I think it was a mistake to bundle these two books together, even though they are the first two in a series of Montana mysteries featuring Gabriel Du Pré---and even though I saved money by not having to buy them separately. "Coyote Wind" is a definite 'five stars.' "Specimen Song" drops down to 'three stars.'

"Coyote Wind" is a darn near perfect specimen of a mixed-genre mystery cum western. Gabriel Du Pré is laconic, honorable, and wise to the ways of the Big Sky Country---a throwback to the noble cowboy-hero of Zane Grey's novels. He is a vulnerable hero, a Métis descendant of the French Voyageurs and Plains Indians. He has problems with his teenage daughter, who has shaved off part of her hair and dyed the rest of it a weird color. His mistress won't marry him because in the eyes of the Church, she is still married to the sleaze who deserted her many years past. He is plagued throughout the book by an alcoholic Métis prophet.

Du Pré's voice is unique, and perfect for this story. His dialogue is short, punchy, flicked with mordant barbs---an arrow in your heart when you are least expecting it. Two chapters into the book, found myself talking, thinking like Du Pré. Sounds like this:

"Du Pré knelt, looked, crossed himself. Some days he didn't believe in God, but he did believe in crossing himself.

"Maybe this let you sleep now," said Du Pré. He picked up the white skull, the color of the giant puffball mushrooms that came up in pastures in the wet years. The mushrooms were bigger, and startling in the green.

"'Now I got someone's head in my hands, I thinking on frying mushrooms,' Du Pré said aloud. 'Dumb bastard'."

The mystery of who killed whom in "Coyote Wind" is fairly easy to unravel once you get to know and care about the characters. It almost had to occur, considering the people involved. It becomes more important to see if Du Pré can help a friend stop drinking, rather than to figure out who murdered his friend's brother. As Du Pré keeps telling everyone who will listen: "I ain't a cop...I am a [brand inspector]."

Nevertheless, it is Du Pré who is tapped to solve a thirty-year-old murder. He goes about it in a style that is perfectly tuned to his character. Not a single false note from Du Pré or his fiddle.

"Coyote Wind" is a very satisfying read.

"Specimen Song" features the same cast of characters as its predecessor. However, their personalities are exaggerated to the point of disbelief. The Métis prophet performs magic tricks. Du Pré goes jaunting back and forth to Washington D.C. in his friend's private jet, after turning the brand inspection business over to his son-in-law. He also canoes through the Canadian taiga, following the river route of his Voyageur ancestors. All of this traveling is in search of a killer, but somehow Du Pré seems more blustery than heroic when he is removed from the land where he can read the turn of a leaf.

Or the body language of an enemy.

I very much hope that Du Pré returns to Big Sky Country in volume III.

If you enjoy character development, these are the stories for you. Gabriel Du Pre' and his cohorts are delightful---people you'd like to meet and spend time with---and you learn to know them as you get deeper into these novels. These are mystery stories written with a wonderful ear for dialogue and a wry take on life. Buy this book and enjoy these novels; you won't be disappointed.

"Coyote Wind" is a darn near perfect specimen of a mixed-genre mystery cum western. Gabriel Du Pré is laconic, honorable, and wise to the ways of the Big Sky Country---a throwback to the noble cowboy-hero of Zane Grey's novels. He is a vulnerable hero, a Métis descendant of the French Voyageurs and Plains Indians. He has problems with his teenage daughter, who has shaved off part of her hair and dyed the rest of it a weird color. His mistress won't marry him because in the eyes of the Church, she is still married to the sleaze who deserted her many years past. He is plagued throughout the book by an alcoholic Métis prophet.

Du Pré's voice is unique, and perfect for this story. His dialogue is short, punchy, flicked with mordant barbs---an arrow in your eye when you are least expecting it. Two chapters into the book, found myself talking, thinking like Du Pré.

The mystery of who killed whom in "Coyote Wind" is fairly easy to unravel once you get to know and care about the characters. It almost had to occur, considering the people involved. It becomes more important to see if Du Pré can help a friend stop drinking, rather than to figure out who murdered his friend's brother. As Du Pré keeps telling everyone who will listen: "I ain't a cop...I am a [brand inspector]."

Nevertheless, it is Du Pré who is tapped to solve a thirty-year-old murder. He goes about it in a style that is perfectly tuned to his character. Not a single false note from Du Pré or his fiddle.

"Coyote Wind" is a very satisfying read.

I'm hooked, Peter Bowen has made the characters real for me, he's given them life. He shares his knowledge of what it is like to live in rural Montana, the lifestyle, the love of the land, the selfish way the locals take care of their own and the country.

For those who want to compliment their interior and prayer life with spiritual reflections that incorporate both the ancient teachings of the Church, especially Thomism, and the modern mysticism of the Carmelite theology will find this tome a treasure for daily use before, after, or during Mass, the Divine Office, and/or other spiritual activities. I've used the two-part reading and prayerful meditation assigned for each day with the Liturgy of the Hours to great avail. Even though some of the reflections and meditations no longer correspond to the scriptural readings assigned by Lectionary after Vatican II (this applies only to Sunday lections), the reflections are wholly self-contained and no less relevant. This book would be an excellent addition to any Christian desiring to deepen one's faith and pair it with the works of faith.

This book is a treasure. The full title is "Divine Intimacy: meditations on the interior life for every day of the liturgical year" and the author is Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., an Italian Carmelite priest. This version corresponds to the traditional Mass and was written in the early 50s. Apparently there's a newer version which corresponds to the New Mass, also available from Amazon.com, although I'm not familiar with this revision.

For those who are serious about really getting to know God (and I don't mean in a purely intellectual sense) this is the book for you. As the title says, there are meditations for every day of the liturgical year. The first part deals with the Temporal cycle and the second part has the major feasts and holy days (e.g., the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Heart, etc.)

The real genius of this book is the way the author penetrates to the heart of each Sunday and feast day using quotations from the popes, doctors of the Church, saints and blesseds. The author being a Carmelite, he definitely favors the saints of that order, like St. Theresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of the Infant Jesus and the Holy Face, etc., but there are many wonderful quotes from other giants like St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, the Curé of Ars and many more.

Each day's reading begins with a one sentence prayer under the heading "Presence of God", which is designed, as it suggests, to bring your mind and heart into the presence of the One with Whom you are about to commune. Next is the "Meditation" section, which is divided into two parts. The meditations for the Sundays and Holy Days are based on the readings from the Liturgy of that day. The Meditations throughout the week usually continue the theme of the Sunday and/or the particular liturgical season (Advent, Lent, Pascaltide, etc.)

As you go through the book, the author guides you one by one to the consideration of the Virtues, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. and gives you reflections which lead you to make a greater and more detailed examination of conscience. Don't lose heart! It can be daunting when you first start using this book. You are tempted to give up, thinking that there is no way you could measure up to the standards so beautifully expressed by the author and the spiritual masters he quotes. It's essential to remember that the author is outlining and bringing into ever sharper focus the goal, which ultimately, is Jesus Christ. Saints are not made in a day! Persevere, as the author continually reminds us, and the reward will be great. Finally, at the end of each entry is a "colloquy" or prayer, which is almost entirely made up of prayers of one or more of the saints whose writings were quoted in the meditation. These are often astonishing in their beauty and depth.

Another great thing about this book is that it avoids the excessive negativity of some books of meditation. Although stern reminders and warnings are not absent, and are very helpful, the emphasis here is on the love of the Holy Trinity and preparing ourselves to spend Eternity with Him by coming as close to Him as we can here below, recognizing our own radical insufficiency and relying entirely on His Mercy, Grace and Love to draw us up to Him.

It's important to remember that these readings should not take the place of meditation or prayer but should be used as a springboard for it. It may even be beneficial to contemplate part one in the morning and part two in the evening. Nevertheless, if you find you don't have time, at least continue to read the entries (often we think that but when we look at what we do, we realize we clutter our days with things far less important). It's always possible to come back in your mind to these reflections throughout the day - on a break, on the way to or from work, whenever. Ideally we should devote some time each day (at least 15 mins.) to reflection where there as few outside distractions as possible but it's still better to have several brief moments of contemplation than nothing at all. Don't allow your perfectionism to get in the way. Thinking about and conversing with God is the main thing and this can and should be done many times throughout the day, even if you can't spend 30 minutes or an hour continuously, although this would of course be the ideal.

After each quotation, the author and source are given in abbreviated form. There's a key at the front to tell you what the abbreviations stand for. For example it might say "TCJ, St 6" which means Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Story of a Soul, chapter 6. You will frequently find yourself wanting more and this is a good way to find excellent books for your spiritual reading.

In short I can't recommend this book highly enough! If you're serious about improving your interior life and walk with Our Lord, you could not do much better than to start here.

This is a love story. Yes. It describes with colorful and beautiful words a city that once was the center of the Spanish conquest, with Viceroys and nobility. Cartagena at the turn of the century, is only a shadow of this glorious past. But what makes this book unforgettable is the way you can see word by word, that the power of love is nothing without the element of destiny. A magnificent river, luxurious river ships, alligators sunbathing on the river banks, balloon rides and horse carriages. A fantastic story about all things long gone.

I read somewhere that the admirers of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (a novel that brought the Nobel Prize for Garcia in 1982) would be surprised to know that Gabriel Garcia Marquez has bettered it in the form of "Love in the Time of Cholera". Well, although I found the latter half of it a little cloggy, I was a great admirer of One Hundred Years of Solitude. But after reading Love in the Time of Cholera, I think it's not fair to compare as different works of fiction as these two novels are, and it won't do any good to Garcia as well.

The only thing common to these two novels, however, is the prose of Garcia. He weaves, with the dexterity of a master craftsman, small characters and trifle incidents into the vast fabric of the novels. Effortlessly moving from character to character and incident to incident, he provides small pegs and footholds to the reader so that he could ascend, like a rock-climber, to his colossal literary monuments. This is especially true for Love in the Time of Cholera, where the reader is provided with a spectacular finale and one feels indeed like setting foot at the summit of Mount Everest after reading the novel. This is by far the best ending of a novel that I have read so far.

There are dozens of important characters in Love in the Time of Cholera but I think the two most important protagonists are Love and Time. And both of them are so intricately interwoven together that sometimes it becomes difficult to tell which is which -- like two shrubs that run up the length of a tall tropical tree. The love of Florentino Ariza, a thin and shy boy, for the beautiful but whimsical Fermina Daza is unlike any in the literature. And in order to have her, our hero must overcome time (half a century!), her aloofness and more than 400 love affairs! I guess even Hercules would have given up in face of these obstacles.

Unlike many other great writers, Garcia has little inhibitions. He is not ashamed of hiding emotions or sugarcoating his ideas; he simply does not believe in euphemisms. You can see everything in bare, harsh light: scars, warts, blemishes, all. Reminds one of ... Life.

ES TA MUY BIEN EL LIBRO POR TODO LO QUE LO E

Lo lei y tengo demasiadas ideas. Necesito escribir un analisis de algun simbolo que aparece en el libro por ejemplo, el gallo, el machismo, etc. Si alguien tiene informacion de algun simbolo hagamelo saber. Gracias... mi e-mail es ls0320@mail.ecu.edu

Garcia-Marquez' dictator combines within himself, the best and the worst, of the human being when invested with absolute power: from charity to corruption, benevolence to rape, fear of God to extreme cruelty. The (sparse) punctuation follows an almost strict fitting of the Poisson statistical distribution, page by page, and then amongst chapters, constituting this into both a textbook in literature and statistics. To some of us the most masterful novel of the Master Novelist of Meridian America.

El otono del patriarca es una novela clave en dos aspectos: representa un desafio intelectual por su osada sintaxis y atrevida estructura gramatical, en el que el pasado y el presente se mezclan continuamente conforme avanza el relato, apenas separado por comas y ocasionales puntos seguidos. El segundo aspecto es la extraordinaria descripción que el autor realiza de los acontecimientos de la vida de una patria sin nombre gobernada desde los tiempos inmemoriales del vomito negro por un dictador anonimo, encarnacion de todos los generales mesianicos que ha padecido Latinoamerica, victima del culto a la personalidad.

El relato nos transporta en forma exquisita desde los albores de este imperio personal hasta la decadencia, en un ir y venir temporal, salpicado de relatos mitológicos, como el de Manuela Sanchez, una enigmatica belleza que surgio en el barrio de las peleas de perros, y quizas el unico ser de este mundo que burlo el poder omnipotente de este legendario gener! al. Una ultima sugerencia: lealo con un diccionario a mano.

This is a beautifully written book. Very romantic story of two people that fall in love when they are very young and they finally come together when they are very old. The book is filled with a lot of characters and history that are precisely described. The main character, Florentino Ariza show of devotion and love for Fermina Daza can last forever without ever beginning. The books goes through all of Florentino's life, how he struggled to make a name for him self, his casual loves and how he never gave up on his true love. This has become one of my favorite books.

This is one of my favorites by Garcia Marquez and has his magical surreal style. It is a love story in which the main characters meet in their youth, and finally come together when they are old. Set in the steamship era in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, probably just before antibiotics were available to treat colera.

As a civilian, there are many aspects of the lives of law enforcement officers that I am unaware of. Before reading this book, I did not know about the daily risks they take, the animosity they face by some members of society, or the role of their families in their lives. For A Tin Star has instilled in me this knowledge and so much more.
The book covers a range of topics from the effects of a police officer's death on his or her family, to the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner by convicted cop-killer mumia abu-jamal. Being from Philadelphia, I had known bits and pieces about this case. However, For A Tin Star filled me in on the truth about this savage murder using evidence like witness testimonies and court transcripts (the foreward is written by Officer Faulkner's widow, Maureen).
This compelling book, which is written so smoothly, colorfully, and beautifully, puts the reader in a blue uniform and illustrates exactly what law enforcement officers feel and experience. It describes a police funeral in detail and goes the extra mile and tells the reader exactly what they can do to better their relationship with law enforcement. After reading this powerful and emotional book, most people will want to heed the authors advice and reach out to our protectors and heros.
For A Tin Star is a must have for every family, those with a member who is a law enforcement officer and those who are simply protected by them.

Wow, is all I can say in responce to this book. It is so nice to see such a young author write about such a touching subject. This is a true tribute to the men and women of the police. Every police officer should read this book! Gabrie L. Nathan delivers his thoughts clearly and with such grace. The pictures are also very touching.

This is a vintage (1942) children's book that is so adorable and readable you will want to read it over and over again out loud to your little ones. It's appropriate for infants to 7 years, IMO. The author has very whimsically created and illustrated the little church animals. The setting of a live-in church with the Parson Peasporridge is also very quaint. The black and white (pen and ink or ingravings?) art is frameable, so these books are getting pretty scarce and collectible.

I remember this book from my childhood. The pen and ink drawings are delightful. The story is creative and fun. I have one copy which my grandchildren love to hear. The story appeals to ages 3 through 10, and "adult children".

This book is essential for antone pursuing vocal studies. All written in keys suitable for any soprano or mezzo-soprano. Definately look at the Poemes d'un Jour cycle. This song cycle. This book, is a definate must!!!

Gabriel Faure is perhaps one of the most astute musical composers, especially for vocalists. He creates complex, pleasing pieces, that are a challenge to sing. These peiece are for serious performers who like to achieve the satisfaction of doing hard work. Not that all of his pieces are an extreeme challenge, they are beautiful very artistic pieces. The performer can put a lot of drama into each song. I highly recommend anything by Faure.