This book is not for everyone, but the poetry is of such power and grace that it brings me to tears. Alta writes of the pain and joy of being a sensitive, tough woman of color, and brings her varied experiences to life even for those of us who read twenty years later from a distanced intellectual posture. I recommend this book highly.

Roger paints with words Norman Rockwell's America. We can look at his beloved Nebraska through the eyes of those who faced the extreme conditions of plains life. The wry and often outrageous stories, poetry and songs bring us back to a simpler but not easier day. Roger reminds us that the American spirit is strong and resilient as well as creative. Thank you Roger for taking the time to be pleasant.

The Stories Of Juana Briones is a rendition of a California pioneer, a citizen of Spain, Mexico, and the United States. She was unique in that, unlike most other women of the era, she owned land when California became part of America and many other Hispanic families lost their land. Juana Briones contested the loss of the family estate, took her case to the United States Supreme Court, and won -- even though she could not read or write. Her amazing life story, told through her own eyes as if to her grandchildren, makes for a powerful narrative of a positive role model, highly recommended especially for young readers ages 8 to 11.

Book Information: Printed by Friesen & Sons, Ltd. Alberta, Canada 1974. This is an oversized book of 549 pages prepared by the Claresholm History Book Club. The club was organized with idea of publishing history (rural and urban) of Claresholm, Alberta, Canada. It covers early history of the area, local groups, cemeteries, churches, schools and family histories. The book has hundreds of family histories and many many pictures. Best of all the histories are indexed!
A limited number of these local history books were published and so are difficult to find. An excellent value!

Jane Yolen has created a world and a story reminiscent of some old celtic myth. In fact you may wonder as you read whether or not there exists somewhere a legend much like this one sometime in our own world's past. The story centers around a central character named White Jenna who is raised by a community of women warriors similar to the Amazons. White Jenna is prophecied of and will reunite the (Sisters) with the world. She will bring change that some Sisters embrace and some resist to the bitter end. White Jenna is rescued as a baby in the forest and raised by a Light and Dark Sister. If you want to know what a light and dark sister are you'll have to read the book. Jane Yolen explains that concept much better than I can. The first part of the book is about the early life of White Jenna and her friends growing up in the community of sisters. The book really takes off after all this when Jenna and her friends have to go out on their missions. This is similar to young american indians going out into the wild and proving their manhood, having visions, and getting their spirit names. Alot of the happenings in this book parallel legends and myths from many sources. Once Jenna sets out on her mission things start to happen and the pace of the story really takes off and seldom slows until the end. Oh but don't worry about the ending. The ending is very satisfying and unlike many books, appropriate. This book has romance, fight scenes, adventure, war, fantasy, myth, quests, and all the elements one looks for in a really great fantasy. I was enchanted and spellbound as I sacrificed sleep to find out what happens next. Jane Yolen writes mostly children's books and you get a sense of that by the way this book reads but don't let that fool you into thinking it was written for children only. This book is definitely for kids of all ages. Enjoy!

The Books of Great Alta, a compliation volume consisting of 'Sister Light, Sister Dark' and 'White Jenna', has just kept me up until 5:30 in the morning. I last read these books when they first came out, but have been reminded of them since and was delighted to find that both are still readily available. They are examples of Jane Yolen's brilliance as a storyteller and her profound skill as a maker of myths to rival any writer you care to name.

Part of Yolen's genius lies in her skillful weaving of reality and fantasy, the melding of myth and pseudo-history (with some quiet digs at modern historians along the way - but that's just an added extra) to form a convincing whole. The book is full of strong, memorable characters, most especially her central heroine, Jenna. Jenna is human enough both to want to be the Anna, the chosen one, and at the same time to want to reject that destiny. Fantasy and reality, blended and woven, but not like a piece of cloth, flat and two-dimensional - Jane's work is more like a fine basket, with height, width and depth, filled with brilliant writing and replete with original ideas that for all their newness still resonate at a deep level. Her concept of the dark sisters has introduced a new archetype to modern myth, and it is so powerful and rings so true that from this time forth we will wonder how we did not know it before.

These books belong on your shelf if the old songs are in your heart (and she provides the songs as well!) and if you have ever seen your dark sister in the mirror, only waiting to be called into being. Jane Yolen is a master of her art, and this is one of her many master-works. May you enjoy it as much as I have.

This book is one of the most haunting, intense and interesting with handfuls of humour thrown in, books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Ms. Yolen makes the reader actually believe in 'dark sisters', 'The Goddess Alta', 'Jenna' and several other characters and happenings of the story. I would recomend this book to anyone, young or old, male or female. I liked it so much, I took my on-line handle from my favorite character. (spelled slightly different in my case, however)

Wynn and Elizabeth Delaney's two adopted children are now grown, Henry serving as a Mountie, and Christine starting her adult life in the workforce. Both are forced to relocate miles away from the parents they love and the family life they miss.

This book parallels the lives of these two young people. For Henry, the memory of an earlier encounter with a young widow haunts him day and night...until he runs into her again in a most unusual circumstance. The girl re-enters his life under an alias. In spite of her constantly ignoring him, Henry is consumed with protecting her and becoming a father figure to her 5 yr. old son, Danny.

Christine, 18, is taking her first job and while living in one room at a boarding house receives an offer from her wealthy boss. He wants her to come live in his expensive, large home in exchange for cooking his dinners. She declines, but in the process meets her boss's son, Boyd. Boyd is a spoiled, wild, lazy, drinking, university student with a completely different set of values from Christine's. They eventually do become engaged, which holds the reader on pins and needles.

This book deals with family issues of the day, apparently just before a great war is to start. It takes place in Canada, and seems to be set just before WWI. Family trust and values are stressed, along with the empty nest of Elizabeth and Wynn. Strengths of this book are the religious and family values carried on by both grown adopted children.

I found it rather unusual for Oke to introduce for the first time, issues which deal with total control and spousal abuse, but she did so in a well-controlled way. Of extreme importance all through this book is family loyalty, family values and family devotion.

Per Oke, this is another book which holds ones attention and cries for a sequel.

I just finished reading Beyond the Gathering Storm. I could not put it down! If you loved Mrs. Oke's Canadian West series, you will more than enjoy Beyond the Gathering Storm. It is so refreshing to revisit the characters of Elizabeth and Wynn Delaney and the setting of the Canadian wilderness. Though Elizabeth and Wynn are only supporting characters, there is enough interaction with them that the reader knows that they still posess the same endearing qualities that they did in the Canadian West series. Now, instead of a young married couple, they are middle-aged parents.

Beyond the Gathering Storm focuses on the Delaney's two adopted children, Henry and Christine. Henry follows in his father's footsteps as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Though Henry had wanted to be a member of the RCMP since he was young, he now finds his duties difficult, especially when he is sent to inform a young lady that her logger husband has been killed. Five years later, when he is at a new post, he encounters the young lady again. Will the haunting memories that he has had of this lady finally be put to rest?

Christine leaves her family and the North for a job in the city. Though uncomfortable and lonely at first, she comes to accept city life and to accept the attentions of her boss's worldly son, Boyd. Will Christine's love be enough to help Boyd see the emptiness of his life and the need for the only Someone who can fill that emptiness?

Mrs. Oke is a very gifted writer, and her books are always heartwarming. Beyond the Gathering Storm is no exception. Through it she weaves a lovely story about a brother and sister, who use their faith and their family to help them deal with life's heartaches. Besides the story, Mrs. Oke teaches her readers valuable lessons about prayer, about being "unequally yoked," and about being true to one's faith. The only disappointment I had with this book is that it took so long, after the last book in the Canadian West series, to be published.

It had been some time since I had read the Canadian West Series, but this book brought most of it back for me. It's not really necessary to have read the series if you don't have a desire to. Janette Oke did a wonderful job of writing this book so that background information from the series was not required in order to understand it. I throughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't hardly put it down. I don't remember when I have enjoyed a Janette Oke book so much. I highly reccommend this book.

One of the things that I so love about Donna Leon's books is that in addition to being terrific mysteries - they evoke all of the smells and tastes, and sights and sounds of this wonderful city. Having been to Venice I love to read about where Guido is sitting down for a coffee or a drink, and which alleys he crosses and which vapos he takes, and what he notices in the streets and canals because these things are all real! In this latest Guido Brunetti mystery Leon resurrects two protagonists from "Death at La Fenice", the diva soprano, Flavia Petrelli and her lesbian lover Brett Lynch (an American archeologist). Brett opens the door of Flavia's and her apartment to find a couple of thugs who tell her not to make a meeting with the director of a museum who recently showed some of her rare pieces of ancient pottery from China. Although Brett is hurt but not killed, the director is murdered before she can speak to him. Brunetti weaves his way through the alleys of Venice's hoodlum underground, finds himself in the home of one of the Venice's greatest art collectors (whose son is one of those hoodlums.... could there be a connection), and must reexamine the "accidental" death of Brett's young assistant while on a dig back in China. Of course it all comes together one night during the infamous high waters (when the full moon causes the monthly flooding of the narrow Venetian streets and plazas), hence the name of this particular mystery.

"Aqua Alta" is another splendid, can't-put-it-down engagement with Guido Brunetti. I despaired of reading any more of Donna Leon's fine prose and carefully crafted plots when notified last year that publication had been cancelled of a forthcoming book. Led by a note in another review, I checked out Amazon.co.uk, where I found "Death of Faith," "A Noble Radiance," and the book I just finished, "Fatal Remedies." Each is as good or better than its predecessor. I remain a dedicated fan. (Be aware, "The Anonymous Venetian" was published in the US with the title "Dressed for Death.") Also, some of Leon's works that are out-of-print in the US are available in the UK.

"Acqua Alta" is the fifth in Donna Leon's mesmerizing series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police and, as in the previous works, the author once again manages to capture not only the soul but the heart, literally, of modern day Venice. Reality lurks behind every page, it seems, of a Donna Leon novel, from the cold, creaking listings of ages-old buildings almost atop the famed canals to the musty, bone-chilling foggy days as the "high waters" begin to permeate the once Serene Republic's confines. And, of course, thre's a murder or two lurking around some hidden corner of some fourteenth-century palazzo and naturally, as in the other works, it is Brunetti's dedication, his loyalty, and above all else his honesty in seeking out the truth that eventually bring about the solution. Leon's conclusions, however, are not always the easiest, most convenient, or happiest, as she gallops away from the melodramatic and lets reality win again. She underscores the fact that there are evil people about and, yes, occasionally, they win. Sometimes, by the end of her books, not all the guilty are punished, but the cases are solved, nonetheless. To say Venice, or even Italy itself, is any more corrupt than any other place is not the question, but Leon, herself an American English teacher at the University of Maryland extension campus at the U.S. Army's Vicenza (Italy) post, has spent quite a number of years in Italy, speaks the language, and captures the nuances of the people and of their daily lives, it seems; indeed, quite an accomplishment for an outsider. "You don't want to keep Doctor Semenzato's appointment." With this warning, two men proceed to beat Brett Lynch within an inch of her life. Thus, the action really begins in this fast-paced book. We'd met Brett in the previous Leon book. Brett is a famed anthropologist (NOT an architect as the writer in a preceding review asserts) and is the lover of noted Italian soprano Flavia Petrelli; she is involved in an extensive dig in China where she has helped uncover a priceless "find." Enter the art thieves, murderers, and con men. Indeed, from this point, murder and mayhem do follow and Commissario Brunetti is quick to pick up the case, indeed, he is eager for it. For in the previous case, Flavia and Brett had both been chief suspects in the case. Since then, Guido has come to respect them both and, to some extent, even considers them friends. He is appalled at the brutality of the assault and fears for Brett's life. In the course of this investigation, more than one murder transpires, with art-world theft as the circulating theme. What has "high water" (Acqua Alta) to do with the book? Acqua alta is the dread of every Venezian, as climatic changes cause the water in the canals to rise above their normal levels and a city ordinarily accustomed to much water anyway finds itself literally being inundated by even more of it! Thus, like Sandburg's fog in Chicago, the water becomes another character, always looming, always rising, always threatening. But unlike Sandburg's fog, it doesn't creep in on little cat's feet. And it comes not to wash away the sins but to underscore them. The end comes with the usual "bang" and Brunetti is left to ponder the aftermath. His path of glory indeed leads but to the grave for his villains, as Thomas Gray might have written in his "Elegy." (Leon has pubished her latest--and seventh--Brunetti novel, "A Noble Radiance" which is not yet available in the States. I had the great fortune to buy a copy on a recent trip to London. It is another Brunetti worth waiting for!)

BUD AND ME is one of those books that hold you spellbound while all of the time you are saying to yourself "this can't be true"...and yet, there are the photos to prove the story. My uncle was the stepson of Jack Abernathy, the Oklahoma US Marshall whose sons, Temple and Bud, journeyed across the US on horses, elephants, donkeys, cars and motorcycles. I have heard these stories for years and I must admit took them with a grain of salt...until this book was published. Now I believe! Anyone, whatever their age, with a little bit of wanderlust in their soul will have a very difficult time putting this book down. Can you imagine two lads 5 and 9 (I think this is close to their ages)walking to school today, much less from ocean to ocean on horseback...alone? Read about it...and read it to your kids and grandkids. For them to repeat this feat today would be more than a little difficult. But it certainly can teach them a little self reliance and independence...which can't hurt them at all!

This is my second review of this book. I use to teach fourth grade and read the last edition to my students for Oklahoma. What a joy. We wrote to Alta Abernathy, the author, and she wrote back to us. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not, but would love to know. What a wonderful book. I now teach third grade and still read this wonderful book to my students. I blew the pictures up and made a map for each child to follow all those boys adventures. A must read for all children and adults who love adventure. Jeannie Scott

In today's culture, it is hard to imagine two boys accomplishing everything that Bud and Temple Abernathy did. But they did do some wonderful things, and along the way became young ambassadors for the Southwest in 1910. It is great reading if you are 8 or 80. The book also gives readers a concept of what life was like at the beginning of this century as times changed before their eyes with each mile. The boys meet representatives of the old ways (Chief Quannah Parker) and the new (The Wright Brothers.) Just to name a few. Very enjoyable reading just by yourself and/or a book that you will want to read over and over to your children.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading both of the printed works by this author, BATTLE ON! and HOW GOES THE BATTLE? . His collection of humorous short stories take us to where we 'used to be'... the rural upbringing we wish we had, or if we did, in these stories, we can see 'the loner up the road', the cousins we spent the summer with, or just wander up the path for memories of how life was. He has us spell bound, holding our breath, and then laughing within the space of a few pages.

The river Battle, which flows through each of these stories, could be any river or path in our lives, each story touching and unique.

The author has the ability to visually create people, that we are anxious to learn more about. We feel what they are experiencing, through the descriptive passages and catchy dialogue.

Every story, though standing alone, and easy reading, leads us to the next...and the next...never wanting the excursion to end always wondering what adventures the next individual will have to share with us.

Well worth the read !!

Great to see a book here I've actually read. "Battle On" was enjoyable to read. I like the format where you can read a story at a time and go back to it whenever you wish without having to finish the whole book at once. It's good if you enjoy hearing about the past, or rural areas. I find that interesting and if you like that kind of stuff the author tells it well. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes rural stories or isn't afraid to try something different. It's also important to remember to read the local Canadian and Alberta authors, not just the big names from the states.

The Blue Guide is the most exhaustive guide on art in Umbria I came across. Usually this fairly small - and touristically not yet overexploited - region is treated together with Tuscany and/or Le Marches. So if you really want to focus your trip only on Umbria and art is your main concern, this is the guide to take along.

It must be said that visually the guide has not much to offer : the lay-out is conservative and illustrations are kept to a minimum (no pictures, shaky pen drawings only).The city maps are very helpful.

The depth of information offered is however staggering - and to a certain extent misleading : even the most insignificant borough gets jubilant descriptions of frescoes, oil paintings, sculptures and other works of art that are on display. Often however the actual quality of the art collections shown a.o. in the local pinacothecas of the smaller hill villages is rather disappointing and not really worth the trip unless you are fanatically obsessed with medieval and early renaissance art and want to see every scrap that is available.

What is really lacking in these guides is a rating system that makes Michelin Guides so useful for planning excursions, because it would allow you to weigh more or less objectively the different options that are open to you. The Michelin Guide for Italy is however totally insufficient if you want to focus your visit exclusively on Umbria and want to see more than Assisi, Orvieto and Perugia.

The Blue Guide series focuses on art. If you are looking for hotels, shopping, restaurants, or for entertaining reading, rely on something else. If you're looking for history and art, both the well-known and the quietly tucked away, a list of hours and days open for musuems, holidays (often to be avoided!), as well as addresses of libraries and research institutions, the Blue Guides are for you. They cover almost every artwork in the various regions, and do so accurately. The books guide the reader systematically through churches and museums and include accurate floor plans. Towns are grouped into touring areas, as are neighborhoods in the large cities. Town maps, even for little places, are precise and plentiful. City maps are equally precise and inclusive, even for Venice and Siena,but they are split among several pages, which can make them a harder to follow --- a minor flaw. I use Blue Guides as a textbook for my college students, and I never go to Italy without at least one!

I just returned from a trip to Italy which included 4 days in Umbria and 8 days in Tuscany. I found the Blue Guides for both regions outstanding. Not surprisingly, both are quite worn (the best sign of a useful guidebook).

What makes this guidebook stand out is the incredible breadth of coverage of all tourist sites in Umbria. It is hard to believe that so much information is packed into such a small book. Each chapter represents a tour which covers either a town and its vicinity or a driving circuit. Within each tour, every conceivable tourist destination is identified, including small towns, churches, squares, public buildings, museums, archeological sites, etc. For significant museums and churches, the guide directs you through the works in a logical order. For the most part, individual works/objects are listed but not discussed, but notable works are identified with asterisks. Particularly remarkable works, such as Cathedrals and great fresco cycles, are discussed in more detail.

If you are interested in Italian art, architecture, and ancient history, then this book tells you where to find it in Umbria, and provides brief descriptions. The guidebook does not teach you the history of art and architecture in Umbria, nor should it. For this, you will need to do some additional reading.

Fine maps and a brief history are provided for each significant town. Parking advise is provided for most towns, and I strongly suggest you follow this advise. (I learned this the hard way.) Also pay close attention to the opening hours, which are quite accurate. The guide's hotel and restaurant recommendations seem quite good; they overlap significantly with the Michelin Red Guide and Frommers. Unfortunately, no descriptions or prices are provided, so most people will want another guidebook for this use. Some of the site closure information was out of date, but I expect this to be updated with the 2000 edition.