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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Dallas", sorted by average review score:

Home To Eden
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Harlequin (September, 1997)
Author: Dallas Schulze
Average review score:

I gave this one star because there was no zero star category
I have previously read books by Dallas Schulze and have enjoyed them immensely. However, this book about a man who is trashy enough to have sex with his brother's fiance and a woman who is trashy enough to have sex with her fiance's brother, is NOT a book I could enjoy. The unbelievable excuse for their willingness to cheat was the "unforgettable" one night stand they had five years ago, when neither bothered to even get the other's name. I will not be reading any more books by Ms. Schulze.

Good, quick romantic read
This was a pretty good book from Dallas Schulze. I enjoyed it, although it was fairly predictable, and some characters were introduced who didn't really seem to serve a purpose. Nick and Kate were both very appealing characters, which made you more forgiving of the pain they caused another person.

A fine offering for fans of Dallas Schulze
After burying his wife and newborn child, Nick Blackthorne flees his hometown of Eden, California in a futile effort to escape his ghosts. He travels cross country and settles in new York City as a stock broker. Five years later, an old friend calls Nick, asking him to return home to help sell his house. Reluctantly, Nick knows that it is time to truly bury the past and return to his home town.

Kate Moran believes that she has finally attained everything she wants out of life. She runs a local nursery and is engaged to marry Nick's dependable brother Gareth. Gareth is the ideal person as far as Kate is concerned because, unlike her wandering dad, he wants to stay in one place and raise a family. Everything seems perfect until Nick arrives. Neither want to hurt Gareth, but both are strongly attracted to each other. No matter the outcome, someone will be hurt though no one truly deserves the pain.

Through several intriguing sub-plots, Dallas Schulze pumps oxygen into what could have been a trite story line, falling in love with your fiancee's sibling. The characters making up the triangle are all believable and nice, causing some difficulty for readers because it is easier to hate the guy who loses the girl. With no villains to deserve what they get, the story itself seems truer to life and a bit different than readers normally find with this plot device. Reminiscent of the Doris Day-Rock Hudson-Tony Randall triangles of the fifties, HOME TO EDEN is a well written contemporary romance that should thrill fans of Ms. Schulze.

Harriet Klausner


Hospitality and Tourism Careers: A Blueprint for Success
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall (16 July, 1997)
Authors: Carl Riegel and Melissa Dallas
Average review score:

If you're in college and clueless get it... otherwise...
This book had no information that I could not have written myself and I know very little....This book may find a good home in a college career center. It gives information like, "Find a good roommate" - ??? Which means very little to those of us who are out of school, married and/or in the midst of our lives with no intention of finding a roommate. Not even sure how that relates to the career....

I want review this book, because I need a text like it
Subject Tourism, Hospitality, Trave


The Ice Bowl: The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys Season of 1967
Published in Hardcover by Donald I Fine (October, 1997)
Author: Mike Shropshire
Average review score:

The Ice Bowl and other unrelated incidents
Basically a good account of the seasons of the Packers and the Cowboys leading up to the 1967 NFL Championship Game. However the author throws in a lot of unrelated information that appears to filler material. It was if the author decided that the 1967 season and the "Ice Bowl" would not be enough material for a book. That is not the case because the author focuses on the recollections of a few key players. There were many other players, fans, coaches, sportcasters that the author did not consult, or referenced with little detail. For example, he notes that Don Meredith complained about the game not being a fair test of football because of the weather. He could have noted that Meredith also stated that the icy field took away ninety percent of the Cowboys offense (Dallas Times Herald) You hear a lot from Pete Gent, but nothing from other more notable figures. He also uses stereotypes to describe the cities of Dallas and Green Bay. In his description, Dallas was a place full of ultra right-wing millionaires rolling in their own money and Green Bay was a place where people live wretched lives only brightened by their beloved Packers. The author often uses awkward references to events like the Vietnam War to start his chapters. It was like he was couldn't decide whether to write a football book or a David Halberstam-like account of the era. He should have stuck to football.

Needs to get the facts right
Mike Shropshire needs to do a better job doing his homework! On p. 37 he notes Tony Canadeo as the Packer president in 1967. Canadeo never was. Dominic Oleniczyk was from 1958 through 1982. Name mispellings, such as referring to Packer OT Bob Skoronski as "Skronski" (p. 46) hurt the author's credibility. He refers to "St. Thomas Hospital" on Webster St. in Green Bay on p. 6. I am sure he meant to refer to it as either Bellin or St. Vincent, which are the only two hospitals on that street. He also listed the "Tropic" (actually "Tropics") on p. 81 as a common Packer haunt in the '60s. This was a strip joint in town at the time. Did the editors care enough to check out facts before this book went to print?

Author trashes the present-day Cowboys in first chapter and paints Green Bay as a town full of drunken slobs as he searches for a bar to watch the Super Bowl.

Slow developing, but still worth a read for those fans interested in the glorious '60s. I just wish the author would have done a little more research when compiling the facts.


Lover Man
Published in Hardcover by MacMillan Publishing Company (July, 1987)
Author: Dallas Murphy
Average review score:

Hooky and a bit quirky
Lover Man was the sort of book I wanted to like very much- and in fact I am going to read the rest of the series to see if it picks up. The mystery itself is a bit cliched, the humor sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

Artie Deemer is an interesting character and I did want to see him interacting with his world. The jazz and WWII elements which form the basis of his character and that of the book are part of the charm but aren't quite fully integrated- (and are fundamental to both the plot and solving the mystery) and one of the reasons I kept reading was because I hoped they would be. As it is, the elements form the basis of both Deemer's character and the plot without quite bringing a retro feel or an integration into the current time. References to various WWII planes, missions and flying pepper the novel- this is supposed to unite the past and present (who but the son of WWII pilot who died when the son was six months old would be obsessed enough to follow the path the murder victim set him on?)
and almost does.

It's a mystery that's almost but not quite there. Worth a read because it definitely has moments. There is some worthwhile dialogue, characterization and the writing is fine. A character and world with potential.

Mostly cliche but the dog is great
Artie Deemer, jazz afficiando, lives off the commercials featuring his dog, Jellyroll. That's the most original thing in the book which is otherwise filled with cliche New Yorkers - mafia heavies, artistic types and such. I bought the book because a reviewer said it was funny. While it isn't glum, I'll take a Janet Evanovich any day for more laughs than this book. Bottom line -- an ok read if you happen upon it, but don't go out of your way to chase it down.


Sherlock Holmes in Dallas
Published in Hardcover by Dodd Mead (September, 1980)
Author: Edmund S. Ions
Average review score:

Terrible ! But amusing reading if not taken seriously
As a devoted fan of the "canon" of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, I thought "Sherlock Holmes in Dallas" was terrible. It might well be sub-titled "Holmes and Watson Read The Warren Report To Each Other.". The most ridiculous parts are the slanderous chapters about Dallas. Dallas isn't a perfect place, but it's certainly not a place "whose very atmosphere seemed to breathe some menace." It is obvious Mr.Ions was not acquainted with the Oak Cliff section of Dallas where Oswald's rooming house was located, for he mentions the "liquor stores" on the
"drab, suburban streets"......Oak Cliff has been "dry" forever !
I think the book is best summed up with Holmes statement.....
"I said at the outset that I would not be able to solve this, my last case, and I confess a sense of failure." There are a few good chapters, but not really in the best of the Holmes pastiches. Finally, Holmes remarks, "I feel old, Watson...."
No wonder.....if still alive, he would have been 109 years old in 1963. The best that can be said about the book is that it makes for amusing reading if one does not take it too seriously.However, in all fairness, you must credit Mr. Ions with a scholarly reading of the Warren Report and the book can be considered a very good "Reader's Digest" type report for quick reference without resorting to one's reading of all the 26 volumes of that report.

serious scholarship presented in readable format
This book presents a scholarly analysis of the events surrounding the JFK assassination, in a readable format--while faithfully capturing the essence of interplay between Holmes and Watson as they might bring their analytical prowess to bear on this historical puzzle. After seeing the movie JFK, I had the distinct impression that someone within the Oliver Stone company had been influenced by this book. This is an ideal book to take to the beach or cottage on a short vacation.


When the Vows Break: Living Through Separation and Divorce
Published in Paperback by Maria Cost & Assocs (October, 1996)
Authors: Maria Costa, Mariarosa Dalla Costa, and Rob Grogan
Average review score:

There are better books out there!
This book lacked content! The author takes a very "ho-hum" approach to divorce and does NOT address the pain of being left, leaving, or divorcing. I felt she spent much of the book stroking her own ego!

A great book for explaining your emotional roller coaster.
This book has helped me tremendously in dealing with the emotional roller coster of divorce. His references to the Bible's teaching on the subject are well researched and clearly presented. Anyone who is in the process of a divorce, recently divorced, or even threatened with divorce should read this book.


The Dallas Deception: A Jack Kyle Mystery
Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (July, 1992)
Author: Richard Abshire
Average review score:

Some deception, but mostly aggravated lying!
Old style detective writing with some "generation X" characters. Jack is tasked with helping out a friend. This favor for a friend leads Jack to dirty sex, drugs, violence, lies, murder, conspiracy, manipulation, double-cross, an Asian gang, revenge, cyperspace, and a measure of probity. How Jack prevails over it is interesting and fun. Sort of a cross between James Rockford and an Elmore Leonard (maybe "Get Shorty") character. I enjoyed the fast pace which reminded me of a "Spencer" novel. Unlike Spencer and perhaps more like Rockford, Jack is broke and doesn't have a love life, but this does not keep Richard Abshire from giving us a manifest sexual subject-matter.


The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (Dallas Forth Worth and the Metroplex)
Published in Paperback by Gulf Publishing (March, 1999)
Authors: Robert R. Rafferty, Loys Reynolds, and Bonnie Gangelhoff
Average review score:

A basic overview
This is a good starting point for someone who is planning a Dallas/Fort Worth trip. It includes info on the surrounding suburbs as well. The lodging section is lacking; room quality is seldom mentioned, and the information given is no more helpful than the hotel brochures. This is a "just the facts" guide; no author's opinions or insider tips.However,there are good maps and getting around hints.


Darwinism: Science or Philosophy?
Published in Hardcover by Foundation for Thought & Ethics (July, 1994)
Authors: Jon Buell, Virginia Hearn, Foundation for Thought and Ethics, Dallas Christian Leadership, C.S. Lewis Fellowship, and Scientific Inference or Philosophical Preference Symposium Darwinism
Average review score:

collection of essays from symposium on ID
_Darwinism: Science or Philosophy?_

This is a collection of 25 essays in 13 questions with a thesis-rebuttal type of structure. The symposium that gave rise to the book had as a theme:

Darwinism and neo-darwinism as generally held and taught in our society carry with them an a priori commitment to metaphysical naturalism, which is essential to make a convincing case on their behalf."
quoted on pg 177

I classify the book as Intelligent Design (ID) despite the fact that about 1/2 the essays are rebuttals to the position, not it's support. The book is better than average in the quality of the writing and the authors presented. It is however specific enough that it is not a general work on the creation-evolution-design (CED) debate but rather an interesting contribution to a small facet of the field. That being said i sought out the book because it's topic sentence is my current interest in a self-directed study of the CED field. I was glad to have found 2 lines of thought in the book, those i would like to concentrate on now.

The first is the essay, "Radical Intersubjectivity: Why Naturalism is an assumption necessary for doing Science" by Frederick Grinnell, section *. It is simply a very concise introduction to the public nature of science and "Only naturalistic explanations can become part of science because of the way in which scientific discoveries become credible." pg 100. And "Individual scientists make discoveries; scientific communities make discoveries credible. That is, credibility is embedded in the social structure of science." I have struggled in vain for several weeks trying to reach this idea and i am indebted for the simple and persuasive way the he makes it. To be persuaded, to be convinced, to yield author to, these are all ideas the circulate within an ideology, any social organization. Some like governments, military or perhaps in families yield simply "i told you so, therefore do it!". Others especially voluntary organizations which rely on the consent of the members are much more subtile in their demands so not to estrange potential converts. But science is as an institution, extraordinarily multi-cultural and multi-national. As such the recruitment and education of potential members is extremely important, just look at the complex of universities, research institutions both governmental and private which encircle our globe. An institution and an ideology like science based in large part on a radical skeptism and provisionalness that disturbs many people has developed an extraordinary way of accepting and confirming individual discoveries. In particular, the community makes new ideas credible not just by reproducing and disseminating these new discoveries but by incorporating them into the structure of the communities thinking. The object is to modify and incorporate long standing ideas with the new in a systematic way that will minimize errors getting by the process to become conventional scientific wisdom. Certainly the bar is very high, and stops good, true ideas sometimes, we only have to look at the currents ideas about ulcers and compare them to a medical textbook of 10 years ago to see this point.

The second set of essays i found particularly valuable was chapter 11 "X Does not Entail Y: the Rhetorical Uses of Conflating levels of logic" by Arthur M Shapiro. "Here is argument in a nutshell: biological evolution (darwinism, neo-Darwinism) entails no particular position on the ultimate orgins of either life or the universe. Evolution is a subject studied by the methods of science. To conduct scientific investigation per se entails no claim to intellectual hegemony or ontological priority over other potential 'ways of knowing.' The contrary claims, implicit or explicit in the arguments of both theists and atheists, flow from a conflation of evolution with evolutionism or of science with scientism(or postiivism, or materialism, or some other ism). The conflation may be pertinent to discussions of human affairs and society but at the same time is obfuscatory and logically invalid, as conflation by definition is." pg 159
This is the major point of ID that science is wrongfully dismissing a Designer from the start of its investigations. Shapiro argues convincingly that this is not the case, but rather simply part of doing science. He rightfully blames the current debate on a confusion of levels of discourse, confusing science with philosophy of science, or science as tool with scientism as epistemology.

It's a nice readable book, aimed at a small audience not the general public with an interest in the CED field. Generally well documented so it can become an entry point into further study on the particulars of the discussion. Worth a breeze through the table of contents if you are interested in the issues.


Donovan's Promise (Intimate Moments, No 247)
Published in Paperback by Harlequin (July, 1988)
Author: Dallas Schulze
Average review score:

Intense and realistic.
After 18 years of marriage and a child conceived before marriage, Elizabeth Sinclair wanted a divorce. She feels lost, unhappy. Donovan Sinclair has been so involved with his work that he seems a stranger to Beth. Once they separate, Beth can't seem to trust Donovan or herself to reunite.

Beth is somewhat selfish, but her friends call her on it and she tries to get past it. The teenage marriage explains her need for freedom and the taste of another life. A bit abrupt in the ending.


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