No comments about Moon Nicaragua (Moon Handbooks).

4 comments about Hiking Grand Canyon National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series).

1. While writing my book "The Tortoise Diet - Win The Race To Lose!", an account of my 120 pound weight loss, I bought this book an became interested in hiking in the canyon as a fitness goal. This very informative and well written book helped inspire me to hike in 2005 from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch, and back again the next day. This May (2006) my husband and I are hiking from the South Rim to the North Rim. We will be carrying along our copy of the book to help us appreciate the canyon more as we undertake this huge fitness challenge(my husband is 55 and I am 49.)



2. I have been hiking Grand Canyon since 1977 with over 9,000 miles below the rim and have hiked all the trails in this guide, in most cases multiple times. This guide has the most detailed descriptions of all canyon hiking guides; maps are more than adequate; nearly all information is up to date. Adkison's writing style is very clear. I especially appreciate his information about plant communities along the routes. This second edition is largely the same as the earlier edition. I am glad to see the addition of a section on cairns. How can this book be improved? Add an index. Looking through the guide I only found a few errors --- Western Union is no longer available inside the park and the Tanner Trail one way distance is not 7 miles but more like 10 miles!



3. I reviewed several other hiking books on the Grand Canyon and read the trail guides for my selected and reserved trail. This book was the best written and most complete. I would generally say that this book might be the best bet for a good hiking volume for the GC.



4. I'm planning a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon. I've looked at several guidebooks and I've bought bought this book as well as Hiking Grand Canyon National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series) by John Annerino, and Hiking the Grand Canyon's Geology (Hiking Geology) (HTGCG) by Lon Abbott and Teri Cook.
   
   I liked the straightforward and informative approach that Ron Adkinson takes in this book. The Grand Canyon is a big place with a lot of alternatives for trips. I was able figure out which trails I want to take using this book.
   
   I especially like the capsule summary of each route that have clear ratings for the difficulty, water availability, average hiking times, suggested cache points, and distance.
   
   Compared to this book, I found the HTGCG by Lon Abbott and Teri Cook nearly as good but the focus on the geology in HTGCG makes it harder to pull out the hiking information. Though, once your route is chosen, HTGCG, helps you understand what you see.

5 comments about The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert.

1. I was excited to read this book based on the reviews. I was expecting a hiking adventure and narrative about people affected by water. What I read was confused and disconnected. It was the two styles I mentioned plus detailed scientific analysis of flowers and geology. Most of it was in the Grand Canyon area but it also dealt with parts of New Mexico and southern Arizona. I would not recommend this book.



2. This was a very interesting book about water in the desert. We read it for book club and it made for a very interesting discussion.



3. This is a great book for those that love the desert. The descriptive narrative is beautiful. The abundance of the waters in stark rock desert is amazing. Ancient trails to water, pockets in the sandstone, Native American religeons tied to the seeming magic appearance of waters coming from the earth. All tied together with descriptive prose that lets you feel the cool water after scorched days of walking. There is just enough scientific fact blended in that you will find yourself learning a little something as well. I also recommend the authors book "The Animal Dialogues".



4. I perhaps shouldn't be writing a review for a book of which I read only 15 pages, but I don't think the sample of reviews should be skewed toward people who could stomach more of the writing than I could, either. The book put me in mind of George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language", which isn't exactly on point, but is fundamentally about writers whose writing gets in the way of communication and even thought. There seem to be some interesting stories in this book hidden behind what veers from prose to the edge of bad poetry; it didn't seem to me to be worth it.
   
   Your mileage may vary; if it's convenient to look at a sample of the writing, perhaps you will like the style better than I did. I would warn you about thinking you're buying something readable, though, just because the topic interests you.



5. As a desert person I reveled in this book about finding water in the desert, but it is more than that. It is about how water affects all of us and why we need to take care of that precious resource. I have purchased additional copies from time to time to pass on to others. His spititual approach to water and to life is what really moved me the most. Don't miss this journey.

4 comments about Weird Kentucky: Your Travel Guide to Kentucky's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird).

1. I was rounding the corner in Joseph Beth when I saw the Weird Kentucky display and I was giddy with glee!! This book is amazingly great for all us weirdos and you know who you are!! Don't bother trying to hide:)
   
   For starters, did you know about the "blue people" in Perry County, Kentucky? Heck, I live just a few miles from there and I didn't. But some investigation on my part, and the book facts are dead on. The blue people did exist!!
   
   Did you know that Kentucky has their own versions of Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil and the notorious "Goatman"? We also have our own version of AREA 51 in Bluegrass Depot. Amazing scary stuff.
   
   There are giants and secret midget villages. Ghosts and lost cities, both above and underground. Secret societies abound, along with mysterious mounds.
   
   This is really good stuff!! I felt like a kid on Christmas morning poring over the photos and all the nifty factoids. After reading this volume I know my summer vacation plans have changed. I want to go exploring my mysteriously fasnicating state.
   
   Jump into WEIRD KENTUCKY with both feet. You're gonna to love the swim:)



2. I recently picked up a copy of Jeffrey Scott Holland's "Weird Kentucky" book and, being from Kentucky, I was amazed at the stories I had never heard. The book is full of photos and every story is professionally written. I plan on purchasing extra copies and giving to friends. I certainly hope Jeffrey Scott Holland will be providing us with future books of the same caliber.



3. Where to begin?
   
   Weird Kentucky covers so many fascinating subjects, making it difficult to pigeonhole. Old wive's tales? Check. Urban legends? They're here. The paranormal? Fox Mulder would be proud. And you'll meet a wealth of local characters from all corners of the Commonwealth, from the 18th century to today.
   
   This is one of the most unique and interesting books I've ever had the pleasure to read. Weird Kentucky is a celebration of the many wonderful things that make the Commonwealth special.
   
   If you know how to read, you'll enjoy this book immensely, even if you have no connections to Kentucky.



4. I didn't know that! What a fun and informational read. I can now entertain with true stories no one knows about. Highly recommend!

5 comments about Let's Eat Out!: Your Passport to Living Gluten And Allergy Free (Let's Eat Out!).

1. Basically, it says be suspicious of EVERYTHING. As a Celiac, I am already. This book did not help me and I was disappointed but I can see how it might help someone newly diagnosed. Being vigilant is the key.



2. "Let's Eat Out!" covers a very difficult topic, restaurant dining for people with food allergies and intolerances. For adults who should avoid top allergens due to mild to moderate food allergies and intolerances, this can be a very useful book. I have already referenced it a few times for some restaurant inspiration, outside of my usual Asian selections.
   
   The book itself is stylishly laid out with color-coded chapters, strategically placed photographs, useful charts, and sample menus. It addresses ten of the most common food allergens: dairy, eggs, wheat, gluten (an intolerance), soy, peanuts, tree nuts, corn, fish, and shellfish.
   
   It should be noted, that this book was written with celiac disease, multiple food "sensitivities", and gluten intolerance in mind. It may not be very appropriate for those who have life-threatening food allergies or severe intolerances. This is not to blame the authors. The various styles of food preparation combined with a high risk of cross-contamination in food service kitchens, make this a complicated area to address. Though, as one food allergy mom pointed out to me, the "Allergy-Free" title is a bit deceiving in this respect.
   
   Also, for those who do have true food allergies, this book should not be used as a dining bible, but more as a suggestion based resource for further research and diligence. As someone who lives with a milk protein allergy, I unfortunately noted many errors with respect to the foods listed as "not containing the allergen." Guacamole (often made with sour cream), margarine (frequently contains lactose and/or milk protein), and sausages (many brands contain cheese) were just a few that caused me to raise the red flag. Your own questions and food label reading would still be required when utilizing this book.
   
   Luckily, the authors do relay what questions to ask, and in many different languages. Kim Koeller has traveled extensively while living with multiple food allergies. This is well evidenced by the resources provided, including a multi-lingual phrase section and what seems to be a very useful airline guide. For those most interested in travel, the authors of "Let's Eat Out!" have also produced a "Multi-Lingual Phrase Passport" for food allergies that is pocket-sized. I thought this was a very handy little guide!



3. Eating when you're away from your own home is always a challenge when you are on a special diet.
   
   In "Let's Eat Out!" Koeller and La France have put together an impressive amount of information to make life easier for travelers and people who just want to eat out with family and friends.
   
   I found the book a bit difficult at first because there is just so much content to sort out. It's definitely not a book to digest in one sitting!
   
   I soon realized it really is a combination of broad reference guide and quick reference "cheat sheets." Once that became clear, it was much easier to scan and use the table of contents and index to find specific information. You can choose to just use the quick guides or go to the more detailed explanations.
   
   All in all, the authors cover a very broad topic in an orderly fashion that makes it easy to locate information for a variety of situations. They use 7 common cuisine types, from American Steak and Seafood to Thai, to analyze the issues a diner can expect to face. They offer comments on the ingredients, the way food is prepared and on likely sources of hidden cross contamination.
   
   After you read a couple of these, you begin to see the patterns and it would not be so difficult to apply the same process to another type of food. As they point out, it's all about educating yourself and learning what questions to ask.
   
   Poring through their food/menu analysis, I discovered to my dismay that the item I had been selecting from a fast food restaurant most likely contains hidden gluten that I would not have thought to question. I did wonder why I didn't feel good every time I ate there!
   
   Not only does the book cover information about individual foods, styles of cuisine, and 10 common food allergens, it also provides specific information about travel including contact information for individual airlines and the special diets they provide, contact information for associations and organizations in many parts of the world and even some translation phrases.
   
   I'd recommend "Let's Eat Out!" as a valuable reference book. It's especially useful for those who frequently eat out or travel and even better, those who'd like to eat out more but have hesitated to take the risk. It could open up a whole new world.
   
   The authors deserve the recognition that their book received as a Benjamin Franklin award finalist for 2006 in the Health (Wellness/Nutrition) category.



4. This is a great resource to have for travelling. I love the tabbed setup that makes it easy to get to the section I need. Obviously a lot of thought was put in to making the book (with an amazing amount of info.) as easy to use as possible.
   
   It is obvious that a great deal of thought and experimentation has been put forth in the making of this valuable resource!
   
   After being gf (and other things free) for 5 years, I appreciate the resource as it will make it far more possible for me to visit Italy (and other countries in my future) maintaining my health as much as possible along the way! Well done!
   
   I have dining cards and they work quite well, but the next time I travel, I will be packing this book to take as well, without a doubt!
   
   KimS



5. I bought this book thinking it would be of great help to me. I found it to be absolutely useless. There are so many other valuable tools to use and informative books out there that I can only say - use your common sense - you know what you can and can't have & all you have to do is ask the server to check in the kitchen to make sure that thee either isn't, or won't be, any gluten ingredients used. I live very near NYC and I can name so many gluten free restaurants that weren't included that it's ridiculous. Don't waste your money.

5 comments about Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS.

1. This book should be required reading for anyone who is allowed to make maps with a GIS. It's actually a pretty quick read (3-4 hours for me) thanks to its concise and tightly organized text set in context of some very clean and simple graphics. There is even a healthy dash of humor (so welcome in technical writing), genuinely funny but always in service of the text.
   
   Read this book to avoid the classic mistakes that all neophyte mapmakers commit.



2. I'm newly employed with GIS. I use ArcMap to make maps of properties for a real estate developer. This book was nice in many ways. It is very informative regarding styles, helping me create professional looking maps at my job. It was detailed enough to be informative, but was not overloaded by any means. The book was a quick read. It did not bog me down in boring details. It was well written, well organized, and well designed. I like the book and recommend it.



3. This was not quite the book I was looking for. It doesn't cover the topics very comprehensively. I was hoping for a book which talked more specifically about map design(i.e. colors, placements and such). The book is ok if you have never read about this topic before. For me who has read about this topic before it only took about 2-3 hours to read it through.



4. I was honestly disappointed with this book, so much so, that I returned it to the seller. Although the subject matter it contains is quite good, the layout and presentation leave a great deal to be desired, especially for a book that is focused on cartography and which costs over $40.
   
   My 2 greatest irritations with it were the following: 1) There is virtually no color in the book, with the exception of a few color plates in the middle. 2) Although the book's dimensions are roughly 9" x 7", the material contained inside appears to have been formatted for a small paperback. On average, it appears each page contains more than 50% whitespace. It feels like you are looking at a reduced slide show presentation that was converted into a grayscale printout.
   
   My advice to prospective buyers of this book is to buy a copy of Monmonier's classic, "How to Lie with Maps", and Cynthia Brewer's excellent, "Designing Better Maps - A Guide for GIS Users" instead. The cost will be about the same - for 2 books.
   
   To the authors of this book I say, "Nice try, but c'mon, you can do better than this. You're cartographers for Pete's sake!"



5. This is not a bad book, but the title and description bear almost no relation to its content. The audience of the book seems to be people who have occasional use for maps, but don't need a very professional product. The text is limited to thematic map design; there's very little about how different map projections work or how geographic features would be represented. There is consideration of some design elements, but the examples used were very limited in scope and somewhat artificial. Finally, there's almost no information about GIS, other than that it exists and can be expensive.

5 comments about Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy.

1. This a wonderful exploration into Italian design. Loved it. Highly recommended for the designer or homeowner.



2. Francis Mayes does such an incredible job of bringing Tuscany to the rest of the world. This book includes fun recipes and beautiful photos...a joy to read!
   --Vicki Landes, author of "Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal"



3. I read this book first, as I have all Frances Mayes books, from the library. Wanting the great ideas and recipes at close-hand, I purchased this as well as her others. I used many suggestions on my trip last Fall to Italy.



4. Mayes's poetic assemblage of words, captures your attention from the moment you open this book. Accompanied with luscious visualization, her words even further embrace the art of Italian living. The colors and textures of the country melt upon the pages of this book, as Frances's emotional connection with the folks of the sun drenched terrain and their joyful heritage and love for family and food, are celebrated in this work.
   
   I purchased this book along with another Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint and was amazed at the similarities of these two books. Though completely different writing styles, Mayes's book "descibes the essence" of Italian lifestyle, while Heuser's actually "captures the rich color and artistic spirit" of the Tuscan home. Both authors suggests unique ways to recreate the warmth and beauty of the Tuscan country home into your personal life - Heuser's "Your Home..." is an actual how to book, giving the reader over 30 step by step, well illustrated projects on how to easily achieve the timeless old-world atmosphere. Like the Italian inspired murals painted in Mayes's home, Heuser shares the secrets to creating "period" styled finishes and mural detailing throughout every room in your home. Both lovely books are accompanied with unbelivable art photography, with Heuser's packed with unimaginable before during and after shots illustrating the transformation of a 1890's historic home into an Italian paradise. I highly reccomend both of these titles, "especially "if you are seeking interior inspiration for creating the authentic Tuscan look and feel in your home decorating!



5. Gives me a glimse of the kind of life in Italy, I have always have wanted to experience.

5 comments about Madrid (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I like these Eyewittness Travel Gides and byu them when I plan to travel. However this time the delivery was delayed.



2. Not as good as some of the other guides I used. The page numbers mentioned next to sights in the intro sections are often incorrect. Lots of pretty pictures though.



3. This was a nice guide for a 2 day trip to madrid -- the monument descriptions & photos were enjoyable & the walking tours were fun. It was very nice to have pictures of each key sight next to it's description so we could be sure were were looking at the right place.
   However, we also used this book to navigate to our hotel. Big, big mistake. In this guide, hotels are not marked on the map, they are located by quadrant (e.g. Map5 D-3). But our hotel was very far from where the book said it was; it was 3-4 map-quadrants away, which we found only by using the address & after a 30 minute walk with our luggage. FYI: unlike in the US, addresses do not go up by 100 per block. Going from 85 Gran Via in the old quarter to 15 Gran Via is about a 2 mile walk.



4. I enjoy Rick Steves' guides, but often I want to know more, both in-depth and in-breadth about a destination. This is a typical Eyewitness Travel Guide, almost a small encyclopedia about one place, its history, and its many attractions. I enjoy buying such books months in advance of a trip, reading & re-reading it, hoping that when I arrive at the destination it will seem familiar. I would heartily recommend any Eyewitness Guide to anyone who similarly want to know more. This little volume on Madrid packs a lot of information into one book.



5. I use this guide for a 4 days Madrid visit. Ive found it most useful in preparation of what to visit and what to eat once I get there. It also give me a lot of background in terms of what to expect for the dining hour, culture, and how to spend my evening.
   
   What I really like about this guide is the map (both the city map and street by street map) attached. I also like how the guide divided Madrid into 4 major areas and how it pinpointed major attraction which ease your pressure if you have little time in your hand (2-2 days). The guide also covers the most basic historical background and interesting fact that you need to know as a tourist.
   
   The guide is without its flaws however. First disturbing flaw is that - it happen that the a restaurant I want to pay a visit has been renamed and that the Metro network map isnt updated so It puzzles me a little bit.
   
   More disturbing part is that -- the guide for out of town place like El Escorial, Segovia and Toledo is very lacking. By lacking, I mean, if you do not do your research in advance I can assure you 100% that you will get lost. The map is so much incomplete that if regardless if you travel by train or bus -- you will not see yourself anywhere within the Map (lesson learned, research where the station is located and research by what mean of transport you can get there).
   
   The restaurant listing is also subpar at best. It failed to mention even the existence of Botin restaurant which is the oldest restaurant recognized in the world by Guinness world record. In the end I was being generous and tried two of the restaurants recommended. I was dissapointed by one of them. My hotel which I think was an awesome find isnt also listed there. Lesson learned, do your own research for restaurant and hotel
   
   Overall, would I recommend this guide? of course but a forewarning that you need to do your homework too. :) These days its so easy for you to do more an indepth research online as a supplement to your guide. I saved many pages I found online in my cellphone

1 comments about Oman UAE & Arabian Peninsula (Multi Country Guide).

1. Lonely Planet provides a summary of important information for travelers to Arab countries. It is set up similarly to other Lonely Planet travel guides that includes getting started, possible itineraries for different length trips, history, culture, food, environment and information on expats who are a large part of the population in the area.

3 comments about On the Brink: The Life and Leadership of Norman Brinker.

1. This book takes you through the life of an amazing man. It shows you how he built his life up from having nothing, to being a very successful business man. On the Brink also outlines Brinkers business strategy so it is easy to incorporate into your own.



2. Norman Brinker expresses his passion and desire for the restaurant business, focusing on his triumph to success. His entire company's management means and ways are incorporated into his book, "On The Brink". A truly outstanding book!



3. Great book and I would highly recommend! Norman Brinker is an awesome man who has overcame many obsticles with dignity and grace.