All I Want is You

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner is flat out one of my favorite books.

I. Love. This. Book.

This book is like the Pride and Prejudice of the wild west. The scenario is very similar, girl is annoyed by boy... boy is enamored with girl... girl is completely unaware.

From the book:

   "Captain Elliot, I forgot to say thank you,  I said. He looked real puzzled at that. I straightened up kind of proud and said, Thank you for keeping us safe, and for protecting my mama and Savannah from an awful fright, and, then I couldn't think of just the right words for a bit. So I took a deep breath and said, And, for protecting them from hurtful rumors.
   Well, what do you know but he smiled and this time I could tell it, and he lifted his hat and said real grand, At your service, Miss Prine! I put out my hand like I know fellows do to shake hands, and he real quick took off his glove and took hold of it, staring at my hand like there was something written on it. He didn't shake hands at all, he just sort of held on, pressing my fingers real gentle, until his horse shifted its feet and pulled us apart."

Adapted from the journals of the authors ancestor who lived in the Arizona territories; These Is My Words is chalk full of love, laughter, sorrow and excitement.

Again from the book:

   "Someone yelled out, Sarah! And as I turned and looked, barreling toward me with a spear in his hand raised over his head is an Indian man with hellfire in his eyes. I slipped off that saddle fast but as weak-kneed as ever I have been, and the spear nicked the pommel and stuck in the dirt behind me. The Indian wheeled his horse around and pulled out a rifle, stopped and aimed it at my head. I fired at him, but there was no bullets. I pulled the trigger again and again, and he began to laugh and point the rifle at me, coming a stet closer each time I pulled the useless trigger.
   The empty clicking of my rifle sounded so loud, like a cannon near my ear, but still he stayed on the horse, smiling hard and aiming. Finally, he cocked the action, and I tried to scoot behind the horse, but it jerked and ran. There was so much dust and smoke, I could hardly see anything beyond that rifle barrel and I knew I was dead.
   ... The Indian raised the rifle to sight it in on my head, and I dropped my useless aim on him. Just as I thought I would hear a band and die, he flew off the horse, dragged down in a crazy confusion of dust and blue cloth. A soldier had him by the throat and I saw a hand go up with a knife. The Indian's rifle went off wild into the air, and then he laid limp on the ground. I ran."


I love, love, love this book and I really wanted to share it with you, but I have had a hard time finding a song to accompany it. Because of the setting and content there is a particular style that modern top 40 music just can't catch. Then I thought of a song my little sister introduced me to several years ago.

All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar seems to clinch that style, but to get the full effect of the words you have to hear the clip in our sidebar. It's a great song.

From the song:

If I was a flower growing wild and free
All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.
And if I was a tree growing tall and green
All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves

All I want is you, will you be my bride
Take me by the hand and stand by my side
All I want is you, will you stay with me?
Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea

Book: These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
Music: All I Want is You by Barry Louis Polisar
Photo Source: DeviantArt  Artist: ~twopynts