2 comments about New Mexico Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places.

1. Make no mistake, this is not a State Guidebook like Fodor's (see my review) where accommodations and restaurants are profiled and recommended. This is a guide that helps travelers & explorers discover places that would probably be overlooked. Lesser-known churches, chapels, museums and attractions are listed in regional sections. When accommodations and eateries are mentioned they are unique (rates, phones and even web pages are listed). The writing is factual and straight forward. Maps are few and far between.

   If you are inclined to get off New Mexico's interstates and wander down roads-less-taken then you will enjoy "Off the Beaten Path".




2. Does not provide information that differs much from major guides, just less information.

No comments about Living Legends of the Santa Fe Country.

No comments about Touring New Mexico (Coyote Books series).

No comments about Places To Hide: Rocky Mountains; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico (Double Eagle Guides).

3 comments about Blown Away: A First Year in Santa Fe.

1. If I hadn't read two very old books by Glads Taber on Cape Cod maybe I wouldn't be so harsh in my criticism of this book but three-quarters through all I could gleam from it was it was very difficult to garden in New Mexico and there was a lot of wind. I'm very serious. Maybe it's today's generation that substitutes whining for observation but there is very little about New Mexico here. This is a place I love and visit and know. This couple should move back to Colorado where they came from. Even poor Santa Barbara took a hit from their visit. Just another yuppy thinking her boring life is worth recording. Sorry.



2. I can't help but agree with the other review. Thia book is awful. I myself moved to Santa Fe about the same time as the author, so I was really looking forward to her observations of which there were so very few. Awful, awful self involved very boring writing.



3. I loved the book. I have visited Santa Fe and enjoyed it, but this book is richer than the stereotypical travelogues, giving me a new and different appreciation of the area. The earlier reviewers clearly didn't like the book's realism. They seem to only want to read about the touristy aspects of Santa Fe. But Blown Away shows that the spirit of the city and the heartbeat of the countryside are more complex (and, ultimately, more rewarding) than what tourists see.
   
   Blown Away is in the armchair travel genre of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence. The author presents her environment so vividly that I was transported to Santa Fe. I could hear the wind blow and see the incredible skies and desert flowers. This is an engaging book that teaches a lot about the realities of living in Santa Fe, from xeric (low-water) gardening to the unexpected consequences of Santa Fe's unique energies. Though the author begins the book with mixed feelings about the city (she moved there to follow her husband's career), this is a candid portrait of a personal odyssey, subtle transformations and about how moving out of one's comfort zone can open up new possibilities.
   
   I also loved the wonderful dessert recipes. They're not standard "New Mexican" recipes but ones that emerge from the author's experiences with restaurants and locally grown fruit.

No comments about Vacation New Mexico.

No comments about New Mexico Coastales for Kids (Carole Marsh New Mexico Books).

No comments about Capt. James Box's adventures and explorations in new and old Mexico: Being the record of ten years of travel and research and a guide to the mineral treasures ... Nevada ... and the southern part of Arizona.

No comments about The land of sunshine: A handbook of the resources, products, industries and climate of New Mexico.

No comments about Pueblos, Villages, Forts & Trails: A Guide to New Mexico's Past.