I spent four years on the Western Slope of Colorado involved in one way or another with some of the wonderful literary talent in the area. If there is one thing I learned it was that when Western Reflection Publishing Company of Ouray, Colorado published a book it was usually worth looking at. This one is no exception. In fact, the reader of this book gets not only a well-edited book but one written by a highly talented Western slope author: kind of a two for one deal. Glen Hinshaw spent thirty-four years as a Colorado wildlife officer specializing in the San Juan Mountains and southwestern Colorado. For most of this time he was "on the ground" working out of Creede, CO. to preserve and protect the wildlife heritage that most people associate with Colorado and too many take for granted. Crusaders for Wildlife is a highly readable history of the near demise of many of Colorado's wild animals just a hundred years ago and the mostly unknown efforts of a band of dedicated crusaders that toiled to preserve and return the wildlife heritage for generations to come. This is not your usual history book. It is better. To be sure, there is an abundance of well-researched, well-written histories of the fish and game that make the San Juan Mountains truly a national treasure. You will learn of the stewardship of the land and wildlife by the Ute Indians and exploitation by early settlers. You will learn some of the complex issues that confront wildlife officers as they struggle to balance the needs of wildlife with the changing demands and expectations of a growing populace. The effects of logging, grazing, and roads on wildlife is examined in a balanced manner and the age-old question of the possibility of Grizzlies in the San Juan's is addressed. You will also learn about Whirling disease which is threatening Colorado's legendary fishing reputation and the reasons behind setting limits on Elk and Deer kills. Yes, its all here. If you are a hunter, fisher or simply have had the opportunity to visit the incomparable San Juan Mountains and want to know about the history of the game and fish in the area, this is the book for you. Hinshaw has a knack of writing in such a manner that you feel you are riding along side of him as he patrols the mountains he so obviously loves. It's like sitting at home with an old friend visiting about wildlife and mountains and other memories that matter. We are indebted to Hinshaw for a superb, readable history of an area truly blessed to have attracted the attention of these Crusaders for Wildlife. This one is worth the reader's time.

Reaching back centuries and moving forward to the present day, Bryant's text details the development of the Southwestern cultural scene in an immensely readable fashion. The enormous impact of women, both as contributors and as patrons, in the building of and continued growth of the arts throughout Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona and California, receives particular attention. An informative and highly enjoyable book!

There has been a rush on new books about desert gardening lately, but most of them don't contain the secrets required to be successful. A Desert Gardener's Companion provides practical, only-learned-through-experience knowledge. In the manner of a confidante, it relays the intimate wisdom gained from a close, day-by-day relationship with a garden in the desert climate. With ecological explanations of why things happen, the suggestive advice makes good sense. This book could only have been written by a Master Gardener with a real love for their garden and the earth.

We camped for a week in the Davis Mountains in west Texas in a section of the Chihuahuan desert last summer. This was not our first desert experience - we have hiked and camped across much of the Southwest over the last twenty years or so. This was an unplanned trip as we were headed toward southern Colorado, but we became fascinated by the Chihuahuan desert and somehow we never drove any further.

We were similarly quite lucky to find a copy of the first edition of Peggy Larson's Sierra Guidebook in a bookstore in Alpine, Texas. She presents the deserts of the American southwest (and northern Mexico) in a literate and educated fashion. She manages to discuss individual plants and animals in some detail while painting a large scale, beautiful portrait of the four major deserts of North America. Detailed ink drawings - landscape, geology, plants, and animals - are scattered throughout the narrative and add considerable value. She knows her subject and shares her knowledge in an intriguing fashion. She effectively uses scientific names of desert plants and animals interchangeably with common (but less unique) names without intimidating the reader. This is not a novel and it is quite possible to skip to selected chapters of personal interest, but I highly recommend exploring all chapters, all topics. Peggy Larson's style is really quite good.

If you are already familiar with the American deserts, you will find "The Deserts of the Southwest" a rewarding visit with an old friend. If you are somewhat new to the deserts and possibly have only sampled the deserts from a highway perspective, I suspect that after reading Peggy Larson's book you will likely change your travel plans to include a personal visit to an American desert.

This is an excellent book for any collection. It is a wonderful collection of history and terrific recipes. Each recipe is a family tradition. Home cooking. Stories of Eisenhower and other Denison VIPs. Great railroad theme. Try the banana pudding recipe its the best and easiest!

I've eaten at the Dove's Nest twice. Each time I tried something new, from the appetizer to the dessert. I bought the recipe book on the second visit. I've cooked several dinners from it, as have my mom and sister-in-law. We all have had rave reviews on the outcome. Some recipes are quick and delicious, others are more complicated and elegant. Overall, it was a great purchase.

Most books from the Ivory Tower about community organizers tend to leave out the human side of things. Instead, Warren makes such efforts come alive on a human level. Not only does he capture the challenges the group faces, he captures the story. He lets the organizers speak directly to the reader. As more and more of the nation's big cities become "majority minority," we will need books like this one that address head-on thorny issues of cross-racial cooperation. Bottom line: it's a very entertaining read.

GREAT. Wish there were more books like this out ther

As American regional cuisines go, Southern and "Mexican" are my two favorites. And while I found the Sterns' "Blue Willow Inn Cookbook" somewhat disappointing (not their fault, I think), this trip to Tucson was much more satisfying. Not Tex-Mex or New Mexico-Mexican, the Sterns classify El Charro Café as "Tucson-Mexican," a fascinating and unique blend that makes this "Roadfood Cookbook" well worth the vicarious trip.

Part of the advantage here is that the charro culture celebrated at El Charro Café is much more foreign to most Americans than is the Southern comfort food of the Blue Willow Inn. A good percentage of the value of this book is in introducing that culture to the wider reading public (who knew there was so much history and significance behind the stereotypical black outfits generally associated with mariachi bands?). But there's a lot of value in the delicious-sounding recipes too. Far from the "fried and covered in cheese" nature of "Mexican food" as it's often presented to us, these menu items are varied, colorful, and generally pretty healthy.

So hit the road again, Stern fans. Grab a tostada grande and a glass of sangria, and let our favorite foodie writers take us on another culinary adventure.