No comments about Rand McNally Maine: Highways & Interstates (Rand McNally Folded Map: States).

5 comments about Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World.

1. I first read this book a decade ago, and have re-read it many times since, that's the appeal of this book, especially if you're a book lover or book collector. Reading the Goldstones' adventures as they journey through the marvelous world of antiquarian, rare & used books, I got the feeling that I was going along with them on their journeys, and being a book collector myself, truly empathised with their vacillations on whether to purchase a book or not. In the end, it is a love story: between two people who are brought even closer by their love of books, and for the love of collecting books. Its a warm, funny, and witty book. I look forward to re-reading this book for many more years to come!



2. I discovered this book quite by accident years ago. I was in a used bookstore for a long time, and eventually I shyly inquired about a Limited Editions Club book. It would have been my first purchase of a used book that was nicer - and more expensive - than a new book. The shop owner helped me, and then suggested that I might get a kick of this book. Much like another reviewer, I devoured it in less than 24 hours.
   
   Sometimes, I felt the authors were making me more comfortable in a world new to me. At other times, I felt I was being made fun of, for loving old books, and my willingness to consider paying a lot of money for them. To disagree with another review, I don't think it was mean spirited, but rather the authors candidly reveal their emotions as they evolved during the narrative. Sometimes they felt truly excited, and sometimes they felt a little embarrassed and obsessed. Even scared - as when they first bid in an auction. All book lovers have friends that don't understand the appeal. I love the book because I often feel alone in alternating between those same emotions. Even when the authors came on a little strong, and I wanted to come to the defense of some of the characters, I kept reading. The book pulls you in, even when you might disagree.



3. I really enjoy this series and following the authors on their journey collecting books. The travels and booklore that they share are interesting and enjoyable to read.



4. Though I found the opening chapters of URTBW greatly annoying (had the two professional-novelist authors of this book really never been to a used bookstore before they moved to the Berkshires? Did they really have no idea what pleasure used/antiquarian/rare books might hold for booklovers?), and the stereotyped description of book-dealers throughout tiresome (nearly every one an eccentric, an ego-maniac, or both; even if true, no need to make the point over and over), in the end I found URTBW pleasurable enough. Sure, it's the lightest of fair. But what booklover and die-hard-haunter-of-used-bookstores wouldn't relate to the authors' exciting adventures? URTBW is neither learned nor particularly well-crafted. But once one gets past the first couple of chapters, it's a good bit of fun. I'm happy to count the Goldstones among my fellow travelers in Booklandia.



5. This is very well done and enjoyable. It is a light treatment of the subject prompted by my journey through the Bookman Series by Dunning.

4 comments about Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire.

1. I moved to California 15 years ago after being a life-long resident of New England. In her book, O'Connnor manages to give us the gift of a bird's eye view of the haunted places and hikes associated with them in New Hampshire in both a charming and a little scary way. I can't wait to get back there to try some of the hikes. I especially like the way she rates them according to difficulty, awarding "ghost" icons to each description. Especially helpful are her very detailed directions on how to get to the beginning of each hike, and overall what to expect. As I am an elementary school teacher, I would love to take my class on some of these hikes. Her recounts of the scary stuff are enthralling. I found myself able to transport myself back in time to the misty, spectral past of New Hampshire, and imagine that the people in these stories really lived.



2. What a treat this book is. It is perfect to set the stage for group hikes with kids. The excitement about the history of the mountain and the tales of mysterious encounters really get the kids geared up to hike. They actually like it more and forget the difficulty. They find themselves atop the mountain with big smiles. Thanks for book, I will use it often.



3. One thing about hiking is that kids often need a little extra motivation to want to do the hike. O'Connor has added the "haunted" aspect, which provides that extra motivation. The hike descriptions are easy to follow and the stories of the "hauntings" are well written and engaging.



4. Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire is a hiking trail guide with a difference. From ghost towns of Monson Center and Indian Arrowhead Forest, to the UFO of Indian Head, to tales of Satan at Devil's Den Mountain, each hike is presented with a black-and-white map, and a scary story of its history. A handful of black-and-white photographs intersperse this spooky delight enthusiastically recommended for hikers in search of not just natural splendor, but also the unexplained majesty of the preternatural.

5 comments about Roadside Geology of Massachusetts (Roadside Geology Series) (Roadside Geology Series).

1. James W. Skehan's Roadside Geology Of Massachusetts will please residents of Massachusetts and any with a special affection for its local geology, providing a geologic history of the mountains and rocks of the state. An organization by area makes it easy to locate the part of Massachusetts which is of particular interest, while geologic facts assume no prior scientific knowledge - lay readers will relish this guide.



2. I have bought other titles in this series when on vacation in the States, so I was delighted to find this book in a bookstore on a recent visit to Boston and Cape Cod. The descriptions of peri- and post-glacial geology were particularly illuminating as I walked beaches and trails on the Cape and Islands. Comparing these descriptions with older books on the geology of the Cape it is amazing how much detail is encompassed in a small number of pages. Similarly, descriptions of other areas familiar to me, such as Cape Ann, Boston and the Concord/Lexington area, all gave me a much better understanding. I look forward to visiting unfamiliar parts of the state, with this book in hand. It is not just for residents, but is a must for the vactioner interested in the natural history or landform of Massachusetts.



3. I read this book from cover to cover and was impressed with it's depth of information. I then actually brought this book into the field and it served me well. A great guide!!!!!!



4. I have been looking for this sort of detailed, hands-on guide to Massachusetts geological formations for a while, & am delighted with Skehan's book. It's a bit of a tome yet readable and easy to bring along on roadtrips and hikes.



5. Skehan uses the fascinating geology of Massachusetts to teach amazing amounts of geology. Great for anybody who'll be traveling around the state who's interested in understanding the land. I want more!

5 comments about The Dog Lover's Companion to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog (Dog Lover's Companion Guides).

1. I highly recommend this book to dog owners who love to take their little four-legged friend(s) everywhere. It is well organized and the writing style used is perfect for dog lovers.

   It covers almost all the parks in the Washington D.C., Virginia and Baltimore. Have you ever looked up a park on a map and it looked huge and perfect for your dog, and when you got there, you and your dog were very disappointing with the park? Well, the review for each park is quite accurate. With this book on hand, you can look up a park and find out if it is suitable for your dog before driving there. It covers important information that a dog owner needs to know about the park/area - such as the poop scoop law and the leash law.

   It also contains information (ie. hotel, restaurant, pet stores, etc...) that is very useful for dog owners who like to take their pooches on vacation with them.

   Embedded into the book, you will find dog adoption information. The book encourages suggestions from readers. I've already written to the publisher suggesting to include information on various rescue organizations and local animal shelters - a way to help promote pet rescue/adoption.




2. I bought this book when it first came out for a friend of mine who was moving to Baltimore with her dog. Two years later, I borrowed it from her when I discovered I was moving to D.C. I found it enormously usefull for choosing a dog-friendly neighborhood with good access to parks. The authors understand the basic qualities of a good dog park: safety, space, a group of 'regular' neighborhood go-ers, and access to a good espresso bar for weekend dog walking. Overall, the writers do an excelent job.

   I have only a few complaints. One - due to the impossibility of visiting every park in this populous region more than once, I've found that the park's ratings can heavily reflect the day and time of the visit -- not necessarily what the park is like on a typical weekday at 6pm. Also, some park ratings reflect a nice place to go with a small dog on a leash, you won't necessarily have the same experience with your massive Great Dane tugging at every new smell. The writers also disapprove of dogs being off-leash, and rate more lowly some parks that are true jems for those of us with larger dogs that require more exercise.

   Overall, a great guide, and certainly unique. A must for all dog owners in this area, particularly if you moving to this region.




3. This is one of my favorite books ever. Really. I moved to the D.C. area with my lab three years ago, and while we were used to having dozens of places to go for various reasons or times, I didn't know where to begin to find good places to take her around our new home. This book was a godsend for finding fun places to go, especially because I found the reviews to give a me a very accurate idea of what sort of place we were going, including what sort of "feel" it might have for dog-friendliness. Some of the features of the book I have found extremely helpful are:

   * Birds-eye maps showing where the reviewed locations are in the counties covered (perfect for finding a park near odd places that I might run errands)
   * How strict the leash law is followed (this is a biggie for me -- while the authors point out excellent reasons to use the leash, they very helpfully suggest where we can get away without it)
   * Rough idea how crowded the area in question might be, and how easy or difficult to get to (varies of course by time of day and season)
   * Whether there's a place for doggie swimming

   In my area (Sterling/Ashburn, VA) I've found the book to be amazingly comprehensive for my local and outlying areas, and find that the park descriptions have always given me a pretty accurate idea what to expect. The book covers a wide enough range (including some pseudo-local vacation destinations) that I've used it on countless occasions to find nice stopover while on short trips outside my "home turf". Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys finding varied places to visit with their pups.




4. I bought this based on the great reviews, so perhaps it was a let-down because I had high expectations. This is a guide book with a slight dog orientation, but honeselty, I didn't feel like this really gave me much valuable information about living and traveling in the DC area with a dog- other than telling me where parks are (info available on many web sites). The actual dog-friendliness of the parks, and rating system seemed totally off with how I would have rated parks. Seems like they are rated more for person-appeal than dog-appeal.
   
   But maybe I'm just biased as I have a hound and value FENCED off-leash parks above all :)



5. I had traveled to Reston, VA with my dogs to go to the Pet Fiesta while there I picked this book up and used it to travel all over the Washington D.C. area with my dogs. I am so glad that I did because I was not sure what I was going to do after the Pet Fiesta was over and this book opened up lots of options and lots of ideas for future trips.
   
   I advise taking a pen with you so you can write in additional things that you find that may not be listed in the book. While at Old Town Alexandria today we ate at an Irish restaurant that had a doggie menu that was not listed in the book but was a must go to if you travel there.
   
   I loved this book and only wish that there was one for my area.

No comments about Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 2nd: AMC Guide to Hiking Mt. Monadnock, Mt. Cardigan, and the Lakes Region (AMC Hiking Guide Series).

2 comments about Appalachian Trail Guide to Massachusetts-Connecticut.

1. This book tells you what you need to know to hike the trail over these sections. The maps are accurate. It even includes sections on flora, fauna and geology of the region and hinking saftey.



2. Following a general introductory part, the guidebook gives a description of each section of the AT in MA and CT (a trail section is roughly a 10 mile or so segment, generally cut by notable roads). The description consists of two portions: general and historic information (nearby towns, sites, camping, etc.) and trail description. The latter is a list of mileage points and directions. While it is very dry, it provides precisely the information one needs for hiking the AT. The water-resistant (plastic-like) maps are very detailed. A rather unusual feature is charts showing elevation change versus distance traveled.
   
   In principle, either the maps or the book are sufficient to follow the trail, though each conveys useful additional information. Some people might perhaps find the two way too detailed and narrowly focused. In contrast to more comprehensive guidebooks (such as the White Mountain Guide), it describes little more than the AT (a few side trails are described), but in my view it does a fantastic job at what it sets out to. I have used this guidebook in MA and generally found it to be very accurate, even though it is 8 years old.

2 comments about England For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. I just have to say this book was amazing! I have been thinking and dreaming about going to England for ages. This book explained so much that I absolutely would NOT have known! Thinking about if I would have went without reading this book is scary! There is so much information in here you NEED to know before you go. Everything was explained so clear and wonderfully easy to learn.I ABSOLUTELY recommend anyone thinking about going to England to read this book!



2. Although I have traveled numerous times to England, I decided to purchase this superior book. I am currently booked for another trip next October, and thought it best to do more research. I was most certainly not disappointed. This book has a plethora of information of which I was not aware. Also, in that I will be traveling to villages/cities not previously visited, it has been an enormous help, as I plan my itinerary. I would urge anyone who has never had the pleasure, but plans on visiting the U.K. to investigate this very informative book.

2 comments about Phantom Gourmet Guide to Boston's Best Restaurants 2008 (Phantom Gourmet Guide to Boston's Best Restaurants).

1. I just picked up this book and already, I'm hungry.
   Separated by location, category and all time favorites, I have so many new places I want to try. Keep it in your purse or car whenever you leave the house. Reviews on great stuff like burgers, french fries, subs not just the posh restaurants. I love it and can't wait to start trying this stuff.



2. I'm always looking for new places to try, while at the same time don't want to get burned on a meal/restaurant that isn't great. That's why the PG 2008 guide is fantastic.
   
   This guide has recommendations on restaurants and their specialties. So you always know what to order when you get there.
   
   In ME, decent pizza is hard to find. I checked the Pizza Great Ate, and Regina's is at the top. Regina's is worth the trip. So I know if this book recommends Regina's, then I'm gonna really enjoy all the other recommendations, too.
   
   I'm looking forward to trying more Great Ates. This is a book to keep with you so you can always find a great meal.

No comments about Road Biking Northern New England: A Guide to the Greatest Bike Rides in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (Road Biking Series).