2 comments about The Ideals Guide to Places of the American Revolution.

1. This book is very nicely done, both in content and in execution. The list of sites are very comprehensive and include states and locations which many Americans may not associate with the American Revolution, such as Maine and Tennessee. They could have done more with the Gulf Coast (the war was also waged in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana in and around the modern cities of Pensecola, Mobile, and Baton Rouge), but the fact they did as much as they have is to their credit. The only other flaw I saw was that while they provided web addresses for many sites, there are several who do not have their URLs listed, although they have sites of their own.

   If you're looking for a complete list of Revolutionary War sites all over the Eastern United States, this book is about as close as you will come to finding it. The lay out is very attractive and easy to read and there are a great deal of full color photos associated with many of the sites.




2. With this book in hand, look up the state you're visiting and you won't miss any important Revolution sites. Having made pilgrimages to Boston, Philidelphia and Annapolis before I had this book, I can attest that as far as I know it left no major site unmentioned when I sampled the sections on these essential Revolution cities, and included many sites in more obscure locations one might otherwise miss. Great and abundant pictures make this a fine collectible for Revolution enthusiasts who have visited the sites as well as those who are unable but would like visuals.

No comments about Charming Small Hotels in New England and New York City (Charming Small Hotel Guides).

No comments about Presidential Range with close-up on reverse: White Mountain Guide Map.

1 comments about Scenic Driving New England.

1. In 320 pages and 28 scenic drives Stewart Green leaves no stone (or should I say rock) unturned in describing each drive.
   
   With this book, you'll not only get directions from one town to another along the route but everything that's in-between, and a fair dose of area history and stories. Stewart takes his role seriously in being your guide, and not just a "tour driver" regurgitating memorized facts.
   
   I'm very familiar with many of the drives he describes and confess to discovering places and information even new to me.
   
   This isn't a book to read cover to cover in one sitting. It's too dense, and the drives are much too varied as well. My suggestion is to have an idea where you'll visit and then read those scenic drives related to those areas. It'll provide insights and planning material for your trip as well.
   
   The smaller format of the book begs for it to be taken on each trip with you. Many of the pages in my copy quickly became "dog-eared" and full of sticky notes.
   
   I was a little disappointed with many of the pictures in my paperback edition. I found myself staring at photos of non-descript riverbeds with rocks. I'm sure in full color and glossy format they looked great, but in black and white on non-glossy paper many looked flat and over-indulgent.
   
   But I didn't purchase the book for the photography.
   
   If you're looking for a New England scenic drive book with all the directions and details to make sure you don't miss a thing along the way, then look no further than this book.

2 comments about Karen Brown's England, Wales & Scotland: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries 2006 (Karen Brown's England, Wales & Scotland Charming Hotels & Itineraries).

1. My wife and I found this to be a very useful guide book to use with others during the week that we were making a limited driving tour of Wales.



2. Myself and my wife used this Ireland guide to travel. Each place listed was a gem. This guide takes the hit-and-miss nature out of B&Bs.

1 comments about Open Road's London Guide.

1. What splendid guides Meg Rossoff and Caren Acker are! They know everything there is to know about London and they're willing to reveal it. They are delightfully opinionated and contagiously enthusiastic. This book will be of immense value to newcomers and to old London hands alike: there's that much in it, from the basics to the most hidden (the hows and whats and whys of pubgoing, for instance, that will enable you to pass for an experienced local). For those who travel with kids, this will simplify and enrich your visit. I know London well, and yet they manage to come up with a "favorites" list of hotels most of which were new to me, all of which were within reach on a splurge, and all of which sounded utterly charming in its individual way. It is this blend of a highly personal approach with solid information that makes the book both such a valuable guide and such a wonderful read. Top marks!

1 comments about Boston Harbor Islands.

1. Compiled and edited by Ken Mallory (Director of Publications, New England Aquarium, Boston), Boston Harbor Islands: National Park Area is a beautiful and impressively informative introduction to the national park islands of Boston Harbor. Featuring lavish full-color photographs, at-a-glance capsule information concerning access, description, facilities, special interests, and agencies of each island, and inviting, easy-to-follow narration of each island, Boston Harbor Islands: National Park Area is a joy for armchair travelers, and an excellent introduction for anyone looking to spend quality vacation time in the national park areas of Boston Harbor Islands.

No comments about The Villages of England.

No comments about The Primal Place.

2 comments about Returning: A Spiritual Journey.

1. I started reading this book while Comet Hale-Bopp was at its brightest. I quickly came to understand that journalist/novelist Dan Wakefield's journey was the spiritual version of a comet. He begins with a fairly typical midwest Christianity, then moves to agnosticism, then moves to atheism, then moves to attending a Unitarian church, within which he moves back into Christianity.

   His journey, like that of a comet, took him far from his home, his roots, his faith, his God, to the cold and darkness that filled his life. But when the return journey began, like a comet, his life grew brighter as he came nearer to the faith that he found to be the center of his journey.

   As he looks back, Dan Wakefield sees the ways that God has been with him throughout the long journey. Like the gravity that calls a distant comet to make its journey back toward the sun, so was God pulling on Wakefield. Reading the story of his return was more stimulating than watching Hale-Bopp on its journey.




2. Spiritual memoirs tend to follow the same plot line. It's the boy meets girl story with God substituted for the girl. There's nothing wrong with the formula, the author's job is to make it fresh and interesting. Dan Wakefield doesn't get the job done. The structure of "Returning" is linear, the pace is ponderous, and the insights only moderately interesting. In fact, the entire book is an exercise in moderation, written by a moderate talent, who, on the evidence presented, has lived a moderate life. It's no wonder Bill Moyer's, a paragon of moderation, liked this book. There are parts of this book where the author could have revealed more. The account of his nervous breakdown is scary, but all too brief, and on too many occasions - bouts of adolescent [activity], unsuccessful psychoanalysis, addiction to alcohol - Mr. Wakefield seems like a kid in a confessional. He rushes through his sins in order to be unburdened, but also undiscovered. It doesn't work. If we give the penitent the benefit of our attention, he should give us the benefit of a compelling story.