5 comments about Dork Whore: My Travels Through Asia as a Twenty-Year-Old Pseudo-Virgin.

1. Great book- great first novel. Entertaining, smart and very funny. 2 thumbs up.



2. and I'm sure every guy can find someone they are akin to as well.
   
   I found this book to be almost impossible to put down and read it in two evenings (it's a great quick read.)
   
   Iris Bahr tells her memoir in the most humorous way possible. Granted, she is a comedian so her wit is not surprising, but the STORIES are just amazing.
   
   I would and will recommend this book to all of my friends.



3. I really loved this book. Iris Bahr is pretty multi-talented, and I heard her in character on Studio 360, and later saw her on Current. This is so hilariouly honest, it's cringe-worthy, but I have a feeling that this is very realistic. I enjoyed the diversion, and even though this doesn't come to an ending you expect, it's still a great ride. Have fun explaining the title to others!



4. I did expect an amusing story similar to William Sutcliffe's book "Are You Experienced?". This book however tells the story of a frustrated and embittered woman wallowing in self-pity and unable to socialize. I could not find the praised Jewish humour or a cynical story but an irritating and unexciting tale.



5. ...check out the book Naked in Haiti: A sexy morality tale about tourists, prostitutes & politicians.

5 comments about The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam (Adventura Books).

1. This is simply one of the most stupendous travelogues I have ever read. In fact, I can't think of a better one. Read it!



2. Her writing style is so playful, amusing, charming, and sensitive. Her observation of the environment and culture is so acute. She brought alive the scenes, the sounds, the liveliness of Hanoi streets -- just like the classic Vietnamese novels that we had to read while in high school. I bought this book for my wife, previewed it and then finished it. Highly recommended.



3. i loved every minute of reading this book. i was captivated by ms. sachs' tales of coming to terms with her discomfort in a very foreign environment where communication was almost impossible. her writing is clear and expressive and personal. i look forward to reading her next book, and hope that there are more to come.



4. I can't add anything to the other reviews other than to say that if you enjoy reading about westerners living in Asia you will like or love this book. You should also read "Catfish and Mandala" which comes from a totally different perspective, but is also memorable.



5. This is a well written account of one woman's trip and love of Vietnam. At most times it flowed but there were times were I would see myself skipping over pages that didn't interest me. I was actually a little sad of her use of her male friend that she was with her first long stay in Vietnam. Makes me sad to think of her being American, I sure hope we all do not think of people as usable. At least you'd think she'd of said she was sorry. Besides that it was a nice read, nothing that blows you away but it's a good waste of a rainy day!

5 comments about The Rough Guide to China 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. This book is the cream of the crop in China travel guides. Its is large and thorough and indispensible.
   
   All information in this guide is thoughtfully organized and easy to follow and read. I also had the LP guide and did not find it as useful when navigating my way around the country.
   
   As with any travel guide, it will not serve as your only travel resource, but will no doubt start you in the right direction when you are looking for something not covered in this book.
   
   Well recommended, don't leave home without it.



2. In short, there are two good guidebooks to China - 'rough guide' and 'Lonely Planet'. You can't go wrong with either of them, however 'Lonely Planet' is slightly more comprehensive.



3. After faithfully using Lonely Planet for my trips to Western Europe and Southeast Asia, I can honestly say that I am a Rough Guide convert and will be using Rough Guide books from now on after using this book on my recent trip to China. Aside from the good maps, one thing I love about this book is the depth it takes to explain the historical and cultural significance of the places being described. The logistics isn't bad either since it contains information how to get from one place to the other. This has been a good read while on long-distance train rides and have been with me throughout my trip to China.



4. Having consulted the Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, and the Eyewitness guides to China on my last trip to the country, I can definitely vouch that Rough Guide is the way to go, with Eyewitness taking second and Lonely Planet a distant third. For my money, the Rough Guides have the edge on Lonely Planet in their critical-but-not-jaded tone, detailed practical information (more detailed than Lonely Planet), superior maps, informative and comprehensive background essays, and general elan (subjective, I know, but there you have it). That said, Lonely Planet does seem to have a slight edge in restaurants, but every place we ate at out of the Rough Guide was delicious. In the end, of course, which guidebook you buy depends on the kind of travel you'll be doing; I would recommend the Eyewitness guides without reserve for armchair and group travelers, or for those map-obsessed travlers who compulsively want to find their way around on their own. That said, the Rough Guide maps are more than sufficient, especially when supplemented with local tourist maps, which will inevitably be more up-to-date.
   
   That really is my only caveat about the book; things in China (especially Shanghai and Beijing, cities most travelers pass through) are changing so rapidly that a new edition can't come soon enough. I marked an additional 20 subway stations on the Shanghai map in January 2007; this book was published in October 2005. In the meantime, I'll just say that the Suzhou Museum is now a must-see.



5. Overall this book is very detailed with a lot of background information and interesting reading. However, as a practical guide, the book is way too dated for fast-changing China. For example, five new subway lines have started operation in Shanghai since the book was written. Although this edition was published only 2 years ago, it glaringly omits one of Shanghai's hottest new destinations for the past decade: Xintiandi, a must see for any visitor to the city. It also has no mention of Qiandao Hu (Lake of a Thousand Islands), a major scenic area in Zhejiang Province.
   
   The author's attitude is sometimes bewildering. In the paragraph for Wulingyuan National Park (Zhangjiajie), the author complains in the same sentence about overcrowding and the admission price (160 yuan, or about $25), which it calls "exorbitant". I personally think 160 yuan is a bargain for a major national park like this. Besides, what do you think would happen to the crowding issue if the price were lowered? Also in the Hong Kong chapter, it calls the Discovery Bay "nightmarish". True, the Discovery Bay is mainly a waterfront residential development popular with expat families, and is of relatively low interest to the tourist. But calling it nightmarish is way overboard.

No comments about Culture Shock! Singapore: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Guides).

No comments about The Silk Road: Xi'an to Kashgar, Eighth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guides).

No comments about Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing Restaurants and Hotels (Zagat Survey: China).

5 comments about A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism.

1. After being advised to visit Ladakh by a number of people, traveller & writer Andrew Harvey finally arrives in the remote Himalayan region. His journey is more of a spiritual quest & is further propelled by his meeting of a Tibetan Rinpoche. He finds himself torn between his rational Western ego which is telling him that this Tibetan Rinpoche could be a fraud & giving up his former life to stay in Ladakh & immerse himself in Tibetan Buddhism.

   Like any Westerner who visits such a remote region, he laments over the encroachment of the West to an ancient culture & wonders what will happen to Ladakh in the future. Wishing that he could help conserve Ladakh's unique identity, his hope is that this book will show an honest account of Ladakh, it's people & it's culture.

   A brilliant book for anyone travelling on their spiritual journey.




2. Andrew Harvey is an excellent writer.his writings,even on esoterica,have a light touch, making them accessible to those of us without a first at Oxford. This book is a well written decrpitive early gem by Mr. Harvey.Ladakh is [was?]the last pristine place of tibetan buddhism left on the planet. Mr Harvey goes in search of it,and ,of course, himself. The results are surprising, and very well done. The early parts of the book deal with the travel,and it occasionally borders on poetry.The meat of the book,as it were,is Mr. Harvey's encounter with a Tibetan Rinpoche,and the subsequent effect on his life.His conversations with the rinpoche,juxtaposed with his nights drinking chang[the local brew]in a Ladakhan saloon, are wonderful, and make the text much more enjoyable, and less self inflating. After all of this, Mr. Harvey writes an afterward 20 years later[this is a reprint]and he seems to have been ahving a bad day.After stopping just short of accusing the dalai lama of homophobia[traced to some of The Dalai lamas remarks made in San Francisco, I think,}he pounds the tibetan exile community,brings up the patrichial setup of traditional tibetan life[from a feminist perspective],and generally gets more heated in 3 pages than the previous 220+. Odd way to end a lovely book.



3. Other reviewers have given a synopsis of the book, so I won't repeat it here. Also, I read an old edition without the Afterword, so didn't have to read the author's repudiation of his youth.

   I thoroughly enjoyed this classic "Journey to the East" travelogue. Harvey observes keely and writes from the heart. This book is for anyone who has travelled and fallen in love with a foreign culture, or who has travelled and hoped to find a new way of being.




4. As far as philosophy goes this book is definitely worth the read. There are some beautiful and quite moving passages about the nature of our collective struggle to be happy in a world of pain, the beauty of a discipline such as Tibetan Buddhism, and the quite common search for an understanding of it all.
   I particularly liked the part on page 104 where he writes "It takes a great courage when you are suffering to see beyond your suffering to the clear relations between things, to the laws that cause and govern your suffering; it takes great courage to be ruthless with one's griefs."
   That being said, I don't think this is a perfect book. There were several things that I found increasingly troubling as I read. One was the issue of language. Harvey mentions periodically that this or that character spoke good English, but there is no cogent explanation of just how communications between all of these divergent characters worked. I found it very hard to believe that all these people spoke english as well as they appear to in the book. In fact, everyone in the book spoke english more fluently than most people I know, i.e. native english speakers. Which brings me to my second issue. Harvey appears in the book to have the ability to travel to a very foreign culture and almost instantaneously forge deep and intensely personal bonds with everyone he meets. I'm not saying this is impossible. Just unlikely. It's almost never happened to me even in my own culture. That could be because I'm a curmudgeonly and cynical guy, granted. But still it didn't seem very likely to me. I question how much of the dialogue was accurate and how much was the result of Harvey's idealized memories of his journey. It reminded me, unfortunately, of "Mutant Message Down Under", though nowhere NEAR as bad, I hasten to add. That book was dreadful. At least the first half was; that's as far as I got. Harvey's book is infinitely better, but does have a hint of the same idealization of the "spiritual, untarnished, third world wise man" in it. I've met so many people who have visited Nepal and surrounding areas who say the same thing that I guess there must be an element of truth to it. It just seems a bit simplistic.
   The last thing that bugged me was how the Rinpoche was said to be so dedicated to his people that he was always exhausted from helping them, yet seemed to have all the time in the world for the author. What's so special about him? I don't know, maybe he's a tulku or something. The Rinpoche would know better than me. It just seemed to fit into a cultural pattern that I've seen too many times.
   For a refreshingly different account you should read 'Amazon Beaming' by Petru Popescu, about a guy who gets stranded in the Amazon with the Mayoruna tribe. The only way he makes it with these people, the only role that's available to him in their culture, is that of a total buffoon who can't do anything for himself. Which was accurate, of course, within their context. If Harvey's experience in Ladakh was different, isn't that in itself a symptom of the Westernization which he and everyone else decries? In a culture totally unfamiliar with Western ways, someone whose life consisted of computers, cars, working for money, investing money, and travelling to distant lands on airplanes for no particular reason, would seem pretty bizarre. What role would there be for us if we hadn't created one?
   But I digress.
   It didn't help any to search Andrew Harvey on the Internet and discover that he's now offering tours of South India at a cost of $3700.00 for two weeks (not including airfare). Sure, I'm a naysayer and a devil's advocate, but that's my burden, not yours.
   Read this book and enjoy the good parts. I definitely enjoyed it, I just thought I should mention some reservations in order to counter the all too common, five star, "ooh, unbelievable, changed my life" reviews which are a little too common these days, like standing ovations for non-spectacular performances. Well, what can you do? We live in a world where The Celestine Prophecies has sold 10,000,000,000,000 copies. Have you read that? DON'T!
   ps - I really dig my "real name" attribution. That means I'm a source you can trust. I feel almost like a corporation.



5. Ladakh is an unbelievable spot, very unique. Although almost 30 years old, this book hasn't lost anything of its magic and relevancy. It helped me understand Ladakh and its Buddhism better.

4 comments about The 1421 Heresy: An Investigation into The Ming Chinese Maritime Survey of the World.

1. Repaces Eurocentrism by Sinophilia largely by study of maps (many here produced but too small to be much use). Uses highly speculative linguistic clues. Biggest problem is ignorance of Indian, Indonesian, and even Arab navigation and technology - thereby lacking perspective and claiming too much for Ming fleets. With Menzies (but less extreme) he claims Chinese rounded Africa to Atlantic. He is unaware of Ajanta caves that have boat carving in early 7th century rather like a few on maps used speculating about Chinese from which broad conclusions are drawn. A very few new points are worth consideration. Minimal notes and limited familiary with the considerable academic literature on Indian Ocean. Not recommended.



2. A fascinating read. Despite some strident and self-serving objections from the establishment of so-called historians, I found the book to be an eye-opener that is deserving of critical consideration. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the European Renaissance. Also, a must-have book for map lovers.



3. In searching for the truth of our history, I found Anatole's way of analyzing the data is objective, sincere and persuasive. Anatole is truely an historian.



4. I am disappointed with the writing. It rambles and is had to figure out what points the author is trying to make. I don't know if I will be able to maintain my interest in the subject enough to figure out if there is something of value here.

5 comments about Sorcerer's Apprentice.

1. Tahir Shah is an Englishman of Afghani/Scottish descent who writes what may be a new form: The eccentric maybe true, maybe not true, but true on a metaleval travel book. What I mean by that is that, while the details of his day-to-day experiences may be exaggerated and padded to make the book work with a coherent theme, the facts about the country remain true. I genuinely enjoyed this second book of his that I have read. In it, an 11-year-boy meets the guardian of his ancestor's tomb, learns a bit of magic, grows up, travels to India to tour and meet the guardian again, hoping to learn more slight of hand illusion magic. From there he is referred to his teacher's teacher, who is definitely the archytypical teacher as sadist. As Mr. Tahir learns the craft, we learn a great deal about India, about the travelling magicians, godmen, sadhus, charletans, etc. I found the book engaging from beginning to end and highly recommend it.



2. I ordered my book and got it in 3 or 4 days in flawless
   condition. Many thanks.



3. I loved this book !!! It is the second book I read by this author (the first was the Caliph's House which I also loved) and I intend to read ALL his books past and future.
   I simply fell for his style of writing, it goes to the core and makes you feel like you are present and for me that is what books should do, suck us into the narrative. I had a travel guide of India by me to look up all the locations mentioned in the book and i just marvelled at the amount of information I learned about magic tricks. I hope more people read his books and that he keeps writing.



4. When I purchased this book, due to the title of the book, I expected the book to have an esoteric, occult, flavor and to describe some of the esoteric practices of India - perhaps something along the lines of the books on Aghora, given the illustration on the cover where the individual looks as if he were a devotee of Kali. To me the word "sorcery" represents working in some way with consciousness and energy. This book has nothing of the sort. It is all about performing illusions and is in a way a collection of tricks done by street magicians. If you like street magic, you may enjoy this book. Some of the tricks are based on outright deception, as in the slight-of-hand, while others may involve some knowlede of chemistry, physics, anatomy and psychology. You may feel inspired to get one of those Harry Potter science experiments kits or similar that begin by teaching you how to pass a boiled egg through a glass bottle. You may then progress onto other illusions as performed by David Blaine, Derren Brown or Chris Angel.
   
   I did find the writing style of the author rather entertaining and at time rather funny, which helped to swallow some sad facts about the life of the poor people in India (as in beggars renting babies so that they could make money - the book also has pictures of a "baby dealer" in Calcutta), about the way people look at and treat widows, and few other beliefs and customs that made me appreciate all over again all the comforts I have and sometimes take for granted.



5. This book gets an A+. I've been swimming through Tahir's safaris for the last few months and benefiting to an immense degree. The books are baited with hilarity and insight and inspire to take a more thorough look into our own worlds and the world at large, beyond the illusion of our own delusions. The India presented by Tahir is riveting-- a course in smells, spells, and sales. I read this book in two days, one because I'm so smart, and two... well... I don't want to ruin the sirr-prize, you're fired!

5 comments about Japan for Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Their Children (Origami Classroom).

1. This book never left the coffee table in the 2 years we lived in Japan. Although some of the info was outdated (phone numbers, etc.) it gave me so much information on wear to take my 3 year old to play, go to preschool, get a haircut, etc. It even gave me great advice on giving birth in Japan when I became pregnant with baby #2! It is written in a very easy way - I found myself picking it up and reading a few pages whenever I had a free moment. This book is a must for anyone heading over to Japan with kids - DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT! If you can wait until July an updated version will be published (thank you amazon.com for that information!)Since we will probably be heading there again for a few years (this time with 3 kids) I already have it on order.



2. This book should have been titled, "Tokyo for Kids". I was extremely excited to get this book but my excitement faded to disappointment when I opened it's cover to only find mostly things that realated to the Tokyo area. I am currently living in Japan with my husband and daughter and was hoping for more of an insiders view of things to do in Japan. However, I live quite a distance from the Tokyo area and had hoped to find out about things more locally, or even within a more resonable distance then Tokyo. It would have been nice to see more comprensive coverage of Japan. Not everyone who lives here, flocks to the Tokyo area. Although I do plan to visit there at least once while living here, it is not close enough to be the focus of weekend or even monthly outings. There were a few other areas mentioned, but it seemed to me that the authors of this book did not take enough time to throughly reasearch all areas of Japan. There is some useful information in here as far as contacts and ordering, but if you live anywhere outside Tokyo, I can not reccomend this book to you. It is a well written and informative book for what it is, but it should not have been titled, "Japan for Kids", nor claimed to be the ultimate guide...



3. Yes, there is a lot of great information here, and if you are in Japan with your kids I'm sure this book will be helpful. However, despite the "Japan" in the title, most of the specific places mentioned in the book (museums, hospitals, parks, etc.) are in Tokyo, followed by the Osaka-Kobe area. It can make you very envious if you don't live there!



4. A more apt title for this book is perhaps "Tokyo for American Kids", because that is what it is mostly about. I am located in Yokohama, which is not far from Tokyo, so fortunately it is still useful for me, as it contains some references to Yokohama. However, if you are living in other parts of Japan, the book's usefulness is limited. The book makes many references to getting access to things that you are used to "back home", where home is America, so if you aren't American that's not much help either. Having said all that, the book has many good features if you are living in or near Tokyo, including lists of English-speaking doctors, parks/playgrounds and things to see and do, however don't rely too heavily on the directions to the attractions given in the book, as some of them are pretty ordinary. There is enough general type of information to make the book worth buying regardless of your location, if only to give you an idea of what to expect if you are moving to Japan with children, just don't be disappointed when you discover that most of the specific details provided are aimed at people living in Tokyo. If you are moving to Tokyo, this book is excellent. If you are an American moving to Tokyo, then it's even better!



5. OK. The book was written by an American primarily from an American point of view, and is heavily weighted towards life in Tokyo. Some basic demographics: Japan - total population about 127 million. The English speaking population in Tokyo is maybe 40,000 (if you assume that most of the West Europeans speak English on top of their mother tongues). The number of registered foreigners living in all of Japan is about 1,686,444 (as of Dec 2000) of which 2.7% are US citizens representing the fifth largest ethnic group after Koreans, Chinese, Brazilians and Philippinos. This is to give you an idea of how small the total number of English speaking foreign residents is. Naturally they are spread out very unequally all over this country with the greatest numbers concentrated in the Tokyo/Yokohama corridor and in the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe region.

   Diane writes very positively. In spite of lack in total coverage of the whole country, this book makes Japan more attractive to people who would be overwhelmed otherwise by the exotic nature of Japan, a country where very few people are capable of communicating on even the simplest level in English (unlike Singapore, Hong Kong, Sweden, Holland, India, etc.) The book is too short to address every nook and cranny of an endless topic, but it is a darn good start in the right direction and the only book of it's kind. Supplemented by the Japan Health Handbook, long term visitors have a good set of tools for tackling the job of living here with limited or no Japanese language ability. There are several chapters dealing with general information applicable to living in most urban areas of Japan. She has also included a lot of web site URLs in this second edition which make more detailed information on a local basis available. This book is not the definitive resource, nor was it meant to be at only 320 pages, but it is an excellant place to get started in the exploration of a potential lifetime experience.

   For a family travelling as tourists to Japan this book is also immensely useful coupled with the Lonely Planet Guide and universally helpful hotel concierges (even when their English is sometimes lacking). Even if this book only manages to impart to the reader the "flavor" of this country, the multitude of things that appear similar on the surface but are actually quite different, then the reader has acquired that much more data with which to navigate. It may be best to see this book as a good reference book which will lead to other places for more detailed information once arrived in Japan.