No comments about Vermont Off the Beaten Path, 7th (Off the Beaten Path Series).

No comments about Good Night California (Good Night Our World series).

1 comments about Scenic Driving Tennessee.

1. I ordered this book as a gift for someone moving to Tennessee. It's a wonderful guide to some places a litle off the beaten path. I was very pleased.

4 comments about Fee Mining and Rockhounding Adventures in the West.

1. An invaluable guide with lots of information to help with trip planning. The state histories are fantastic. If you love hobby mining this book is a must have for your keeper shelf.



2. I liked the state histories but for a rockhound the book is not of much use. The book tries to cover too many states with too little actual information on each state. A good example would be Arizona. The book lists 14 sites for Arizona but only 4 are listed as diggings. Of that 4 only 2 are actual rockhound sites and the other 2 are fee panning at a tour. The other 10 of the 14 are Museums, caves, points of interest, and fairs and festivals.



3. Some useful digging sites, but more information about museums, caves, fairs, etc. There are better books out there for the serious rockhound.



4. I really enjoyed reading this book. It has turned out to be a great reference for our trip through Utah, Wyoming and Colorado which we are planning for next Fall.
   
   We are going to be camping in our RV and we have planned a route that will take us from our home in New Mexico through the Eastern region of Utah to Idaho and Montana and then to Wyoming and Colorado. This book has really assisted us in deciding where we want to stop and search for gems, minerals and fossils.
   
   I would recommend this book for anyone who may be interested in finding great places to rock hound!

2 comments about The Complete Book of Boondock RVing.

1. This is a well written book, but geared toward people with large RVs. There is an extended section on Boondocking electricity, monitoring batteries and engine alternators. Then a chapter on solar and wind power, which is all very nice, but not what we were looking for and not what a large majority of people can afford. We have an 18 foot super light-weight trailer and use a Honda generator. I guess we thought this book would be more about places to go that were interesting. The list of "Selected" Boondocking sites was very limited. If You are looking for a better choice try the FREE Campgrounds book by Don Wright, either the Western or Eastern edition. Lots of great sites listed in this book.
   The bottom line is that the Complete Book of Boondocking will go on our next garage sale.



2. This book has it all! Written by a couple who have been "living the life" for many years, every word has the feel of authenticity and experience-based knowledge. A lot of the material might be found in other sources but we needed a guidebook to read AND have on the shelf for reference. My wife and I have been "fulltimers" for 11 years, but have spent little time dry-camping, or "boondocking." We wanted more information on solar panels and water maintenance and we found it all here. I found no negatives about this book.

5 comments about Southwest USA (Regional Guide).

1. This guide has tons of info for food, lodging, shopping, services, attractions, and activities. Margin "tabs" make it easy to thumb to a specific area. My only complaint is the greyscale maps are unreadable because of tiny fonts and low contrast.There is bleed thru from backside of pages also causing contrast problems and readability. Overall though, it is a good, packable guidebook.



2. I recently made a road trip across the American Southwest and purchased both the Lonely Planet 4th Edition (December 2005) and the Rough Guide 4th Edition (October 2006) as my guides for the week-long adventure. Lonely Planet emerges as the clear winner when the two are compared side by side. It is less than half the thickness of the Rough Guide book, yet has more coverage per town or natural site. I commend Lonely Planet for using such a thin but readable font and thin, high-quality paper to make this guidebook have such a small footprint.
   
   The Lonely Planet guide is divided into tabbed chapters by state (the guide covers Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Las Vegas, and Southwestern Colorado). Maps cover both regions and downtown areas of the major cities and towns in the Southwest. For each city, restaurants, hotels, attractions, and essentials like internet access, post offices, bookstores, and medical facilities are listed. The sidebars contain information from a historical or side note perspective--these are perfect for reading aloud during the inevitable driving time for any Southwest adventure.
   
   If you are planning to spend a long time in the Grand Canyon or other attraction area, I recommend purchasing an additional supplemental guidebook. As a road warrior, I appreciated that this book has all the essentials, but leaves week-long trips to Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon to other guidebooks.



3. I am a major, lifelong supporter of Lonely Planet from the first core Asia books. I have till date not filed a review of a book online, but felt compelled to highlight some major deficiencies in this product and make a recommendation to look elsewhere for information on the American Southwest. Of late, I have begun branching away from Lonely Planet for more detailed information, but still rely on it for useful phone numbers, maps and other logistical information. For a three week camping trip in the Southwest with a few splurges along the way, I wanted to rely heavily on just such a book.
   
   In the Southwest book, much of this information was not present (for example, 'Many campgrounds are available in local state parks' is one of the entries, but no phone numbers, maps nor details given. Not only were options for lodging half-heartedly described, often food options and maps were entirely missing or erroneously described.
   
   The cities are a bit better described, but that isn't offering much of an excuse for an area and geography that is utterly unlike any on earth.
   
   It is not surprising that this particular book is so short on useful information given its small size, but I found it egregious that LP would compromise so heavily on its core responsibility - providing useful, practical information that saves time and enhances the travel experience.
   
   I highly recommend flipping through another guidebook in your local bookstore or experimenting with one of the other brands before relying on the Lonely Planet in this case. I plan to do so for the near future.



4. I feel this book has been very helpful in planning my forthcoming trip to the area. However, compared to other lonely planet volumes, I feel the details concerning points of interest, lodging and dining are a little skimpy.



5. There don't seem to be many all-encompassing guides that address travel in the Southwestern US. However, I was excited to see that Lonely Planet was among them. After reading some of the reviews on this site, I was a bit apprehensive about purchasing it, but a combination of my high regard for Lonely Planet and the alternative of having to purchase several books convinced me to buy it. After spending the past month trying to use this book as a resource for planning a week long vacation in the Southwest, I have to agree with the critical reviews.
   
   Perhaps the editor of this text had a trigger-happy finger with the delete key; whatever the reason may be, this text is missing a good bit. There are many generalizations and few applicable insights. I found myself having to rent other texts from the library, do a good bit of research online, and print maps of the bigger parks from their websites. The maps that are included are difficult to read and a good portion of notable features are missing. Many areas and parks don't have real maps though, including Mesa Verde. The attention given to state parks is even worse. Their treatment of Monument Valley was especially disappointing, as there is less than half page on it, no mention the park's lodge or area's restaurants and statement like, "There are tours" that leave much be further researched. I'm also wondering why the dinosaur tracks outside of Tuba City aren't mentioned; why the IMAX theater outside the Grand Canyon isn't noted; why there isn't any mention of famed attractions inside some of the parks (such as Double Arch in Arches and Angel Arch in Canyonlands); why multi-award winning Las Vegas restaurants such as Bouchon (whose founder was recognized by Time magazine as "Best Chef in America") aren't noted; and so on.
   
   Obviously, there is a lot to cover, but I'd happily pay an extra $5 - 10 for a slightly thicker book that does the region more justice. If I could revisit my purchasing decision, I'd look at Moon's Four Corners guide a bit more (their guides have been just as good and even better than Lonely Planet's in my experience) and supplement it with a small Vegas guide.

5 comments about Garfield Older & Wider (Garfield).

1. While i don't have this book it still souds delightful!!!! After many years Garfield still puts a smile on your face! In this book it celebrates that as Garfield get older he still probaly the same and with his good and funny attitude. so enjoy as many others will enjoy i too!



2. I think this is a good book if you like garfield. I like when the dog and garfield dance. I didn't like when the men put the shock collar on the dog,that was mean of them.



3. A great book if you like Garfield. I like the cat and the dog too. I didn't like how the man put the collar on the dog, it was cruel of him.



4. I have been a long time Garfield fan. While sometimes the strip seems to fall a little short, by and large it stays consistently funny. What I especially have liked about Garfield in recent years is that Jim Davis seems to have really cultivated his taste for the bizarre, so recent Garfield strips have often had a Far Sidian quality to them. This can especially be seen in the recent books, including this one.



5. This is just a collection of Garfield comics you can get off the Garfield website. There isn't even any of the new stuff with Luz and John ending up together.

1 comments about Frommer's Boston Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day).

1. I am traveling to Boston each year for the last 15 years. I though that I know most of the city. Well, this book is a short and very informative city guide and you can read it without big "fuss".

3 comments about Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods.

1. This book could only be improved by more photos of the georgeous landscaping in and around Portland, Oregon. The cover shows four beautiful photos which the Amazon cover shot misses (you can hardly make them out), which is more than enough to whet the appetite.
   
   Come in the spring and if the day is sunny you'll be moving to Portland. Not only the sights but the people will astound you. They're polite and helpful to strangers, unlike other cities I've visited. Here they'll offer you assistance before you need ask.
   
   Food? Did someone say food? There's more local flavor here than you'd expect. That's an additional benefit of visiting neighborhoods on foot. You have time to stop and talk with local merchants. Many neighborhood eating establishments are listed, as well as suggestions if you should pack a picnic.
   
   Laura Foster obviously loves Portland and knows it probably better than anyone. Having hiked, biked and walked Portland neighborhoods during my childhood, I too know the thrill of discovering a new hideout or short-cut. Some familiar paths are now overgrown, and windy hillside paths such as the one from Burnside Street to Washington Park had to be closed but there are countless others to be discovered.
   
   Great gift book, for newcomers to Portland and anyone who's lived here for years but has never really gotten to know the city. Portland, Oregon is a treasure, and I personally want to thank Laura Foster for this wonderful book.



2. I walk/hike with two other women once a week. We have found no other book which does what this one does. It not only provides interesting walks acurately, but also covers the history, architecture and plants along the way. I can't say enough about how much we've enjoyed this book.



3. My husband and I have recently begun walking at least 1/2 hour per day but have gotten the bug and often want to walk more. This book is an excellent resource. I've never seen one so thorough, combining history along with a route that is so clear a person would have to really try in order to get lost. The history notes are so fascinating (and I'm not in to history at all) and it divides the walk directions into numbered sections so you always feel like you're making headway. If you like to walk and you are in the Portland area, you really need this resource book!

1 comments about Moon Coastal Oregon (Moon Handbooks).

1. Just returned from Coastal Oregon. Book was extremely helpful, love the maps of various towns--gives you the heart of each one so you can find your way around. Smart purchase if you're traveling to Coastal Oregon.