Koncocoo

Best East South Central US Travel Books

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
A CLASSIC FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ONE SUMMER Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. Dave Barry...[Readers] may find themselves turning the pages with increasing amusement and anticipation as they discover that they're in the hands of a satirist of the first rank who writes (and walks) with Chaucerian brio.” —The New York Times Book Review.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
"Bill's storytelling captured me immediately...I was taking every step he took, I enjoyed every vista he looked out on, I was eavesdropping on his conversations with his fellow hikers and feeling the spectrum of emotions held for his friend and hiking companion."
"An adventure that walks you experientially and historically through the nation's longest series of trails from Georgia to Maine while feeling every fear from blisters, hunger, thirst, wildlife, climate changes, man's limitations and nature's nuances, all the while trekking with a forty pound pack on your back, and any one of these could do you in, well it's a wonder why the wild is so compelling."
"After reading Bryson's African Diary, I had to continue on with this offering on the Australian state of affairs."
"With the film in theaters, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. I loved this book, and place it among Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" in terms of well-written essays that explore our yearning to return to a simpler, untethered way of life."
"Unfortunately some of his stories about what happened to people along the trail, made me not that interested in walking any trail."
"I think Bill Bryson is an incredibly good writer whose humor extends to poking as much fun at himself as he does at others."
Find Best Price at Amazon
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Following his return to America after twenty years in Britain, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT, as it's affectionately known to thousands of hikers, offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to test his own powers of ineptitude, and to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
"Bill's storytelling captured me immediately...I was taking every step he took, I enjoyed every vista he looked out on, I was eavesdropping on his conversations with his fellow hikers and feeling the spectrum of emotions held for his friend and hiking companion."
"An adventure that walks you experientially and historically through the nation's longest series of trails from Georgia to Maine while feeling every fear from blisters, hunger, thirst, wildlife, climate changes, man's limitations and nature's nuances, all the while trekking with a forty pound pack on your back, and any one of these could do you in, well it's a wonder why the wild is so compelling."
"After reading Bryson's African Diary, I had to continue on with this offering on the Australian state of affairs."
"With the film in theaters, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. I loved this book, and place it among Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" in terms of well-written essays that explore our yearning to return to a simpler, untethered way of life."
"Unfortunately some of his stories about what happened to people along the trail, made me not that interested in walking any trail."
"I think Bill Bryson is an incredibly good writer whose humor extends to poking as much fun at himself as he does at others."
Find Best Price at Amazon
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. “Bill Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud.” – Chicago Sun-Times.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
"Bill's storytelling captured me immediately...I was taking every step he took, I enjoyed every vista he looked out on, I was eavesdropping on his conversations with his fellow hikers and feeling the spectrum of emotions held for his friend and hiking companion."
"An adventure that walks you experientially and historically through the nation's longest series of trails from Georgia to Maine while feeling every fear from blisters, hunger, thirst, wildlife, climate changes, man's limitations and nature's nuances, all the while trekking with a forty pound pack on your back, and any one of these could do you in, well it's a wonder why the wild is so compelling."
"After reading Bryson's African Diary, I had to continue on with this offering on the Australian state of affairs."
"With the film in theaters, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. I loved this book, and place it among Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" in terms of well-written essays that explore our yearning to return to a simpler, untethered way of life."
"Unfortunately some of his stories about what happened to people along the trail, made me not that interested in walking any trail."
"I think Bill Bryson is an incredibly good writer whose humor extends to poking as much fun at himself as he does at others."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best General Northeast US Travel Guides

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
A CLASSIC FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ONE SUMMER Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. Dave Barry...[Readers] may find themselves turning the pages with increasing amusement and anticipation as they discover that they're in the hands of a satirist of the first rank who writes (and walks) with Chaucerian brio.” —The New York Times Book Review.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"I enjoyed the authors point of view and sense of humor, sometimes actually laughing out loud for several minutes."
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
"Bill's storytelling captured me immediately...I was taking every step he took, I enjoyed every vista he looked out on, I was eavesdropping on his conversations with his fellow hikers and feeling the spectrum of emotions held for his friend and hiking companion."
"An adventure that walks you experientially and historically through the nation's longest series of trails from Georgia to Maine while feeling every fear from blisters, hunger, thirst, wildlife, climate changes, man's limitations and nature's nuances, all the while trekking with a forty pound pack on your back, and any one of these could do you in, well it's a wonder why the wild is so compelling."
"After reading Bryson's African Diary, I had to continue on with this offering on the Australian state of affairs."
"With the film in theaters, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. I loved this book, and place it among Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" in terms of well-written essays that explore our yearning to return to a simpler, untethered way of life."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Ecotourism Travel Guides

National Parks of America: Experience America's 59 National Parks (Lonely Planet)
Acadia American Samoa Arches Badlands Big Bend Biscayne Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Carlsbad Caverns Channel Islands Congaree Crater Lake Cuyahoga Valley Death Valley Denali Dry Tortugas Everglades Gates of the Arctic Glacier Glacier Bay Grand Canyon Grand Teton Great Basin Great Sand Dunes Great Smoky Mountains Guadalupe Mountains Haleakal? Hawaii Volcanoes Hot Springs Isle Royale Joshua Tree Katmai Kenai Fjords Kings Canyon Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Lassen Volcanic Mammoth Cave Mesa Verde Mt Rainier North Cascades Olympic Petrified Forest Pinnacles Redwood Rocky Mountain Saguaro Sequoia Shenandoah Theodore Roosevelt Virgin Islands Voyageurs Wind Cave Wrangell-St Elias Yellowstone Yosemite Zion.
Reviews
"Very beautifully made, super informative book."
"Wonderful book."
"Best book that I have purchased !"
"Wanted to look at the national parks that my page-a-day calendar shows a picture of."
"I like the photos and the brief descriptions!"
"Beautiful book and very informative."
"This is a nice balance between beautiful photography and function."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Kentucky Travel Guides

Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge: Your Definitive Guide to the Jewel of the Southeast
Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge is the definitive guide to trails in the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, Natural Bridge State Park, and Clifty Wilderness. Currently, he is an MFA candidate in the Warren Wilson College Program for Writers, and has been awarded writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Montana Artists Refuge, Fishtrap, and the Oregon State University Spring Creek Project.
Reviews
"I highly recommend this book to anyone planning on doing some hiking/camping in the Gorge or surrounding areas such as Natural Bridge."
"This book offers details at every turn, which especially comes in handy during creek crossings when you're deep into the trail system."
"There are several books about hiking in the area, but this one is very clear and has good maps."
"Very clear descriptions of how to get to the trails, what the trails are like and a rating system based on five factors."
"If the maps had been printed on topos, I'd had given 5 stars."
"The coordinates for the trail head were right in this book and we were able to hike in and climb for the day."
"The directions to the trails are exactly accurate and the trail descriptions are wonderful!"
"The absolute best reference guide to the beautiful Red River Gorge, the hidden gem of Kentucky."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Southern US Travel Guides

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 (The Unofficial Guides)
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. And because they've found that "spontaneity and self-discovery work about as well at Walt Disney World as they do on your tax return," The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is packed full of essential advice for anyone braving the frontiers of the mother of all theme parks.
Reviews
"I got him to agree to following the plan until we took our break each day, and be a little more lax in the afternoons - he became a believer after a couple days. Unless you go to WDW regularly, and don't mind seeing just a a few things each day, you really need to plan your days."
"If you’re lookin for info about making a trip to Disney World, this book is absolutely amazing!"
"Recommend, if you are going to Disney."
"You don't want a rained on Kindle (God forbid ) It seemed as thought there was a lot of "filler" in this book, I understand this is a subjective book , but just my opinion."
"If you get it, go ahead and spend the $10 for their online access (touringplans.com) - it's an essential piece to customize travel plans in the parks for what you want to see and when."
"However, many rides in WDW have been closed (Maelstrom, Backlot Tour, Pirates of the Caribbean, the sorcerers hat in DHS, etc) that are so significant they need to urgently put out a revised edition."
"So informative, it's insightful, and it's the go-to book for how to successfully navigate Disneyworld."
"Just got back from my first trip to Disney, information made the trip much better."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best New England US Travel Books

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. MICHAEL FINKEL is the author of True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa , which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture.
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best South Atlantic United States Travel Books

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 (The Unofficial Guides)
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. And because they've found that "spontaneity and self-discovery work about as well at Walt Disney World as they do on your tax return," The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is packed full of essential advice for anyone braving the frontiers of the mother of all theme parks.
Reviews
"If you’re lookin for info about making a trip to Disney World, this book is absolutely amazing!"
"You don't want a rained on Kindle (God forbid ) It seemed as thought there was a lot of "filler" in this book, I understand this is a subjective book , but just my opinion."
"If you get it, go ahead and spend the $10 for their online access (touringplans.com) - it's an essential piece to customize travel plans in the parks for what you want to see and when."
"However, many rides in WDW have been closed (Maelstrom, Backlot Tour, Pirates of the Caribbean, the sorcerers hat in DHS, etc) that are so significant they need to urgently put out a revised edition."
"This book was very valuable in planning our Disney World trip in March."
"So informative, it's insightful, and it's the go-to book for how to successfully navigate Disneyworld."
"I have used this book every time to help plan my trip. I have learned that if you do not plan a WDW trip as a "type A" personality, you will lose out not only on time, but money, and in the case of Walt Disney World....time equals your money spent."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Louisville Kentucky Travel Books

Secret Louisville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
Secret Louisville: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is a book that answers questions you didn't even realize you had about the city that stands proudly along the Ohio River. You get the picture: Think of this book as a scavenger hunt of sorts for Kentucky's largest city, covering the strange, the surprising, and sometimes the silly locales, history, and facts.
Reviews
"I brought this book for my Mom's birthday."
"Interesting read."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Lexington Kentucky Travel Books

Rurally Screwed: A Memoir of Losing Myself for Love
She wasn’t quite sure moving to Montana and marrying a cowboy was a better option—but, head over heels in love, she did it anyway. Knadler articulates her journey in a manner so self-deprecating and hilarious that it doesn't take long to realize she isn't ridiculing rural Virginia, she’s analyzing her own place in it...She is braver than most writers would be about exposing the vulnerable underbelly of her new marriage, and about how close she came to throwing in the clogs. "Jessie Knadler's story about leaving the glossy office buildings and late nights of Manhattan to take a chance on love and create a new life in rural Lexington, Virginia, sounds like something out of a movie. “Jessie Knadler’s memoir, Rurally Screwed …is more than a fast-paced ride through the rodeo scene of relationships from Manhattan to Montana, but an examination of American life, the things we take for granted and the things we ought to cherish. “At once brutally honest and over-the-top hilarious, Rurally Screwed is the most engaging and relatable book about marriage I've ever read. Jessie, as a character in the book and in real life, is a strong, witty, courageous and hilarious woman.”— Breathe. Rurally Screwed entertains by continuing well past the ‘I do’ and, best of all, this is a real-life romance, a memoir with a hilarious narrator… Rurally Screwed is also a hero's journey as Jessie navigates her relationship with various identities—a child from Montana, a woman from New York, a wife in rural Virginia. Her searing wit and unflinching honesty is a pleasure to read…Fans of Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman will love Rurally Screwed, as will anyone who has fallen madly in love with his or her opposite.”— Book Club Classics.
Reviews
"After 12 years climbing the ladder to her dream profession as a fashionista magazine editor she and starts a freelance job interviewing cowboys in - you guessed it - Montana. So she leaves her aging friends and her pedophile New York architect boyfriend (I can't make this sort of stuff up) to appear at the rodeo in her sparkly sequined sneakers where she woos and wins the cowboy of her dreams. This book does have solid writing which moves the story along; although it isn't a page turner it keeps the reader interested."
"To tell the truth I only ordered the book because I heard about it from this email group that saves Anatolian Shepherd dogs or GSD- giant shepherd dogs that can be a mixture of Anatolians/Akbash/Great Peranese;anyway all kinds of big shepherd dogs. Of course, I haven't done that, I already have a purebred Anatolian Shepherd, Solomon, that I bought off a goat ranch in Arkansas, he is my first dog ever that I have lived with that was not adopted from a shelter. This book spoke to me in many ways. I was raised on a little place growing up and sometimes Dad would kill a chicken or two and it was tough business - I was appalled and impressed by the way you explained the process - hey I eat meat and love good fresh chicken. Thanks for listening, I think Rurally Screwed is fine book and will tell my friends and circulate the book through our group."
"(I didn't like Eat, Pray, Love for the same reasons I'm not crazy about this book.)."
"I wanted to love this,,smart writer falls in love with an adorable cowboy, moves to country but I just couldn't find ONE likable quality in Jessie other than her good taste in men."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Northeast US Travel Guides

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes — and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. When this American transplant to Britain decided to return home, he made a farewell walking tour of the British countryside and produced Notes from a Small Island . Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 miles to trail's end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. As Bryson and Katz haul their out-of-shape, middle-aged butts over hill and dale, the reader is treated to both a very funny personal memoir and a delightful chronicle of the trail, the people who created it, and the places it passes through. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he nevertheless plunges into the wilderness and emerges with a consistently comical account of a neophyte woodsman learning hard lessons about self-reliance.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"In total Bryson hiking around 800 miles of the 2,500 mile trail."
"You young guys can deal with that...[...], I should have done this trail 30 years ago!! What's funny is just a couple weeks back we did a small day hike in north Georgia on the High Shoals trail, down to a beautiful water fall, just a 1.2 mile hike. On the hike back up to the car I was huffing and puffing, my hip was hurting, I was sweating heavily in GOOD weather... and I think I want to do this with a 40 pound pack on my back??!! We spoke with the first two guys, one who wanted to celebrate his 65 birthday on the trail, the other guy, much younger, hiking the trail for several days on his own. I topped off their water bottles and thanked them, thinking I should do this hike!"
"Was told it was "Hilarious.""
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Mississippi Travel Guides

Paddling the Pascagoula
Along its banks and watershed 600,000 acres of public lands--wildlife management areas, national forest, wilderness areas, national wildlife refuges, Nature Conservancy preserves--ensure the creation of a tremendous natural river system. They ran rapids and explored swamps, dodged logjams and investigated possible pollution sources. The book gives the armchair explorer a vivid feeling of what it would be like to float this wonderful river and provides a wealth of information about what makes it special and the problems that threaten it. By kayak and canoe, this narrative of adventure along America’s last unaltered river system. * Provides a unique and appreciative travel narrative about the Pascagoula river system, one of the rare wild places left in North America.
Reviews
"I've floated and fished on several stretches of the Pascagoula, Chickasawhay and Leaf rivers and consider it my home river."
"This book gives local perspective and knowledge of navigating the waters of the Pascagoula River for Kayakers and those who would take their canoes to this water."
"The book was like new condition."
"This book literally took me on a trip down these wonderful waterways."
"Scott Williams and Ernest Herndon nailed it with this book."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Nature Writing & Essays

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from a Secret World
In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. Peter Wohlleben spent over twenty years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice.
Reviews
"At this job, he was expected to produce as many high quality saw logs as possible, with maximum efficiency, by any means necessary. Luckily, he made friends in the community of Hümmel, and was given permission to manage their forest in a less destructive manner. In one portion of the forest, old trees are leased as living gravestones, where families can bury the ashes of kin. The book is built on a foundation of reputable science, but it reads like grandpa chatting at fireside. He’s a gentle old storyteller explaining the wondrous magic of beautiful forests to befuddled space aliens from a crazy planet named Consume. Their root systems intermingle, allowing them to send nutrients to their hungry children, and to ailing neighbors. When a Douglas fir is struck by lightning, several of its close neighbors might also die, because of their underground connections. Analyzing the rings of their trunks, they learned that the pines that survived a climate that warmed 42°F, and then cooled about the same amount — in a period of just 30 years! Dinosaurs still exist in the form of birds, winged creatures that can quickly escape from hostile conditions. (Far more questionable is the future of corn, wheat, and rice, whose genetic diversity has been sharply reduced by the seed sellers of industrial agriculture.). They unfold in the spring, capture sunlight, and for several months manufacture sugar, cellulose, and other carbohydrates. When the tree can store no more sugar, or when the first hard frost arrives, the solar panels are no longer needed. Now, with bare branches, the tree is far less vulnerable to damage from strong winds, heavy wet snows, and ice storms. In addition to rotting leaves, a wild forest also transforms fallen branches and trunks into carbon rich humus. By the end, readers are likely to imagine that undisturbed forests are vastly more intelligent than severely disturbed communities of radicalized consumers. More and more, scientists are muttering and snarling, as the imaginary gulf between the plant and animal worlds fades away. Wohlleben is not a vegetarian, because experience has taught him that plants are no less alive, intelligent, and sacred than animals."
"Review The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben. The Hidden Life of Trees” is an amazing book presenting trees as sentient, purposeful beings living in dynamic relationship with each other. This single fact has hidden the true life of the trees from us. “The Hidden Life of Trees” is carefully and well presented with humor, with gentleness, with compassion, with joy, even with love."
"He outlines how trees work in terms of light and water, their intricate relationship and co-dependence with the mushroom family. How they communicate, how they deal with pests and warn nearby trees of danger, how they even feed and support each other. These are very human characteristics and we share them with most animals as they are necessary to stop us killing ourselves as we learn to move about our environment and also to make choices. But it is hard to see how they would be of any advantage to a sessile tree with limited options, and so there is no obvious reason to think they would have evolved in plants."
"Wohlleben is a charming guide to magical, but very real, world."
"Live on a tree-filled island in the summer and have always "felt" the companionship of the trees but thought I was crazy."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Nature Writing

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes — and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. When this American transplant to Britain decided to return home, he made a farewell walking tour of the British countryside and produced Notes from a Small Island . Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 miles to trail's end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. As Bryson and Katz haul their out-of-shape, middle-aged butts over hill and dale, the reader is treated to both a very funny personal memoir and a delightful chronicle of the trail, the people who created it, and the places it passes through. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he nevertheless plunges into the wilderness and emerges with a consistently comical account of a neophyte woodsman learning hard lessons about self-reliance.
Reviews
"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"In total Bryson hiking around 800 miles of the 2,500 mile trail."
"You young guys can deal with that...[...], I should have done this trail 30 years ago!! What's funny is just a couple weeks back we did a small day hike in north Georgia on the High Shoals trail, down to a beautiful water fall, just a 1.2 mile hike. On the hike back up to the car I was huffing and puffing, my hip was hurting, I was sweating heavily in GOOD weather... and I think I want to do this with a 40 pound pack on my back??!! We spoke with the first two guys, one who wanted to celebrate his 65 birthday on the trail, the other guy, much younger, hiking the trail for several days on his own. I topped off their water bottles and thanked them, thinking I should do this hike!"
"Was told it was "Hilarious.""
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
Find Best Price at Amazon
Home > Best Books > Best Travel > Best US Travel Guides > Best Southern US Travel Guides > Best East South Central US Travel Books