1 comments about Backroads of Ontario.

1. This book was first published by Hurtig in 1984, and is the copy that I am reviewing. I'm sure much has had to be changed by Brown in order to make the book accessable, as much development has, unfortunately, occurred in Ontario over the past twenty years.

   The book consists of 24 excursions through Ontario's beautiful countryside. Ontario has numerous natural wonders, quaint small towns, and historical landmarks--all of which are within a few hours drive.

   For those unable to undertake the excursions, or who have no inclination to go polluting through them, will still enjoy this book immensely, as I have. Ron Brown is an excellent writer, and describes each excursion with clarity and the right balance of information and anecdote.

2 comments about Adventure Guide to Canada's Atlantic Provinces: Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Labrador, Iles de la Madeleine (Adventure Guide Series).

1. This book is excellent. What I particularly liked was that it mentioned small walks that can be taken in the areas that we visited, as well as archeological sites and wildlife viewing areas, all in my areas of interest.



2. In planning a trip to Nova Scotia (somewhere I have never been) I used this book extensively. We enjoy hiking, kayaking and general sight-seeing. This book not only provided information on outdoor activities but also on lodging, dining and driving as well as the history of the areas in Nova Scotia. It provides a wealth of information and made our stay much more enjoyable than if we just went there not knowing anything. We brought it along and it was a very important reference for us as we toured the province. I highly recommend it. After reading several travel books, this was the best one and the only one we took on our trip.

5 comments about The Best Hikes of Colorado: An Altitude SuperGuide.

1. This book is an excellent guide for hiking in Colorado. First, it has excellent pictures to give the reader an idea of the scenery. Then, it provides directions on how to get to the different parks. Also, it provides maps to the hiking trails and a lot of other useful information on whether dogs are allowed, whether the hike is suitable for family outing, whether there is a fee, phone numbers one can call, etc. The quality of the paper is astonishing. It also provides small paragraphs on bear etiquette, lions etiquette, etc. It provides information on the flaura and fauna expected to be seen on each hike. Very informative, very interesting and very useful book.



2. The book covers 40 hikes spread throughout the state. However, 15 of these are in Rocky Mountain National Park, and 12 near Aspen and Vail. This only leaves a sprinkling of hikes in a few other areas. That said, this is a wonderfully done, gorgeous book that you can get in a binder (more $) or paperback.

   The binder allows you to remove pages to take on your hike (with an included transparent page cover). I like the binder because it gives the book a "coffee table book" feeling and the pages open flat.

   The book is chock full of color pictures and tidbits on everything from critters and flowers to historical information, making it an interesting read. If you want to give someone a feeling for Colorado (I used to live there), this is the book to get them excited. The trails are mostly moderate in difficulty and length - just right for a 1/2 to full day's hiking. The trail descriptions and trailhead locations are excellently detailed.




3. Having used this book to take just over half of the hikes it discusses, I highly recommend it to someone new to Colorado. I'm in the military and I have only 2-3 years in each duty location. So, when I saw this book, I bought it and have used it extensively so far. I have only a couple of minor points to make about it, however. The author never reveals how she "grades" her hikes, and I strenuously disagree with 3 of the grades she doled out to particular hikes. The Pitkin Lake hike (near Vail) is by no means an "easy" hike--at best it's a high-moderate to low-strenuous! Also, the Rock Creek (also near Vail) hike is by no means one of the 40 best hikes Colorado has to offer. In fact, I'm baffled when trying to think why she might've included it in her book. Finally, the Three Island Lakes hike (near Steamboat Springs) is by no means a strenuous hike. At worst, it's a moderate. Still, the book has led me to THE most spectacular scenery I've ever seen, and I credit the author for that. I do wish she revealed the time of year she took these hikes, in addition to other hikes she took before coming to her conclusions. However, I will always be grateful to her for providing me with a valuable tool for finding some of the most beautiful places on Earth. I certainly don't regret buying the book, and in fact, I've given it as a gift many times. I've bought 2 copies for myself, having worn the first copy out in just two years. Another note: buy the binder edition. It has removable pages for taking the portion of the book that deals with the hike you want to take, avoiding your having to pack the entire tome around with you. Just slide the two or three applicable pages into the plastic cover (included with the binder edition), and off you go!



4. If your planning on doing some hiking in the Southern rockies of Colorado this is a great resource.
   
   The author has listed some rxcellent hikes in different regions throughout the state. The hikes include complete descriptions and maps so that you can get a look at the area. In addition there are thorough descriptions of how to access the trailheads. Of course if you obtain a USFS or NPS map of the area you could find these trailheads without turn by turn descriptions.
   
   Another plus are the numerous sections describing local plant life, animal life, and historical places.
   
   The only problem I had is that it left out a lot of hikes in the areas it covers. I would highly recommend this book, I just wish there was more of it.



5. The 40 hikes are so well described, you don't need to hike them any more. I can't memorize 5 pages of hike description, and I can't hike and read at the same time. I also don't need someone to explain what I see, if I can recognize it for myself when I see it. We didn't use it for a single hike - I recommend to buy it for the bad weather period when you have time to read instead of being on the trail

1 comments about Michelin Must See Vancouver (Michelin Must Sees Vancouver).

1. I checked this book at Barnes and Nobles and looked like a perfect travel guide. I didn't buy it just because I'd already bought a more expensive guide to the Pacific Coast/Canada and I didn't want to travel with more weight. Otherwise, the Must See Vancouver guide looked perfect for somebody that doesn't want to spend too much and who rather read the essentials needed for a good trip. You can still get detailed instructions and pretty color pictures but you don't have to carry a heavy book with you. The Michelin star rating is very useful, for example if you have limited time to travel you can choose to see only the sites that are rated three stars and that way you don't feel like you'll miss anything good. The Vancouver book also included Vancouver Island and other short visits starting from Vancouver. I highly recommend this guide. It's too bad I didn't see it before I bought the other guide!

5 comments about Moon Handbooks: New Mexico (5th Ed.).

1. I recently, for 10 days, drove around New Mexico (5th largest State among the 50), seeking this and experiencing that, and I took with me five guides (Moon's, Fodor's, Off the Beaten Path, Roadside History and N.M. Sanctuaries, Retreats, and Sacred Places). Though Fodor's was the best guide for selecting accommodations and eateries, Moon's guide excelled in historical and tidbit descriptions.

   What set this guide apart is the history, superior maps (especially compared to Fodor's) and Stephen Metzger's straightforward, clear, writing style. Metzger's introduction to New Mexico section is outstanding (The Land, Flora and Fauna, History, Economy and the People). This is an important contribution to understanding the State completely skipped by Fodor's. Also, Metzger's history of regions, cities, towns and pueblos is exemplary.

   Where the guide falters is the weak descriptions of accommodations and restaurants, IE "The hotel is distinctly decorated" or "a discreet little inn with 12 rooms on an alleyway". After reading Fodor's vivid descriptions this was a serious step back. Also few, if any, website addresses for lodgings are found, and in a 2003 publication that is a serious omission. (Fodor's has website addresses).

   If you are primarily interested in finding the best dining experiences and great accommodations Fodor's is my pick. But, for a State guide that is strong on overview and excellent in the history are you can't beat Metzger (however, also check out Roadside History of New Mexico). Strongly Recommended




2. This book has good information; but it's missing a good overall state map and mileages between cities/towns.



3. Terrific information, a must buy for anyo camper/hiker visiting New Mexico.



4. Moon Handbooks' New Mexico Guidebook (6th Edition) was the second Moon Handbook that I purchased. The first one I purchased was Nevada by Deke Castleman (also 6th Edition) - which is very helpful and fun to read, by the way. Unfortunately, it was obvious while reading the New Mexico guidebook that the author, Stephen Metzger, does not live in New Mexico, and often seems unfamiliar with the state throughout the book. I really would have liked to have more information about the city of Rio Rancho (only one page for a city of about 66,000 people!). I have traveled to New Mexico twice since purchasing this book and have discovered a lot of beautiful places, good restaurants, and unusual retail establishments that were not mentioned. Although it does have some good information (better than most about New Mexico), this book barely scratches the surface.



5. This handbook is a comprehensive travel guide for New Mexico--it covers all of the state, not just the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos areas.
   
   The 1991 edition of the handbook opens with a brief introduction to the state, detailing the landscape, geography, history, food, and other aspects of New Mexico.
   
   For cities and towns highlighted, there are recommendations for motels and restaurants, and, if applicable, recreation, museums, and annual events.
   
   There are eight pages of color photos, a New Mexico quiz, a list of books for further reading, and a glossary.
   
   The handbook contains all of the information one would need when traveling in the Land of Enchantment.

No comments about The Western Canada Bed & Breakfast Guide: Over 400 B & Bs in British Columbia and Alberta.

No comments about A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador.

5 comments about Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India.

1. Roberts absolute tenacity regarding his subjects and complete dedication to every word he writes ensures readers feel themselves present in every encounter and experience. Availing himself full range of expression to write and live as cynic, mystic, adventurer, good friend, and seeker, Roberts takes us on strolls through the beautiful, humor-filled, and the bazarre. His concept of displaying in this work varying perspectives between two different trips to India that are seperated by decades of time as well as personal growth offers readers great awareness of the country and more so the man writing of it.



2. Roberts is both a true seeker and a masterful writer. You owe it to yourself to check this one out.



3. This book really varies in subject matter and in the author’s perspective. A lot of that is due to the nature of the book: half based on India in the 1970s and half based on India in the 1990s. But I think it is also due to the author having a lot of ideas and impressions he wants to communicate, but none of them able to entirely stand on their own. The book has a remarkable beginning with the author’s account of the time he spent in Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram in the 1970s. I found it extremely moving and very well written. My hope was that the book would continue on similar themes, but instead it took a nosedive toward drugs and sex and tales of conspicuous consumption. These can certainly be engaging at times, but at other times Paul William Roberts comes off as a little pompous or at least lacking in integrity. Over and over he finds himself in situations where people are being dominated and denied dignity. After chronicling all the gruesome inhumanity of the scene in detail, he think distances himself from it and attempts to present himself as the detached observer, bearing witness to others’ pain. You don’t stumble into the backrooms of seedy bars where young girls are sexually enslaved by accident. The book hits its lowest point in an odd chapter where the author goes to visit Mother Teresa. He more or less attacks the woman, interrogating her over the sincerity of her actions. Though an interesting subject and one perhaps worth discussing, I failed to see what the point was of literally confronting the woman. It came off as petty name dropping and an attempt to show the reader how fearless the author is – but the nature of the attack was unjustified. In the chapter he goes on to glorify a wealthy owner of a private social club in Calcutta, clearly implying that this man’s life choices were of a higher moral standard than Mother Teresa’s. Did I miss something in this chapter, or does it strike others as strange and tactless? I am curious to know what others think. This all sounds quite bad. It has to be said that Roberts is continually engaging and entertaining and even when I was questioning his subject matter, his writing ability never wavered. Sathya Sai Baba reappears twice more in this book – once in the middle and again at the end. We are told very little in the first of these (and I suspect that is because the author had nothing of value to say) and I was fairly let down by the second. In my opinion, this book revolved around Baba and his apparent grip on the author’s life. Roberts says as much. That being the case, I was left wanting more about Baba and how his presence affected the author twenty years after their first interactions.



4. Paul William takes you on a memorable journey through India. If you loved (or even hated) your last stay in India, this book is for you.



5. I started off thinking this was brilliant, read bits of the Rajneesh chapter in the bookshop, and was well into the book by bedtime. The first half is all rather good. Then came the break and suddenly I find myself wondering about it all.
   There are some quite appalling factual errors that undermine all confidence in the author. The worst is that he mistakes a very different prayer though well known for the Gayatri mantra not once but three times.....a little like a student of Christianity mistaking the Apostle's Creed for the Lord's Prayer and that from someone who claims to have studied sanskrit at Benares University.
   At another point he claims ignorance of a story he has told himself in great detail in a previous chapter. His Hindu philosophy is sketchy and seems pulled from other books.
   The set pieces in the second half become rather trite and the dialogue farcical as the book descends into poor travel writing from a poor travel journalist.
   Thinking back from the end it can all be seen as a tall tale. Likeable yes, funny quite often, but remakably without substance.
   For the hippie travel stuff you would be better served by "A Season in Heaven", and for India travel William Dalrymple and Mark Tully are great straight bats.

2 comments about Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto.

1. Fulford grew up in Toronto. I purchased his book "The Best Seat in the House" and never put the thing down. This is another great read. He was a childhood friend of the great pianist Glenn Gould, and his memories of the City of Toronto are priceless. His look at Toronto today is unique, especially as the City transforms into the new Megacity in January 1998.



2. This books walks the reader through the history of Toronto with special emphasis on its architecture and city planning. We're introduced to various neighborhoods, and Fulford discusses specific buildings that he regards as either assets or eyesores, often including a bit of historical background on how that building came to be. The great flaw of the book is that there are only 16 pictures. When Fulford discusses a building (for instance, the Commercial Bank of the Midland District at 15 Wellington Street) we're supposed to be able to picture it in our mind's eye, a daunting challenge even for Toronto residents. In the same vein, an entire chapter is dedicated to criticizing the CBC Broadcasting Centre, but nowhere is there any illustration of it.

No comments about Life of the Trail 1: Historic Hikes in Eastern Banff National Park (Life of the Trail).