No comments about Thomas Guide 2009 Los Angeles & Orange Counties, California (Los Angeles and Orange Counties Street Guide).

5 comments about Mexico (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I've used Eyewitness guides for about 10 years. I quite like the way they are organized. Strong points of these guides include:
   (1) Historical timeline; key points identified with good breadth & depth
   (2) Traveler's Survival Guide section has accurate & helpful information
   (3) Wonderful walking guides with three-dimensional maps so that one does not overlook the not-to-be missed sites, monuments, buildings, works of art, cultural highlights, etc.
   (4) Well-organized into provinces and major sections of cities that help trememdously in mazimizing time so that one is not back-tracking or wandering hither and yon.
   (5) Many good color photos and illustrations of major attractions
   My one major dissatisfaction is that no phonetic pronunciation of cities, attractions, historical figures, etc. is included. That one small feature would be tremendously helpful and appreciated.



2. I love the Eyewitness Travel Guides, I already have some of them, and because of my great experience with them in Prague, Italy, Russia, and other places, I wanted to get the one for Mexico. But once I got it I was already disapointed by its size being half of the other ones that I got. The regions that interested my most was Guadalajara and Jalisco, which are only described on 2-3 pages, although being the colonial hartland of Mexico. A lot of emphasis is put on Mexico City, and the Jucatan Area. So if you travel there, I can recomend the book. For those who dont like to travel to the typical touristy areas, i'd say rather not.



3. Since my husband and I discovered the Eyewitness travel guidebooks that's all we buy. It's not very analytical but it gives a good overview of what you shouldn't miss (places, food, shopping). We recently went to Mexico City for a week and this guide was very helpful. I am only giving four stars because we would have preferred to have a guide only about Mexico City rather than all Mexico (like we have for Paris) but DK did not publish it yet.



4. EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES are the best guides you could find. I've bought every one they have published to the places I have visited, and always know where I want to go and what are the most important places to visit,
   with the pictures and 3D images of the buildings and maps I don't get surprises as to visit a place not worth while. You optimize your travel time. I have about twenty of their guides, just hope they increase the places they review in the near future.
   I'm from Mexico and found it very useful.



5. I love the pictures that DK uses in their books. The book is very informative and covers allot of ground. It was helpful to me on my trip but like everything else I wish it had more information on certain areas.

5 comments about Shoeless Joe & Me (Baseball Card Adventures).

1. Shoeless Joe was a fun book to read. It was about baseball. He was a good player but did not have power. I liked this book because it was about baseball. He was a player on the White Sox. The story was in Chicago where Shoeless Joe was a famous baseball player.
   The kid in the book went back in time. The boy wanted to meet Shoeless Joe, so he went to the store to buy the card. Then he packed his tooth brush and clothes. Then he went to his room. Then he hugged the card and went back to the past. This was the most exciting part of the book.



2. The book I am reviewing is Shoeless Joe & Me written by Dan Gutman. I think this book deserves five stars because Dan Gutman doesn't stretch the book and he does not rush it. This book is about a boy named Joe Stoshack who can travel through time with baseball cards. The problem in this story is that when Joe had lost a game because of a bad call, he complains to the sponsor of his team, Flip Valetini. He says that it wasn't fair, and Flip tells him about the Black Sox sandal and Joe Jackson. Now he wants to fix it. But the rest... you will have to figure out. I would recommend this book to anyone from 3rd to 5th grade that loves fantasy books.



3. Haven't you ever wanted to go back in time to prevent something that happened to you? Shoeless Joe Jackson was one of the best baseball players in 1919. His career was destroyed by a gambling scandal. Joe Stoshack was a young boy and he heard about the famous player from a guy named Flip who worked at the baseball card shop he always went to. Flip told Joe that Jackson was not allowed to make the Hall of Fame because of the scandal he was in. Flip gave him Joe Jackson baseball card and the little boy thought to himself what it would be like to go back in time to see what the scandal was all about and even maybe prevent it from happening. He thought if it works in movies then it should work now. The next day Joe Stoshack found himself going back to the 1919's and found Joe Jackson at the stadium. He talked to Joe and asked him to leave the game before it started. He told Joe if he didn't something bad would happen. He told Joe he came back from the future and he knew that if the great Joe Jackson did anything to lose this game, he would never get all the rewards he deserved. He wanted to prevent the "Black Sox Scandal" from happening so Shoeless Joe Jackson could get into the Hall of Fame.
   I would rate this book a 5, on a scale of 5, with 5 being the best. Grades 4th and up would love it and its great family story.



4. One of my students wrote the following review:
   If you are a baseball fan you should read this book. This book is about a kid with a power. He can go back in time. He goes to 1919 to make the White Sox win the World Series by not letting Shoeless Joe Jackson take money. What will happen next?
   It was so fun to read it! I couldn't stop reading this book. It is a long book but it is fun when you read it. There are more books that this author wrote about baseball.
   -Brian



5. Shoeless Joe and Me is one of my favorite books! The book is about a kid who can Time-Travel by using Baseball Cards. He tries to go back in time to stop the Black Sox Scandal. The Black Sox Scandal was when 8 players on the White Sox were tricked by gamblers into losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds on purpose.
   
   Even if you don't like Baseball, I'm sure you will love this book. I loved it SO much that I couldn't take my face away from the book. I recommend this book to ANYONE, as long as they love a good book. It is part of a series, which include:
   
   Honus and Me
   Jackie and Me
   Babe and Me
   Mickey and Me
   Abner and Me
   Satch and Me

5 comments about Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird).

1. If you buy this planning to go on a wierd US tour, you'll be disappointed, because the directions to each place aren't very well documented. If you want to visit any of these weird attractions, plan to make copious use of the Internet to search out better directions so that you don't get lost on the way.
   
   The layout of this book is gorgeous, and while it may not be worth the original B&N price, the Amazon marketplace price makes it a steal. The pictures are just fabulous. I love the personal narrations by different authors, but some other reviewers have noted mistakes, so they need to be taken with a grain of salt.



2. This is the kind of going down a deserted road and then-AHHH!! reading, not Hollywood, this is what we have all experienced at one time or another.It will keep you up reading it all night,but maybe not on Halloween? Must have all the other books in this series, a must read!!



3. Apparently, I must be somewhat weird, because this last Christmas, I was given four copies of this book by four different people. (And then, coincidentally, three of my friends got this book for their birthdays....)
   This book is loaded with weird facts, legends, lore, people, photographs, ghost stories, haunted places, supernatural figures, terrifying ruins and tunnels and forests and abandoned buildings, tall tales, odd museums, and answerless mysteries.
   I've travelled a lot around America, and I've come across a lot of strangeness that's not in this book--I always ask people, "What's the strangest thing you've ever seen?"--but what it is here is entertaining and unique, if occasionally doubtful. The book deals more with the East than with the West, and as a result of that a lot of cool stuff is never even mentioned that could be. There's only one or two items from New Mexico, and nothing at all on skinwalkers--the creepiest lore there is.
   Some parts of the book are actually frightening though--like phantom clowns!--and would be even scarier if read during an actual visit to these places.
   I recommend this book highly--it's very readable, though I wish it had maps or directions to the places it describes--and I will probably buy any sequels.



4. This is a great book if you plan to travel. It shows all the great places to stop at.



5. Totally freaky and as far as I know, 100% true. The book opens with case after case of Satanism, portals to Hell, etc. After you pass this "test" then the authors and contributors let you onto some really cool and unbelievable stuff, like, who really has Royal claim to the North American continent. Ha!

5 comments about Vanishing America: The End of Main Street Diners, Drive-Ins, Donut Shops, and Other Everyday Monuments.

1. The subtitle to this fascinating book is The End of Main Street and Michael Eastman has taken it upon himself to record as much of it as possible before progress or neglect flattens what's left. Flick through the pages and you'll see more than two hundred shots of small town commonplace. The five chapters (Theaters, Churches, Hangouts, Doors, Signs, Stores, Services, Autos, Hotels and Restaurants) pretty much cover what you'll see in any town across the country.
   
   Nearly every photo is an exterior and I thought one of the strengths of Eastman's work is the no-nonsense straight-on compositions. These buildings with their signs, peeling paint or structural modifications are visually intriguing enough not to require odd angles, soft focus or other gimmicks and even though they are photos of record the rich color and choice of subject lifts the contents of the book above similar photography.
   
   
   The book's production is as impressive as the photos, the square format, matt art paper and 175 screen all come together beautifully. Four stars? Though the book was designed by Pentagram it does have, in my view, a rather annoying fault: there are several pages where photos are butted together which makes for initial visual confusion and I think weakens each relevant photo. A thin black or white line, just to give the minimum separation, would have solved the problem. Fortunately most pages don't have butted photos and on the rest the photos are allowed to sparkle by themselves and they do.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. This book is full of wonderful pictures - too many, in fact. It could be half as long as it is and still be worth the cover price and more. The result of such overly generous editing is that the layout is downright awful - crowded, jumbled and ugly. But that in no way diminishes the fact that there are some stunning, evocative pictures in here, pictures of the backbone of America many of us have never seen and will never see. A book to come back to again and again.



3. If You're a fan of Michael Eastman's fine art photography, as I am, you must get a copy of his latest book, "Vanishing America." You must get it, but you'll be disappointed in it--disappointed in the layout, particularly, but also in the reproduction.
   
   As to the layout, the photographs are given no respect. They are presented full bleed, that is, without margins. A typical two-page spread has a large picture full-bleed on the left side, and an array of smaller pictures--also full bleed and butting up against each other so it's hard to tell where one ends and the next begins--on the right.
   
   This is not a book of photographs so much as it is a book of Americana, the kind you see on the bargain racks of the large chain bookstores.
   
   As to the reproduction, I remember seeing a large (50x40 inch) print of "Shotgun House, New Orleans" at a show a few years ago. It was $5000 framed and I wanted it, but I had neither the wall space nor the money, so I contented myself with a free, postcard-size promotional reproduction. This reproduced the colors of the larger image very well and it served as a good reminder of why I liked it. This picture is reproduced in the book, slightly cropped, for no good reason, and with a decided magenta cast, compared to my postcard copy. Looking at the picture in the book, it doesn't remind me at all of my feelings for the original print.
   
   I assume books of American are more profitable than books of photographs. If so, I can forgive this disappointing book. Fine art photographers need all the support they can get.



4. This book is beautiful, but not in the traditional sense. It shows well-loved and decaying mainstays of small towns all across the U.S. Not so much the "Route 66" kitchy America, but the regular, everyday sights and signs that we seldom focus on but are there, nonetheless. The photographer took pictures of what was on the other side of the street, and it is poignant and a little sad to see some of that stuff in such a state of decline. I'm glad I purchased the book and I love to remember the small town I grew up in as I flip through its pages.



5. No matter where you live, you probably pass buildings that have seen better days on your daily commute. If not buildings, then maybe signs, whether they are on billboards or sides of buildings. All of these items harken back to an earlier time; a time when the area was more vibrant. Now replaced by suburban shopping malls, a changing population, or economics, these store fronts and signs are falling into our distant memories. With Vanishing America: The End of Main Street, Michael Eastman captures these items before they are demolished.
   
   Contents:
   Introduction
   Theaters
   Churches
   Hangouts
   Doors
   Signs
   Stores
   Services
   Automobiles
   Hotels
   Restaurants
   About the Author
   
   This book is filled with beautiful and sad photographs of pieces of America that disappear every day. While the population continues to move out from city centers, Eastman ventures into those spots to show you what you are missing or fail to see during your morning and afternoon rush hours. Each photo is worthy of your time, examining not only what is in front of you, but surrounding the focal point. While every chapter has its share of exceptional photographs, I thought that the chapter Doors was the best. There is something about these entranceways that speak to me. I don't know if it is the boarded up windows and locked doors, the storefronts covered with newspapers, or abandoned schools, they are haunting pictures. Other photos, full of energy and "life," are without any people. I don't know how Eastman was able to shoot those photos. An example is "Cabin Motels, Ketchum, Idaho." There is a vehicle in front of every room, but not a single person in the shot. I know that this Ketchum, Idaho, but still-where are the people? I think that aspect of the pictures is the most unsettling; all of these excellent photos, in fairly populated areas, and not a human in view.
   
   While I loved this book, there were some small, annoying issues with it. For one, none of the photos have any sort of border around them, When the publisher puts 4 pictures on one page, they seem to "bleed" into one another. Another problem I had was that some of the pictures seemed to have been tightly cropped. An example is the photo "3'5'6' Hotel Pool, Fort Lauderdale, Florida." In the photo, I can see the 3' and 5' sections of the pool, but the 6' section is missing. If that was on purpose, I have no idea. Finally, some of the titles of the photos seem to have shifted somewhere in the publishing process. I don't know if this is due to sloppy editing, lazy proofreading, or an issue at the publisher, but it was somewhat shocking in a book of this caliber. Other than those issues, this is an excellent book that catalogues some parts of America that are slowly disappearing. I hope that after reading it, you will come to see your environment in a different light, much as I have.

5 comments about The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America.

1. Sometimes a great author writes a 5-star book, and sometimes he must only get out of the way and let 5-star material shine through. "The Soul of Baseball" is one of the latter. This isn't a knock on Joe Posnanski. The decision to tell the story by reporting on a year in O'Neil's life, rather than interpreting O'Neil's history, was a brilliant judgment. The reader benefits from Posnanski's willingness to set his writer's ego aside.
   
   Another good Posnanski decision was reporting O'Neil's occasional querulousness. Rather than seeing O'Neil as a mindless happy face, the reader sees O'Neil as someone who must work to maintain his positive approach. The occasional lapses serve to highlight the effort that O'Neil makes to bring the light into the lives of those around him.
   
   But ultimately, the star of the book is Buck O'Neil. Not because he was a great ballplayer or manager. But because he was a decent, good-hearted human being whose attitude toward life is worthy of emulation.
   
   I give few 5-star rankings, but this book deserves it several times over.



2. This book got to me, in a very good way.
   
   Buck's stories are funny and poignant, and we as readers definitely learn some history if we pay attention. But even more than that we can learn from Buck O'Neil's outlook on life. He was patient, caring, outspoken in an articulate and positive way (something our politicians should learn how to do), and he had grace. More than anything else reading about Buck O'Neil was a lesson on how to live with grace.
   
   I want to tell you the last words of the book, but I won't.
   
   If you like baseball, people or life you will like this book.
   
   Highly recommended!!



3. My son, Jeremy, always gives me good books. He doesn't just pick up the latest best-seller, but takes the time to choose something special just for me. He hit a home run with The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski. It's the story of an extended road trip Posnanski took with legendary Negro League player and manager Buck O'Neil. The lessons learned along the way are great ones for sons and fathers to share.
   
   Posnanski, an award-winning sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, chose not to write a biography of the irrepressible O'Neil, even though the story could bear to be told over and over again. Instead, he penned a moving memoir of the year he spent with the then-93-year-old O'Neil as he toured the country promoting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and the memory of those men who played the game in the days before whites and blacks could share the field. The trip takes them everywhere from Nicodemus, Kansas, to New York, New York, and O'Neil has a fascinating story to tell at every stop.
   
   He talks about Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Josh Gibson, names that will always be enshrined in baseball's collective memory. But he also tells the tales of forgotten men like Dan Bankhead, the first black pitcher in the major leagues, who would have been a great hurler if he hadn't been afraid to pitch fastballs inside against white batters.
   
   The key theme of the book is Buck O'Neil's spirit-lifting embrace of the best in every person he met. Despite years of back-breaking struggle, O'Neil never turned bitter, never condemned anyone for their prejudice, never had a bad word to say about the often ugly conditions the black ball players endured. Even when he failed to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Buck O'Neil refused to be angry about it. To make up for the egregious mistake, the Hall awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award after his death.
   
   The lessons Posnanski drew from his experiences with O'Neil are well worth telling and the book he created from them is well worth reading.
   
   Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo



4. Poz is one of the best writers in the business. Thanks for writing a really great book about a great baseball man. Buck's is a great American story and the way it's written makes you feel like you're on the road trip with them.



5. The Soul of Baseball illuminates what life can be. It would help anyone get past their bitterness and see that life is about what I can do today and not what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow.

5 comments about Frommer's New Orleans 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This guide provides a variety of interesting facts about New Orleans, its culture and history, as well as information for selecting activities, restaurants, tours, and other in and about New Orleans. Very helpful as a pre-trip planner, and its maps assist getting about while there. It also gives a brief section about Katrina's impact.



2. I purchased this book for a recent trip to New Orleans and found it a valuable resource, both for myself as a somewhat frequent visitor to the city and for my boyfriend, who was experiencing this wonderful place for the first time. We were guided to some absolute restaurant gems, both inside and outside of the Quarter, and to some fabulous music venues. We also spent our days on the recommended walking tours (the book pays for itself in walking tours alone--you will see and learn about a great deal of history and beautiful architecture at your own pace without being stuck in a group). The post-Katrina information was helpful and up-to-date, especially considering that so many businesses and services are still in a state of transition. The Frommer's guide enhanced our New Orleans experience immeasurably, and I would recommend it to anyone planning a trip to the Big Easy.



3. I have now almost worn out my second copy of this book and have been thinking I need to invest in a third. This is THE best travel guide to New Orleans (actually, to any destination, come to think of it) I have ever read. I bought three or four different guides before my first trip to New Orleans; this is the one that made the others unnecessary. Many NOLA trips later, this book that still goes with me every time I return. In this Frommer's edition, Mary Herczog's voice is not so much that of a travel expert--although she is indeed that, and her advice is thorough and invaluable. But reading her pages is like having a friend in New Orleans--a native who knows all the good stuff, has all the real stories, knows the places YOU would want to visit. Her style is warm and conversational; her knowledge exhaustive, well-organized, and accessible. I've made so many margin notes "in answer" to her entries that my book has become as much a dialogue as a guidebook. Ten trips later, I am still learning from it.



4. This is the best book I've seen on visiting New Orleans. Very comprehensive, in fact just a very good read, even if you're not intending to visit in the near future. Looking forward even more to our holiday in New Orleans with the information in this book.
   Recommended!



5. Easy to read, interesting, and less touristy than Fodor's. I like it, and hope it serves me well on my upcoming New Orleans trip tomorrow!

1 comments about American Map Road Atlas 2009 Standard (Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico (Spiral)).

1. We have found this particular map to be extremely helpful on trips. Our last one was several years old but wanted an updated version. You can't go wrong with this map put out by American over others published by different companies. This is the best!

5 comments about The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes) (Reef Set).

1. This is a must-have set for the SCUBA diver who is serious about knowing "exactly what is that fish/creature/coral" . And, even for the recreational diver, the books are laid out in a format to allow one's curiosity to help one to learn more about what exactly one can see while diving. Just about every live-aboard dive boat that I have been on counts this as a staple amongst its reference library. It is a nice set to have at home to review before or after diving - or even just to learn more about possibly what one MIGHT see on a future dive!



2. My husband and I are passionate divers! He takes fabulous pictures and I like to identify what he takes pictures of. I have a couple of the plastic i.d. cards of fish, but so many critters aren't on them. However, these books have everything! It's nice to go to a reef and know what everything is and what it might do to you! This set is expensive, but you'll make up the cost by not having to buy multiple I.D. books.



3. Excelent books, complete identification with pictures and full information. Delivered in Brazil on time and without any problem.



4. We have used these volumes regularly to aid in identifying what we've observed when SCUBA diving. Excellent photos and descriptions.



5. This is THE book on Caribbean underwater life. Any where you dive this is the reference used. The only thing missing from the set is the behavior book, and it would be a great addition.

5 comments about Florida Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I use this book occasionally, but it is lacks the detailed for use by itself. Where I do use it is with mapquest, that tends to not show the smaller lakes, but the Gazetteer does a much better job.



2. Easy to read and use, invaluable when traveling in city or hiking in rural areas. Very detailed, provides names of area sites that are interesting to stop by, which are not included on road maps.



3. A bit difficult to handle (size). Good enough to use in your car.



4. This book has it all! My hubby just entered the boating world, and this book is a great guide to rivers, campsites, boat ramps, and more. A must have if you are the adventure type!



5. I have purchased every updated version of this book for quite a number of years. In Florida, roads and public lands change constantly, so each new edition is like re-discovering my home state.
   
   I also buy the books for North Carolina and Virginia.