"Readers who enjoy action packed westerns in the genre of Louis L'Amour will find the book hard to put down."...Country Bookshelf: "Worth a critical read", Paul Pintarich, Book Editor, The Oregonian: A corking good novel about the early west", The West Magazine. "Filled with excitement and drama", Bookman's weekly

As soon as I finished "Weeding At Dawn" I wanted to open to page one and start all over again, so much is the pleasure to be in Madrone's company as she weaves nonfiction story, journal entry or poem into a rich tapesty of life on the land. Readers who have joyed in the writings of such authors as May Sarton, Terry Tempest Williams, Annie Dillard, to name but a few, will find "Weeding At Dawn" another source for inspiration and delight. Madrone's memoir is richly detailed, deftly turned with just the right metaphors and images; the content is sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, sometimes sensual. It is an evocative portrayal of lesbian country life as well as an invitation to all readers to the meditative richness of rural solitude. Frankly, Thoreau's writings, while certainly full of words to ponder, pales in comparison to this memoir's life in the Oregon woods. I guarantee readers will love the pleasure of Madrone's company not once but many times.

I purchased this book for my nieces and nephews because they were planning a family trip to Oregon. They found the book to be a lot of fun as well as very informative. I had looked for children's books on the Oregon Trail and found WESTWARD HO WITH OLLIE OX to be the best for young children. I recommend it highly.

Chick

I live in Portland and like many people don't get out as often as I should. I typically spend my time in and around the city. Wild in the City allows me to take advantage of what the Rose City offers, whether it tame or wild. There are some great ideas for day trips and a ton of interesting facts that keep me reading, even if I don't have the time to experience them all. On the stuff that I've done in the book it's all accurate. There's a ton of great information in this book and anyone who lives in Portland, or is interested in what Portland has to offer, should read this book. Do yourself one better. Buy it. You'll be glad you did once you're looking for something to do on a weekend when you didn't plan on something.

Like the other volumes in this unique series of works written in and about the state of Oregon, this collection of stories is excellent. Representing the long history of the area from before the arrival of Europeans (Astoria is the oldest US settlement west of the Mississippi) to contemporary times, the work selected provides a clear window to the diverse people, landscapes and experiences of the state.

These stories are a lively read, from Molly Gloss's disturbing "The Doe" (a nod to Oregon poet William Stafford's poem "Traveling in the Dark") to humorous and historical works of fiction.

This is a handsomely produced collection for story lovers or those curious about the NW.

This is a truly remarkable story. Russian fur traders moving down the west coast in search of more Otter (only a few years after Lewis & Clark headed home from Oregon), their ship wrecked on the Olympic Peninsula. The sailors escaped the wreckage only to have their women, including the captains wife captured by local American Indians. By the time the ships captain and men come up with a plan to rescue the women, the women do not want to go back with the sailors! The story is historically accurate, and has been retold here from Russian ship logs and the Quinalt oral history of the event. It is a fun one to read.

This book took me a while to get into...but it's also taken me longer to forget. On the one hand, Alcorn paints a more realistic view of life than Christian novels often do; on the other hand, it dives deeply into thought-provoking--sometimes contrived--discourse. I appreciated the transformation of the characters through the story, and found myself looking forward to more in the next book, "Dominion." Alcorn seeks to deliver a message through his fiction, and he succeeds. At times, the story takes a backseat to the message, but he manages to gather the plot threads back together before they fray into thinly veiled sermons. For any readers put off by this book's length, try Alcorn's "Edge of Eternity." It's a shorter, powerful allegory of the road to Jesus, a modern Pilgrim's Progress, except this time the Pilgrim isn't quite sure where he's headed. Don't try to read "Deadline" with any deadlines--spend time with it and absorb it. It might seep deeper than you think.

I have read 4 of Randy Alcorns books and enjoyed them all but DEADLINE was my favorite. He very wonderfully talks about issues that we face today in an America of the politically correct; the New Age America (even though it was published in '94). The story line is actually quite incidental to the great truths he presents. The main character is an opinion columnist for a local newspaper so he (Randy) has a perfect opportunity to give great teachings, great arguements if you will, against the new age philosophies of today as you read the column Jake, the main character, is writing for the day. I'd give my eye teeth to see articles like these in the newpaper but I think they will only be seen in fiction novels! He is a huge fan of and is incredibly influenced by and imitates the writings of C.S. Lewis. LORD FOULGRIN'S LETTERS is a modern day version of C.S. Lewis's SCREWTAPE LETTERS. He owns up to this fact without apology in the introduction. He is also, obviously, a John Bunyan fan because his book EDGE OF ETERNITY is a modern day PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. I enjoyed that book very much as well. It is full of great spiritual truths.

THE Perfect gift for your pastor or any other christian leader. If you like Peretti's books you will find that Deadline! surpasses anything you've read by a Christian author. Randy Alcorn, best known for his non-fiction pro-life appologetics, has written a masterful suspense novel which he uses as a frame work to expose Planned Parenthood and media bias toward the anti-life abortionist's viewpoint. Mr. Alcorn also manages to show how the media and educators have helped to distort America's views toward 'tolerence' and away from truth. The book also has the most vivid and beautiful word picture of the after-life which has been written since St. Paul put down his pen. This book will make you think - don't start reading this one at night if you have to go to work the next morning because you will not be able to put it down until you reach the nerve-tingling ending

I had read Alcorn's DEADLINE and could not put it down. This novel was difficult to get into and seemed a little "preachy" at first. Clarence had a major chip on his shoulder, which annoyed me at times, but I must admit that it made me think about the racism (subtle and otherwise) that still exists in America. If you look at reading this book as an educational experience, Alcorn's forays into history and politics, and his occasional sermonizing won't be so distracting. I'm grateful for the things it opened my eyes to, but I think the "Reader's Digest Condensed Version" would be a better read.

I love to read christian fiction and having never heard of Randy Alcorn, I decided to pick it up and read the cover. It intrigued me and I went on to buy it. While reading this book I kept telling everyone about this "great new black christian author". I was so very surprised to find out that Randy Alcorn was not black. He captured the life and trials of the African-American experience so well. It was so real for me that I felt everything the characters were feeling. The portholes of heaven were great in imagining all those gone on before us that are now "so great a cloud of witnesses".

This is the second book that I have read by Randy Alcorn. As was the case with his first book, And Eternity, I could not put it down. The book focuses on racial and spiritual matters. It challenged me rethink my outlook on racial issues and concerns. The author provided characters who were real and alive. The characters are actively seeking out truth and justice for their community. Christian beliefs and principles are questioned and brought into focus for the reader. Mr. Alcorn has the ability to demonstrate his Christian beliefs and show his love for Jesus. I recommend this book highly.

I love Francine River's writing style, she is a great author! I would recommend this book, but, personally, I would have written a different ending. But, this story is realistic and the characters have a fantastic depth to them. Sierra was a lovable character, and her husband made me want to wring his cheating neck! Also, Mary Kathryn was a nice addition to this book, but I found myself looking forward to going back to Sierra's side of the story. A fantastic read, my compliments to Ms. Rivers for being able to write such good Christian fiction!

With the exception of the Atonement Child, I really like Francine Rivers books, including the Scarlet Thread. This is the story of the marriage, and its disintegration, of Sierra and Alex Madrid. It tells of their troublesome beginning, resulting joy and then marital stress as Alex decides to move the family without consulting Sierra. The move brings more issues they fight over, bringing them in a downward spiral of anger and resentment until they finally get a divorce.

However, it is during this, the end of Sierra's rope, that she comes to know God and begins to make changes, starting with herself. In this way she is able to attain forgiveness, towards many people, not just her ex-husband, and finally regain peace. This begins to have a positive affect on those around her.

This was a really good book but quite intense. I almost wished I hadn't read it until after I was already married b/c it did make me very nervous about marriage. But the real message of the story is not about betrayal but about forgiveness and hope. There are so many lessons that can be pulled from this book, like most of Rivers books. Learning to cooperate, to lean on God, to love everyone and to recognize that everyone is suffering in some way so you should try to help as many as you can. I recommend this book unless you're already commitment-phobic in which case you might want to hold off for a while. :)

I found this book enthralling. The characters were so real, I could feel myself getting emotionally wrapped up in their lives and struggles. This author managed to weave two women's lives together via a journal, each woman from different times, yet each fighting for a belief in God. The quilt hanging on Sierra's wall and the journal kept by her ancestor brought the two women together as their lives seemed to spiral out of control. And, then they found God and inner peace and Sierra found the ability to look within herself and see that she wasn't perfect and that sin is sin, no matter the deed. It's all the same. And, Francine is not afraid to write about the truth in her novels; I've read many. I'm an inspirational author myself, Kelly R. Stevens, and I've penned eight novels, three of which are available at Amazon.com or American Bookstands. And, I struggle to accomplish the same things in my novels, the truth, good or bad, and real life struggles that hit us all. You can read my take on Christianity and writing at the site of my book, Song of the Cimarron. Francine Rivers is inspiring as an inspirational author and I'm honored to call myself a "Sister Author" with Francine for Christ. Keep up the good work, Francine. I'll be reading more as I highly recommend this talented author!

Let me start of by saying "I am an Ann Rule Fan Club Member." But this book would have been a better book had someone else written the story. For such a dramatic and action packed drama, little of those emotions came through in this story. What bothered me most about this book was the incredible amount of information that I had to wade through to get to the real story. Certain parts of the book go on and on about events from character's lives who are not a significant part of the story. I'm no expert, but I believe if a good editor would have gone through the book and cut out all of which wasn't necessary to the story then it would have been a better book. I can normally read a good true crime book in 1-5 days, but this one took me forever and I found myself skipping pages. And I hate to skip pages in a book I paid good money for.

Ann Rule's coverage of this story is out-standing!! My best friend is Cheryl's step sister and she suggested that I read this book. I couldn't believe that this monster grew up and went to school across the street from my grandmothers house. My own father remembers knowing this guy and it's truely shocking when you realize that this is someone who is somehow connected to you in a round about way. The book is so enticing! It makes you sad,angry,curious,terrified and so much more. I appreciate the people who would not let this man get away with what he did. Kudo's to our legal system and the men and women who fought for justice. Ann Rule is a wonderful Author who's books capture the truth and feeling in the stories that she writes about. Any book by her is worth reading over and over and over again.

This book was one of the first true-crime novels I ever read. I picked it up at an airport (another reviewer mentioned the same thing - must be the thing to do) because it took place in Oregon. I was fascinated (and horrified) by the fact that these crimes took place in locales I drove by every day. It was like a car accident - I couldn't look away, hideous as it was, knowing that this man lived and killed in my beloved city.

Ann Rule has a way with criminal stories - making them accessible to the average reader but including all the details fit to lure in those more familiar with the genre. She includes plenty of backstory and it's obvious she has spent countless hours interviewing and observing key players. I've added more of her books to my wish list.

[An aside: Does Ms. Rule do a lot more writing of true-crime in the Pacific Northwest than in other areas or is it just location-bias on my part? If so, why? Does she like the area or does the PNW have a lot more murders and serial killings? Just a simple observation...]