1 comments about Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware Breweries.

1. Do not leave home without this book! A must have guide when your cruising the Mid-Atlantic area for the best brewpubs and beer bars.

1 comments about New Orleans: The Making of an Urban Landscape.

1. New Orleans is an "inevitable city on an impossible
   site" is what Pierce Lewis said in his book Making Of An Urban Landscape.
   
   I would add to that "an inevitable party on an impossible site by illicite and illogical people.'
   
   Most of what is there now was not there prior to WWII. The early settlers (1699) understood the land and built appropriately.
   
   If anyone is to blame it is the French! But it is a most wonderful book about the growth and development of a wonderful city.

2 comments about Rediscovering America: Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland.

1. Return to a time when life was simpler. Discover classic river towns, mountain retreats and coastal fishing villages, small towns where you can still shop on Main Street, where the hardware store and the bookstore are not part of a national chain, old buildings are restored and historic places are preserved. The Burnhams, also co-authors of The Virginia Handbook, have discovered and explored scores of these delightful towns. Destinations include Onancock, on Virginia's Eastern Shore; Irvington, a hip town built around The Tides resort; Strasburg and Front Royal, towns rich in Shenandoah Valley history; as well as coastal towns such as St. Michael's, Crisfield and St. Mary's. The places featured in this book have charming inns and B&Bs, in addition to good, locally owned restaurants. There are enough attractions to satisfy any traveler, but there is also space and time to tarry, to sit in a park or on a shaded bench and watch life pass by.



2. Return to a time when life was simpler. Discover classic river towns, mountain retreats and coastal fishing villages, small towns where you can still shop on Main Street, where the hardware store and the bookstore are not part of a national chain, old buildings are restored and historic places are preserved. The Burnhams, also co-authors of The Virginia Handbook, have discovered and explored scores of these delightful towns. Destinations include Onancock, on Virginia's Eastern Shore; Irvington, a hip town built around The Tides resort; Strasburg and Front Royal, towns rich in Shenandoah Valley history; as well as coastal towns such as St. Michael's, Crisfield and St. Mary's. The places featured in this book have charming inns and B&Bs, in addition to good, locally owned restaurants. There are enough attractions to satisfy any traveler, but there is also space and time to tarry, to sit in a park or on a shaded bench and watch life pass by.

No comments about Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith.

2 comments about Mount Rogers Outdoor Recreation Handbook: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Campers, Equestrians and Other Outdoor Enthusiasts.

1. Things get awful hot during an Arkansas summer. I decided to head for the Southern Appalachins, where the summers are cool. Mount Rogers National Recreation Area has the scenery without all the crowds of the Smokies. Molloy's book details literally everything you can do there, from biking rail trails, to camping, to overnighting at B & B's, to hiking at Virginia's highest point.

   After arriving there, I started in the West End at Beartree Campground. Reading Molloy's book at camp, kept leading me to other destinations at Mount Rogers. Before I knew it, two weeks were up and I had barely scratched the surface of this outdoor getaway. Molloy must've had a blast writing this book. I sure had fun using it. This book is a must buy guide to what is going on at Mt. Rogers. Take a read and see for yourself.




2. I wish that other authors of hiking guidebooks would read this one and copy its author's style. Each hike is described in detail with every bit of information you'd ever need, including how to get to the trailhead, where to park, etc. The trail maps are clearly marked and well detailed, taking the guesswork out of navigation. The trail descriptions are detailed and accurate, with useful and interesting information throughout. I can't wait to get back and tackle more of the trails he describes.

1 comments about Fishing the New River Valley: An Angler's Guide.

1. Mike Smith provides informative tips for fishing the New River, its tributaries, and Claytor Lake in this delightfully concise book that should fit into a tackle box, glove box, or back pocket when folded up. He tackles times of year, water conditions, bait selection, lure presentation, and methodology (whether wading or paddling a canoe) to help readers make a more informed decision about where and how to fish in order to change the act of fishing into the action of catching. Moreover, Smith goes into species specific strategies as well as more general tactics called "Big Fish Tips" such as my two favorites from the book, which are found on pages 32 and 57: "Practice stealth" and "One word--topwater." You can tell that Smith knows his fish and his prose flows effortlessly and steadily like the river he details. From time to time, he punctuates his tactics with anecdotes that range from nostalgic musings about trips with his grandfather to more recent waxings on conservation and the plight of trout and smallmouth as civilization encroaches on their habitat. I read this book on a flight from Atlanta to Lexington, KY and was impressed with the scope of Smith's knowledge in such a brief work. It really made me homesick for Virginia and a float down the New where I have seen and caught some of the big fish for which Smith gives his expert tips. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fishing and more particularly to anyone who will be fishing in southwestern Virginia.

2 comments about Off 13: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Guidebook.

1. Kirk Mariner's book "Off 13 - The Eastern Shore of Virginia Guidebook" offers a highly informative and entertaining guide to an overlooked but tranquil peninsula bounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, not far from the Nation's Capital. Many people know of Chincoteague but may not be aware that the rest of the Virginia eastern shore is well worth exploring. "Off 13" is full of interesting anecdotes and historical information about the area and its many little towns as well as useful and practical information for travellers.



2. During several summer vactions on Virginia's eastern shore, I've enjoyed researching and piecing together information about this special peninsula. I purchased "Off 13" in a local museum during this summer's vacation and spent a day devouring it. I now consider this my key quick reference book to one of my favorite places. Off 13 provides succinct and accurate guidance for exploring off the shore's beaten path. It also provides fascinating appetizer bits of history for an 'oldcomer'. Simply a wonderful book. It can be purchased at the Cape Charles Museum off 184 in Cape Charles, VA.
   
   But I ask a favor... please don't tell too many people about this wonderous world off the 'mainland.'

5 comments about Lonely Planet Turkey.

1. Come ivsit Turkey and use Lonely Planet to help you with your tour! I have lived in Turkey for a year. The Lonely Planet goes everywhere with us...it is worn and bent and highlighted and marked up and excellent. We have been completely happy with all the suggestions from LP. Here is the thing. Turkey is a fabulous country, however, there are a few things LP cannot control.
   
   1. The prices are inaccurate but that is not LPs fault. The Lira is very unstable and has had an outragous inflation rate. Also, you have to be good at bargaining to get a good rate and most of us Westerners are uncomforatble with this.
   
   2. Directions/ getting around....the majority of Turks rely on public transportation. There are VERY FEW road signs if you are driving. LPs maps are great, but unfortunately hard to follow without signs. I know people are sometimes frustrated with the bus routes...they can be inconvienent and drop off in the middle of the night, and hard to find your way around if you don't speak Turkish....again not LPs fault. Just keep asking for someone who speaks English to help you and the hospitable people of Turkey will find someone.
   
   I find LPs history background one of the best things about it. It is just enough to get you interested in seeing a place and you can supplement it by GOING to the museums. We have been 100% satisfied, but you must have realiztic expectations.



2. The proper name of the country is TURKIYE, not turkey. Why do the english speaking countries change the names of all existing countries but yet force those countries to use their own created names? for instance USA. This should not be so. If an existing country has their own name, it shouldnt be changed, therefore it's TURKIYE...........please make a note in the future



3. Im not the kind of guy that usually buys travel guides, but I was impressed with this lonely planet. It has excellent coverage and ideas for alternative trips, and this is the new version which was printer in Apr 07 (so its very upto date) worth purchasing!!



4. Reading the accommodation sections throughout the book and comparing them to the REALITY, I am getting the following impression about "how it works": a person from the Lonely Planet contacts the property and says: "Hi, I am from Lonely Planet travel guide! Would you please tell me how much your rooms are?". The property owners (especuially in Turkey!....) immediately sense a great opportunity for them (their propery is going to be listed in the worldwide travel guide! wow!) and respond to the Lonely Planet with some totally irrelevant, dirt cheap and UNTRUE rates. What happens next? The Lonely Planet prints out that garbage, in many thousand copies. How come EVERY property I contacted quoted me the prices being MULTIPLE TIMES higher, than what the newest, crisp copy of this book says?! I had especially unpleasant experience with the "prominent" Shoestring Pansion in Goreme. When I requested an explanation why the prices they quoted were multiple times higher than the ones listed in the book, our nice and friendly correspondence has abruptly ended. I have never received another word from them. So.... expect to pay for your accommodations in Turkey much more than the Lonely Planet listings and for the Lonely Planet I would wish to investigate the hotel prices in a little more professional way, before they actually give them away to the world.
   Very disappointing!



5. We just used this guide -- thankfully supplemented by others -- to travel around western Turkey, including Izmir, Selcuk and Istanbul. We found it uniformly atrocious. Lonely Planet, I think, enjoys telling you *every* available restaurant, hotel, and cultural attraction, and aggressively refuses to filter. Consequently, we ended up staying at an abysmal hotel in Izmir and eating at any number of subpar restaurants. When we switched to the Time Out guide for Istanbul, we had nothing but success. I recommend Time Out Istanbul in the highest possible terms, and DISrecommend Lonely Planet Turkey with the same intensity.

2 comments about The Shenandoah Valley & Mountains of the Virginias, An Explorer's Guide: Includes Virginia's Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains & West Virginia's Alleghenies & New River Region.

1. We just returned from a driving trip through the Shenandoah Valley. Picked up this guidebook in New York City before we left. It was perfect. All the recommendations for things to see and restaurants were just as described. Driving directions were also good. Based on the author's recommendation, we decided to stay at the Long Hill Bed and Breakfast in Winchester, VA and it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. A very worthwhile travel guide.



2. Once again the author has put together a fantastic tour book that contains all of the highlights of the area in one easy to follow guide. I own several of this series and have not been disapointed in any of them. Very well written, accurate and complete. I have been studying the Shenandoah Valley history for about 18 months. This books is a detailed summary of all that I have been able to find in that time. I wish it would have been available when I started my research, it would have saved me much time!

2 comments about Timeswept Brides.

1. I enjoyed the stories. Each one held enough adventure, romance, and fun for a quick escape from reality.



2. From the back cover:
   
   THE HEIRLOOM by Mary Balogh: A bewitching sapphire engagement ring leads a skittish groom to Regency Wales--where he learns there is no love like the present...
   
   A DREAM ACROSS TIME by Constance O'Banyon: When a lovely librarian chases her dream to a New Orleans plantation, she finds a faded bridal veil she swears she has worn before...
   
   MAN OF HER DREAMS by Virginia Brown: An antique wedding gown lures a Mississippi belle to the Civil War--and into the arms of a rebel love...
   
   BRIDE'S JOY by Elda Minger: Love letters in an English manor send a reluctant bride into a centure past, where she must break a curse--and return to the church on time...
   
   And my review:
   
   Mary Balogh's THE HEIRLOOM was the only story in this book worth reading. She managed to create a lovely dual romance with a touch of the paranormal in just under 70 pages, and managed to make it touching and believeable. Now that's talent! Four stars.
   
   Constance O'Banyon's A DREAM ACROSS TIME just wasn't engrossing. But then I wasn't surprised. I know this author has a big following, but her writing does nothing to capture me. And the heroine came across as weird. I just couldn't connect with her at all. One star.
   
   Virginia Brown's MAN OF HER DREAMS suffered from a rushed romance and a large dose of unreality. People in this story kept doing thing that just made no sense. For instance, the heroine's ancestor, upon finding an unannounced houseguest in the middle of the night (the heroine), just accepts the heroine's assurance that they're related and gives her a room to stay in. Uh...okay. If a person who I'd never even heard of before, let alone met, was walking around me house in a robe, and then claimed to be one of my distant relatives, I'd be tossing them out the door and calling the police, not putting them up in my guest room! And the hero in this story came across as arrogant and full of himself. I guess he was supposed to be cocky and self-assured, but he just annoyed the heck out of me. Also, there was more political struggle in this story than romance. One star.
   
   Elda Minger's BRIDE'S JOY was a story that focused more on the heroine breaking a curse than it did on romance. I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two leads, and that's vital for a good romance read. One star.
   
   As with most romance anthologies, the limited space means that the authors don't get enough room to work, resulting in a bunch of weak stories. If you find one good story, then you're lucky. In this case, one of the authors is Mary Balogh, and she has enough talent to pull off a novella.
   
   But even that story is one that you'll only bother to read once. Borrow this book from the library if you're still determined to read it, but apart for Mary Balogh's contribution, you might want to skip TIMESWEPT BRIDES altoghter.