If you enjoy a good western adventure story don't miss this one. The characters are real and dead-serious in their journey to seek revenge for the killing of their father and sister. Though young, Jonah Fletcher is an expert marksman with his father's Winchester and his sister, Katrina, two years his senior, is the "boss" of this trio of unforgettable characters as they blaze their way across the vast plains filled with dangerous men and rough weather.

I have been reading books of late about the Texas Rangers. They are varied. This one is remarkable. Half the book is about his adventures as a Ranger. The second half is about being captured and living with the Comanches. It is an amazing story. Not great literature and bit dated in its prose, but I thought a wonderful read.

Thurber Texas included people from many countries that came to a small town in Texas for work and to make a better life for them selves.As the railroads need for coal went away the people also went away.This is a classic book that tells of a time past,a industry in decline,and the way of the company town.I am from this area and for many years I drove past the smoke stack near the interstate and wondered what it was and why it was there.This books reveals the history of this area and gives good insight into a way oif life gone forever.I can reccomend this book to history buffs and people from this area of Texas with the question "I wonder what that smoke stack is doing there?For history buffs a 9.8 out of a 1

My daughter gave me this book for Mother's Day. I have not finished it yet, but I am finding it to be very well-written and easily comprehensible.

Tickling Catfish is a romp through the weirder aspects of Texas as seen through the eyes of Jerry Craven, a good old boy turned college professor. Using many of the typical devices of the tall tale, Jerry presents a laid-back series of short essays that tell us about some interesting and strange Texas beliefs and practices. To make the book even more interesting, he throws in accounts of the many other places he's lived, including Malaysia and South America. Beyond that, he explores the netherworld of English, with such items as palindromes and how to speak Texan with correct grammar and pronunciation. I've known Jerry for over 20 years and have always appreciated his keen eye for detail, his sympathetic appreciation of all kinds of nonsense, and his love of irony. I think you will, too.

Tim Love has a taken Western cusine to a new level, one that home cooks can accomplish. This book uses a variety of ingredients and techiniques to get awesome results, his tips make it easy to learn the ways of the pros. If you dont' have a Central Market or Whole Foods near you, you might need to plan a trip. This book has great recipes, and is also a beautiful book with lots of great photography. The stuffed tenderloin is amazing!!

"Timmy Tumbleweed" is an adorable book...a must-read for Texans (or former-Texans)! The illustrations are beautiful and the writing is sweet and fun. Big ten-gallon hats off to the Timmy-team!

It has become almost trite to suggest that the most unlikely of air power applications-one that does not kill people and break things-proved decisive in defeating the Soviet Union in the first major contest of the Cold War, but it is true. The victorious Allies divided Germany and Berlin into four zones in 1945, one each for France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. As Soviet-American relations deteriorated during 1946 and 1947, the jointly occupied Berlin, located deep inside the Soviet zone, began to be the focus of confrontation between the two ideologies. When the Soviets blockaded the land routes to Berlin from the West in 1948 the Allies responded with a massive airlift that both relieved a surrounded and starving city and avoided direct conflict with the Red Army. It represented a truly decisive use of what I like to call "constructive air power."

Roger G. Miller's "To Save a City" seeks to tell the story of this airlift, both its geopolitical and operational elements, in a spare volume that represents an important up-to-date contribution to the subject. A civilian historian with the U.S. Air Force History and Museums Program, Miller draws on official Air Force files, recently declassified documents from the National Archives, Soviet documents released since the end of the Cold War, and interviews with airlift veterans to reconstruct the story of this important Cold War confrontation. The result is a compelling story well told. While other historians have laid out the major parameters of this subject before, this work is a worthy synthesis of those earlier studies and offers a depth of effort not previously offered.

Miller begins by discussing the political crisis that led to the airlift. He quickly moves on to the hasty organization of the operation to resupply the city by a small number of antiquated cargo airplanes. This soon evolved into an intricate bridge of modern transports that flowed in and out of Berlin through narrow air corridors on a precise schedule regardless of weather or other conditions. In the slang of the present, this 24/7/365 operation delivered everything from food and medicine to coal and equipment to a besieged Berlin. It allowed airlift forces to hone to a fine edge their doctrine and operational procedures.

Miller observes that the Berlin Airlift served to codify the flexibility of airlift as an instrument of national will. If one believes that the military exists as tools to help further the national defense and diplomatic objectives of the nation they serve then the more flexible the tool the more useful it becomes. Fighters and bombers are precise tools useful in only a limited number of circumstances, essentially that involving combat. Military airlift can be used in every conceivable scenario across the spectrum of international relations. A unique national resource, the Berlin Airlift demonstrated its significance.

Roger Miller notes that American allies around the world regarded the airlift as a triumph of will, and it solidified the western position in the early Cold War era. The size and extent of the airlift, the requirement for close coordination, and the resourcefulness of allied leadership also impressed the Soviet Union. The airlift affected Air Force doctrine as well; demonstrating that virtually any amount of cargo could be moved anywhere in the world with little concern for geography or weather. It provided valuable experience in operational techniques, air traffic control, and in aircraft maintenance and reconditioning. Finally, as already stated, the Berlin Airlift proved for the first time what has been confirmed many times since: airlift is a more flexible tool for executing national policy than either fighter or bomber aircraft.

My mother gave this book to me for Christmas. She taught with Mr. Dodge several years ago and is a fan of his NPR pieces. I didn't start it right away and wish that I had. It is a light read - short bits so you can pick it up and put it down. Unfortunately, I don't want to put it down. It is thoroughly delightful! I'm familiar with the places and Texas authors he mentions in the book so it is great fun. I'm going to buy several for my other family members and friends who are also Texas born - and for a few of those friends that aren't.

This book provides a fascinating look at the influence of money in Texas politics. The candid, colorful interviews of former Texas politicians reveal the incredible impact of money in Texas. Sam Kinch also writes an insightful commentary in a wonderfully collequial style about Texas politics. Before you know it, you have learned insightful facts such as in Texas state house races 50% of the contributions come from 10 out of 2609 zip codes!