Reading Recommendations:

The Texas Rangers, Wearing The Cinco Peso: 1821-1900, Mike Cox -

"Mike (Cox) has a way of writing the history of the Rangers that keeps your attention and makes reading easy and enjoyable. Every Texas Ranger, past and present, should read this book."

- Joe B. Davis - President of the Former Texas Rangers Foundation and 24-year Texas Ranger veteran

Austin American Statesman journalist, Mike Cox, explores the inception and rise of the famed Texas Rangers. Starting in 1821 with just a handful of men, the Rangers' first purpose was to keep settlers safe from the feared and gruesome Karan Kawa, a cannibalistic tribe that wandered the Texas territory. As the influx of settlers grew, the attacks increased, and it became clear that a much larger, better trained force was necessary.

From their tumultuous beginnings to their decades of fighting outlaws, Comanches, Mexican soldados and banditos, as well as Union soldiers, the Texas Rangers became one of the fiercest law enforcement groups in America. In a land as spread out and sparsely populated as the West itself, the Rangers had unique law enforcement responsibilities and challenges.

The story of the Texas Rangers is as controversial as it is heroic. Often accused of vigilante style racism and murder, they enforced the law with a heavy hand. But above all, they were perhaps the defining force for the stabilization and the creation of Texas. From Stephen Austin in the early days through the Civil War, the first 80 years of the Texas Rangers is nothing less than phenomenal, and the efforts put forth in these days set the foundation for the Texas Rangers that keep Texas safe today.

And, Marie Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette's Daughter, Susan Nagel -

In December 1795, on the midnight stroke of her 17th birthday, Marie Therese, the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, fled Paris's notorious Temple Prison. Kept in solitary confinement after her parents' brutal execution during the Terror, she had been unaware of the fate of her family, save the cries she heard of her young brother being tortured in an adjacent cell.

She emerged to an uncertain future: an orphan, exile, and focus of political plots and marriage schemes of the crowned heads of Europe. Throughout, she remained stubbornly loyal to France and to the Bourbon dynasty of which she was part. However, the horrors she had witnessed and been a victim to would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Many believe to this day that the traumatized princess was switched with her "half sister" and spirited away to live as the "Dark Countess," leaving the imposter to play her role on the political stage of Europe. Now, 200 years later, using handwriting samples, DNA testing, and a cache of Bourbon family letters, Susan Nagel finally solves this mystery.

Nagel tells a remarkable story of an astonishing woman, from her birth in front of rowdy crowds at Versailles, to her upbringing by doting parents, through to Revolution, imprisonment, exile, Restoration, and finally, her reincarnation as saint and matriarch.

And, Mexican Light, Cocina Mexicana Ligera, Healthy Cuisine for Today's Cook, Para El Cocinera Actual, Number 3 in the Great American Cooking Series, Kris Rudolph -

Did you know that pre-Columbian Mexican cuisine was low in fat and high in fiber and vitamins? Based on corn, squash, tomatoes, beans and lean meats, the everyday diet of the first Americans was remarkably close to the recommendations for healthy eating we hear about every day. Now for the first time, cooks can use the secrets of the Aztecs in today's kitchens, thanks to Kris Rudolph's thoroughly researched cookbook. And because cooks from both sides of the border will be eager to try these recipes, Rudolph presents the recipes and text in Spanish on facing pages.

This is a fascinating book, historical as well as presenting recipes for creating light and zesty Mexican dishes for today's life-style. The recipes are easy to make, well written, and mouth watering. Another How-To from Rylander shelves -

See you there!