No comments about Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Vanuatu (Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef).

No comments about An Account of the Pelew Islands (Literature of Travel Exploration and Empire).

5 comments about The Edge of Paradise: America in Micronesia (A Kolowalu Book).

1. I am reading P F Kluge's book on loan from a friend. Not only is it entertaining prose but it is perceptive, fresh and even 10 years on very relevant. Although it is written around a trip to the islands, this is no travel book. It is hard nosed social commentary.

   Fortunately I am working in Micronesia, with people who remember Kluge. This makes the book more personally relavant. His observations are sometimes stark and even biting, almost to the extent of being satirical. They are not however untrue. Perhaps in their vividness they overpower other more positive aspects of Micronesia as it is for Micronesians.

   This should be mandatory reading for anyone dealing with the renegotiations of US funding support for FSM and other Compact countries. I am finding that all too often it is convenient to forget the history of US involvement here and how the impacts of decisions made in Washington and elsewhere in the Trust Territory administration are as much to blame for the 'mess' here as is the conduct of this small population of Micronesians.

   I am just a short term Aussie with no liver spots, so I can say these things. Mr Kluge is an American and states them with the clarity of an outsider and the intimate knowledge of an insider.

   Find out what happens to the tails of turkeys, why it is dangerous to have sex in Chuuk, how to identify a Peace Corp volunteer by the look in their eyes. This book has it all.

   While outsiders trickle into their idea of an island paradise, Micronesians flow out to their idea of a consumer paradise. Only occasionally do we really meet. When that happens you have lasting friendships which Mr Kluge's book chronicles so well.

   Enjoyable enjoyable enjoyable. I will read it many times after I depart in a years time because it captures images of the recent social history islands so well.




2. Having lived and loved and worked and traveled in Micronesia for nearly 10, unforgetable and unregretable years; having known people who knew P.F. Kluge during his Peace Corps journalism years and closely known some of the principal personalities in "Edge," I can vouch for the book's veracity. However, it reads more like enchanting fiction, without romanticizing, than merely an engaging factual account. I can recommend, without reservation, this delightful read to anyone contemplating visiting or relocating on an employment contract to these islands. It's much cheaper than a plane ticket and provides a preview of what to realistically expect, unlike travel or recruiting advertisements. For better or worse, it will assist in deciding if you are able to fit into small island life.



3. I've been living in Palau for over four years and finally got to reading this book. What a pleasure to sit on my balcony in the warm air reading this brilliant book. A really good laugh at times.

   I have a nightmare that I will leave Palau and then not find my way back. This book is about someone who faces that nightmare.

   Wonderful insights, of course things move along and Palau is not the Palau of old. I know the author recently re-visited Palau, I'd be interested to know if he found it as welcoming as always.

   I know a budding author here who is keen to follow in his footsteps in terms of retelling Palau in a foreigners words. I only hope she uses the respect and humour this author chose to use.

   Good book.




4. B.C. has got to be right as he's the only attorney in all of the world to have witnessed Northern Virginia, Vietnam with the USMC, Europe, GMUSL, and Saipan and lived to give such a review. Go Bill.



5. P.F. Kluge captures the essence and the flavor of Micronesia, from the Federated States of Micronesia to Palau and Saipan, CNMI. Th author worked as a Peace Corps member and helped to write the Constitutions and public speeches. He returned a generation later and found that the American efforts and aid turned "a fish and taro" subsistence economy into a "Spam and cheese cargo cult." I would liked to have read about America's accomplishments, which there are many, discussed more in detail. Of course, he covers all the craziness of the politicians and their selfish motivations, and also talks about some of the special, favorite people in the islands. If you like the islands (anywhere) you'll relate to this narrative and enjoy the writing. I found his recollections realistic and found the overall book entertaining and educational. Recommended reading.

No comments about Australia and New Zealand's Best Hotels and Resorts (Insight Guides).

2 comments about Live & Work in Australia and New Zealand (Living & Working Abroad Guides).

1. The book has a lot of pertinent information and covers a lot of issues, from relocating (including pets) to finding work to finding housing. As it was written specifically for residents of the UK migrating to Australia or NZ, some of the information is not relevant to US-based readers, which was disappointing for me. Also, the edition I read in early 1998 had house prices from 1994, and the prices I've noted while doing some of my own research recently are much higher. All in all, however, quite detailed and descriptive of all the things one needs to think about if migrating "down under."



2. My Aussie husband (before he was my husband) planned to return to Australia for a year to finish his degree. I had planned to go as well so I purchased this and other books to help me get an Australian work permit, etc. Six months before I was due to leave I sent away over 30 letters requesting LEGAL work in Australia. After I read the book I was confident I would be able to obtain a work permit; six months later I was confident I'd wasted my money. Unless you are Bill Gates or the like, overseas companies just don't want the hassle of hiring an American. You would probably be better off looking for cash-in-hand jobs once you get there.

No comments about Long Stays in Australia.

1 comments about Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History.

1. an excellent book that integrates the art, culture and ethos of the indigenous cultures of australia with the relevant dreamtime stories, illustrations and photographs.

No comments about Discover Tropical North Queensland.

1 comments about Cycling the Bush: 100 Rides in Tasmania.

1. Sven Klinge is author of the most comprehensive cycling guide-books in Australia. By combining cycling with walking treks, he has explored over 300 of Australia's National Parks and State Forests. Born in Sydney and educated at Sydney University, Sven now divides his time between accounting and other writing projects. CYCLING THE BUSH: 100 RIDES IN TASMANIA contains detailed tracknotes for one hundred of the best bicycle rides in the state. The range of rides include short one 'dayers' of historical interest around the cities, as well as coastal rides, and extended overnight mountain biking/walking expeditions in the rugged wilderness that Tasmania is internationally famous for. From mountain lookouts to fishing lakes, from pristine rivers to limestone caves, from tall old growth forests to the coast, all National Parks are covered as well as a selection of the most scenic State Forests, Recreation Areas, Forest Reserves, and Bass Strait islands. Each ride incorporates data on distances, transport, access, track & ride grades, facilities, map references, and special equipment needed. Extensive information is provided on geological, biological, and historical aspects of natural, aboriginal, and colonial features along the rides. There are chapters devoted to the development, mechanics, and maintenance of the mountain bike, in addition to sections covering accessories, riding techniques, first aid, food, equipment, photography, and camping. In COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT FORMAT, this guide should be POCKET EQUIPMENT for every cyclist and bushwalker wishing to discover this new exciting way of venturing into perhaps the most spectacular parks system in Australia.

5 comments about The Salt Letters: A Novel.

1. This book was one of the best I've ever read. I throughly enjoyed it and was very upset when it was over. Throughout the book, I wondered what it would be like to be in the girls shoes. To have to run away from a man whom her parents wish her to marry, and run off to Astralia of all places with her lover. It really made me sad to think that her love wasn't on the ship but happy to find out the secrets of the end. I especially loved how the author had her start letters to her family but never finish them, and then the resolve on how she came to fix that. I recomend this book highly to anyone intrested in historical fiction! I loved it!! I hope you do too!



2. Balint's language and tone were pitch-perfect. A fascinating story, wonderful book.



3. Set on a ship sailing from England to Australia in the 1800's, Sarah is traveling in the unmarried women's section (in steerage) of the ship. With a tough matron to watch over them and nothing better to do, each girl tells a story of what they are running from and hoping to find. At the heart is Sarah, who believes she has a fish in her stomach and is made of salt water. She tells her story in broken bits, as part of the journey causes her to remember.

   I am really not sure what to think of this book. Sometimes, I think it is good, others, it seemed very poorly done. Christine Balint is more known for her short story work, and in my opinion probably should have stuck to it. "Salt Letters" is a good story, with vivid descriptions that pull you in and make you feel what is going on. But, the Balint has goes from each characters story, and back to Sarah's, the main character. The ending, well, it just ends, leaving you wondering what happened.




4. "The Salt Letters: A Novel" was a book that interested me greatly from its plot summary. I had not read about anyone coming from Australia to America via a boat, nor have I read about unmarried women making such a voyage. I ended up learning nothing about these topics. Author Christine Balint made her story much too artistic. It left me thinking, "And the point of this was..." True love? Perseverance? I have no idea. I would rather she have focused on the taboo relationship between the cousins rather than the voyage, since that was the most difficult to read and understand. I do not recommend.



5. While I can't say I hated this book, I can't say I loved it either. The Salt Letters provided an interesting and easily readable account of a girl's escape from family expectations to pursue the love of her life...and to do so required her to travel all the way across the world in a rickety, overcrowded boat. Her experiences are harrowing and the narrative voice is true: you feel Sarah's experiences and sympathize with her.
   
   What I didn't like about the book was that it was written in such a vague way that I couldn't really tell what happened at the end. The narrative weaves the story through both the present and the past, but the ending isn't clear if she's in a dream world from her sickness or if she's healed and will begin her life anew in the "new world." It almost feels as if the author wants the reader to be confused, or that she's being cute in writing a double-meaning ending, but it was unsatisfying for this reader. I didn't like not knowing.
   
   What I did like about the book is how the characters feel real, how you can sympathize with them, how their struggle to survive the miseries of the long boat ride (boredom, discomfort, unsanitary conditions, bad food, lack of privacy, etc.) makes them all feel a little crazy, how the narrative takes on a fantasy tone at times. The playfulness of the narrative was a stark contrast to the actual events of the story, and was, for the most part, done well.