No comments about Fodor's In Focus Barbados & St. Lucia, 1st Edition (In Focus).

4 comments about An Island Away.

1. Having grown up on Aruba in the Esso (Lago)Oil Camp a generation before Sam, I am was struck by the book and the realities of my youth. A no-holds-bared look at the island for those who live or have lived on the island and a must read for those who plan to visit. Arthur D. Jensen, web master for [...]



2. An Island Away left me with soul-searching questions. I suppose the biggest one is, "How far would you go to give your child a better life?" But there are others, too. Who can you trust? What is the truth? When is enough enough?
   The book is mostly the story of a young mother from Colombia who comes to the town of San Nicolas, Aruba, where she works as a prostitute to support her family. There are scenes from the upscale tourist areas of the island, but the majority of the book takes place in San Nicolas which is a refinery town full of bars/brothels. Here Luz meets a rambunctious American expatriate named Sam who loves the island and wants nothing more than to live there for the rest of his life. One night they are on the beach together and discover another American, this one a tugboat captain named Nathan Beck whose boat was sunk in a storm. The interactions between these three characters, in a setting that is full of duplicity, surprises, and somtimes comedy, reveals the tough decisions each of them has to make in life. There are light hearted moments, which are a welcome relief to some of the more heartbreaking scenes.
   Anyone who has been to Aruba will find this book a "must read" because it goes beyond the veneer of tourism and into a reality they may not know exists.



3. I'm writing this book for my good friend Rounette, who read the book and asked me to put the review on Amazon for her.
   
   In her words she said: "I just loved it! It was fascinating to read about the prostitutes on the island and how they got started in the business...I didn't expect to read that side of their story.
   
   I enjoyed the book, and the sex scenes were so well written, you would have thought a woman was writing them!
   
   The storyline, the characters....they were all wonderful...I really liked this book. He's going to go somewhere!!
   
   I can't wait to read the sequel!!!"



4. One doesn't expect this much quality from a first book. After all writing is a craft and practice develops it. However, Putkowski's first book An Island Away is well crafted and a riveting story. I couldn't put it down. The characters are developed early on in the book, so much so very quickly they cease to be characters and are soon very real people. What is amazing is how Putkowski was able ot get into the mind of a woman who is a prostitute, carefully describing how she might feel and react.
   
   The book also had cinematic qualities, you could see the ocean, the sky, feel the dry breezes of Aruba, see the wonderful paintings by Andres on the little house's walls. Also, being from the Philadelphia area I can see Nate Beck taking his tug down the Delaware River. I can believe I probably passed his tug many times on my way over the Platt or Rt. 95 bridges.
   
   Definitely worth buying and reading. I hear Putkowski is working on a second book and I can't wait to read it.

5 comments about A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean: A Grump in Paradise Discovers that Anyplace it's Legal to Carry a Machete is Comedy Just Waiting to Happen (Travelers' Tales).

1. I bought this book at the airport, on our way to Jamaica, thinking I'd read it poolside once we got there. I made the mistake of glancing at the first page on the plane, so it never made it to the pool. I couldn't put it down either on our flight or in bed that night. My husband wanted to know why I kept laughing out loud and, for that matter, why I was more interested in this book than in him. I told him he'd find out. This book is not only hilarious, it totally nails the dynamics of a couple on vacation. It sets just the right tone for a good time with the one you love. I not only would recommend this book to anyone, I did. On our flight home, half our group had their own copies, and flight attendants wanted to know why everyone was in stitches.



2. Although this book certainly is rip-roaringly funny, Buslik does himself a disservice by considering himself first and foremost a comic writer. There is a misleading modesty here, because Buslik is a highly skilled prose stylist: a master of controlled language, tone, and the ability to invoke deep emotions, felt and remembered long after the last page. The essays in this collections are occasionally played just for laughs but more often set readers up with humor and endlessly silly digressions, only, at the finish, to spring powerful emotional traps. The final piece, "Where Satan Works," is nonstop hilarity for eleven pages, only to end with the saddest and most spot-on observations about 9/11 I have ever read. This may be the best writing ever about that horrible day. His poignant "Flow," "Nasdaq 5000," "Weed Killer," and "Sometimes It's the Other Way Around" are literary feasts. Don't kid yourself: this author is not only a keen observer of human behavior but of human nature. The publisher might be selling this book mainly to tourists now, but my guess is that in a few years they'll be selling it to University English departments.



3. A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean is truly laugh-out-loud funny. Gary Buslik's ancedotes are so far-fetched, and the characters he depicts (including himself) are so over-the top you can't help but guffaw out loud--which is fine when you're reading in the privacy of your own home, but might earn you some strange looks if you're reading in a public place. So, if anyone asks you what's so funny, just read them a line or two from this book. They'll have to agree with you that this is really funny stuff.



4. Writing funny stories is hard work. I know as I attempt it in my writing. My idols are Dave Barry, PJ O'Rourke and Carl Hiassen and now you can add Gary Buslik to that list. It is easy to sit in a bar and tell a story, everybody laughs and slaps you on the back. Bars have an endless supply of semi inebriated less than scholarly types, who will laugh at almost anything. Try writing the story down and you are faced with a cast of intellectuals who keep track of things like quotation marks and indents (whatever that is), they talk in terms of "first person" and "present tense" words that have never been uttered in bars. The point is humor is hard to write and seldom turns out funny. Every story in this book is, "beer spewing out of your nose" funny. You will find yourself laughing so hard; people will come up to you to find out what in the hell is so funny.
   
   Some will take offense to the depiction of certain nationalities and religious groups. Get over it, it's humor, the over the top depiction of Europeans and local Islanders is intentional and adds to the humor. I don't think any intelligent reader finds the exaggeration of stereotypes anything more than amusing. I share Gary's love of the town of Plymouth on Montserrat and found the reference in the book to be quite touching. The story Papa's Ghost adds a great touch to the Hemingway legend. Pick up this book a bottle of rum and enjoy the trip, beats the hell out of the hockey playoffs.



5. There wasn't enough room for me to thrash about the breakfast table as I read this book. Truly one of the funniest books I have ever read.

2 comments about Frommer's Bermuda 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. We recently purchased this guidebook 2008 edition for an October 2007 trip to Bermuda. The first & biggest mistake-Wyndham Resort Spa & Fantasea dive center no longer exists! The hotel has been closed (according to a police officer) for at least 1 year.I dont understand how an entire resort can close, in one of the most popular areas, yet Frommer's does not KNOW THIS?!?! unacceptable! Especially if they claim the books are updated every year, clearly this is not possible. Second,MR Onion is closed, a'very popular' local place no longer exists. Third, Tuscany, the best italian eatery in Bermuda where all the locals go...also no longer exists. I even checked the online website in November (after our vacation) and found the same incorrect information listed that should be corrected. Bermuda is a small island & it is disappointing to learn that even with an island the size of Bermuda they can't get it right. Shame on them!



2. I am planning a trip to Bermuda and never having been there before I found this book very helpful. I know where to go for the activities and when to go for the events I wish to see. I see one reviewer gave a bad rating to this book because a couple of places listed in the book closed. Be aware that when these travel guides are written by the time they are published it is often up to a year later. Of course, some things will change in that time. That's no reason to trash the entire book. After reading the book I feel I will know my way around the island and what it has to offer.

1 comments about Vietnam - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!).

1. As the title says, the book is a quick guide to Vietnamese customs and etiquette. It does not go into great depth but covers the subjects overall pretty well. I'd recommend it. Contents include how to avoid culture shock; Vietnamese attitudes and values; historical and political background; religion, customs, and traditions; the Vietnamese at home; leisure, social, and cultural life; dos, don'ts, and taboos; body language; hospitality, food, and drink; giving and receiving gifts; business briefing; and language and communications. That's a lot to cover in 168 pages in a pocket sized book. I'd also recommend "Vietnam Today" by Mark A. Ashwill for a little more depth.

3 comments about Havana Then and Now (Then & Now).

1. I have a small booklet called "Remembering the Cuba we left" with color pictures of Cuba during the 1950s, it is old and I suppose long out of print, it does not contain that many pictures, but the pictures of Havana and the rest of the country are really good. Some were shot from the sky; others captured the life and people walking through the city, buildings, nightclubs, parks, monuments, countryside, etc. I have searched for more of these same pictures and others like them and have not been able to find them. They truly capture what Cuba was before the revolution. No other, not only Caribbean nation, but many Latin American nations didn't even come close. It was the 3rd best economy in the American continent after the U.S and Canada, and followed closely by Argentina. By 1958 Cuba was the most immigrated Latin American country, with the largest European emigration, and more Americans living in Cuba than Cubans in the U.S. Havana even had a China Town.
   
   This book is bad and I will tell you why, I have knowledge of the subject, and I am not stupid. The idea of these series of books is a "Then and Now" of cities, but when it came to do Havana they had a problem. (Says on the back of the book) They went straight to a present day government controlled Havana library in search of info and pictures of the past, that's the problem. Pictures of a prosperous 1950s Havana with commerce, billboards, and the largest middle class in Latin America walking the streets, they probably burned them a long time ago, or Castro has them in his closet. The past of Cuba is something the present communist system is not too interested in showing. There is no free press; all books, newspapers, and media are controlled by the mafia like communists, everything is a manipulation and lie that everyone has to repeat or else you get kicked in jail (the least).
   
   In this book all the pictures of the past are in black & white, and if this was not enough, about 98% of all the pictures of the past are from the mid 1800s to the 1920s, how clever are they. There is only one picture of 1958, about some Ferraris in the Havana Gran Prix, that's it. This way people don't see the pre-Castro days, and the modern day imposed poverty, decay, and ruins won't stand out as much. It will go against the millions Castro spends in promoting his "progressive" slavish system. It has worked in a way, every day I see more morons with Che Guevara shirts but none of them go to live in Cuba or any other communist country, after all. That's where all the bla bla bla is cut short. Anyhow, this is the story here, this book has no photographic value, it will not show you the height of the beauty it ones was, it will not transport you anywhere, nor make a true comparison. You can find better pictures on a web search than on this book, truly. There have been other Havana picture books that although photographed in the present still give you a better idea of what it once was. Robert Polidori: Havana could be one of them, who knows?



2. If you have an interest in the architecture of Havana and want a taste of what might welcome you if you visited there, this book is for you. Archival photos primarily from the early 1900s are matched with modern photos on the opposite page. It's nice to know there is a movement on now to save some of these historic gems and we get to see restorations. If you want to learn about politics, Cuban culture, or the countryside, you need to look elsewhere. This is about the history of the buildings, and by extension, the people who used them. The only improvement I would suggest would be to supply an approximate year with each of the old pictures.



3. THIS IS AN INTERESTING BOOK TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER PICTURES OF THE PRE CASTRO TIMES AND THEY ARE BY FAR MUCH MORE ELGANT AND BOAST A MUCH MORE PROSPEROUS PRE CASTRO TIME. IT IS NOT FAIR TO USE SUCH ANTIQUATED PICTURES TO FURTHER USE WHAT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN THEM TO COVER A SOCIAL AND POLITIAL DISASTER.
   STILL, NO ONE SAID IT HAD TO BE THE YESTERDAY PICTURES FROM A SPECIFIC TIME SO ALL IN ALL IT IS AN INTERESTING BOOK AND I WOULD NOT CALL IT BAD BECAUSE EVEN DURING THE PERIOD IN WHICH THESE BEFORE PICTURES WERE TAKEN STILL SHOWS CUBAN ARCHITECTURE.

3 comments about Frommer's Caribbean Ports of Call (Frommer's Complete).

1. While Frommer's is the king of travel advce and I have sworn by thier advice and knowledge while traveling, this particular eddition is no better than 2005 or 2006. It is a re-tread. So if you have a version from 2006 or 2005, stay with it. There is really no new information worth spending the money on. While I do not realy fault Frommer's for using old information, since not much changes in the caribbean, it should be more clearly noted that there is not much new in thier book.



2. This book is an excellant choice if needing info on ports visited by cruisers - helped a lot, as it was our first cruise. Lots of good advice from start to finish.



3. Great book to throw in your backpack and take with you on the cruise. You can bone up on a bit of the history and it will get some ideas ffor excursions or places to visit on the islands.

5 comments about Frommer's Puerto Rico (Frommer's Complete).

1. I've used this guide for three PR vacations, and each time I want to throw it across the hotel room. But I can't because the other guides are even worse or even less comprehensive. What's the problem with this one? The lack of description: it gives you no feel as to what makes each beach/hotel unique. Invariably every second beach is summed up vaguely as 'one of the best beaches on the island,' even if one has brownish sand and no snorkling while another "best" beach is pristine white, loaded with fish, and secluded. It's the same with hotels, too, except there's no explanation of what the mood is like there, what kind of people stay there, what the view is like, what the rooms are like, if there's a bar to hang out in after dinner, how close the beach is.... It's almost comic, except when you're trying to figure out where to spend your precious time and money.

   Another frustrating problem is that no one took the time to edit this guide. One beach or hotel will be mentioned in two (or three) places in entirely different tones, so it's hard to guess whether a place is just wacky or dirty (or, in the instance of La Parguera, too polluted to swim in one mention; just fine in another). Also, uninspired writing means a breathtaking mountain retreat like the Casa Grande Hotel in Utuado comes across as completely unremarkable and possibly worth skipping. Can't the writers come out and say "This place is great" or, if necessary, "This place is a dump?" A reader might wonder if these guys visited anything but bloated resorts at all. PR deserves better and I certainly expected better from Frommer's.




2. This is a good guide for seeing the cultural sights of Puerto Rico, especially in San Juan. The book is geared towards travellers only moderately concerned with budget. A few pieces of information are outdated, such as bus numbers and changes in price, but the numbering system (up to three stars) is useful for the first-time traveller with little knowledge of the country. Detailed descriptions of the sights in San Juan help visitors get a sense of the city's history while the walking tour takes them around to key spots. There is a comparable walking tour of Ponce, along with a description of the Museo de Arte de Ponce which prevented me from missing out on this fine museum. Ponce is the only place where we tried one of the listed hotels. Although the book described Hotel Belgica as "roughing it," we thought the accommodations were fine and enjoyed the unusual atmosphere of an old-style hotel. The book is full of useful tidbits. For example, en route to Parguera (which should get two stars, not one), the name of the road changes several times along the way (101, 116, 315, 305, 304). No wonder people get confused. Additional information: The book should include a warning that the $5 boat trip to the Phosphorescent Bay near Parguera doesn't let you see much, so it's best to go with the friendly folks at Paradise Scuba Center (the address is listed). Additionally, the Rio Camuy Cave Park sometimes sells out of tickets by 9am (especially on weekends), so it's best to get there early. Finally, good snorkeling is available in San Juan on the west side of the Wyndham Hotel (Condado).



3. Some maps in the guide don't reflect current reality eg the pull out map shows a major highway on the SE coast. However construction projects for many sections of that highway (Rt 53) have not yet commenced.
   
   In general we had problems navigating because every map we picked up from guidebooks and tourist brochures was wrong, each in its own special way! If driving, do yourself a favor and buy a very detailed and up-to-date map before you head out.



4. I keep forgetting how much I don't care for Frommer's guides and wind up buying another one.
   
   1. Frommer's has next to no pictures.
   2. I think somebody went to a couple of random restaurants and beaches and decided to call them the "Best of".
   
   For example, Frommer's says there is snorkeling at Luqillo beach, but there is none (unless all you want to see is sand). Luquillo is a great beach for swimming, but the snorkeling sucks.
   
   Another example is the restaurant in the southeast part of the island called Tulio's. While it is a nice restaurant and our food was good, it is not cheap. At least I don't consider $20 a plate cheap.



5. This book is crazy. I live in Puerto Rico and there are bunch of things that are downright wrong. They lie in general about the people, food, and best places to go. Another problem is this book is for 'rich prissy' travellers who just want to live in a hotel the whole time. You don't even need a travel book if thats what you want to do. If you want a good book, try Let's Go Puerto Rico which is by far the best guide to a free-spirited traveller on this island.

5 comments about National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda.

1. A few years ago, I bought the Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes and found when I tried to use it in the Florida Keys that there were many fish I couldn't identify. People recommended I buy Paul Humann's book, "Reef Fish Identification." The book is more expensive, but I found it to be far more comprehensive and user friendly. For example, many fish look entirely different when in their "juvenile," "initial" or "terminal" phase, and the "Reef Fish Identification" book has clear photos of each of the three stages shown beside each other, and frequently includes photos of alternate color phases as well. The Audubon book usually just shows a picture of the fish in just one phase, and often not a terribly good photo at that. Next to each photo in the Humann book is an excellent line drawing of the fish, highlighting and labeling which features of a fish are most dependable for identification. The Audubon book includes no such diagrams to aid identification. Finally, the Humann book is based upon both an extensive bibliography and collaboration with field biologists, and if the detailed descriptions in his book of definitive features for discriminating species of fish are correct (and experienced scuba divers tell me they are correct) then some of the pictures in the Audubon guide are actually even misidentified as to species. For example, the Audubon picture labeled as a "Leopard Goby" is almost certainly a picture of an "Orange-sided Goby" (if the Humann book is correct about dark lines outlining the orange rectangles being a reliable discriminating feature). If there were no other reef fish identification book available, I would have given the Audubon book more stars, I am usually a great fan of the Audubon Field Guide series, but in comparison with the Humann book it just doesn't rate very well. I should add that I have never met, nor have any private or professional association with, the author of either of these books, so my opinion is not biased by any such affiliation.
   Finally, I should add that I am pleased nevertheless to own both of these books because, for many species of fish, fish of the same species can be found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, so you can never study too many photos to get a handle on the range of appearances possible for any given species. Buy the Humann book if you can just afford one book, but owning both books is even better!



2. Although there are many fishes accounted for, it has quite a few that are missing, and it would be helpful if more showed pictures of the difference between adult and juveniles.



3. The Audubon Field Guides are the best there are. Every category of book is well documented and the glossy photos are fabulous. I buy these books for my 11 year old son. He enjoys reading them so much that I count his time spent as credit for our homeschool science course.



4. I bought this book as birthday gift for my son-in-law. I looked through the guide before I sent it to him. My impression was very positive, but no where near the rave reviews that Steve had for it. This guide to tropical fish should be a must for anyone taking a tropical vacation.
   
   Dick



5. I bought this book for my husband to prevent him from telling me about "that yellow fish" he saw when we were diving. It is good because it has a lot of variety of different types of fish, but it is by no ways all encompassing reference. It has only a few varieties of each type of fish (ie only a few angel fish shown, not all of the types). So, it is good, but not exactly what I was looking for.

4 comments about Top 10 Dominican Republic (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I've read other books on the Dominican Republic from cover to cover and ended up with too much information. The top 10 book summarizes the major sections of the country in such a way that you can get a feel for each area.
   
   If you are looking for a colonial city, mountains, out of the way places, an all inclusive resort atmosphere or surfing areas then you can locate them here. If you know the type of vacation area you enjoy, this can be quite helpful to avoid centering your lodging base in the wrong section of the country.
   
   The book also has the top 10 highlights for interests in history, museums, Indian sites, children activites, sports, nature, beaches, quiet beaches, views, religion, festivals, local flavor, shopping, restaurants, bars, nightlife, food, plants and animals.
   
   For 6 areas of the country it additionally describes the top 10 cities plus includes two other top 10 lists that reflect the vicinities areas of interest.
   
   In the street smart section you'll want to review the summarized explanations and tips for planning your trip, arriving, getting around, driving, information resources, money and communications, security and health, things to avoid, budget tips, eating and drinking, special needs, tours, lodging tips and 5 different lists for hotel types.
   
   If you are trying to decide what country to visit, this book can give you the highlights in a concise fashion and save you a lot of time. The book can also assist you in confirming your decision to visit the Dominican Republic or prevent you from making a mistake. Once you do decide to travel here, you can leave this book at home. Instead, you may want to bring along along another book that includes larger city maps, schedules, price levels and other details.
   
   There is a surprising amount of information and colorful pictures in a such a small book. If you want to find out as much as you can about the country, you should definitely get a second book that covers more information in depth. However, don't overlook it as a valuable resource no matter what you do.



2. I have to say that I haven't been there to validate what the book contains, but from the looks of it I think it provides a fair assessment. It was helpful and has loads of categories so whether you're going all-inclusive or not it can help.



3. Very beautiful, lots of good pictures.
   
   On the negative side, a little bit hard to read, a just too little of information and not enough maps.
   
   In general, very good book.



4. I ordered this book for a recent trip to the Dominican Republic. It proved to be very useful! Great tips and great advice; it really helped out a lot while there.