1 comments about Historical Atlas of New Mexico.

1. A great reference for anyone wanting an historical and climatological synopsis of the state of New Mexico.

5 comments about Crossroads: 1969 (N/A).

1. John's story begins in his teens, and probably long before, where he is searching for something better than what he is accustomed. Disillusioned and with a certain sense of emptiness, he decides to embark upon that quest. He doesn't want to consider graduate school, as is strongly suggested. Instead, he wants to travel to Europe and soon has a passport. However, John and his friend Chris work for several months, while John is saving up money for his journey.
   
   Following months of hard labor, John finally finds himself on his mother's porch, saying goodbye to his mother and brother, Barry. Mixed with the excitement of what may lie ahead, is fear and apprehension. Still, this is something he has to do.
   
   In England, John is stunned when he learns that his acceptance into King's College, London was a mistake. It had been believed that it was his brother Barry who had applied. Once more, John feels the pain of humiliation from his childhhod that he'd fought against for years to overcome.
   
   John enjoys the wonderful meals of England, but when he travels to France, he finds the bread really good and the coffee very bitter. And he finds he has difficulty chewing the delicious bread and believes it is a molar problem, but later comes to realize it is much more serious.
   
   John makes many friends, some strange, some mysterious and some really close, male and female alike. He travels a good deal by bicycle, often taking daring chances, entering tunnels where he could find himself approaching head-on with a car or truck. Picking apples from orchards in France and nearly getting killed, along with his French friend, who is something of an enigma, but he doesn't remain that way for long. John soon gets one of the biggest surprises of his life.
   
   In Spain, John finds the people a little warmer and friendlier than some he has encountered on his trek, and his knowledge of Spanish is a definite plus, not only for himself, but for friends he makes along the way. However, he realizes that he must return home, one of the main reasons being his health.
   
   At one point, he ends up getting arrested due to a misunderstanding. He realizes that no one who ever cared about him even knows what continent he is on. In this hell of a prison, he is beaten and bruised and receives a rifle jabbed at shoulder length into his spine. Then, just when he believes he is at death's door, he is suddenly assisted in cleaning up and finds himself a free man once more. But, for how long, he is not sure. He realizes though, that in spite of everything that has transpired, he has met some kind people.
   
   At last, he turns back for home and finds himself at Victoria Station in London, England, anticipating a previously arranged meeting with Marcie, a young woman he met earlier on. He loses grip with himself on a train, and the conductor brings a Doctor Cordova in to check him out. Doctor Cordova proves to be a kind and sympathetic person. This is where it is discovered that John may have a very serious infection in his mouth, but the doctor, though very concerned, has no antibiotics. He makes John promise to get the problem taken care of as soon as possible. John manages to connect back with Marcie and soon makes his way back home, but he is a changed man, much wiser and more appreciative of what he has.
   
   This is only a bare sketch, if you will, a short synopsis of a great - and I emphasize great - book. A journey of a young man. A must read! It is educational, entertaining, gripping, riveting, sometimes frightening and definitely inspiring. No less than five stars. There should be ten!



2. John W. Cassell is an author of extraordinary talent. His descriptive style, wit and smooth prose take you along on his journey, which is not only interesting, but captures the imagination and takes one to boundless territories.
   
   If you never read any of John W. Cassell's work, you have missed more than just a little. You have missed adventure, excitement, romance, and wonderful trips, journeys, where you feel, almost believe, you are there with him sharing his sometimes wild, sometimes hair-raising, and often just plain fun adventures. Definitely five stars for this very, very talented writer.



3. There is so much to say that I will have to force myself to be brief.
   
   I tend to speed read my way through books but Crossroads 1969 demanded my time and I was glad to give it. This is the type of book that should be read more widely and maybe, through more exposure for the author in Amazon Shorts, it will be. Reading it reminded me that there are probably more John Cassells out there who, with one simple break, could be acknowledged as some of the great writers of our time.
   
   John Cassell describes Crossroads as 'based on a true story' and his decriptions of people and events are so real, so 'in the moment', that he most certainly must have experienced them first hand. That said, it is one thing to experience a person or event and quite another to put it down on paper in a manner that gives the reader a sense of having watched it happen. That is Mr. Cassell's true gift. The people who populate the pages of Crossroads, from the drunk singing his own interpretation of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", to the centred and sensible Marcie, to the the bribable Spanish customs official, are so well described that I felt like I had just watched a movie instead of reading a book.
   
   I am grateful to Amazon Shorts for providing a forum for my short stories but I am equally grateful that being there allowed me to make the acquaintance of John and other fine writers. Without the Shorts program, Crossroads 1969 would never have found me and I would have missed something truly worth the reading.
   
   Brother John, I kid you not when I say that this is a wonderful book. Well done and five stars!



4. >> I'd already begun the battle to secure a berth for myself in a seminary at Berkeley, having submitted the necessary applications and labored over the essay which was supposed to explain in detail why I wanted to become an Anglican priest. All my friends and family had their own ideas on the subject, ranging from the worst reasons to the best. Mine, I am afraid, would have probably surprised them all and could never have been included in the essay. In truth, I was looking for a dream world to inhabit, a small country parish in the west of England where I could write scholarly theological works, drink scotch, and go prematurely senile minding a turnip garden. <<
   
   For me, there's no substitute for reading a passage of the author's own words, to get a sense of whether you'd want to read a book. For that reason, I often quote a passage from the book I'm reviewing, isolating a segment which exposes some of the most compelling or life-filled word usage. One of the many possible prime quotes of John W. Cassell's syntax in CROSSROADS: 1969, the above passage gives a feel for this author's rich, clear voice. That quote can be found in both CR: 69 and SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS.
   
   When I read that passage, I was already pulling for this warm, intelligent, spirited young man to succeed in living in that dream world, even though I feared that reality of pure scholarly theology might not even exist within the darkened political arenas of religious sanctuaries, except in a few very isolated, monkish cases. I wanted that world to exist, if only for John Cassell to be able to cloister himself into that dreamed type of sacred luxury of religious ecstasy and intrigue.
   
   But, as the novel's plot developed and I saw how John was blocked from entry into that dream world, it was too clear that another world and path awaited this young man's footprints. It didn't take long before the author Cassell's words immersed the reader into subcultures of different paths and possibilities, each disallowed or road-forked-way for various reasons. Each time I fully shared John's disappointments, as I admired his ways of moving ever onward into whatever experiences he lived, through nightmares and joys, catastrophes and raptures, empty spaces and intrigues.
   
   One thing John's life and his books do not provide is any whiff or hint of boredom. Enthrallment is in there, for keeps!
   
   In this case, the enthrallment was not only through a philosophical journey with fascinating directional changes (as intriguing as those in the Tin Man's Quantum Leap out of the Kansas of his heroine's childhood); it's the most unusual travelogue you'll ever read on a USA citizen touring Europe and North Africa in more intimate ways than possible through friends who "live there"... and with less (almost equal) means than it would take to buy a Kindle Reader. Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (John's novels are available through Kindle, too.)
   
   I recommend taking the journeys through Cassell's novels, either in physical book form, and/or through Kindle. Eventually, I'll own both/all forms of this pioneering author's works now forming their place within The Classic Literature of the Next Age.
   
   CROSSROADS: 1969 may be my favorite of JWC's novels listed below, though now that SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS: 1969-1970 is out, that would be my favorite of those two, because that is where this saga of a series is seeded, and because my blurb is included in the opening quotes from, "What other writers are saying about John W. Cassell."
   
   There are a few logical ways to approach a step into reading the sequential counterculture novels of John W. Cassell:
   
   -- One is to begin with CROSSROADS: 1969 (published 2005) and follow that with AN AQUARIAN TRAGEDY: 1970 (published 2006 under pseudonym James Mundell). An Aquarian Tragedy
   
   -- Another is to begin with SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS (published November, 2007) Soldier of Aquarius: 1969-1970 SoA is a compilation of the two above novels; the two component novels were formatted for each other in their original united state.
   
   After reading the pair of books (CR & AAT) or the original manuscript which had both of those novels in one (SoA), the road fork would offer:
   
   -- ODYSSEY: 1970 Odyssey: 1970
   
   That novel gives a brief summary of CR, then covers the plot of AAT with a few chapters added to extend the protagonist's experiences through the whole year of '70, the effect of which broadens the view (through the expanded time structure and interjected research of major, news-breaking events) of what Cassell calls the Counterculture movement, with its multi-angle-motivations (realistically exposing dark and bright). Whereas CR & AAT focus on an individual's personal perspective of how he reacted to and worked within and through those timeframes; ODYSSEY presents a broader cultural perspective, looking outward into the world as well as inward into the psychological, sociological impositions and enhancements of the same individual.
   
   The author's suggestion is to read CR:69 + Odyssey:1970... or S of A.
   
   Then, the sequence would be as follows:
   
   -- HELL'S QUEST: 1971 Hell's Quest: 1971
   
   This novel continues from the base of either of the above alternatives, through the same protagonist, based on the author himself. In HQ, however, the author adds extensive (and fascinating) fictionalized elements to some of his biographical base, whereas the other novels listed above are based strongly on autobiographical realities.
   
   -- DEVILLIER'S COUNTRY BLUES: 1972 DeVilliers County Blues: 1972
   
   This novel continues where HQ leaves off, including the addition of fictionalized elements into a biographical basis, with the balance of fiction continuing to increase.
   
   -- UNCERTAIN PARADISE: 1973: Part 1 (Release scheduled for late December, 2007)
   
   This novel continues where DCB leaves off, with the balance of fiction again increasing. This novel is a satisfying read in itself, even if Part 2 does not materialize. However, you will be wanting more of JWC's novels, no matter what books you read first.
   
   Take time to visit our discussion forum in the Amazon Shorts category, "A toast to John Cassell's novel, "HELL'S QUEST: 1971, an ongoing commentary."
   
   That forum title has evolved well beyond a seminar on writing within a successful story format, for short pieces, novels, or sequencing sagas; yet in its evolution that forum has remained carefully focused on highly informative concepts related to writing while using Cassell's works as the baseline for comment. If you're at all interested in an X-ray view of "authorship-in-progress" or completion of Nobel Prize worthy literature, you'll feel satisfied with what you'll find there. Maybe the best part is that many of those contributing to that forum are still alive and writing... though a few quickened characters, ghosts, and poltergeists did and do apply!
   
   From your friendly, local (on Amazon) parapsychologist,
   Linda G. Shelnutt
   Morning Comes: the Pre Dawn Blues - Part 1



5. Review of John W. Cassell's "Crossroads: 1969" (Once, We Were Young) - By Jack Engelhard
   
   John W. Cassell traveled to Europe in search of America and to understand this it helps to be a Child of the 60s -though in a sense we are all Children of the 60s since the art, the music, the literature and even the politics of that era, all of it is still very much alive. In "Crossroads: 1969," Cassell' uses a bio-novel technique to recover the past - the second half the 1960s and into the 1970s - and the result is a masterful rendering of an era.
   
   In trying to find America, through the backroads and the highways of Europe, Cassell was obviously trying to find himself as well, and this no one ever achieves, something nearing perfection, but it's the pursuit itself that makes for an exhilarating adventure; in this case, Cassell's adventure, wherein he introduces us to new landscapes and new people, and we never know, until we turn the page, who might be waiting for him around the next corner.
   
   Cassell writes it straight and his most noticeable skill is in his ability to take us with him wherever he goes. We're with him when a friend turns into an enemy and we're with him when strangers turn into friends and we're with him when at any moment he could be arrested by the French police or the Spanish police - or the dreaded ESTABLISHMENT.
   
   We understand his shyness toward women at a time when women were getting bolder. This took some of us off stride.
   
   This is all about being young and the 1960s were about many things, but mostly about being young. America, during that period, was going through the symptoms of birthing, or rather, renewal. America was trying to figure out exactly what kind of nation it wanted to be. Therefore, there was that, the Establishment, and then there was the counterculture.
   
   Like so many of us, Cassell found himself caught in the middle. Lucky for us that he turned to writing to share the excitement of a nation and a man still unfinished.
   
   The adventure continues.
   
   Today, the lines are much more clear-cut. You're left or you're right. Back then, we were still trying to make up our minds.
   
   The 1960s were the defining decade of a generation. But which America was the correct one for us?
   
   Cassell doesn't lecture or pontificate. He only observes and lets us, his readers, arrive at the conclusions. That's what we call good writing, and as so often happens in this bio-novel - great writing. There are so many nuggets to choose from here, but Cassell pretty much puts his finger on what the 1960s were all about when he writes: "The future was certainly ours - there was nothing but time. Yet there was not a moment to lose."
   
   What a beautiful snapshot! Yes, we knew that at this moment the decade belonged to us, we were all in revolt, and yet we recognized that at any moment it could all be over. Vietnam was happening, after all, and the cities were burning, and everybody, it seemed, had issues, so we knew that it could not last. How long could we continue to protest when at some point we'd actually have to raise a family and earn a living? We'd have to cut our hair and most likely join a corporation - the Establishment.
   
   One day we would have to grow up.
   
   Cassell did grow up and what an incredible bio he developed over the years, much too long and storied to repeat here, except to note that out of all that, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, served as a New Mexico State Trooper, and also served as a district attorney - but that only touches on his many achievements.
   
   His greatest achievement, though, as far as this reviewer is concerned, is in reminding us that once upon a time we were young. Once upon a time everything was possible.
   
   Maybe such a time will come round again.
   
   Bravo, John W. Cassell!
   
   Jack Engelhard's latest novel, "The Bathsheba Deadline," is now available in paperback. Engelhard wrote the international bestselling novel "Indecent Proposal."

1 comments about Mexico Sketches: An Illustrated Travel Memoir, Or, Suburban Matron as Gringa.

1. Any one of us who have had their lives shaped by throwing ourselves out of our cultural comfort zone and placing ourselves amongst the foreign remember how difficult, enriching, frustrating, exhilarating, and truly revolutionary it can be. The author expresses her personal version of that journey abroad - in travels as well as personal growth. Anyone who's life has been changed through living in a foreign culture will find this story familiar and you will feel a kindred spirit with the author. The author has a wonderful turn of expression, sense of humor, and eye for observation. More than that, she's intensely compassionate and makes communities better for having passed through them. The sketches and illustrations are a bonus - they are lovely and varied.

4 comments about Secret Gardens of Santa Fe.

1. The photographs, in The Secret Gardens of Santa Fe, offer a glympse of a very special place in the western states. Sydney Leblanc does a fine--brief--job descibing the history of Santa Fe, and the reasons the gardens of this unique area do so well. Charles Mann has the touch when it comes to photography. He captures the mystery, the spectacular colors and design, and the fabulous art that adorns many of the gardens. A terrific book that makes one want to visit New Mexico, and see for one's self the magic of the high desert.



2. Santa Fe is a pretty tough place to garden. At 7,000 feet, the growing season is short, winds are high, and a five-year drought has made watering your garden politically incorrect.
   
   Nevertheless, serious gardeners persevere, and some of the better results are documented here. It helps to be rich, to have a private well, to have a gardener -- best if you have all three. The color photo reproductions here are simply splendid. The text ranges from OK to pretty good (but who buys flower-porn for the text?) Recommended for gardening and Santa Fe fans, who will surely drool over the lovely gardens, homes and art so beautifully portrayed here.
   
   Happy gardening,
   Peter D. Tillman
   Santa Fe



3. This is a beautiful book for artists and gardeners. Wonderful color combinations in landscapes & hardscapes, all accented with inspiring art pieces. Good text but...the photos say it all! (No offense to the author, I know writing is hard work.)



4. This is a beautiful book! I am designing a garden in Australia, this has given me so many ideas, from plant selection, colours, points of view and interest. Incorporating modern art and traditional building ideas. I hope you enjoy this too!

1 comments about Foods of the Maya: A Taste of the Yucatán.

1. Foods Of The Maya is a highly recommended sampler of Yucatan cuisine that will intrigue any who enjoy regional cookbooks. Foods Of The Maya focuses on local versions of Mayan cooking, from Garlic Pork with Rice and Black Beans to an orange juice/allspice seasoned Motul Chicken. No photos, but the recipes don't need them.

2 comments about Mexico: A Higher Vision.

1. Mexico: A higher vision, is a book for all people. Whether or not you have been to Mexico the photographs alone are astonishing. The book portrays a beautiful country giving writen details about different sections of the country along with some historical facts and myths. For those who have been there it is a sweet reminder of the culture. From the past to the present. It gives photos of the old and the new and how they mix together. Definately a must have.



2. Wow. The photos of this book are really great. As the wife of a Mexican, we had to have a book of photos from Mexico - to reminisce and to see places that we haven't yet visited. We searched for the perfect book - and this is it. All color photos, artistically captured, exclusively of the countryside are in this book. All of the major regions of Mexico are featured. If you haven't been to Mexico, this is a preview to the wonders that await you, and if you are missing Mexico, then this will bring a smile to your face.

No comments about Welcome To North America! (Our Amazing Continents).

No comments about The American Alps: The San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado (Coyote Books).

No comments about Top 10 Cancun and Yucatan (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE).

No comments about Where the Strange Roads Go Down.