5 comments about Backcountry Adventures Arizona (New Hardcover Edition) (Backcountry Adventures).

1. I've taken about a dozen of the trails in this book and not one has been disappointing. The author's credentials speak for themselves. He's logged thousands of miles in Arizona. All the GPS coordinates are accurate and the directions are second to none. I would recommend this book to anyone.



2. I was at the Outdoor Expo and was looking at a much smaller book, for half as much money...It was the only one I saw (and they were very numerous) on the many trails Arizona has to offer.
   Well I passed it by, and told myself on the way out I would probably buy it, well I am glad I waited, I stopped by the booth and noticed one large book at the end of the table...it was the last one, and was 3 times as much. After about 4 pages, I shelled out the cash with a smile on my face! This book has it all. Very, very well detailed, with maps, directions, history, flora , fauna, wildlife, stories on ghost towns and past characters of local legend. What I really liked though was all the COLOR pictures...giving me an idea of what I WILL find when I travel these trails. This book also has much information on what kind (s) of 4WD you will need for what trails, levels of difficulty...things to watch for, what depth of water at the crossings to expect....and well organized to boot. The cover is heavy duty , so it will last bouncing around in the back. This book is great and I love it! If you have a 4WD and are looking for a little adventure and fun from easy to difficult and you are doing it in Arizona..........you need this book. See you on the trail!



3. Although I initially balked at paying the somewhat steep price for this book, after receiving and reading it I realized it's worth every penny. Not only does the book describe in detail almost 160 great back roads in Arizona to explore, the authors included sections on the plants, wildlife, ghost towns, and history of Arizona. It's just packed with interesting information and color photos - well worth the cost. Every state in the U.S. should have a book like this written about it! My next purchase is the authors' Backcountry Adventures: Utah. Great stuff.



4. The contents are great, the book construction is not.
   The entire binding broke after 1 week, very disappointed
   as it was an expensive book.



5. Backcountry Adventures Colorado (Backcountry Adventures)These books are just too cool for words! I love that the authors include so many (hundreds!) of color photos so you can get a good idea of the various trails. You also get to see old historical photos of what the old ghost towns you come across used to look like! OMG, this is like the total package for planning a vacation or an afternoon out on the trail! I would definitely recommend this book. I've been using mine since it became available on Amazon and it is rugged and the binding is fine. I am not sure why that other reviewer said the binding is weak because this hardcover is totally awesome! It beats any of the other off road guides and this one is totally user-friendly. Whether you have an SUV, a 4x4, or a car and want to find some great trails in Arizona's backcountry and learn some cool facts along the way, this is the greatest book to use! Don't leave home without it!!

5 comments about The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee.

1. I came across this book by accident and bought it out of my sheer love for coffee. But the book not only has the great tale of how coffee came from Africa and made it's way all over the earth to the daily drink we know today, it also is a first rate travelogue. The author follows coffee's migration from Africa to Europe. Mr. Allen has quite a knack for finding and reporting his adventures and misadventures with a fun easy to read style.
   
   If you like non-fiction travelogues, then do yourself a favor and buy this book.



2. Stewart Allen's "The Devil's Cup" is one of those books that appear to suffer somewhat from a case of multiple personality syndrome. It's gonzo food journalism with a healthy dose of history and cultural anthropology carefully disguised as a travelogue.
   
   The focus of the book is coffee, and Allen treats his subject with Hunter S. Thompsonesque flair as he traces the history of the divine bean from it's African origins all the way to the Texas Panhandle. I'm still a little skeptical as to how much of the text was real experience as opposed to caffiene-induced delusion, but in the end it really doesn't matter much. It's an entertaining and informative read, and that's what really counts. You certainly can't fault the author on his research and sources. Allen has good footnotes and his stories hold up well under the scrutiny of a good many Google searches.
   
   The author is accompanied on his quest for javalightenment by a revolving door of unusual and interesting characters, all helping to drive the narrative forward with lightning speed as Allen travels from one locale and adventure to another. Allen begins his quest in Ethiopia, where coffee was first cultivated. He moves quickly along the traditional trade routes to trace how the bean migrated through Arab and Muslim lands to Europe, the New World, and beyond.
   
   "The Devil's Cup" is too short to provide a holistic picture of the sacred bean, and I'd recommend pairing it up with one of the more traditionally written histories on the subject such as "Uncommon Grounds". That said, this is a great compliment to other coffee-related books and it should sit on your shelf if you have even a passing interest in learning more about the magic grounds.
   
   Grab a good cup of joe, get this book, and start reading already!



3. I received this book as a gift and was hoping for a more informative book about coffee, its history, and its intricacies. Instead, I found a collection of miscellaneous chapters that were, at best, loosely connected. The anecdotes provoked laughter, but I don't think I would call it hilarious. "The Devil's Cup" is a light read and worthwhile so long as you don't open the book hoping for an academic read.



4. This is a must read for Barista's. A rollicking adventure/travel/history book. Makes your everyday cup of Joe an event. This could be on Coast-to-coast radio.



5. a hybrid between "a history of the world according to coffee" (subtitle) and stewart lee allen's research travelogue, the book follows allen who follows coffee's historical and geographical paths of adoption
   
   the early history of coffee is largely unknown, so the first half of the story primarily narrates allen's travel snags in unsuccessful research; border problems, boat breakdowns, getting ripped off by faux art-smugglers, etc
   
   the 2nd half of the book is content-rich and much more interesting - covering the fascinating rise and role of coffee since the ottoman empire (primarily europe, india and the americas). allen provides a lot of speculation (his and others) with his facts - for a subject as nebulous as coffee's impact on civilization, speculation feels appropriate to me
   
   the format would work better for me if 1) his travel tales worked together to form an interesting narrative of their own and/or 2) they had anything to do with coffee. unfortunately they fail on both these counts, and become filler
   
   overall, allen's caffeinated and irreverent writing style makes the book easy to read and i found it reliably funny. for example on page 126 he writes ->
   
   "the main nonalcoholic source of nutrition, bread is now believed to have been plagued with the hallucinogenic fungus ergot, the base ingredient for lsd. drunk doctors, tipsy politicians, hungover generals: the plague, famine, and war. add a pope on acid, and medieval christianity starts to make a whole lot of sense"
   
   if you're interested in the history of coffee and you're okay with some travelogue-genre fluff, you'll probably enjoy this book. i would give it 3 and half stars if i could

No comments about Thomas Guide 2009 San Diego County, California: Street Guide (San Diego County Including Portions of Imperial County Street Guide and Directory).

2 comments about Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide: A Reporter's Notes on the Best Beer-Drinking City in America.

1. I've enjoyed Don's columns in the Philadelphia Daily News and his website for many years now. A true died-in-the-wool beer geek and Philadelphia born and bred native, I could think of no one better to give outsiders and inside look into "good beer" in the Philly area. This book is a great reference for those who wish to find the best the City of Brotherly Love has to offer in the beer category. One could waste a lot of time searching through all the bars and restaurants in the city to find those few gems. Well, Don has done all the legwork for you. All you have to do is buy the book and make the trip. He even provides maps and mass transit routes along with visitor tips! In addition to serious beerhunting, he has included some humorous anecdotes from his newspaper past and a history of beer in the city. A must have for anyone who plans on visiting the "Best Beer Drinking City in America".



2. Whether you love beer or think you hate it, no trip to Philadelphia should be made without a copy of Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide in hand. Joe Sixpack is Don Russell, winner of the 2006 Brewers Association Beer Journalism Award in Consumer Print, and roving brewsman for over ten years at the Philadelphia Daily News. His caricature, inked throughout the book in a dozen humorous settings by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson, is the perfect representation of this beer-drinking journalist.
   
   "Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide: A Reporter's Notes on the Best Beer-Drinking City in America" is full of Philadelphia tough-guy attitude, while spouting rivers of information about beer in the city, the suburbs, and at the shore. His directions for bar-hops in different sections of the city are priceless, with constant subtle tips about his preferred haunts, what to order, how to get around, and what beer to pair with Philly fare. Russell's light Philly-lingo adds to the flavor of authenticity.
   
   Chapters flow intuitively for anyone who would like to explore the Philadelphia beer scene with a minimum of effort. It is written for a guy who won't read the directions, but wants the knowledge quickly when he decides to give in. As an extra bonus, Russell adds little boxes with bar-tales, info, money-saving hints, and local opinions to each chapter, like seasoning on a well-dressed steak. Yo, good stuff!

No comments about 2009 New Mexico Wall Calendar.

5 comments about Annapurna: A Woman's Place (20th Anniversary Edition).

1. Arlene Blum's book is the best mountain-climbing book I've ever read, by far, and as the daughter of a climber, I've read quite a few. This book excels because of its author. Her sensitivity, perceptiveness, and concern for others is evident throughout. She's also a good writer with a good story.



2. This new release of a 20yo book is a winner. I still have my tattered T-shirt proclaiming women should be 'on top,' that I bought in Berkeley way back then, in support of Blum?s fundraising for her 1978 all-woman assault on Annapurna. By proving to the skeptical small mountain-climbing community of men, as well as to the world at large, that women COULD be leaders of expeditions into the high Himilayas, Blum opened the door to a new vision of women's abilities in sports as well as all other areas of life.



3. I don't know how you can't feel the call of the mountains after reading this book. I wanted to jump on the next plane to India. An excellent documentary style book on women's relationships with each other and men, the image women hold of themselves and how others perceive us, and a moving story illustrating that women can do anything. Excellent.



4. This book describes an important event in mountaineering history - the first women's expedition to Annapurna. It is a gripping story and a must read for anyone interested in mountaineering. This is an especially important book because there are such few books about women's accomplishments in mountaineering - a very neglected topic.



5. A lifetime ago, when I was a young woman just entering the work force, an all-woman climbing party raised $80,000 (a tremendous sum then) to fund their expedition to Annapurna. At that time this dangerous Himalayan peak, tenth highest in the world, had not been climbed by an American or by a woman. After more than 40 grueling days of laying seige to the mountain, two team members and two Sherpas reached its summit. Those are the facts. They aren't what make this book fascinating, though. It's the story author Arlene Blum (the team's often harried and frustrated leader) tells, of how these pioneers in what was then very much the "man's world" of climbing worked together and achieved their goal.
   
   Blum's writing is frank, humorous, and sometimes deeply moving. In this 20th anniversary reissue of a book originally published shortly after the expedition, she adds an intriguing new dimension by updating readers on the climbers' lives since 1978. If this book isn't considered a classic, it should be. So much has changed, and women like these made it happen!

2 comments about Guide to the Magic of Walt Disney World Journal.

1. All catered toward a trip to Disney, with spots for what you did, what you ate, what characters you saw, etc. Expected it to be a little more colorful, though.



2. Our family likes to keep journals whenever we go to Disney, but this is the first journal we've found that lives up to the magic. It's filled with all kinds of things to fill out, including where we went, what we saw, what we had to eat, etc. We really liked the sections that asked what our favorite moments of the day were, we found that when we looked back on the day to think of our favorite moments that we were able to relive the magic all over again! The fact that there is so much to fill out is great, that way you won't forget a thing. Highly recommended!!

1 comments about Frommer's Maui 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. The book was good as it did detail many restaurants and beaches. In addition, it provided a detailed map which is especially useful if you are planning on hiring a car. However, I would not recommend just using this book. There were some eatery's that were recommended in this book that were regarded by the "maui revealed book" as not as good. I would recommend using this book in addition to Maui revealed book. The later book is excellent. There is no fluff and will let you exactly what you need to know about Maui.

3 comments about Universal Orlando 2008: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure (Universal Orlando).

1. This is such a great book if your trip to Orlando is going to feature a trip to the Universal Parks. It is so hard to find a book that has quality input on any park other than Walt Disney World. For the families who are planning to venture beyond that park and into the world of Universal Studios, this guide book is a must. It has exciting descriptions of all of the rides, great input on dining and lodging, and will get you pumped up and ready to go!!



2. For anyone planning a vacation to Universal Studios Orlando, this book is a must! With so many guide books on the Orlando attractions, USO gets only a brief mention. So when I found this book, I was thrilled. It covers everything you need to know when planning - when to go, where to stay, where to eat. It lists each attraction and show in great detail. There is a section on each hotel on the property, which is very detailed and very helpful, as well as a section just on City Walk, the entertainment area of USO. Even if you've been to USO in the past, I think this is a great book to keep you up-to-date on the parks and hotels. Very well written by Kelly Monaghan!



3. We just returned today from our Universal Orlando adventure. We found the book very helpful since we had never visited Universal before. The summaries of each attraction and food/shopping in each park were great. We used it to plan our daily schedule and even to choose our seats on each ride to maximize our enjoyment!

5 comments about Walt Disney World® with Disabilities.

1. I book a lot of Disney World vacations for clients and bought this book as a resource that I figured I would use occasionally. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and scope of issues addressed within the book. The authors did a really good job of listing every attractions and describing elements that might create an issues for guests with various needs.
   
   For example - you expect a book specializing in disabilities to address wheelchair access and loading proceedures. You don't automatically assume that it will mention that a musty smell might be an issue for someone with respiratory issues or that a strobe light might be an issue for an epileptic or a migrain sufferer.
   
   Instead of using the book from time-to-time, I've found myself flipping through it regularly to help clients address a wide spectrum of issues - both mild and serious - and even to warn parents about frightening componants of various attractions. The book also has a lot of information for guests with food allergies.
   
   This book will be a fantastic resource for the individual traveler but it is also a great ready reference for travel agents who really try to go the extra mile to insure a good experience for their clients.



2. This book has lots of good suggestions for visiting Disney World with a disability. I liked that they had good descriptions of the rides so you can judge for yourself if the ride will be appropriate for certain disabilities. We had a great trip and used a lot of the tips in this book.



3. Loved this book. Having Fibromialgia myself and with the back pain both of us suffer this book is just what we needed to plan for our trip.
   We now have both ordered ECV's from one of the offsite rentals as recommended in the book. This is not only saving us money but lots of problems trying to get them from the limited supply at Disney.
   Even changed the resort we planned to stay at and took their suggestions regarding room placement and calling ahead.
   Also helped us determine which rides we can enjoy.
   Highly recommend this book for anyone with physical issues that's planning a trip to Disney World.



4. I discovered this great book last Spring, and I love it so much I'm ordering the revised edition! Mr. Ashley does a wonderful job in explaining what to expect. On our last visit to Disney World, my sister, who has Down's Syndrome and isn't able to walk long distances, came along. This was our first experience dealing with a wheelchair at Disney. While it is very true that Disney World is probably the best place to vacation if you or a family member has disabilities, the amount of knowledge needed to easily navigate all the parks, shops, restaurants, and attractions is immense. Other guide books were helpful, but oh how I wish I had had this one then! It literally takes you through each attraction and park and tells you how to manage, not only with a wheelchair, but with other health issues also. We go back in January, and I'm looking forward to a much more relaxed and fun trip this time! Thank you Stephen and Sarah for sharing your experiences!



5. I want to thank Stephen Ashley for writing a book through the eyes of the disabled so that we can finally enjoy going to walt disney world with our families. The time taken by the author, obviously alot of time, actual experiences and accurate accounts of the different aspects of the park make this book a must have for anyone with a disability or going with a family member, friend or someone with a disability. This wonderful book will make walt disney world a wonderful trip which could not have happened otherwise.