MAY 2013

If you check out the reviews on Goodreads.com or Librarything.com you will find that most have something snotty or snobby to say about this book, like "sappy", "purple prose", and "predictable", and usually comment on the lack of editing... yet give it high marks for characters and relationships, drama, inspiration, and setting. "This book spreads its energy and passion with very little help. Fueled by characters you don't want to leave and a story of contemporary Montana you don't want to end."

MARCH 2013

The fifty-year-old English language newspaper published in Rome is circling the drain and the executives and staff struggle to continue the publication and maintain their livelihoods as the era of print journalism gives way to the Internet age and the decline of traditional reporting.

From the obituary writer to the foreign correspondent, Cairo stringer, business reporter and corrections editor, the story unfolds in revealing personal stories of each employee in this debut novel, a comprehensive tale of the eminent demise of an institution.

DECEMBER 2012

I am not a reader or browser in the "Religion/Inspiration" section of the bookstore, so I consider it serendipitous that I found this little gem.

Whether you practice the Golden Rule or Pay-It-Forward or need a gift or stocking-stuffer, this little book is a gentle reminder of small kindnesses that have great impact on both giver and recipient.

Happy Holidays to all!!!

SEPTEMBER 2012

I sure wish I had read this earlier in the summer to stimulate all the road trippers and National Park-bound tourists while the anticipation or memories were fresh.

A frank collection of anecdotes and adventures that puts the current state of our National Park system in fresh perspective.

JULY 2012

If you're a fan of Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, and J.A. Jance, here is another contemporary western hero (with a badge) for your indulgence. Set along the I-25 corridor from El Paso TX to Santa Fe NM, this mystery series honors the Native Americans and the ranchers, the land and environment, as well as the varied law enforcement units required to secure the vast territory.

Rancher turned lawman, Kevin Kearny will limp his way to the top of your list of good guys, and the bad guys are really, really bad!

MAY 2012

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a cowboy...

Ree Drummond, photographer, blogger, host of Food Network's "Pioneer Woman," and author of two NYT bestselling cookbooks has penned her tales of mishap and courtship with her "Marlboro Man."

A refreshing account of this physician's daughter reared on the golf course and country club lifestyle, totally out of her comfort zone in the rancher's world. I was a fan of the TV show because of the first cookbook, now I am a fan of Ree Drummond and the life she adopted. Tame by current cultural standards for romance and courtship, this is an account she won't regret when her four children want to read the story of Mom and Dad.