically provides the name and formative time period of almost every formation mentioned (e.g., "Triassic Trujillo sandstone") -- avoiding the overgeneralized naming (e.g., "Mesozoic sediment layer") of a few other Roadside Geology volumes. This is certainly a time saver for the rock collector who catalogs his specimens! This book is a must-get for all rock enthusiasts -- even those who have never been to Texas. Now if someone would just write a Roadside Geology of Oklahoma volume...

WOW! what a heck of a read! I found Somebody's Someone to be a page-turner from beginning to end--I simply couldn't put it down. It is about time that someone tells this story about the foster care system in a young girl's voice. I've read Dave Pelzers stories and this book is just as triumphant! If this is the first in a two-part series, I can't wait to read the next installment.

Somebody's Someone by Regina Louise defines Resilience, Hope, and Love. It ignites our Compassion. It eloquently teaches us to be grateful for what we have. Regina's perfectly sculpted sentences contain penetrating imagery. I felt compelled to hug and nurture the precious heroine. I gained strength from her strength. Regina's insight on human nature is remarkable and offers a perspective that gives trials of life a new, profound meaning.

Regina's masterpiece will inspire millions in our global family. Regina teaches us that Love and being somebody's someone profoundly impacts one's path. Our world is a better place because Regina is here. She co-founded the Esther Collins Memorial Children's Foundation for Literacy. My wish is that those touched by Regina will contribute to the success of her foundation. Regina's passion is to help others soar, and she does. Thank you Regina, you are a beautiful soul.

I couldn't put this amazing book down. Regina's talant truley made me want to do something for children "caught in the system". I think everyone should read this story!

I met this book when it was sandwiched between half a dozen others, all of which a friend had loaned to me. I read it last and almost died laughing! Mrs. Freeman is genuine as well as humorous, which keeps the book from being just a running comedy; she really touches home with certain issues that I can relate to. I have, God willing, most of my life ahead of me and I love to hear stories from people who have "been there, done that" as this lady has. Thank you so much, Mrs. Freeman!

My mom gave me the compilation of the 3 books and I enjoy reading them to myself and to my fiance'. The stories are real and I have the same temperment so it is like an autobiography of the Life I hope to have, You must read Marriage 911 and Still lickin' the spoon also fun and you actually learn something while laughing. I did.

This book is wonderful! I have read it 5 times and have purchased 10 or more copies and given them to friends! They all loved it and have been blessing others with the book as well. This book made me laugh and cry at times. It encouraged me. It let me know that others make the same mistakes I do. It was scary to think that there are 2 of us in the world that get ourselves into such zany situations! This is a must read for parents! Thank you for sharing your life with us. A Devoted Fan.

this is the first book i ever purchased about ghost hunting exclusively in texas. i was impressed with the detail that the author included in her book. every bit of information that you need in order to conduct ghost hunting trips in Texas is included here. i have purchased a couple of books after this one that dealt with texas ghosts but they fall short of Haunted Texas Vacations.

This is a fun-to-read, informative book full of interesting ghost stories. It can be used for informative, historical reading or for pure enjoyment.

After reading "Haunted Texas Vacations," my husband and I set out on our own ghost hunts in San Antonio, Spring and Jefferson and, I'm happy to report, we were privileged to experience first-hand a couple of unexplained phenomena mentioned in Ms. Farwell's writings because we knew exactly where to look.

Please give us more, Ms. Farwell!

This was my first really good book on haunted places. Anyone who is interested in local (Texas) ghost stories just has to read this one. I am planning my vacation around some of these towns and I am very excited.

This book is so well written that it held my interest for hours and gave me quite a chill more than a couple of times. The way the author put Texas in sections made it even easier to find a particular area I was looking for. Although I was looking for San Antonio, I found there are all kinds of interesting places in between and beyond. I intend to eventually visit them all.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our haunted history or just a great ghost story.

I'm contemplating a move to Texas, and this book is just what I needed. It's funny, the author is charming and the info is perfect. As a native Californian, I really had no idea what to expect from Texas, but after reading this, I think I do. It seems like everything is different in Texas, from customs to state pride to guns to food, and it would be easy to be confused. It would be great if someone could write this book about every state in the nation. I think we'd all understand each other better.
I also think this would be a great gift to give someone who has moved to Texas in the past five years or so. It's really funny.

The book was well-thought out and researched. It explained parts of Texas and attributes of Texans never explained publicly so well before. I recognized myself in it, I must confess.

She needs to write "The Texan Guide to Yankeeland". Now that would be very useful to us 5 remaining Native Texans in the whole state.

Sophia Dembling has captured the state in a way that delights this native Texan. I have always been empathetic toward anyone facing the daunting task of figuring out this odd little world. Sophia has us all figured out, the good and the bad, and yet she still seems to like us(and we, her).

Those of you moving to or new to the state, buy the book...I can't imaging how it wouldn't help ease the pain. We are a little different, but we are generally kind people (bless our hearts.)

If you've been here a while, or even are a native, buy the book anyway. And take a lesson from Sophia she's been more places in this state than most of us and has truly become a student of Texas and Texana. Couldn't we all learn from that?

Caleb's adventures take him through the Civil War, buffalo hunts, Indian Wars, and barroom shoot outs. During these times he meets a Comanche slave woman who kidnaps him, and a renegade Arapaho who likes scalping people, and finally meets Marisol a Mexican beauty who gives him his children and wins his love. Some times the story slows down quite a bit and other times you won't want to put it down.

I'm going to add my five stars to the list, because Mike Blakely deserves it. This book delves into the life of young Caleb Holcomb, and we get to watch him grow up. It, like Kirby Jonas books I'm always touting, is not your standard western, but it is a good homespun tale all the same. Caleb is heroic without being super human, and you will fall in love with his affable, musical character who is always finding almost too much trouble for him to handle. Read Mike Blakely and anything by Kirby Jonas, and you won't need to turn anywhere else. If these two authors ever got together they would have a lot in common and a lot to talk about. You can bet they would be friends!

This book is EXCELLENT !!! Anyone who has any intrest in the old west should read this book !!!! It is absolutely amazing !!!!! The writer has such style and grace !!! He is an amazing writer and I think he is great!

This book is the best! I read it in less than a day.I just could'nt put it down.This has lots of action and keeps you going. It also helps me understand the hardships people had during the Great Depression especially in the texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl.I would recommend everyone to read this book!

This is a touching little book about a young girl growing up in the high plains of Texas in the dust bowl days. My mother grew up on a small west Texas farm at the same time and her story was very similar. This is well written and I hope the young author continues her writing.

I got this book for a Christmas present. I love it and have all ready read it two times!! Now I want to learn even more about the dust bowl. Some parts of this book almost made me cry it was so real.

Billie Ames has never particularly thought about being rich. Her ambitious mother Agnes has, however, thought a lot about it. She has a banker's son lined up to marry Billie. As daughters will, though, Billie has other ideas. She falls in love with a handsome Navy pilot, Moss Coleman, and marries him instead. Shortly after the wedding, Moss is shipped off to war. He sends Billie and her mother to his home in Texas.

If you're a fan of Danielle Steele, you'll love this book. It's a rollicking good tale, full of romance and adventure -- Texas style. The story spans the eras between WWII and Vietnam and covers 4 generations of the Coleman family.

Moss's father is obsessed with building a dynasty. Billie's mother will sacrifice anything, including her daughter, to secure her position in the Coleman family. Billie loves Moss with all her heart.

Sexual passages were too explicit for my taste but the narrative moves at a good clip and there's a variety of interesting characters who are well developed.

TEXAS RICH is pure entertainment and fine escapist fare.

the texas series by Fern Michaels absolutely takes you out of your world, and enter the family of the Texas Colemans.
this series is the best I have ever read.
I imagined every character, had them all pictured in my head.
I became so engrossed in the colemans and their trial and tribulations. I savored every word. couldn't put them down because they were so wonderful, but hated to end the series.
I recommend this series for someone who wants to escape your world and enter another.
be warned, you'll want more!!!!
absolutely the best!!!

Fern Michaels is the type of author whose vivid imagination and ability to create real and compelling characters translates to publishing gold. In TEXAS RICH, Michaels starts the reader on a journey with the young and naive Billie Ames Coleman to a place where her heart, her courage and her beliefs will be tested -- Texas. The new bride of Coleman heir apparent Moss Coleman, we follow Billie through her acclimation to Texas and her new home at Sunbridge (the Coleman family home), her role as Moss' wife and the challenges she faces from her social-climbing mother, her gruff and demanding father-in-law and the events of the world around her. We see Billie grow stronger in heart, mind and belief as her children are born, her marriage to Moss changes and she comes into her own as a Coleman. This is an unforgettable novel that continues on in TEXAS HEAT, TEXAS FURY and TEXAS SUNRISE. A brilliant family saga from an incredible author. I highly recommend this book!

"Backyard Brawl," should not have been titled "Blood Fued Between Texas and Texas A&M." Texas A&M itself seemed to have been forgotten in the original draft, and the various bits and pieces added later. They should have called this book "Inside the Blood Feud Between Texas and OU, oh, and A&M." But it was a good book, excellently written, and I laughed, cried, and fervently wished at times that the author would mention full names and addresses of a few people interviewed at the tailgate in Austin. The editing was absolutely horrid, but we can't blame the author for that. I didn't count exactly how many typos and grammatical errors there were, but I would expect better from a division of Random House. All in all, I enjoyed the book. It will make a great gift for all college football fans, but I don't think it will lessen the animosity, however variable, between the students and former students of Texas A&M and that other school in Austin.

A tremendous look into not just a football rivalry, but the two clashing cultures of Texas and A&M. This book is about much more than simply a football game. It's about rural v. urban. It's about conservative v. liberal. It's about all the things that make Texas v. A&M one of the best rivalries in college athletics.

As a native of Austin, I understand the fervor created by the annual game between the Horns and the Ags. This book does a remarkable job of capturing that spirit. You don't have to be from Texas to enjoy this book. The real-life characters which encompass the Texas/A&M rivalry are on full display and make for a great read.

If you have ever been involved in the on-going rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas, than this is a great book to read. Backyard Brawl written by W.K. Stratton is about the rivalry starting at its roots. Most peoples view of the rivalry is skewed because of the biased views people have depending on their school of choice, but this book is an unbiased view of the great rivalry. Even though the rivalry is based on a football game held every year, the traditions go far beyond the football field. The game between A&M and UT has become one of the biggest if not the biggest rivalries in the nation. Both schools have many traditions leading up to the big game every Thanksgiving weekend that have been intact since the first couple of years. Backyard Brawl is a great book to read if you have any affiliation with either school.

This is the true story of one young man's search for identity as he grew up in a small Texas town in the shadow of an older brother, both having lost their real father as very young children. Their stepfather was the only father figure Scott knew, yet he was acutely aware that they were not the same flesh and blood. It is also the story of his family coping with the death of Scott's older brother from cancer when he was only sixteen. His ongoing relationship with two fathers-the one he never knew and the only one he did know-ultimately helped him find his identity in the heavenly Father as well.

This is a warm, and honest portrayal of a man living through time by capturing and re-evaluating his past. When the famous psychologist Alfred Adler was exploring how our identity is formed he made the following interesting and counter-intuitive claim: Our present effects our past to a greater degree than our past effects our present. This book, a journey through a lifetime of memories experienced again and bonds established for the first time, demonstrates that Alder's claim is often true. The perspective we have today influences how we view the events and feelings of the past. The author, Scott Sawyer, uses his present perspective to unearth a beautiful retrospective of his family and his fathers.

This book contains a wonderful journey, and those reading it will be blessed by the opportunity to experience it with him. I was moved and touched, and the depictions and images involved me as a member of this family for a fleeting few moments. I cried, I laughed, and I was humbled by the love that radiates off the pages.

The style of the book is more poetic than narrative. I would normally have given 4 stars on this review, because I am usually more drawn to a narrative style, in this case however, the events, images and emotions of this family and his life captured me so completely that I quickly adapted to the many transitions and sound bites of thought.

Please read this book. I found that once I settled into the story, my efforts were rewarded, and the images and emotions came to life. I had the pleasure of attending a reading of the book by the author at a local bookstore and can tell you first-hand that the emotion that went into this project is real. The scene was similar to the experience of reading the book. We all laughed out loud at the comic depictions of his childhood, and cried at the emotion of meeting and losing his father again. Highly recommended to everyone.

We all have a story--usually a bittersweet blend of angst and elation. When loss comes, whether through death or separation from someone we love, our hearts must wade through the complexity of emotion remaining.

There are many ways we can tell our stories...flanked with humor and shrowded by denial...cloaked with bitterness and oppressed by hatred...or creatively open and inspired by redemption.

This is the brilliant balance Scott Sawyer achieved in his own story. In choosing to share this story, he could have opted for denial or for bitterness. Instead, he chose a delicate blend of humor, creativity and redemption. He allows us a unique glimpse into his contemplation, his desire and his pursuit to comprehend what bearing loss has had on his life.

The focus encompasses much more than loss, however, and delightfully depicts sibling rivalry, a boy's adoration for his mother and his family, wonder at not one but two fathers, the pursuit of passion and dreams, as well as life-altering spiritual discoveries. And revelations about a Heavenly Father.

I was rapt with the flowing rhythmn of humor, contemplation, angst, passion, peace and JOY (you'll see the significance of this adjective when you read the book).

Scott was brave to bear his heart, was artful in how he did so, and gracious not to air unnecessary dirty laundry.

This is a story that will make you laugh out loud and bring tears to your eyes. And it will cause you to contemplate your own soul...journeys left midway...pain left untended...discovery still to be made.