Secondhand Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #3)

Book Description

To win his father's ranch, a hard-living cowboy settles down and takes a wife -- another man's wife!

The youngest McKettrick brother, Jeb, is the wild one who never could stay out of trouble. And trouble is what he gets when he proposes to Chloe Wakefield. No sooner had he and the pretty schoolteacher tied the knot than Jeb discovers she's already married! After a major dustup with Chloe in a Tombstone barroom, an irate Jeb hightails it back to the Triple M Ranch, certain that his chances of winning the spread in a marriage race with his brothers are dashed.

Now Chloe has come to Indian Rock, hoping to find her beloved uncle John and a much-needed teaching post. But when she unexpectedly crosses paths with Jeb, her rage -- and passion -- flare even stronger than back in Tombstone. Chloe never intended to mislead Jeb about her previous marriage to a scoundrel of a man. But when she finds out Jeb needs a bride and a baby in order to inherit the Triple M, she is livid.

Learning to trust will be the hardest part of this mixed-up marriage -- until a stagecoach robbery and the return of a dangerous stranger prove to Jeb and Chloe that they need each other to love and honor as long as they both shall live.

Customer Reviews:

Secondhand Bride.......2007-08-12

One of the best books I have read, I have read the Trilogy and loved all three.

Secondhand Bride.......2007-08-10

This is great book if you read the other two books of the McKettrick family you will enjoy it. Dont forget to read about the last or should I say first brother of the McKettrick Cowboys. Title: "McKettrick Choice".

AMAZING SERIES!.......2007-08-07

Miller is an exquisite storyteller. I have read many of her titles--including every single McKettrick story beginning with Rafe and ending with Keegan (some more than once), and each one left me wanting more. I assure you you won't be disappointed.

Great Series!.......2007-08-01

If you like cowboys and romance then this is the series for you!
Love this story line!

Hated to reach the end of this book.......2007-06-14

Couldn't stop reading! Read High Country Bride and Shotgun Bride before reading this title.

Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry

Average customer rating:

All About Gene
Autry Fans - Buy It!
Memories of one of my favorite cowboys
Gene Autry, An American Idol
A VERY PUBLIC COWBOY by John Paddy Browne

Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry
Holly George-Warren
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Gene Autry: His Life and Career

ASIN: 0195177460

Book Description

The only performer to earn 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame--for film, recordings, TV, radio, and live performance--Gene Autry was the singing cowboy king of American entertainment. Now, in Public Cowboy No.1, Holly George-Warren offers the first serious biography of this singular individual, in a fascinating narrative that traces Autry's climb from small-town farm boy to multimillionaire. Here for the first time Autry the legend becomes a flesh-and-blood man--with all the passions, triumphs, and tragedies of a flawed icon. George-Warren recounts stories never before told, including revelations about Autry's impoverished boyhood, his adventures as an up-and-coming singer, and the impact his unbelievable success had on his personal life. She describes Autry's loving but doomed mother, who died on the brink of her son's success, and his ne'er-do-well father, who married five times and wandered the west. Autry battled his own demons but emerges here in a positive light, an immensely personable man, one of America's most charitable benefactors, known for his boundless generosity, and a patriot who enlisted during World War II. The book provides equally colorful details of Autry's lengthy radio and recording career, which included such classics as "Back in the Saddle Again" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"; his movie career, where he breathed new life into the Western genre; and his role in early television, being the first movie star to develop his own TV shows. And along the way, we see how he invested shrewdly in radio, real-estate, and television, becoming the owner of the California Angels and the only entertainer listed among 1990's Fortune 400. Based on exclusive access to Gene Autry's personal papers, as well as interviews with more than 100 relatives, employees, colleagues, and friends, this engaging biography brings to life a major Hollywood star--a man who, more than anyone else, put Western music and style on the American cultural map.

Customer Reviews:

All About Gene.......2007-09-25

This is a big book all about the career of Gene Autry, and not enough about his personal life, which is usually what I like to read. I don't need to know about every record he made and when and every performance, etc., etc., etc. And I don't need to know about all his business dealings. But I like to know about what stars did behind the scenes, etc., and surprisingly this seemed to involve a lot of drinking and womanizing which I didn't think Autry had done. Oh well. There just wasn't enough about him personally for my reading taste, but the guy had no children and had a solid marriage, so I guess there isn't much dirt on him.

Autry Fans - Buy It!.......2007-08-12

Anyone who was a fan of Gene Autry or who liked westerns during their golden years or who just enjoys good biography will find this a very compelling story. It tells the story of a very good, but a very complex man who grew up in poverty, endured a difficult childhood, and displayed very human flaws. This book is endorsed by the Gene Autry Corporation but doesn't coverup or sugarcoat the fact that, despite his image, Gene drank heavily after WW2, maybe to the point of alcholism, and was not always faithful to his wife. Yet he never failed to visit children's hospitals, give supergenerously to those in need, take care of family and non-family alike, and do much good for many people. This includes several generations of children to whom he was always the ideal role model.
Holly George-Warren did an admirable job and deserves to be congratulated. One criticism: I wish Ms George-Warren had gone into greater depth into the extraordinarily complicated relationship between Gene and his wife Ina.

Memories of one of my favorite cowboys.......2007-07-31

This book brought back many great memories of Saturday matinees at our
neighborhood theatre. Gene Autry was one of my favorite western movie
stars. My favorite western movie star was Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid.
Our local movie "show" was a Columbia theatre which showed Columbia
movies including Columbia serials, the Durango Kid and assorted Columbia
"B" movies susitable for the kids' matinees. I enjoyed the Gene Autry 30's
and early '40's westerns more then the later ones he made. This book will
certainly return one to the "days of yesteryear." Excellent book!

Gene Autry, An American Idol.......2007-05-31

Public Cowboy No.1: The Life And Times Of Gene Autry, by Holly George-Warren
A book review by Jerry Rojo, May, 2007

Gene Autry, An American Idol
Holly George-Warrne's biographic tome is a definitive must-read, not only for the worldwide legions of the American cowboy moviegoing public, young and old, but also, anyone interested in a prototypical American dreamer on a lifelong trek, as defined by the arts and entertainment industry's dream factories from Hollywood to Madison Avenue. George-Warren's impeccably researched Gene Autry story, interestingly, is somewhat reminiscent of Doris Kerns-Goodwin's recent Abraham Lincoln book, Team Of Rivals, that chronicles the president's rags-to-riches life in the political arena. Both authors masterfully use the biographic form to convey their respective visions, yet provide the reader scholarly researched stories to ponder any number of themes and ideas about their subject. Like Lincoln, Autry was dirt poor, grassroots, self-made and ambitious; carefully grooming his career with a lifelong, unrelenting, innate ability to charm colleagues, friends and the public at large. Lincoln, too, was a performer. He cherished the spoken/written word, and the theatre, to the chagrin of his aristocratic, snobbish cabinet. Ironically, he was assassinated by a Shakespearean actor. The Autry book, like Lincoln's, defines his respective context/time in America. The political-rodeo arena is a metaphor for our country's so-called "culture", epitomized by the American Idol phenomena, with its demigod-like celebrities from respective realms of, popular entertainment, sports, politics. religion and, now a days, big corporations, all of which defines the current American ethos.

My can't-put-down read of George-Warren was fueled not only by her writing, but by my own childhood spent idolizing Gene Autry while growing up in Illinois, and, my subsequent professional interest in dramatic arts adds to the attraction. A compelling aspect of the book traces Autry's genealogy from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to pre-great depression Texas/Oklahoma, where Autry's story begins. During that period, one is amazed by his personal and professional character development, growing up in a family of six in abject poverty, with an on-and-off absentee, hard-drinking father, and by contrast, a deeply religious and nurturing mother. Everyone knows Autry's interest in the great American pastime, baseball, but a telling tidbit reveals that he was a pretty good sandlot player, and was offered a chance to play for a minor league team, but, declined because he was making more money working on the railroad and needed to support his family. That anecdote helps define this complex man. His devotion and generosity to family, friends and associates throughout his long life was always balanced by his knack for good judgment when it came to decisions about human welfare and the business of life.

It was during the seven odd years in the late 20s early 30s, while in the Chicago/Midwest, that young Autry began his "singing cowboy" career. But there was no overnight success here, instead, an astonishing story of how to succeed in show business--a methodology that paved the way for popular entertainers ever since. With a modicum of musical talent Autry used love of performing, hard work, determination, his WASPish good looks and savvy business acumen to mold a career that would lead to five-star recognition at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The book documents, in wonderful detail how he shrewdly evolved his signature persona-image, which, once established, never changed. At 91 he died with his boots on.

Before his Chicago days, Autry didn't start out as a cowboy singing around the campfire soothing a restless herd of cattle. He had his sights set on the popular music of the roaring 20s tin pan alley, which featured the likes of Gene Austin and Rudy Vallee (Autry's first name, Orvon, was substituted for Austin's). Ultimately, Gene Autry changed his musical style by literally imitating yodeling Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country/hillbilly music, who's great popularity appealed to blue-collar folks from the South and Midwest. After a brief trip to the Big Apple--before giving up his day job on the railroad--a failed audition with a record company sent Autry home to gain experience singing on local radio stations and other venues. He actually sang with a medicine show, a lesson learned, hawking products. Professional contacts and an established country-folk sound led him back to New York to make records. His recordings caught on, and with astute self-promotion Autry's popularity grew, garnering a spot on Chicago's popular WLS radio station's National Barn Dance program. There, his image was transformed to The Singing Cowboy.

With royalties from a national smash hit record, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" in his hip pocket, a newly minted Martin guitar with his ivory signature on the frets, a new Hollywood-like-Tom Mix cowboy "look" and Buick automobile, he barnstormed the environs of Chicago, Illinois. There, he discovered a key player on the road to success, the highly talented musician, singer, song writer and naturally gifted comedic performer, Smiley Brunette. Autry always had a keen eye for talented associates, musical and otherwise. Back in Chicago on the airwaves, and on tour, they soon developed their signature hero/sidekick routine.
Unlike the multitude of American denizens, then and now, seeking instant success in golden California, Autry didn't go to Hollywood; Hollywood came to Autry. He was already a "star", self-made, and, at a time when the Great Depression was raging world wide. Now, only in his late 20s, part two of his odyssey begins at a B-Western studio factory that Autry would bale-out of near financial ruin, Republic Pictures. Here, Ms George-Warren really delivers the goods with a compendium of data-based facts of tinsel-town fiction that chronicles Autry's American idol success story.

It was 1934, but he didn't have an auspicious start in the movies. After an initial bit part in a Ken Maynard flick, studio executives had reservations--with good reason--about Autry's abilities. It seemed clear, he excelled at nothing cinematic: a marginal singer-guitarist, bad acting, awkward in the saddle and, most of all, he lacked gunslinger machismo, a staple at the time. But, no matter, the audience Autry already established, had a different opinion. He had something!! And it didn't take but a couple of years or so for the Studio and Autry, tinkering with the chemistry, to come up with THE original Gene Autry that would become a one-of-a-kind icon. By 1939 he was in the big leagues with Clark Gable/Gone With The Wind, if you consider audience appeal and box-office numbers. Now, cash-cow-boy Autry played to millions of adoring fans of, so called, sophisticated folks from the East, NYC to Boston, and, Great Britain, where he seduced hundreds of thousands from across the island empire, evidenced by massive turnouts on tour. It was 1942, a turning point in Gene Autry's fame if not fortune. Here again, he makes a watershed career decision. Much to the dismay of Republic Pictures/Hollywood, he joins the military to fight in World War II. George-Warren reveals insightful, detailed stories of the war years that further defines this remarkable man. For example, why, arguably, at the pinnacle of popularity and performance-form does he do it? Is he a consummate patriot, or as he says, protecting his image-based code of cowboy ethics? He survives air force missions, military boredom and keeps in tune doing a stint with the USO at the end of the war, meanwhile at home, movie reruns and other strategies kept him in the public mind's eye. After the war Autry picked up where he left off with his still adoring fans, donning his cowboy persona, producing and performing a mind-boggling schedule of entertainment engagements, including burgeoning TV (he was the first Hollywood star to do so); but, it WAS the beginning of the end and not the end of the beginning, as Churchill coined. Then, in the early to mid 60s the fame-flame goes out, but the fortune doesn't. Now, Gene Autry transitions to the business tycoon still wearing cowboy clothes, occasionally sporting an LA Angels baseball cap. Autry scrupulously designed and protected his public image that, except for in the military, never changed. As entertainer he performed the SELF and when he hung up the guitar in the early 60s he took on the role of CEO, Gene Autry Enterprises, but little else changed.

But what was at the heart of that masked man? It's all there in Holly George-Warren's biography that unearths the Man UNDER the persona, and as she perceives you don't need his purely business-life endgame story. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone, public or private that hated or disrespected Gene Autry, then or now. And he was no pushover while wheeling and dealing in either his business interests or performance career. That's evident by his tough, recalcitrant stance with the tightfisted studio honchos, which, by the way, help lead to Actors's Equity and the independent film makers of today. And yes, the book gets into the nitty-gritty of his postwar performing years of womanizing and binge drinking but that served to make him more human and strengthen his character. A shrink would have a field day, given young Autry's polarized parenting. As a 10y.o. boy I idolized that innovative kind of cowboy-man who was good and strong, and that seemed to portray the best of American values (My grandsons have his 10 Cowboy Commandments, framed.). Singing and playing the guitar as a real-life person his pictures were action-filled musical westerns, portraying the American mantra during that time: talk softly and carry a big stick; he toted a six shooter but never killing the bad guy. My growing up after the war, it was easy to see his weakness as an aging performer and ever more commercializing career strategy, but in the long run, that never led to diminishing the demigod I worshiped circa 1942.

Gene Autry represented as performer and citizen the "God and Country" ideology. The ancient Greek and Romans worshipped a pantheon of Gods who were half-God and half-Human. A recent book, The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins offers a view on the subject of the human need for God/demigods: it's in the genes, a kind of inner quest for survival. The American mystique seems particularly wedded to the phenomena of super hero, professing a particular moral/ethical/ism standard, albeit augmented by commercialism. Some Heroes are good and others not so, Abraham Lincoln/Adolph Hitler obvious opposites, others, Brittany Spears, Babe Ruth, Jerry Falwell, and Bill Gates fall somewhere in between. Gene Autry was clearly one of the good guys/entertainers, among American's pantheon of God/demigods, further identified in the Epilogue, that points to the multimillions he gave to charity in his lifetime, contributing to schools, hospitals and building a world-class western art museum and institute for western studies. Holly George-Warren's book gives us the arc of this complex quintessential American, who was Gene Autry.

A VERY PUBLIC COWBOY by John Paddy Browne.......2007-05-10

Whatever Holly George-Warren says in her new biography of Gene Autry; however much detail she covers; however many previously unpublished facts she unearths, she is never going to please everyone. Even a monumental biography such as this one, packed to bursting as it is with dates and names and stories, will never record everything that we, the readers, will want to see.

The problem is not Ms George-Warren's. When she says she could have written a book twice this size, I believe her.

No, the problem was created by Autry himself. He lived to a mighty age, and into that great expanse of time he packed enough life experiences to fuel any number of books and magazines and newspaper articles. One glance at George-Warren's footnotes and bibliography shows how the world has been flooded with Autry newsprint throughout a career - no, several careers - that spanned 70 years. And that doesn't take account of his austere childhood (a story in itself that George-Warren tells in remarkable detail), or the vast amount of Autry material that has appeared since his death in 1998: the DVDs, the CDs, the books, the websites - even the belated victory of his Angels team in the World Series. Look at any of the online auction sites any day of the week and you will get an idea of just how much stuff Autry left behind: the supply seems endless, and endlessly varied, and all of this is merely an illusion of the man's actual working life.

Autry was a workaholic, driven, it seems, to be always doing something. When his contemporaries Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy and Tyrone Power finished their day's work at the studio, they went home and put their feet up. Not Autry. As George-Warren records in breathless detail, even while shooting a movie, Autry would be called to the phone to deal with some other business in which he was involved elsewhere: or he would receive commercial partners for discussions on set. There simply weren't enough hours in the day for him.

This handsome biography could never hope to cover everything in such an industrious life, and some of the material that is missing has been judiciously excised for purely logistical, editorial reasons. Quite rightly, the author almost completely eschews Autry's involvement in baseball (a blessed relief for those of us not interested in sports), and instead concentrates a good deal of time to his early radio and recording work. A fascinating account of Autry's notorious shoot-out with Herb Yates at Republic Studios, usng the evidence of surviving documents, brings that painful episode to vivid life. George-Warren skirts around the hackneyed stories, veracious or otherwise, that Autry told so many times that he eventually believed them himself. She neither confirms them or denies them, but puts them into a sort of context from which the reader may draw his or her own conclusions about their probability.

Not that any of this matters, except insofar as how it paints a picture of a man who was as much a media creation as a real-life figure, and possibly more so since he carried the cowboy image into his private life by wearing his Western-styled clothes - his uniform - in public and at home, away from the working environment of the studios. He put on this uniform in the same way that Superman or Santa Claus put on their uniforms, and became a figment of our collective imagination. It was how he made money.

And money is the one constant in Gene Autry's life. Whatever he did, and he did an inordinate number of different things, money was at the heart of it. "Working with figures is what I do best," he allegedly said. "What I do less well is act, sing and play the guitar." There is no hint whatever in the 400-plus pages of Holly George-Warren's book that Autry ever did anything for the love of it. He frequently spoke about how "proud" he was of certain of his achievements, and he had every reason to be proud of them - but that's not the same as "love". No-one ever got him to say that he sang certain songs because he loved them, in the way that, say, folk singers might sing songs for the love of them. Autry sang stuff that would make him money, and that was the criterion for performing and recording it.

His pursuit of money, indeed, seems to have been the one true love-affair of his life - and he has said as much. No-one will begrudge the man becoming one of the richest people in America when he worked so diligently and tirelessly to attain that pleasant state. Nobody gave him his wealth: he went out and worked for it. Ms George-Warren could easily have published a page from any one of Autry's touring schedules (and I've seen them) that would have shown him to be working in a different town or city every single day for months at a stretch. None of your two-days-on and four-days-off for him.

Along the way he gave the illusion of being a happy, carefree cowboy, bestowing a bounty of delight on his fans - fans who would carry their affection for him and loyalty to him into their old age. Autry's trick, if this does not sound too cynical, is that he made them feel that they all mattered to him when, in fact, everything he did, be it hospital visits to chat with sick children, merchandising his name relentlessly, [...] or claiming writing credits for someone else's work - and even his enlistment into the armed forces in World War 2 - all of it had a "money handle" - and he saw it all as a means of furthering his career.

Autry's publicity as high-flying business magnate, which so fascinated the Hollywood press, has done his artistic reputation no favors. Dismissed as "commercial" and superficial by many, it has been an uphill struggle for those of us trying to keep his memory alive, to justify his place at the top of so many lists of achievements in the arts. Indeed, the juxtaposition of the name "Autry" with the word "art" is almost an oxymoron - a contradiction. Yet the trail that Autry left behind him, that so many fledgling artists have followed to their benefit, speaks volumes for the influence he has had on the cultivation and development of the Country and popular music of America and other English-speaking countries. Academically, though, he was never recognised in his lifetime, nor was his work and contribution ever seriously analyzed or documented.

At the end of the day we, his fans, seem not to be troubled by any of this, and even Holly George-Warren's commendably open, impartial and well-written book, with its tales of risque songs, binge drinking, and amorous dalliances with his leading ladies (and some of his female Fan Club members) does nothing to lessen the man's stature. If anything, it reveals him to be more human than the singing cowboy of the screen ever was: the sort of man we are able to relate to: a flawed hero we can identify with.

And if this flies in the face of that famous remark made by the fictional editor of the Shinbone Star: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!" what it may do is make the legendary figure of Gene Autry a more approachable figure to a new generation of admirers. And in our hero, the Singing Cowboy, they will find a great deal to admire. Holly George-Warren has seen to that. --JOHN PADDY BROWNE

Shotgun Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #2)

Average customer rating:

JUST HORRIBLE!
Terrific!
Another wonderful Book
Shotgun bride
I wanted to use the shotgun!!!!!

Shotgun Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #2)
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Secondhand Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #3)
High Country Bride (The McKettrick Series #1)
McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #3)
Sierra's Homecoming (The McKettrick Series #5)
McKettrick's Heart (McKettrick Men Series #3)

ASIN: 0743422740
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Book Description

One special lady will help this cowboy lawman win his father's ranch -- and steal his heart in the bargain....

Kade McKettrick's got five mail-order brides-to-be camped out at the local hotel, all more than eager to provide him with the heir that will win him the Triple M ranch. But Kade, the newly appointed marshal, has his hands full with a troublesome outlaw gang. Why, then, is he so easily distracted by pretty "Sister Mandy" -- who most assuredly is not the nun she claims to be?

On the run from her outlaw stepfather, Mandy Sperrin hides beneath her solemn disguise, and vows to keep her wild, passionate nature from the respectable citizens of Indian Rock. Yet when the handsome marshal makes it clear that he wants her, Mandy gives in to her heated desires....

Despite the secrets that may lure them both perilously close to danger, Kade knows that proposing marriage may be the only way to keep this spirited woman by his side. But are her ties to a shadowed past more threatening -- and closer -- than Kade knows? His strong, sensual embrace may charm Mandy's wild heart -- but will she surrender to a lifetime of his deep and powerful love?

Download Description

"One special lady will help this cowboy lawman win his father's ranch -- and steal his heart in the bargain.... Kade McKettrick's got five mail-order brides-to-be camped out at the local hotel, all more than eager to provide him with the heir that will win him the Triple M ranch. But Kade, the newly appointed marshal, has his hands full with a troublesome outlaw gang. Why, then, is he so easily distracted by pretty ""Sister Mandy"" -- who most assuredly is not the nun she claims to be? On the run from her outlaw stepfather, Mandy Sperrin hides beneath her solemn disguise, and vows to keep her wild, passionate nature from the respectable citizens of Indian Rock. Yet when the handsome marshal makes it clear that he wants her, Mandy gives in to her heated desires.... Despite the secrets that may lure them both perilously close to danger, Kade knows that proposing marriage may be the only way to keep this spirited woman by his side. But are her ties to a shadowed past more threatening -- and closer -- than Kade knows? His strong, sensual embrace may charm Mandy's wild heart -- but will she surrender to a lifetime of his deep and powerful love? "

Customer Reviews:

JUST HORRIBLE!.......2007-05-16

I have read more romance novels that I can count and I think this was the VERY worst. I had to force myself to finish it. There is no real love story. The plot is unbelievable and lacks depth. This was the first novel I have read where I didn't like the female lead. YIKES! MAIN problem I had with this book, Kade was thoughtful, caring, sweet, mild mannered, a book worm actually, the peace maker of the family in the first book HIGH COUNRTY BRIDE, In this book he is a marshal, pig headed, rude, thoughtless and childish! BIG ERROR on the Auther's part!
I am going to read the 3rd in this series on the hope that Miller gets her act together!

Terrific!.......2006-08-23

Arizona territory, 1885

SHOTGUN BRIDE is a terrific McKettrick Cowboys sequel to HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE! Be sure to follow up with SECONHAND BRIDE and MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE.

Another wonderful Book.......2006-08-12

I really enjoyed this book as much as the first. The one thing I really did like about this series is that you still read about the whole family. Alot of the series books don't include anyone from the first and I liked that these ones do.

Shotgun bride.......2004-12-17

This story lacks the romance its back cover promises. Yes there are wedding bells but what a disappointment to learn more about the family verses the relationship between the two main characters.

I wanted to use the shotgun!!!!!.......2004-09-02

This bit of fluff was ok but........no passion, no excitement, wham, bam, thank you maam. I like to read stories of the Old West where 'men were men and women were women', but this was a trifle boring. Concepcion, the housekeeper (sp) had more personality than anyone else in the whole book.

I almost didnt finish it and waded thru to the end to see how it all turned out. This is my first western from LLM and I will get her future books from the library.

Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions

Average customer rating:

An Exciting Read and Look into the Asian "Wall St"
Not even that interesting
Much ado about not so much
A story of the people, not of the business
Thoroughly enjoyable!

Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions
Ben Mezrich
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
Busting Vegas: The MIT Whiz Kid Who Brought the Casinos to Their Knees
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When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
The Predators' Ball: The Inside Story of Drexel Burnham and the Rise of the Junk Bond Raiders

ASIN: 0060575018
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Amazon.com

Ugly Americans documents the "Wild East" of the mid-1990s, where young, brilliant, and hypercompetitive traders became "hedge fund cowboys," manipulating loopholes in an outdated and inefficient Asian financial system to rake in millions. Using a concept called arbitrage, they made their fortunes mainly on minute shifts in stocks being sold on the Nikkei, the Japanese stock market, collapsing banks and nearly bankrupting the Japanese economy in the process. Other schemes were also concocted, most of which were technically legal, though certainly unethical. This true story revolves around "John Malcolm," who, in exchange for anonymity, agreed to give Ben Mezrich all the access and information he needed to write this book. As a recent Princeton graduate in the mid-1990s, Malcolm accepted an undefined job offer from an American expatriate in Japan to work in the investments field. Though he had no prior experience, he facilitated 25 million dollars worth of trades on his first day on the job, and it just got more exciting from there. He soon joined a small group of expatriates, all in their twenties and mostly Ivy League graduates, who lived like rock stars, thriving on the stress and excitement of their jobs to create their own steroid versions of the American Dream half a world away. Mezrich tells this riveting story well, incorporating elements of the culture into his narrative, including the infamous and pervasive Japanese "Water Trade," or sex business, romantic intrigue, and even run-ins with the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. Though there is little real analysis of their financial dealings and how they ultimately changed the rules of finance in Asia, this entertaining page turner does offer a glimpse into a world little explored in print until now. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Ben Mezrich, author of the New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House, returns with an astonishing story of Ivy League hedge-fund cowboys, high stakes, and the Asian underworld.

John Malcolm was the ultimate gunslinger in the Wild East, prepared to take on any level of risk in making mind-boggling sums of money. He and his friends were hedge-fund cowboys, living life on the adrenaline-, sex-, and drugs-fueled edge—kids running billion-dollar portfolios, trading information in the back rooms of high-class brothels and at VIP tables in nightclubs across the Far East.

Malcolm and his Ivy League-schooled twenty-something colleagues, with their warped sense of morality, created their own economic theory that would culminate in a single deal the likes of which had never been seen before—or since.

Ugly Americans is a story of extremes, charged with wealth, nerve, excess, and glamour. A real-life mixture of Liar's Poker and Wall Street, brimming with intense action, romance, underground sex, vivid locales, and exotic characters, Ugly Americans is the untold true story that rocked the financial community.

Customer Reviews:

An Exciting Read and Look into the Asian "Wall St".......2007-09-12

For those who enjoyed the movie "Boiler Room," this book is a must-read. Mezrich tells the tale of wannabe big-time US investors who use the opening of the Japanese stock market to weasel in and stretch the law and their own morality to make deals and steals. It's an honest, gritty portrayal of the Asian nightlife and the ex-pat's who work hard by day and play hard after the bell signals close. You don't need to be a swing-trader to enjoy it; this is a great book for those who either want to learn about big stock trading or just read an adventure about a ex-football player who got roped into a shady, billion-dollar enterprise.
The characters are as real as they can get on paper. The protagonist is trying to make the one big score and get out and the antagonists are just reprehensible enough to remind you of business folks you know in your life. Add in Yakuza (Japanese Mafia), black market plotlines, and the urban backdrops of Osaka and Tokyo and you have a real grabber. It was tough to put this one down and the ending does not dissappoint.

Not even that interesting.......2007-07-31

I really enjoyed the author's other two works, which I read quite quickly. Whether they were totally factual or not was immaterial...they were fun and interesting reads. This book disappoints. I didn't find the story interesting or fast moving. The "danger" element seemed forced, almost as if it was added in to "spice things up".

If you're looking for a fast reading "true" story of big money makers, try Mezrich's other books. Avoid this one, whether you're a Mezrich fan or not.

Much ado about not so much.......2007-07-21

This book had a very similar tone to the "Breaking Vegas" book, which is not unexpected given that the books were written by the same author-- however, too much stylistic overlap is still too much.

On the good side:

1. The writing was fast, light, and easy to follow. Not needing of too much concentration, and something that can be picked right up and settled into.
2. There was some explanation about the concept of arbitrage.
3. There was interesting insight into the sex-for-sale culture of Japan. This alone could have spun off and made a whole new book.

On the bad side:

1. The explanation of the nuts and bolts of trading was too thin. It might have only taken one extra chapter to give us the details that many of us who bought the book were looking for.
2. I wonder how much the author *really* knew, given that he used the word "farang" to describe foreigners-- even though that word is 100% Thai. Was he throwing in technical terms to make it *look* like he had done his homework? And if he made that mistake, how many others did he make that we might not have recognized?
3. It might also have been interesting to get a better idea of just how much the Japanese government and Yakuza were in bed together. Is this really the case? Or is this poetic license? There were more than a few topics in this book that just weren't covered as much as a reader might have liked-- though I can appreciate that this is done for the sake of brevity. (An extra bit here and an extra bit there, and the next thing you know you have a book that is as overwrought with detail and most of what Ayn Rand has written.)

A story of the people, not of the business.......2007-07-15

This book is clearly written to entertain rather than inform, as it orders the exposition of events to maximize suspense rather than efficiency of information presentation. Additionally, it is a very shallow read, revealing absolutely nothing about the mechanics of trading or the business operations of the financial world, focusing instead on the lavish and crazy lifestyles of the rich and tasteless who run this world. For example, the author constantly refers to Nikkei trades done by the people in this book but never explains what it is about the trades that these men made that makes them so special. As an entertaining read, this book gets 3 stars, but as an exposition on hedge funds or stock trading this book gets 0 stars.

Thoroughly enjoyable!.......2007-05-19

A quick, smooth, fun read. Has all the tension and plotting of a good movie. Although the details might be somewhat inaccurate and/or exagerated, it's worth it for the inherent drama of the story, and the basic story is a corker.

The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys

Average customer rating:

Not vegan
Magnificent Book
The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys
How much I enjoyed the Imus Ranch Cookbook
Great Cookbook -other reviews are overthinking it

The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys
Deirdre Imus
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Vegetables & Vegetarian | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Imus: America's Cowboy

ASIN: 1594862265
Release Date: 2005-04-14

Book Description

The Imus Ranch transports the reader to a unique place that the author and her husband, talk-show host Don Imus, created: a 4,000-acre working cattle ranch set in rolling hills and mesa country 50 miles east of Santa Fe. The children--who have cancer--visit the Imus Ranch and work alongside authentic western ranch hands, learning to ride horses and rope calves. The experience refuels their bodies and their spirits, and they leave stronger than when they came. As Deirdre Imus explains: 'We welcome kids who have known too much sickness and too much death, and we give them something they urgently need: a sense of in-de-pen-dence and purpose through healthy, vigorous living.'

Customer Reviews:

Not vegan.......2007-10-04

This is a great cookbook but...it's not vegan. Many of the recipes contain egg. I was so hopeful to find a whole cookbook dedicated to vegan food. Many of the recipes are wonderful, but the book should not advertise itself as being vegan because it's not.

Magnificent Book.......2007-04-28

My review is simply to express that this book has several meanings. It is truly an "American" book. The quality from the moment you touch it is so impressive. You open it and scan the beautiful pictures within. One is touched by their beauty. You begin to read and realize the kindness and the healing that goes forth. Then you find you are encouraged and motivated to change your style of eating and caring about the earth. I truly find this book to be one I choose to reach for many times and have it on my book shelf in my dining room. I will place it carefully so that the cover can be seen to remind my family and myself of its many special qualities.

I hope the author will write many more books of this nature in the future. Perhaps it will help to bring "quality" back to the American lifestyle.

Margaret

The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys.......2007-04-15

The first thing that strikes me about this book is the unabashed vitriol and nastiness with which Deidre Imus references former employees - notably cooks, but others as well. It's self-serving but certainly doesn't serve her well. It sounds, quite simply, hateful rather than amusing.

The other wind gust that catches my face is the actual narration: it sounds more like Don Imus' dictation than the separate and individual voice of his wife. As a long-time listener of his now defunct (unjustifiably, in my view) radio show - the attitude, word choices, and written vernacular indicate - to me, anyway - that this book was either edited by Don Imus in a very big way, or Deidre Imus has adopted her husband's communication style. Could be either, or both.

Rumors of the origination and ownership of the recipes aside - this book really doesn't trip my trigger. The nutritional and health impact of an ovo-vegan diet are also up in the air...but heading toward Blue Earth. This book reads more like a pagan sermon than an authentic cookbook.

Just my two cents.

How much I enjoyed the Imus Ranch Cookbook.......2006-03-19

I enjoyed very much the Imus Ranch Cookbook. I was interested in the history of the ranch, the philosophy of the Imus family, and the goals of the ranch. The quality of the book was very good. The pictures were top quality. The book includes a lot of healthful information about nutrition. I can't speak about the recipes because I gave the books (3 of them) to friends (after reading one of them). They each have enjoyed the book and I await their critique of the recipes. I recommend this book for anyone interested in this worthy cause and anyone interested in healthy non-carnivorous recipes. I intend to purchase another copy just for me.

Great Cookbook -other reviews are overthinking it.......2006-02-03

I checked out this book from the library just looking for a cookbook. I was with my 2yr old and just grabbed it not knowing what it was other than a cowboy cookbook. I was thrilled to see it was a vegan cookbook. My daughter has a severe milk alergy and we cook a lot of Vegan meals because of this and this cookbook is so helpful that I went on Amazon and bought one to keep. The recipes are easy and very kid friendly.
I read the other reviews of this book and just don't get it. This is a cookbook. It just so happens to have great pictures and touching essays. I think some of the other reviewers are overthinking it. I don't know the author and don't really care who she is. It's just a great Vegan cookbook. Forget about all the other junk written about the politics.

Burkhart's View of the Shoulder: A Cowboy's Guide to Advanced Shoulder Arthroscopy

Average customer rating:

A Cowboy`s Guide to advanced Shouder Arthroscopy

Burkhart's View of the Shoulder: A Cowboy's Guide to Advanced Shoulder Arthroscopy
Stephen S Burkhart , Ian KY Lo , and Paul C Brady
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery: Fractures (Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery)
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First Aid for the Orthopaedic Boards (First Aid)
Complex and Revision Problems in Shoulder Surgery

ASIN: 0781780004

Book Description

From a world-famous pioneer in arthroscopic shoulder surgery comes the first step-by-step "how-to" guide to advanced techniques in shoulder arthroscopy. Dr. Burkhart describes the innovative techniques and instruments he has devised to solve the most difficult surgical problems and offers dozens of tips, tricks, and pearls you won't find in any other book. More than 900 full-color arthroscopic and clinical photographs and numerous drawings complement the text.

The first section explains the principles that underlie successful operative shoulder arthroscopy. The second section gives step-by-step, bulleted instructions and "tricks and tips" for 70 arthroscopic procedures.

A bound-in DVD contains 4 hours of video showing the 70 procedures. Each procedure in the text correlates exactly to the video.

Customer Reviews:

A Cowboy`s Guide to advanced Shouder Arthroscopy.......2007-06-02

this book is the best about shouder arthroscopy!!

Average customer rating:

One of the Best I've read!
Hot, Hot, Hot!!!
everyone needs a tall dark cowboy
bummer
HOT! HOT! HOT!

A Tall Dark Cowboy
Mackenzie Mckade
Manufacturer: Elloras Cave Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 141995590X

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best I've read!.......2007-06-08

This story was exciting, heart-warming, and very steamy! The author did a wonderful job writing so that you connect with the characters! I couldn't put it down! I recommend this book to everyone! A TRUE ROMANCE! The REAL thing!

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!.......2007-05-21

This is definitely a hot book. Not for the timid and certainly not for the faint at heart. Expect explicitely hot sex, great characters and storyline and you won't be disappointed!!

I have come to expect great things from this author and have not been let down with any of her books.

everyone needs a tall dark cowboy.......2007-04-03

This book was hot from page one and never let up. I'm ready to find my cowboy. Ms. McKade knows how to write about a man that every woman fantasizes about and make it believable. This won't be the last book i read written by Ms. McKade, i'm a big fan now. Job well done!!!

bummer.......2007-03-29

I was really looking forward to reading this book and was completely let down. It showed promise of being hot, and then fell short of that promise within the very first love scene. The sex was so boring I actualy found myself saying "yadda-yadda, get on with it" The dialogue between the characters is completely unbelievable and there was no foundation established to make it reasonable for them to get from one emotional plaine to the next. The problem is that I believe Mackenzie can write, there was such promise in this book, but it felt as though she was rushed along and that she just wasn't invested enough in this story to make it believable. Sorry to be so harsh, but after shipping and handeling I paid fifteen bucks for a book I didn't care enough about to even finish.

HOT! HOT! HOT!.......2007-03-16

This is my first time reading Mackenzie Mckade and I'm definitely hooked. I couldn't put this book down till I was done.

Average customer rating:

Other Books
A little hard to get into.
Texas - It may be more than you think
Texans
The Uniqueness of Texas

Texas
James A. Michener , and Charles Shaw
Manufacturer: Univ of Texas Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Domestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0292780710

Book Description

In this magnificent historical novel, James A. Michener masterfully combines fact and fiction to present America’s richest, most expansive and diversified state. Spanning four and a half centuries, this monumental saga charts the epic history of Texas, from its Spanish roots in the age of the conquistadors, to its modern-day American character, shaped by oil and industry. A stunning achievement by a literary master, Texas is a tale of violence and conflict, patriotism and statesmanship, growth and development. Among Michener’s finely drawn cast of characters, emotional and political alliances are made and broken; loyalties are established over the course of Texas’s remarkable history, only to be betrayed by the expansion of wealth and industry. With Michener as our guide, this novel is as exciting as it is informative.

Customer Reviews:

Other Books.......2007-09-03

James A. Michener manages to educate you a little while also creating interesting enough stories around the State of Texas United States of America. He covers the natives, the influence of Mexicans in the area, and more modern issues like the obsessions with oil and gridiron. Pretty interesting book, in general.

Got to be a lot of research in something this long. This is a pretty cool trick to pull enough. I wonder how many library chairs he wore out back then while working on it.

A little hard to get into........2007-07-05

I have a goal to try to read all of Michener's books. Three of the best so far are Centennial, Chesapeake and Hawaii. Have not completed Texas yet.

Texas - It may be more than you think.......2007-06-07

Another great James Michner epic. This is really long for a paperback (1322 pages). His great stories are strung toegther with a device called "The Task Force." This was a fictitous committee of leading Texans currently studying the history and future of Texas for the Govenor. I appreciated the thoroughness of his coverage of the Alamo. Having grown up on Walt Disney's version of the Alamo, I believed that Santa Ana was evil and the Alamo people were really kind, innocent people. Well the facts bare out that Santa Ana was strongly anti-slavery and the Alamo people were strongly in favor of slavery. I guess Santa Ana had enough racisim with Spain. The Alamo fighters on the other hand were people who supported and fought for the institution of slavery. It was ironic that some Texans might say today Mexican, "go home." The Mexican was there 300 years before the American. At least they were not exterminated like the Native Americans. Despite its early intolorence, it has gone on to be a really unique state(which is probably why Micnener chose it for his novel).

Texans.......2007-05-13

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I spent a short time in Houston, Texas before reading the book, so it kind of felt like I was learning more about somewhere I've been. Almost like reading a book about something that takes place in your hometown. It's a kind of a rush reading and recognizing places you've been or grew up. A very informative book and very interesting.
While in Houston, I experience a lot of predujice against Mexicans. Many derogative terms were used to describe Mexican people. When will people ever learn that it is human nature to try and rise above their station in life and to struggle for survival for themselves and their families. To want something better for their children?

The Uniqueness of Texas.......2007-03-10

It is true, that Texans think Texas is different. And so it is. Michener not only does a great job of detailing the histories that shaped the great state of Texas, he also demonstrates how the people drawn to Texas consistently faced amazing challenges, only to overcome them in spectacular ways.

While this is an interesting read for anyone, but is a must-read for the proud Texan.

Average customer rating:

Amazon fixed the problem!
It's a Must Have!!
Highly recommended
Mythic photography and wisdom!
A Quick Read on a Complex Subject for Our Time

Cowboy Ethics
James P. Owen
Manufacturer: Stoecklein Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1931153957

Customer Reviews:

Amazon fixed the problem!.......2007-06-08

I ordered a dozen copies of this book for my boss and somewhere in shipping the box was cut open - I only received 10 of the 12 copies. I called Amazon and immediately they sent me the 10 missing books -great customer service and my boss was pleased with me! Thanks

It's a Must Have!!.......2007-01-29

Being raised in a family of cowboys, I was surprized when one of the grandsons asked his wife to get him this for X-mas. He had looked at a copy briefly at a customers home and had been facinated. Needless to say he got the book and after Christmas dinner all the men in the family were passing it around. I too have read it now and I must say it is a must have. The entire family has enjoyed it.

Highly recommended.......2007-01-10

This book was a recommendation by our corporate CEO, so I bought it for my husband who is a cowboy. It was a great purchase and stays out where we can read it regularly. Even my kids enjoyed it.

Mythic photography and wisdom!.......2006-06-04

I have always been a sucker for a man wearing a cowboy hat, and you combine that with the cowboy code and you have a winner. This book is a great mix of beautiful western photography and cowboy morals. Having been around a lot of cowboys in real life they don't have the market cornered on ethics, but we would all be better people if we tried to live by the mythic code of the west. I also have to recommend the Modern Day western "Across the High Lonesome" --think "Lonesome Dove" only with mules!

A Quick Read on a Complex Subject for Our Time.......2006-05-11

This book was loaned to me by a person engaged in overseeing ethical considerations in medical testing. Given my interest in ethics in the software industry, I found this book fascinating. I've ordered my own copy. James Owens has written a book that can be applied far beyond his target of the financial world. ALL PEOPLE of all nationalities and persuasions should read and embrace this book. As James says several times, it's easy to tell the difference between Right and Wrong. Embracing the ten principles, and especially "Do What Has to Be Done", can lead us to a much improved world.

Average customer rating:

Excellence in writing.......
21st Century Woman
Just OK
Cops and Cowboys
cops and cowboys

Cops and Cowboys
Lora Leigh , and Shiloh Walker
Manufacturer: Ellora's Cave
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1419952021

Product Description

Timid and shy, in her wildest dreams, Allie never imagined Alex would look at her with anything more than friendship and maybe a little pity in his eyes. As if living a nightmare, one horrible night Allie is attacked, and Alex comes rushing to her rescue. He wonders if he is really needed when he finds a little hellcat fighting off her attacker. Much later that night, Alex holds that little hellcat in his arms. Months later, he runs into Allie again, and he barely recognizes her. She's no longer the shy little wallflower she had once been. Problem isshe doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him. Allie's about to find out that he's the only man guaranteed to make her wildest dreams come true. Melina had lived her life in her older, selfish twin's shadow until the final deceit forced her to refocus on her own life. But the past has not been forgotten by Luc Jardin. Now, kidnapped and at the mercy of a man with a grudge, Melina must learn to accept the past as well as her attraction to the arrogant rancher. Just as Luc must learn to accept that, sometimes, things are not always as they seem

Customer Reviews:

Excellence in writing..............2007-08-27

I adored both these stories and found them to be pure escapism. I would recommend them to anyone over 18. Fabulous writers!

21st Century Woman.......2007-05-31

Lora Leigh fans will not be disappointed! The Alpha Males in this book showed compassion and tenderness to Cat's situation where she is once again being punished for her evil identical twin's ruthless actions. The sex scenes were erotic and even had the main Alpha character proposing to get the woman who has stolen his heart. I am a fan for Victorian romances and I love the way that Cat had that touch of innocence. Anal scenes were not kinky but a touch romantic as well. I have read this book over and over.

Just OK.......2007-04-20

Plots are thin -- it was just OK -- I've read much better.

Cops and Cowboys.......2007-04-01

This book was great. Where are all the alpha males when you need them? One of the best about the Lora Leigh story is meeting some old characters.

cops and cowboys.......2006-03-09

I liked the two stories .Im getting the other book in lora leighs series.

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