2 comments about Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town.

1. If you're new to Austin, thinking about visiting, or even if you've lived there for a while and are interested in what all the "Keep Austin Weird" fuss is about, this is an essential guide, and a lavishly illustrated one. If you're looking for a synopsis and photographs about the weird/unique things of Austin- you'll find it here- from the Annual Spamarama to eccentric political candidates to the Texas Chili Parlor to Satan's Cheerleaders. To my knowledge, this is the only book on Austin of its kind, and so is an essential resource for those who are thinking about visiting the city or native Austinites who want to learn more about it.



2. I've been researching Austin for the past few months, and I can't believe it took me this long to come across this book. Not only is it a fabulous guide, it's hilariously written. Kudos to Mr. Wassenich.

3 comments about Best Hikes With Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades (Best Hikes with Kids).

1. I have purchased several copies of this book, everytime a new edition comes out actually. I can't believe I am the first to review it. If you are a parent and you are new to hiking with kids in the western Washington region this will probably be the only book you need. It is superbly written, with great details on the hike itself,knowing ahead of time what difficulty level you are facing is a must in my opinion, as well as directions on how to find the trail head, tips and tricks to hiking with your children in a way that you will all enjoy it and so much more. I highly reccomend this book, you will not be disapointed.



2. It is the most accurate rated hiking book I've owned (I have alot) and most used I would also say its an accurate place to start if your out of shape the ratings are realistic you dont feel like your regretting it half way threw the hike You finish without feeling like the only thing you lost is a few pounds (not your mind or breath) your kids arent whinning and are ready for the next one!!!!



3. this book helped us find great hikes for kids from the day it arrived. strongly recommended.

5 comments about The Newcomer's Guide to North Carolina: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Tar Heel.

1. This book is a great introductory read for those wanting to know more about North Carolina(especially if you are moving there). It has everything from a history, to the state government, to pop cluture and stories of the state, to even DMV information. I'm leaving a lot out, but you get the picture. The only problem I have with this book is that there is only one map in the entire book. It is of the whole state, but only has nine cities on it. You will want an atlas to go with the book to see where some of the places he mentions are. Other than that a great book and I definately recommend it.



2. We just moved to NC and I wanted a book "to get my feet wet" this is exactly what I was looking for. Lots of misc facts and history. I felt like I had a better feeling for the place when I got here than I am sure I would have without.



3. when i was reading this book it was very territorial. god forbid a "yankee" or whatever you call it comes and moves down to north carolina. or if your having a bad day and your new to the community, you need to let the community know so that they know to stay away from you. this book is worthless. my advice dont live near the author cause hes going to be in your business



4. I was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New Yawk and my husband is from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginny. He wants to move closer to home and I'm a life-long NY Metropolitanite who travels frequently. Seriously, I'm considering NC (not decided yet!) and I found this book very helpful in terms of what to expect, what's what in terms of the terrain and life style. I think this would be a good compromise for the Country Boy and City Slicker.



5. Good intro to the state -- details relating to history and facts that are useful to the job hunter or the retiree. If you are planning on making this state "home" for a while, this is the book to help you make some decisions on where to live and where you'll want to visit. Bill Lee did a thorough job revealing the most useful and interesting information for the reader.

1 comments about Rail-Trails New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island & Vermont (Rails-To-Trails Conservancy Guidebooks).

1. There are now more than 13,00 miles of open rail-trails across the country. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is an organization of more than 100,000 members and a leading advocate for trail and greenway 'recycling' of obsolete railroad corridors and rights of way. The official guidebook of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, "Rail-Trails: New England" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' guide to railroad related trails in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Profusely illustrated with maps, as well as black-and-white photographs, "Rail-Trails: New England" is the perfect planning guide for biking or hiking along pathways created from unused railroad corridors that have been converted to recreational use by the public. some rail-trails are paved and run through scenic parts of New England townships, others are unpaved paths through scenic countrysides. Enhanced with detailed maps for every rail-trail (plus driving directions to trailheads), "Rail-Trails: New England" also features icons indicating each trail's use, along with succinct descriptions written by truly knowledgeable and articulate rail-trail experts. If you are planning to avail yourself of the recreational and exercise opportunities of rail-trails anywhere in the New England region, then begin with a careful browse through the pages of "Rail-Trails: New England"!

3 comments about Foghorn Outdoors New England Hiking: The Complete Guide to More Than 380 Hikes (Foghorn Outdoors).

1. I live in CT and wanted to take up hiking.. I was pleasantly surprised with the range of hikes covered in this book. Especially areas I never would have thought had a decent hike, like my hometown of Waterbury! Because of the amount of hikes covered, the info for each is pretty short. It does suggest other places to get info though and is great for what it is- a survey of New England hikes, not in depth for any one area or type of hike.



2. This is an excellent hiking guide to New England and pretty exhaustive as well, especially in the White Mountains region. The book is very well organized and Mr. Lanza has a simple but ingenious rating system for both the scenic beauty and trail difficulty, both rated 1 - 10. So, you can pick how much work you're willing to exert for the visual return on your effort. The trail descriptions are quite good and driving directions are included. No maps are included but each trail description references appropriate maps and other information sources. Mr. Lanza is well written in this field and is a regular contributor to Backpacker Magazine.



3. I have owned this guide for almost eight months and have already hiked many of the ones recommended in this book. I have never been disappointed, unlike last year when I tried to use 50 Hike in New Hampshire to find a good hike and was twice disappointed with vague driving directions and confusing hiking routes. New England Hiking is a great starting point for beginning hikers or people new to the area, but also terrific for locals searching for new adventures. While not as exhaustive as the AMC guides, this book has the benefit of being easier to read and choose hikes from than the AMC guides. The one downfall of this book is that there are no maps included, but I think that, given the scope of the book and the wide range of areas included, it would be nearly impossible to include maps. Many of the hikes I've been on have been rather complicated and would have been very tricky without maps, so you'll have to use the resources listed in the book to get maps because I wouldn't recommend hiking without them. This is an excellent resource for all New England explorers.

1 comments about The Thomas Guide 2009 Portland: Street Guide.

1. I remember once when Thomas Guides were ubiquitous for Portland, and this was also true for many other US cities. But nowadays so many of my contemporaries just use a map website and maybe print out a map if we're travelling and don't have a web connection. Then, cellphones increasingly do have a web connection. So why do you need this book?

2 comments about City in Time: Chicago.

1. If you love Chicago, you'll love this book, especially if you are no longer near Chicago.
   We have here 140 pages of pictures of Chicago landmarks, sorted into "then" on the left page and "now" on the right, accompanied by about a hundred words of caption explaining what you are looking at and why it is significant. All are landmarks of Chicago and include at least one spot everybody who has ever been there must have gone by, stared at, gone in, or admired.
   As a graduate of Illinois Tech., I did catch one awful clinker. To have the building on page 109 (the original Old Main of Armour Institute of Technology) called Crown Hall (it is really about two blocks from there) must have had Mies van der Rohe spinning in his grave for at least a month.



2. This book combines history and photography. Many landmarks are featured, including the Art Institute, the museums, the Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago, the Sears Tower, Daley Center (formerly the Civic Center), Wrigley Field, and much more.
   
   Chicago inventions are discussed, such as the Ferris wheel, the Chicago-style hot dog, the Hostess Twinkies, softball, etc. Besides, many "firsts" took place in Chicago, including the first man-made nuclear chain reaction in 1942.
   
   Although Chicago is now the third largest city in the US, and is dwarfed by many urban complexes throughout the world, it still is ranked among the top "Alpha" 10 cities in the entire world in terms of its overall influence (p. 11).
   
   A bibliography is provided for further reading about this exciting city.

2 comments about 100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina: Coastal Carolina/ Piedmont/ Blue Ridge Parkway/ Pigsah National Forset/ Great Smoky Mountains (100 Classic Hikes).

1. Joe Miller has first-hand experience with hiking and biking. Joe takes you on an adventure you haven't ever experienced before! Take at least one of the trails and see how accurate Joe has described the hike. Excellent book!



2. I really liked this book (and the series of 100 Classic Hikes). I live in Illinois, but do a lot of hiking in Colorado and these books are very helpful in getting you to the location and then describing the hike. I have yet to be disappointed by one of the hikes described in these books.
   
   We visited Asheville, NC in the Summer of 2008 and absolutely loved it. I have posted more information on a few hikes in North Carolina and Colorado on my climbing/hiking website at www.MountainInsider.com
   
   Scott Skinger
   MountainInsider-dot-com

5 comments about Caribbean By Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide To Cruising The Caribbean with Giant color pull map.

1. I was incredibly disappointed in this book. I haven't taken a cruise in over a decade and still didn't learn a thing reading this book. It reads like a travelogue for various islands in the Caribbean but offers no insights on any of the ships or any of the lines. It didn't have much on shore excursions either. I learned more from the various cruise lines home pages than I did from this book.



2. This is an excellent guide book for both the first time cruiser and the seasoned traveller. My travel agent gave this book as a gift to those of us cruising as a group to the Eastern Caribbean this past spring. Athough I have sailed on many cruise ships and feel I know many of the differences between the lines and ships, those in our group who were new to cruising found the glossary section very useful and filled with practical tips to make their cruise more enjoyable and less confusing (ie) tipping policy,dining options, onboard activities.
   
   We liked the pull out map and had this hanging in our staterooms so that we could plot our course each day. The smaller maps of the ports of call were very useful, and often had more detail than the maps from the shore excursion desk onboard. So often on a cruise I feel the tour department is promoting their shops and excursions ... but having this book provided an unbiased synopsis of what there was to see in each port and where to go.
   
   The section on Caribbean history and the history of each island helps in understanding the people and the culture. When one 'drops into a port' for just a few hours or a day, it is not always easy to get the entire flavour of the people. By knowing a bit of the history, my onshore experience was
   certainly enhanced.



3. This book provided very good information about where the ships dock, as well as activities on the islands, modes and costs of transportation, and feedback about beaches, shopping and water activities. The maps and information that showed the distances from the ship to the activities/localities were just what I was looking for to plan my days on the islands. In addition, the book was very helpful in the selection of shore excursions that I could do on my own and through the ship (e.g., it helped to narrow down the best spots for snorkeling and golf, etc.). I would recommend it to anyone traveling via cruise ship to the Caribbean.



4. We just returned from a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise and found this book invaluable. The maps were great! Details on shore excursions and port attractions allowed us to focus on aspects we were interested in and also gave us the confidence to do walkabouts. Great book, highly recommended.



5. This is a physically heavy but informationally lightweight guide for crusing in the Caribbean. It is good but not great. We found it only slightly useful, preferring the Insight Guide Caribbean Cruises for more content and especially the "Cruising the Eastern Caribbean" more suitable to our nature oriented tastes. The latter book covers only EASTERN islands.

5 comments about Weird Georgia (Weird).

1. My wife loves to read about history in States that we have lived in. So this was interesting to her.



2. This is nice to have if you are trying to collect the entire "WEIRD" series but the author severely lacks the enthusiasm and personality many other state writers have shown. I am a big fan of Southern folklore & haunts and I just feel that there was a lot missing with WEIRD GEORGIA, mainly due to the editor of this book.



3. I was born, raised, and still live in Georgia. I have visited some of these places, and I actually live in Rabbittown. I borrowed the book from the local library, and after reading it, wanted a copy for myself. Sure, some of the stories are exaggerated, but this book is still highly entertaining.



4. I think these books are the coolest series of non-fiction out there. I bought Weird Kentucky from a local bookstore here and started reading it. Being originally from Georgia, I knew I had to have the Georgia version of the book. For anyone who's into Paranormal and just weird information for their local area, or anywhere in the country, I recommend these books. I can't wait to collect the entire series, myself.



5. Everyone should have a Weird "whatever state you are from" book. It makes road trips so much fun. Okay some of the stuff is lame but there is a lot of cool stuff listed and you get to check out little corners of your state. Great gift idea!!