When I first received this book, I was not particularly looking
forward to the read. After all, how exciting could a book be
about a tree farm? I sat down to do my duty as a reviewer and I
was in for a delightful surprise!

Darrell Bain took me on a journey of continual giggles, as he told
the tales of their Christmas Tree Farm. Who wold have ever
imagined that so much adventure could be found there? Not I!
He tells you in many different delightful stories the different
aspects of tree farming and the adventures they have with all
the customers each year.

If you want a joyful Holiday read, this is the one for you.
It might just make you glad for the profession you have chosen, I
never realized how difficult it was to grow a tree! Excellent read, well worth your time.

Our family loved reading this book aloud. Although the heroine is female, our boys, 7 & 8, wouldn't let us stop reading. It's exciting, adventurous, and tender.

Taming Texas: Captain William T. Sadler's Lone Star Service is a fascinating history of Texas as revealed through the biography of William Turner Sadler (1797-1884). Sadler was one of the leading pioneers of 19th century Texas and participated in most of the major events of the period. He migrated to Texas from Georgia in 1835 to become a farmer. He soon found himself in command of the ranger company that built Fort Houston, served as a private in the battle of San Jacinto, was active in quelling the Cordova Rebellion, and became a leader in the campaign against Chief Bowles and the Cherokees. Eventually Sadler served as a representative in both the Republic Congress and the Texas state legislature. During the Civil War, at the age of 66, he served in Terrell's Texas Cavalry. Highly recommended reading, Taming Texas is informative, engaging, offers a unique perspective on Texas history, and is enhanced with photographs, roster lists, and line-drawn illustrations.

There is so much dry wit and humor in this book that I am afraid any levity I might try to inject in this review would pale in comparison. For that reason, I'll just give you my opinion and let the book more or less speak for itself.

The bottom line is that this tome is highly readable, humorous and educational at the same time. If there was a scale of average witticisms per page, I'm sure that Tandem Towns of Texas would hold the record.

As set out in the Introduction, the purpose is twofold: 1) to spotlight Texas communities that have quirky monikers and double-digit populations, and, 2) to group them together in pairings based on natural association, alliteration, or rhyme. For example, Beaukiss and Lovelady, Trickham and Dodge, Ding Dong and Bells.

Each page contains one of these pairings. Additionally, it tells the location of the towns, the derivation of the names, and the history of those towns, and (when needed) names spelled phonetically. The index has all of these names plus the population of each one.

After more than 150 of these matches, this book provides some additional zany information. This would include (an amazingly long list of) Texas towns with the first names of people (Alvin, Leona, Melissa) then a huge listing of odd names from the other 49 states (Tomato, AZ, Bliss, NY, Burnt Corn, AL). Finally, if you haven't had enough of this silliness, the authors provide a listing of books that also feature unusual town names throughout the U.S.

Found in the book is some pre-publication praise from John Troesser, editor and chief of a very popular history and travel magazine on the Internet. According to Troesser, "The table of contents itself is worth the price of admission for this delightful, witty, and (only slightly) thought-provoking book. Just what would Tarzan do in Notrees? There are perhaps six people in Texas capable of connecting Electria and Blanket. Bill and Clare Bradfield are two. The other four are blood relations who carry the same mysterious gene. . . Vattman and Robbins indeed" He concludes, "This books even a great way to travel from Munday to Friday without leaving your armchair."

Tanks On The Beaches: A Marine Tanker In The Pacific War is the memoir of Robert M. Neiman, a United States Marine Corps combat commander, who served in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. A tale of struggling against an implacably determined foe, tracing the journey from the deadly fields war in the Pacific, to the uncertainties of war's aftermath, to the voyage home, Tanks On The Beaches (written with the assistance of Kenneth W. Estes) offers a vivid and firsthand account and is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to the growing library of World War II battlefield autobiographies and memoirs.

Fifteen years ago when I was on my way to visit friends overseas, I bought this book in the Houston airport when I realized at the last minute I didn't have a "hostess gift" for my friend's mom. It turned out to be the best cookbook "find" I ever made! During my visit, we tried several of the recipes, and were totally astounded. Everything was great!

I picked up Tastes & Tales for myself when I got home, and I've given it as a gift to many friends and relatives ever since. My personal copy is stained and worn, but I will never give it up. Everything in it is delicious and authentic.

You can't go wrong with Fay's Fresh Apple Cake (which regularly brings in $10 at our annual school bake sale!), and the Texas Pecan Bars are heavenly. The Pecan Crunchies are AWESOME and addictive.

But sweets are just one segment of the book, which has many, many different recipes. And lest you think it's all barbecue and beans, think again. There's Chilled Cucumber Soup, Slavic Oven Stew, and Forty Clove Chicken, to name just a few.

I have LOTS of cookbooks, but this is the one I turn to first. I recommend it highly, whether you are a non-cook, a novice cook, or a chef!!

As a teacher of the visually impaired, I am finding this book to be very helpful. It is written in easy to understand language and is "user friendly." The accompanying assessment booklet is comprehensive and useful. This book is one of my most often referred to resources.

The authors reexamine the "Hero of San Juan Hill" to find that the heroic legend was manufactured, partly by Roosevelt himself, partly by the powerful newspaper correspondents he courted, and, perhaps surprisingly, supported by the Rough Riders themselves. That Roosevelt didn't mind risking their lives in his political ambition didn't seem to bother them overmuch - they were, after all, alive and victorious, and shared the prevailing military ethos of those innocent pre-Passchendaele days, when "glory" was counted as a real and achievable goal.
The story is well told here in this well-researched and readable work, with admirable maps by Texas A&M's own Cartographic Unit. Highly recommended for the general reader of military history and Roosevelt fans, as well as others who would like to see the birth of "spin".

The "score" rating is an unwelcome feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.

This book is a must read if you are interested in the history and cultures of Texas, Tejanos or the border region. Given that so few books address the Tejano perspective, Tejano Journey provides new insights and information to even the most avid regional history buffs and students. Poyo and the contributing authors illuminate the Tejano experience during this transitional period and leave you with a more complete picture of Texas' fascinating history.

This is the first Sons of Texas book that I have read. I know that there are several that come before this and there are several that come after it and I plan to get them all. I really enjoyed this book.

Tony Callaway is a plain old rodeo cowboy destined to make it on his own. His fathers family is rich, but Tony refuses there money and because he never knew his father growing up he refuses his father as well.

Christina O'Reilly comes along hoping to learn more about her family history. Because she was an orphan herself she is interested in genealogy. Christina is very different to say the least. She has a van of 'odd' animals that she carts with her and she is very inexperienced. Here she is in her twenties and has never been kissed.

Tony at first thinks that Christina is odd, but soon finds himself falling for her. Christina has a lot to learn and Tony is very interested in teaching her.

This story has intrigue, romance, and comedy. There are several laugh out loud moments in this book. It is a quick and fun read that I am sure lots of people will enjoy.