Books with author Houston

"How do we become who we are in the world? We ask the world to teach us."On her 120-acre homestead high in the Colorado Rockies, beloved writer Pam Houston learns what it means to care for a piece of land and the creatures on it. Elk calves and bluebirds mark the changing seasons, winter temperatures drop to 35 below, and lightning sparks a 110,000-acre wildfire, threatening her century-old barn and all its inhabitants. Through her travels from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska, she explores what ties her to the earth, the ranch most of all. Alongside her devoted Irish wolfhounds and a spirited troupe of horses, donkeys, and Icelandic sheep, the ranch becomes Houston’s sanctuary, a place where she discovers how the natural world has mothered and healed her after a childhood of horrific parental abuse and neglect.In essays as lucid and invigorating as mountain air, Deep Creek delivers Houston’s most profound meditations yet on how "to live simultaneously inside the wonder and the grief…to love the damaged world and do what I can to help it thrive." 12 black and white illustrations

“An absolutely fascinating blend of history, design, sociology, and cultural poetics―highly recommended.”―Maria Popova, Brain Pickings A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)―which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical verses of the early Bible―or the at sign (@), which languished in obscurity for centuries until rescued by the Internet, Keith Houston draws on myriad sources to chart the life and times of these enigmatic squiggles, both exotic (¶) and everyday (&).From the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs, figures as diverse as Charlemagne, Vladimir Nabokov, and George W. Bush cross paths with marks as obscure as the interrobang (?) and as divisive as the dash (―). Ancient Roman graffiti, Venetian trading shorthand, Cold War double agents, and Madison Avenue round out an ever more diverse set of episodes, characters, and artifacts.Richly illustrated, ranging across time, typographies, and countries, Shady Characters will delight and entertain all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life. 2-color; 75 illustrations

Fans of narrative non-fiction, true dog stories, and African wildlife will want to check out Bulu!Born on a crocodile farm in Zambia's untamed South Luangwa Valley, the puppy seemed different from his littermates. Too quiet. Unresponsive. Terriers are usually full of energy and bouncing off walls. But not this one. Nobody wanted him. Enter Anna and Steve Tolan—former police officers who had left behind their life in England to live in the African bush. People thought the Tolans were a bit different, too. The peculiar puppy suited them perfectly. They named him Bulu, or "wild dog" in the local Nyanja language.Living in the bush, Bulu not only found his voice, he also found his calling as a foster parent to the orphaned baby animals—including warthogs, monkeys, elephants, baboons, bushbucks, and buffalo—cared for by the Tolans. But Bulu's protective nature led him into terrifying situations in the wild. It's a miracle he survived! But survive he did, disarming people with his wacky ways and nurturing once-unwanted creatures like him until they too could be set free. Bulu's story is a joyful confirmation of dogs as unique spirits, capable of love, compassion, and bravery.Packed with vivid descriptions of encounters with crocodiles, lions, leopards, poisonous snakes, armed poachers, and more—and illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs—Bulu: African Wonder Dog is a great resource for meeting Common Core State Standards that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1) “A page-turner! Revealing important insight into little-known history of pre-state Palestine and World War II, this fascinating journey of a remarkable man is a rip-roaring story from beginning to end. I recommend it to everyone.”Rabbi Mark S. Golub, JBS TV, jbstv.orgTHE LOST ARTIST1934: a 13-year-old Jewish boy escapes Nazi Germany to become the highest decorated WWII Palestinian (future Israeli) soldier in the British Army.2010: a top Israeli computer scientist searches for the favorite artist of her youth. From the rise of the Nazi Party through the formation of the State of Israel, across a sea of time to present day, their worlds collide inLOVE PASSION WAR.PART 1(BASED ON A TRUE STORY)PART 1 ends in North Africa, July 3, 1942, El Alamein, when the Nazis had won the war, they just didn’t know it. It had taken sixty years, but a top Israeli computer scientist, racing against time, finally discovered the identity of the illustrator of “the pearl of Israeli children’s literature,” And There Was Evening, a bestseller and timeless classic, now in its 42nd edition. The celebrated, but unknown, artist was Fred Hausman, who also happened to be the highest decorated WWII Palestinian soldier in the British Army, the only one to earn the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), the highest gallantry award for a non-British citizen in the British Army, making it the most important WWII medal to Israel.The present and the past collide in The Lost Artist: Love Passion War (Part 1) written by Fred Hausman’s son, Eric Hausman-Houston. The Israeli researcher’s quest to find her favorite illustrator serves as a present-day backdrop to tell Fred Hausman’s harrowing story of escaping Nazi Germany at age thirteen and traveling alone to Palestine. There, he befriended an untamable horse, King Abdullah of Jordan, along with many other Arabs and joins the Haganah to help save illegal Jewish immigrants. The Lost Artist chronicles Hausman’s time in the British Army up until the decisive moment of WWII’s North Africa Campaign; July 3, 1942, the El Alamein line, 65 miles west of Alexandria, Egypt, when the Nazis won the war but just didn’t know it. Fred Hausman’s journey offers personal insight into the history of Palestine and Israel, the rise of the Nazi Party, Zionism, the Holocaust, WWII, and the seeds of our present day Middle East Crisis. The Lost Artist exposes neglected history and government coverups, including British atrocities in Palestine to both Arabs and Jews, why Winston Churchill had to perpetuate the Rommel myth, and how German resistance working at a Berlin radio station gave their lives to stop the Nazis from winning the war.Fred Hausman’s Distinguished Conduct Medal was unlawfully sold to a British lord under false terms. At the end of the book, there is a bonus chapter with information on these seedy misdoings, followed by documentation of Eric Hausman-Houston’s correspondence with Scotland Yard, the British Ministry of Defense, DNW Auction House, and billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, who is currently in possession of the stolen medal.All proceeds from The Lost Artist will go to reuniting Fred Hausman’s Distinguished Conduct Medal, and other medals stolen from within the British Ministry of Defense, with their rightful owners. The Hausman medals will then be donated to an orphanage in Israel so that they may sell the Hausman medals to a museum.

Hannah Harrison escapes her stalled life in Cape Town for a small-town bookshop in the Free State. A concentration-camp journal from the South African War, found in a dusty box of old stock, reveals the life of Rachel Badenhorst, a young girl separated from her family and enduring the crushing hardship of war. Hannah becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Rachel. Coveting the young girl’s courage and endurance, she is compelled to uncover Rachel’s story, never thinking it will lead her to pick open the wounds of a local farmer and dig up old tragedies, unearthing grief that even the land has held on to for over a century.

Fans of narrative non-fiction, true dog stories, and African wildlife will want to check out Bulu!Born on a crocodile farm in Zambia's untamed South Luangwa Valley, the puppy seemed different from his littermates. Too quiet. Unresponsive. Terriers are usually full of energy and bouncing off walls. But not this one. Nobody wanted him. Enter Anna and Steve Tolan—former police officers who had left behind their life in England to live in the African bush. People thought the Tolans were a bit different, too. The peculiar puppy suited them perfectly. They named him Bulu, or "wild dog" in the local Nyanja language.Living in the bush, Bulu not only found his voice, he also found his calling as a foster parent to the orphaned baby animals—including warthogs, monkeys, elephants, baboons, bushbucks, and buffalo—cared for by the Tolans. But Bulu's protective nature led him into terrifying situations in the wild. It's a miracle he survived! But survive he did, disarming people with his wacky ways and nurturing once-unwanted creatures like him until they too could be set free. Bulu's story is a joyful confirmation of dogs as unique spirits, capable of love, compassion, and bravery.Packed with vivid descriptions of encounters with crocodiles, lions, leopards, poisonous snakes, armed poachers, and more—and illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs—Bulu: African Wonder Dog is a great resource for meeting Common Core State Standards that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Time is running out for Lily and Silas Blackwood in their hunt to destroy Pandora’s Box before the beings of Nightfall Gardens unleash its evil upon an unsuspecting world.Loyalties will be tested and friends will make the ultimate sacrifice as the two face off against an army of horrors that live in the Gardens.At the center of it all stands the Labyrinth, a maze haunted by dying gods and startling secrets that Lily must navigate to find Pandora’s Box. But will she be too late?The Labyrinth is the nail-biting conclusion to the “Nightfall Gardens” trilogy.

Vain Lily Blackwood and her shy brother Silas wonder if their family will ever settle in one place long enough to lead a normal life. When a mysterious stranger arrives claiming to be their uncle, they discover their parents have been hiding a secret that turns their world upside down. The two are kidnapped to Nightfall Gardens, the family’s ancestral home, a place shrouded in ancient mystery, where they meet their dying grandmother and learn of an age-old curse placed on Blackwood females. Lily must take over as protector of the house and three haunted gardens that hold mythical beasts, fairy-tale nightmares and far worse. If she doesn’t, the evil trapped there will be unleashed and bring on a new dark age. While she deals with malevolent ghosts inside the house, Silas is put to work in the gardens, where one wrong step means death. Along the way, they search to unlock the secrets of the house and to stop the creatures in the gardens before time runs out and the world is destroyed.

Few races have captured the imagination of racing fans as the 1992 Hooters 500 held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. On November 15, 1992, the entire NASCAR racing community tuned in to watch as six drivers strapped in for a chance to win the NASCAR Winston Cup. And what a race it was.Heading into Atlanta, Davey Allison, Bill Elliott, and Alan Kulwicki each had a real shot at winning the Championship. On the track, Allison was in and out of contention until trouble found him, which left Elliott and Kulwicki to race for the title in a nail-biting finale. And who could have imagined that a young Jeff Gordon would take the handoff from Richard Petty on this day. Author Rick Houston has gathered new interviews from Bill Elliott, Paul Andrews, Larry McReynolds, Ray Evernham, Rick Mast, Brett Bodine, Kyle Petty, and Tim Brewer. They all give fresh recollections and new information on the events leading up to and including the 1992 Hooters 500.With NASCAR's Greatest Race: The 1992 Hooters 500, readers can relive the closest championship contest in NASCAR history to that point. All while learning new details on how the entire season culminated into a single lap to determine the title!

Precocious Lily Blackwood carries a responsibility far greater than other people. As the last female Blackwood, she must keep the evils in Pandora’s Box from destroying the world.With the help of her younger brother Silas, the dusk riders and her best friend Cassandra, she must protect Nightfall Gardens and ensure that the fairy-tale monsters, old gods and deathly shades stay separated from humanity.But now, the creatures bound to the Gardens are gaining strength and threatening to break loose. Bemisch, a malevolent witch, has escaped into the mist land to join forces with Eldritch, a powerful nature god. The mysterious Smiling Ladies hold the key to a dark secret from the Blackwood family’s past, and something once again roams the halls of the manor, trying to kill Lily.Worse yet, her fourteenth birthday is approaching and with it a dangerous rite of passage. Lily must enter the Shadow Garden, home of all that is nightmarish, and come face to face with her most terrifying threat yet.