No comments about A Concise History of Portland.

2 comments about The Spiritual Traveler Boston and New England: A Guide to Sacred Sites and Peaceful Places (Spiritual Traveler).

1. I bought 2 copies, one for myself and one for my sister-in-law who lives in the Northeast. This is a great present. Jana does a great job! I can't wait for her next publication.



2. The Spiritual Traveler: Boston and New England provides peaceful, restful places so that you have a balance between hectic and serene on your trip. The author has divided the book into chapters for each of the New England states, as well as Boston and Cape Cod. She provides a comprehensive index and glossary. The author's writing style makes New England's spiritual past come alive, and the present intriguing. Bottom Line: If you are visiting New England, make sure you have a copy of this book!

5 comments about How to Stay in London for Less: Short-Term Apartments Ideal for All Travelers (Capital Travels).

1. This is the right book for so many of us who want to get to know London well. Live there for a few days, a week, or more in an apartment, with all the amenities. Surprisingly affordable. This book is full of the details you need, right down to what furniture is in the room. Photos, too. Lots of information about food and sights in the neighborhoods. You can't miss with this book - Buy it!



2. This is a book that all tourists would find helpful, especially those who are ready to really explore and get to know the city. It provides the insights of seasoned travelers on not only lodging (an extensive and varied collection of apartments), but the life of the city as well. Extremely well researched, well laid out - a wealth of information in accessible and very readable form. I highly recommend it and hope the authors are researching other cities while we're reading "London."



3. The collaborative effort of Diana and Ronald Jensen, How To Stay In London For Less: Short-Term Apartments Ideal For All Travelers is a unique travel planning resource that will help the business or vacation traveler in London avoid the expensive and restrictions of hotel lodging by renting one of the hundreds of apartments available for rent or lease, either short term or long term. An average of 25% less expensive than hotel accommodations and offering a larger living area, apartments can be available for stays as short as a single evening! Each of seven major London neighborhoods are featured complete with a description of each block of apartments, the facilities available in each, the prices for rentals in American dollars, instructions on making reservations, a "traveler friendly" rating system, an historical sketch and map of each neighborhood, and recommendations for pubs, restaurants, and area shops combine to make How To Stay In London For Less an invaluable, "must have" planning guide for a truly memorable London experience.



4. This is an excellent book, but some of these buildings are going by different names or have been sold since publication. There are many newcomers with beautifully designed serviced apartments that are not included in this book. My wife and I just spent 2 weeks at 49 Lancaster Gate which was an unforgettable, luxurious and affordable experience. They have a great website which really got our attention. There apartments are even better when you stay in them. Ours had a huge marble bathroom and jacuzzi bath and was very well equipped. The location was could not have been more perfect. We have also stayed at Mayfair House which was wonderful and 130 Queensgate which was smelly (our flat stank of cigarette smoke on arrival) and very badly furnished. Stay away from 130 Queensgate. Another excellent building is Somerset Bayswater, although Lancaster Gate is our favorite by far.



5. The book has some basic information on the neighborhoods of London, but I bought it for the information on specific lodging, which was outdated. I am going to return this book.

2 comments about Maine Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff.

1. I am planing a trip to Maine and thought I would read-up on the state. Tim Sample is billed as a sort of Down East Dave Barry. The book is vaguely cute but certainly not humorous. Unless this is what passes for humor in Maine (I hope not). The book presents curiosities that are only mildly curious and quirky characters that are not very quirky and wouldn't get a second glance in California or Florida. Its main subject matter seems to be large road-side advertising constructions. As someone who has driven through more than half the states in the Union, I find that the highlighted Maine road-side advertising constructions in this book are nothing out of the ordinary, and hardly rate the write-ups devoted to them here. Disappointing.



2. This book has the unusual landmarks we drive by every summer and wonder "What's that all about?" Questions answered!!!

No comments about Insiders' Guide to the Berkshires (Insiders' Guide Series).

No comments about The Really Wild Guide to Britain: A Guide to Wildlife Activities for Children over 200 Sites Included.

5 comments about A Tramp Abroad.

1. A Tramp Abroad, Mark Twain's tongue-in-cheek, semi-fictionalized account of his second European trek, is, despite it's 600+ pages, a lightning quick read. Twain's singular wit is on full display engaging the reader to such an extent that pages swiftly fly by. Though not his best piece of travel writing (see Innocents Abroad), I devoured this book in large chunks eager to see where Twain wandered next. When he arrives in the Alps, A Tramp Abroad vaults from an amusing piece of travel writing to a supremely satisfying form of entertainment.
   
   If there was any disappointment it occured with Twain's unexpected exit from the stage. A Tramp Abroad covers Twain's travels in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, but concludes quite suddenly with mere mention that the Netherlands are next on the docket. Yet, wishing a book to continue confers no blackmark on an author. It is further confirmation that A Tramp Abroad easily merits 5 stars.



2. A Tramp Abroad is the third and least successful of the travel books written by the pen of Mark Twain.
   In this book we follow Twain as he tours Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland. I found the early chapters chronicling his visit to Heidelburg University; hilarious visits to opera houses and tale tales such as the Blue Jay yarn to be well done.
   The longest section of the book deals with Twain's alpine climbing adventures in Switzerland. This material is interesting but goes on a bit too long for the modern reader.
   This is a fine book and deserves to be read and enjoyed by a wider readership that better known but lesser Twain novels and
   travel writing,
   I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys listening to a great author recount his peregrinations through Europe in a leisurely and informative manner.



3. It's fascinating to compare my own experiences, having lived now 3 years in Germany, to those of an American from 125 years earlier. I've been learning to speak German, and his Appendix on the "awful" German language was hilarious. In poking fun at German grammar (e.g., long sentences), he purposely commits the same errors in his own writing. The scene "riding" the glacier down the Alps was so funny I had tears running down my face. It's amazing to think that it was written in 1879, when America was barely a century old, and the insights and perceptions then can be incredibly, eerily similar to either my or "typical" American's attitudes today.
   
   I'd recommend it to anyone, but particularly to anyone visiting or living in Europe. It's way funnier than his "Innocents Abroad", which is also a good read on travel in Europe.



4. This is a single book, not the whole set and the book is in less then usable quality. The seller was to send return address materials and has not as of 12/19.



5. I listened to the audio version of both books, and will admit up front that the narrator for this one is not one of my favorites, but I got past that after a while.
   Twain seemed to be "padding" the narrative with an awful lot of folktales and legend, rather than his own experience. There's a lengthy (and highly annoying) "fantasy" sequence - I suppose he was trying for parody - as well. I found myself fast-forwarding through almost a full cassette of a gory description of two deuls (near the beginning); he delights in recounting grisly mountaineering stories later on during the novel. The storyline ended abruptly at the end of cassette 11 of 13; the last two were the appendix, which I skipped.
   I really liked "Innocents" and am planning on purchasing "Following the Equator" (I looked through it at a bookstore and it seemed pretty interesting), but I wish I'd skipped this one. Three stars for the humor when he actually describes his own experiences.

1 comments about The Islands of Boston Harbor (Snow Centennial Editions).

1. Edward Rowe Snow holds a place in my heart. I remember when I was younger and taking the tours of Boston Harbor with this extrodanary historian.

   I had the first edition of this book and was lost to me when I was young. Every books store would say, "Sorry, this book is unavaiable, or out of print." I am very glad they re-released these treasures.

   This book has the ledgend of the Lady in Black of George's Island.

   Read if you are interested in New England History or you are from Boston. Great Book.

No comments about Guide for Local Authorities on Developing Sustainable Tourism (Tourism & Environment Publication).

1 comments about Museums of Boston: A Guide for Residents and Visitors (Westholme Museum Guides).

1. Great book for anyone interested in Boston Museums. They're all here. Including those you never knew about. I've been visiting Boston museums regularly for years and learned about places I never even knew existed.
   If you have even an ounce of curiosity you'll never be bored on a rainy Sunday again.