Best Michigan Travel Guides
Michael Schumacher relays in vivid detail the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its many productive years on the waters of the Great Lakes, its tragic demise, the search effort and investigation, as well as the speculation and the controversy that followed in the wake of the disaster. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Great Lakes ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald , an event given lasting fame by singer Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, " Schumacher recreates both the ship's final trip and the controversies that later eddied about the wreck's cause and the ultimate disposition of ship relics. Even as he dissects the rancorous disputes that arose among family members of the dead, historians and others seeking to either memorialize or exploit the shipwreck, Schumacher never fails to bring a sympathetic and knowledgeable view of the story, as well as great respect to the memory of the 29 crew members who died. Schumacher chronicles the Edmund Fitzgerald from its 1958 launching as the largest freighter on the Great Lakes to its 1975 sinking, memorialized by the song.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Michael Schumacher's "The Might Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a very good but superficial narrative of the tragic loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975 and the subsequent investigations, theories, and activities surrounding its loss."
"Mighty Fitz is the only book I've read on the topic and the detail Schumacher goes into almost makes you feel as if you're onboard during the tragic final run."
"If you red this book, be sure to listen to Gordon Lightfoots spine-chilling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"... "When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck. Sayin' "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya". At seven PM a main hatchway caved in. He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya". The captain wired in he had water comin' in. And the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night when his lights went out of sight. Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"."
"I would recommend this work to anyone who has an interest in the almost three hundred year history of modern (e.g. European/American vessel) shipwreaks of the Great Lakes."
"A great read and good history."
"Very interesting!"
"This book was very informative, being a teen ager at the time of the Gordon Lightfoot song about the sinking of the Fitzgerald this has always haunted me and made me want to find out all I can about this ship wreck that seemed to be such a mystery."
"I'd been a member of The Titanic Historical Society for over a decade, and to me, this book is to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald what the book "Titanic: The Triumph and Tragedy" was to the story of the Titanic."
This interactive field guide features 112 species of Michigan birds organized by color. For over two decades, Stan has authored more than 100 field guides, nature appreciation books and wildlife audio CDs for nearly every state in the nation, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"all book with minimal information other than statistics; I would expect a book like this to cost less since it didn't come with the CD that it is referencing throughout the pages where it says where on the cd you could find the "call" of the bird. (Seems like this would come with the cd, since having the book come without the cd and referencing the cd in the book doesn't make sense to me) I like that it's color coded but I don't find it to be entirely accurate."
"I added velcro to the back of the book and have it hanging in our front bay window so the kids can take it down and look for the birds that are in the feeder."
"This is a great reference book if you like to watch birds on your feeders."
"Very easy to read and especially good as it has color coded tabs for the different bird species!"
"I live in Virginia and absolutely love my "Birds of Virginia" book."
"I live in Michigan and just a few days before I got this book I learned what a Robin was if that tells you anything."
"I purchased as gift for a family member who loves to watch the birds outside her house."
"It is full of great details about each bird and I really enjoy looking up birds that I see around my area."
If you're looking for great Michigan places to explore, vacation, eat, live, start a business or just relax, this book is for you. Under the Radar Michigan is an Emmy award winning PBS television series that features the cool people, places and things that make Michigan an awesome place to live, work and play. If you're looking for great Michigan places to explore, vacation, eat, live, start a business or just relax, this book is for you. Chapter by chapter, we take you along on our first fifty episodes and discover great Michigan cities, interesting people, incredible restaurants, romantic spaces and great places to vacation with the whole family. You'll speed through Michigan's Everglades; go to santa school; eat awesome food; hike giant dunes; meet inspired people; explore great wilderness; fly through the air on skis; sail the Great Lakes; tour great museums and even swim at a secret beach. (Tom Daldin) Host and co-creator of Under The Radar Michigan, Tom Daldin is an Emmy award-winning producer, actor and writer who has created programs that have aired across Michigan and around the U.S. on PBS.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We love the PBS program and now have the book to plan day trips & future weekend outings."
"can't wait to go to some of the great sounding places."
"Josh, it is a fine book to plan a trip throughout Michigan ."
"It is difficult to locate a particular city because the shows jumped around from one area to the next."
"My husband and I always watched this goofball on PBS."
Best General Michigan Travel Guides
The information provided for each County includes: indexing for county roads, hydrology, and place names.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We bought it as a backup to the GPS for locating waterfalls in the U.P."
"Very detailed atlas."
"The brilliance of combining old cartography with current digital advances has certainly produced a new gold standard for evaluating all atlases from this point forward."
"This is a very good map and it tells how & when each county was started."
"Easy to read maps with a lot of detail."
"This is an amazing book of maps and a whole lot more."
"Half the page dedicated to each County is text."
Best Maine Travel Guides
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. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
"This was a slow read."
Best Missouri Travel Guides
With new hikes and updated text and maps, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis points hikers to the best outdoor trails and rambles within easy reach of the city. Using clear and entertaining narrative, "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: ""St. Louis" eliminates doubts about where to hike and what to expect when you get to the trailhead. Choose among short and long hikes, hikes for children, hikes for dogs, hikes for wildflowers and for waterfalls, historic and scenic hikes, and many others. Trail Descriptions allow you to assess each trail before you hike it. Detailed Trail Maps provide you with accurate trail information. Trail Profiles help you visualize altitude gain and loss. Directions and GPS coordinates lead you to the trailheads. Whether you live in St. Louis, St. Peters, Washington, or Sullivan, "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: St. Louis" provides you with the information you need to choose the perfect day hike in your area, including trail lengths, hiking times, and trail difficulty.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I like how the trails are organized and separated with categories and that some trails can fall into several categories."
"Directions listed to get to the trailheads, parks, natural areas and conservation areas are accurate. I like to make notes after I hike a trail or an area, so I do wish there was a blank page or two included with each chapter so that trail and area notes could be made. In addition, when the book is updated, it would be great to have a website or something online linked to the book."
"We have used the older version of this book many times over the years."
"Fun book to find places to hike."
"All of the important facts that would keep you on the trail are true, but the trails were a lot easier to follow than suggested, and some of the scenery points did not exist?"
"We go hiking all over missouri, and this book has shown us several new and cool places."
"I read the write-up on the hike I've been doing for 16 years."
"The author does a good job outlining the difficulty of trails and things to look out for."
Best Montana Travel Guides
Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. User-friendly highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices, emergency information, park seasonality, hiking trail junctions, viewpoints, landscapes, elevations, distances, difficulty levels, and durations Focused on the best - hikes, drives, and cycling tours Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, camping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, summer and winter activities, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Contextual insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, geology, wildlife, conservation Over 47 full-color trail and park maps and full-color images throughout Useful features - Travel with Children, Clothing and Equipment, and Day and Overnight Hikes Covers Yellowstone National Park area, Mammoth Country, Roosevelt Country, Canyon Country, Lake Country, Norris, Geyser Country, Bechler Region, Grand Teton National Park area, Jackson and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Bradley has lectured on Central Asia to the Royal Geographical Society and recently traveled across Asia in the footsteps of Marco Polo for a five-hour French-German TV documentary.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good description, a bit more plentiful in suggest hotels and restaurants than the Canadian one."
"Can't go wrong with Lonely Planet books."
"It helped us hit a bunch of areas in Teton and Yellowstone with only 2 days to do it in."
"Outlines and provides good descriptions and synopses of hikes and activities."
"Very useful and informative."
"informative but paper was cheap so tore easily."
"Reasonably helpful in planning our trip."
"Just what I needed for a trip next year."
Best Oregon Travel Guides
Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2012: At age 26, following the death of her mother, divorce, and a run of reckless behavior, Cheryl Strayed found herself alone near the foot of the Pacific Crest Trail--inexperienced, over-equipped, and desperate to reclaim her life. While readers looking for adventure or a naturalist's perspective may be distracted by the emotional odyssey at the core of the story, Wild vividly describes the grueling life of the long-distance hiker, the ubiquitous perils of the PCT, and its peculiar community of wanderers. But Strayed doesn't want sympathy, and her confident prose stands on its own, deftly pulling both threads into a story that inhabits a unique riparian zone between wilderness tale and personal-redemption memoir. Two months before Wild was published I stood on a Mexican beach at sunset with my family assisting dozens of baby turtles on their stumbling journey across the sand, then watching as they disappeared into the sea. Echoing the ever-popular search for wilderness salvation by Chris McCandless (Back to the Wild, 2011) and every other modern-day disciple of Thoreau, Strayed tells the story of her emotional devastation after the death of her mother and the weeks she spent hiking the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail. As her family, marriage, and sanity go to pieces, Strayed drifts into spontaneous encounters with other men, to the consternation of her confused husband, and eventually hits rock bottom while shooting up heroin with a new boyfriend. Woefully unprepared (she fails to read about the trail, buy boots that fit, or pack practically), she relies on the kindness and assistance of those she meets along the way, much as McCandless did.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Although I did not hike the PCT I did backpack in Yosemite."
"Cheryl Strayed's memoir of an 1100 miles trek on the Pacific Crest trail is an astonishing story of a spectacular and breathtaking adventure of coming to terms with grief and survival during a difficult trek through snow_clad mountains and thick forests for two months beginning in the Mojave desert and hiking through California and Oregon to the Bridge of Gods in Washington."
"This book is not for everyone, you either seem to love it or hate it, but I loved it."
"The author tells her personal story which includes a lot of her flaws and mistakes. I'm grateful for the author's willingness to share this with enough detail to make the reader understand her state of mind and her experience of events."
"Having hiked, during my long life, on four continents, along trails of varying degrees of intensity, I empathised with every painful step this young, intelligent and courageous woman endured on the extremely challenging Pacific Crest Hiking Trail on the North American continent."
"I am an experienced hiker and Cheryl Strayed was an outdoor person but not a hiker of the type who usually attempts an extreme hike. Her writing is so good that I could envision each part of the trail as she hiked along the PCT."
Best Minnesota Travel Guides
With more than 200,000 visitors annually, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is among the most alluring wilderness areas in the country, unique because it is most often explored by canoe. Exploring the Boundary Waters is the most comprehensive trip planner to the BWCAW, giving travelers an overview of each entry point into the wilderness area as well as detailed descriptions of more than one hundred specific routes - including a ranking of their difficulty level and maps that feature the major waterways, portages, and the designated campsites.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Its a great book to pair with the Boundary Waters Canoe Camping book (it has pretty pictures and more info on other things you need to know about the boundary waters besides just the portages)."
"I have entered the BWCAW at several different points and as I read the route descriptions for these areas it was very easy to visualize my trips all over again."
"The one drawback that I did find was that, unless you were actually holding a map of the BWCAW right in front of you while reading, it was hard to figure out where the routes and portages were."
"Fully detailed and even helped even though I've been there before."
"Give many options on which lakes to try."
"Well researched, a little older, but information on planning routes is invaluable."
"Shows the specifics for every route in the BW."
"better than beymer as it contains line drawing mas so you can pick a route or create your own, which is the purpose of these books."
Best Wisconsin Travel Guides
This interactive field guide features 111 species of Wisconsin birds organized by color. Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the author of more than 175 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti in the United States.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I just love this little book!"
"Brand new condition book, fast shipping..."
"It also provides all the pertinent information about the bird regarding the size, migration route, feeding and nesting patterns, etc."
"I have used this book for years."
"We'd all look out the window and keep asking each other, "What's that white and black one with the red on its head?" My son is going for his Naturalist badge in Cub Scouts, and one of the things he can do for the badge is keep a log of birds he sees for a week. I got out the Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide, which I'd bought awhile back, thinking that owning it would teach me birds' names by osmosis (it didn't). The pages are color coded, so if you flip to the red part you find birds that are primarily red, the gray part has birds that are primarily gray, and so on."
"This is an ideal quick reference book for those that would like to identify the birds in the backyard."
"This is a great little book!"
"Nice but maybe more of a pic book needed if you are s novice."
Best Ohio Travel Guides
From its 1922 roots with the Slavic-Macedonian immigrant brothers Kiradjieff in a burlesque theater, Cincinnati chili has become a million-dollar industry supporting 250 chili parlors. Cincinnatian Dann Woellert is a member of the Campbell County Historical Society, Norwood Ohio Historical Society and Taft Museum of Art.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you like Cincinnati chili and have at least a passing interest in Cincinnati history, then you will find a lot to like about this book. We are provided with details such as what area of Macedonia each chili pioneer's ancestor lived in, where the pioneer lived in Cincinnati in each stage of his career (often down to the specific street address), and other extraneous facts."
"This book is a wonderful read about the many families who started the chili craving in Cincinnati."
"We formerly lived in Cincinnati and, of course, loved Cincinnati Chili."
"Overall a fast and interesting read about one of the things that makes Cincinnati unique."
"This book told the compelling history."
"While I have not tried all of the parlors mentioned, I grew up with the development of Cincinnati Chili starting in 1948 and remember many of the locations included."
"The book is interesting - a lovely tour of the Cincy chili industry."
"Ironic that while stationed in "paradise"- he longs for his own home paradise of a familiar chili parlor."
Best Maryland Travel Guides
Walking Baltimore includes Charm City's well-known neighborhoods -- Downtown, the Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon, and Fells Point. With his wife and two daughters, he lives north of downtown Baltimore, in Towson, Maryland--Baltimore County's county seat.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great Gift."
"Wonderful!!!"
"I never knew Baltimore had so much to offer."
"Loved all the walking tours."
"A good introduction to this interesting and diverse city."
"gave this to my brother as a birthday gift."
"This is a great book for visitors, new residents and those that have lived in Baltimore their whole lives."
Best Washington Travel Guides
This detailed guide covers the Bellingham area, Mount Baker, the Highway 20 corridor, North Cascades National Park, Winthrop and the Pasayten Wilderness area, parts of Glacier Peak Wilderness, and the Mountain Loop Highway. Compact and fresh with a broad range of hiking options, this is the most up-to-date guide and one of the more comprehensive for the area, organized along highway and other travel corridors with an emphasis on trails that are 12 miles or less, round-trip. He is the author of Best Hikes with Dogs Inland Northwest , Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier , as well as Backpacking Washington,Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge,Day Hiking Olympia Peninsula, Day Hiking: North Cascades, Day Hiking Central Cascades , and Winter Hikes of Western Washington Deck .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm new to hiking and didn't know where to start as far as my ability and and endurance."
"I've got only positive things to say about the choice of hikes and the description to which author Craig Romano adds to the selections. 3689) that is entirely different than the completely bold-faced introductory paragraphs found throughout the guide - instead, this one has random words in bold that just yell at you like a college boy shooting fireworks on the 4th of July. I point this out in my review because the sheer number of mistakes takes away from the experience of the guide itself and the Mountaineers series in general. I've returned this version, and I'll check the hard copy in a brick and mortar store to see if they have updated it."
"Excellent for planning trips in North Cascades National Park and Mt Baker Area."
"For each trail, it covers difficulty level, distance, elevation gain, proper season, how to get there, on the trail and maps."
"Nice to have options for long and short hikes depending on how much time I have that day."
"If this book were produced in a larger size with full color pictures it would be 5+ stars, but it's definitely good enough to warrant a solid 5 stars."
"This book has a ton of great trails that we have used a ton of times, it is small and compact and fits right into my Camelbak."
Best Indiana Travel Guides
60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Cincinnati covers the best and oftentimes little-known hiking destinations within 60 miles of the greater Cincinnati area. Trails in the guide span Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, offering incredible views, ample wildlife and wildflowers, and a chance to enjoy the simple pleasure of nature. The guide offers key information like: • Hike time and distance. • Difficulty level and hike configuration. • Average trail traffic. • Completely updated maps, GPS coordinates, and park details. • Categories and an at-a-glance rating system for interests such as kid-friendliness, scenery, waterfalls, wildlife, public transit, and more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Book's information has thus far been accurate, description of the trails is good and directions to the sites are spot on."
"I got this to give as a Christmas gift for my brother and nephew who live near Cincinnati."
"I love this book!"
"This book has some great suggestions for places to check out but the descriptions and the directions need work. We wound up doing multiple stream crossings (which are tough in January) and walking for 5 hours."
"Very cool book."
"I had no idea there were hiking trails through the woods at Ault Park."
"Excellent resource."
"Great little guide."
Best Utah Travel Guides
Featuring 32 amazing road trips, from two-day escapes to two-week adventures, you can cruise historic Route 66 or be captivated by red-hued rock formations, all with your trusted travel companion. Lavish color and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - 116 easy-to-read, full-color route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, and Link Your Trip Covers Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Arizona deserts, Phoenix, Santa Fe, New Mexico's Enchanted Circle, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Austin, San Antonio, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Monument Valley, Moab, Utah, Denver and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Amy C Balfour, Michael Benanav, Greg Benchwick, Lisa Dunford, Mariella Krause, Carolyn McCarthy and Ryan Ver Berkmoes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What a great collection of road trip ideas: really well done!"
"Great for my road-trip to the Grand Canyon."
"Perfect purchase!"
"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST."
"This and its companion "Southwest USA" were quite handy in Arizona."
"have travelled all over the world with Lonely Planet Guide Books."
"This book is put together in a way that makes it hard to customize and somewhat unwieldy."
Best Hawaii Travel Guides
**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography** * Included in. President Obama’s 2016 Summer Reading List* A deeply rendered self-portrait of a lifelong surfer by the acclaimed New Yorker writer. As Finnegan’s travels take him ever farther afield, he becomes an improbable anthropologist: unpicking the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissecting the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, navigating the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, a social history, a literary road movie, and an extraordinary exploration of the gradual mastering of an exacting, little understood art. Frantically juggling work and family, he chases his enchantment through Long Island ice storms and obscure corners of Madagascar. In other words, it is, like Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, a semi-dangerous book, one that persuades young men…to trade in their office jobs in order to roam the world, to feel the ocean’s power, and chase the waves.” —The Paris Review Daily “Fans of [Finnegan’s] writing have been waiting eagerly for his surfing memoir…Well, Barbarian Days is here. )…A lyrical and enormously rewarding read…Finnegan’s enchantment takes us to some luminous and unsettling places — on both the edge of the ocean, and the frontiers of the surfing life.” —San Diego Union-Tribune “Barbarian Days gleams with precise, often lyrical recollections of the most memorable waves [Finnegan has] encountered…He carefully mines his surfing exploits for broader, hard-won insights on his childhood, his most intense friendships and romances, his political education, his career. Still, Finnegan considerately shows himself paying the price of admission in a few near drownings, and these are among the most electrifying moments in the book…There are too many breathtaking, original things in Barbarian Days to do more than mention here—observations about surfing that have simply never been made before, or certainly never so well.” —The New York Times Book Review “Without a doubt, the finest surf book I’ve ever read… All this technical mastery and precise description goes hand in hand with an unabashed, infectious earnestness. Finnegan has certainly written a surfing book for surfers, but on a more fundamental level, ‘Barbarian Days’ offers a cleareyed vision of American boyhood. “Which is precisely what makes the propulsive precision of Finnegan’s writing so surprising and revelatory… Finnegan’s treatment of surfing never feels like performance. Through the sheer intensity of his descriptive powers and the undeniable ways in which surfing has shaped his life, Barbarian Days is an utterly convincing study in the joy of treating seriously an unserious thing…As Finnegan demonstrates, surfing, like good writing, is an act of vigilant noticing. That pairing makes Barbarian Days exceptional in the notoriously foamy genre of surf lit: a hefty, heavyweight tour de force, overbrimming with sublime lyrical passages that Finnegan drops as effortlessly as he executed his signature ‘drop-knee cutback’ in the breaks off Waikiki…Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery…Finnegan is a virtuoso wordsmith, but the juice propelling this memoir is wrung from the quest that shaped him…A piscine, picaresque coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.” —Sports Illustrated Overflowing with vivid descriptions of waves caught and waves missed, of disappointments and ecstasies and gargantuan curling tubes that encircle riders like cathedrals of pure stained glass…These paragraphs, with their mix of personal remembrance and subcultural taxonomies, tend to be as elegant and pellucid as the breakers they immortalize…This memoir is one you can ride all the way to shore.” —Entertainment Weekly “[A] sweeping, glorious memoir…Oh, the rides, they are incandescent…I’d sooner press this book upon on a nonsurfer, in part because nothing I’ve read so accurately describes the feeling of being stoked or the despair of being held under. But also because while it is a book about ‘A Surfing Life’…it’s also about a writer’s life and, even more generally, a quester’s life, more carefully observed and precisely rendered than any I’ve read in a long time.” —Los Angeles Times “Gorgeously written and intensely felt…With Mr. Finnegan’s bravura memoir, the surfing bookshelf is dramatically enriched. He makes surfing seem as foreign and simultaneously as intimate a sport as possible…Surfing is the backbone of the book, but Finnegan’s relationships to people, not waves, form its flesh…[A] deep blue story of one man’s lifelong enchantment.” —Boston Globe “Finnegan’s epic adventure, beautifully told, is much more than the story of a boy and his wave, even if surfing serves as the thumping heartbeat of his life.” —Dallas Morning News “That’s always Finnegan’s M.O. Finnegan is a sober, straightforward author, but the level of detail, emotion, and insight he achieves is unparalleled…A must-read for all surfers — not just because of its unblinking prose and subtle wit, but because it’s the only book that properly details what it’s like to cultivate both an award-winning career and a dedicated surfing life.” —Eastern Surf Magazine “Finnegan describes, with shimmering detail, his adventures riding waves on five continents. It’s a pleasure to paddle into and makes for a hell of a ride.” —The Millions “As it progresses the whole book turns into a portal…It’s tempting to say that Barbarian Days will bring readers as close as they’ll get to the surf, short of actual surfing. Finnegan recaptures the waves lost and found, the euphoria, the danger…the allure.” —BBC.com “Panoramic and fascinating…The core of the book is a surfing chronicle, and Finnegan possesses impeccable short-board bona fides…A revealing and magisterial account of a beautiful addiction.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Like that powerful, glassy wave, great books on surfing come few and far between.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"But, a visit to Webster’s Dictionary will provide you with a meaning more relevant to William Finnegan’s book about the surfing life. “Barbarian Days A Surfing Life” can be viewed as a memoir of some fifty years of William Finnegan’s life as a family member, a surfing fanatic, a writer, a world traveler and a Quixotic searcher of new and near perfect waves in remote places around the world; places like Indonesia, Fiji, Bali, and Madeira. For those of us who surf, the book will bring special meaning covering as it does the history of surfing, evolution of surfboard designs and transition from the long board to the agile short board and on to tow in surfing to enable a rider to catch a wave fifty feet high, waves that could not be surfed before tow in technique was developed. For the reader who has tried surfing or body surfing and felt the power of the ocean then decided not to take up surfing, this book will still hold much meaning as a story about the zone where ocean meets land, where people try to co-exist with the power of the surf and where a life style built around surfing continues to evolve."
"I gave up about half way through."
"This book has stayed with me, the writer himself read the audiobook which felt like quite an intimate experience."
"I've lived in CA only as an adult and have frequently traveled to HI, mostly Oahu and Waikiki and surrounding towns of Diamond Head."
"But there's more between the pages here than a long drop down the face of a towering twenty footer or a race through a closing out pipeline on a thin piece of foam and fiberglass."
"It's a bit technical and, unless you surf, you won't have any idea what Bill Finnegan is talking about as he describes wave formation, board design, or how to approach stake-off point."
"Loved reading about Southern California during the 1950s and ’60s and how Finnegan learned to surf in CA and then Hawaii."
Best Virginia Travel Guides
The majority of the photographs have been donated by individuals to ensure that history does not lose these significant personalities, past or present, who left an imprint on their community. Carole L. Herrick writes for publications in the Washington, DC, area and has authored seven books, including Images of America: McLean.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Excellent!"
Best Iowa Travel Guides
Leaving out the traditional scenic trips to the Mississippi River bluffs and the Amana Colonies, this guide will take the adventurous traveler to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the home of the "Lonely Goat Herder" marionettes from The Sound of Music , and the world's largest Cheeto. The Daily Nonpareil Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this book for my recent foray down to Des Moines for a conference. On the way home, I took a cornfield tour guided by Jerome Pohlen's fun book."
"...not enough to actually visit but that really is one of the attractions of the book--you can appreciate the sights without having to experience the hot humid weather, lack of any cuisine expect red meat and bud, etc."
"Interesting read; great condition."
"If we get tired of historical sightseeing, this book will be helpful in guiding us to the World's Largest Cheeto."
"Not quite as good as the other oddball books, but still a fun, quirky read."
"Great book."
"Great book for exploring some unknowns."
"The person I gave this too absolutely loved it!"
Best Florida Travel Guides
shows, it’s both of these and, more important, it’s a Petri dish, producing trends that end up influencing the rest of the country. Without Florida there would be no NASCAR, no Bettie Page pinups, no Glenn Beck radio rants, no USA Today , no “Stand Your Ground,” . It’s a state where the voters went for Barack Obama twice, yet elected a Tea Party candidate as governor. It attracts 90 million visitors a year, some drawn by its impressive natural beauty, others bewitched by its manmade fantasies. "This entertaining book will amuse and astonish Floridians and anybody interested in the absurdity of the Sunshine State or human nature in general."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Craig Pittman captures the irony, diversity, and bizarre stories of America's bellweather state."
"It is shocking to see how Senator Cruz or Governor Bush, two names n the news now, continue long traditions of folly that began in the Civil War era. Folks who are not really from Florida see little reason to demand and pay for government services like health care, decent prisons or schools."
"Along with plenty of good laughs and oddball facts, the book lives up to its title and explains the many ways Florida has influenced the rest of the nation, right up to Supreme Court decisions."
"If you live in Florida, are thinking of moving to Florida, or simply plan to visit us sometime soon, I highly recommend you read this book."
"Oh, Florida presents the often confounding, perplexing, and sometimes shocking details of the adventure and misadventures of Florida Man and Florida Woman in a vivid and entertaining manner."
"The book is a must read for natives and wannabe natives to appreciate our special state."
"He is an excellent story teller who points out the oddities that take place his beloved state (he clearly loves his subject)."
"Pitttman is a fantastic writer."
Best Mississippi Travel Guides
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 Americas 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
Find Best Price at Amazon"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."
Best Texas Travel Guides
It was a time before Terlingua Ranch and chili cook-offs, and you could drive a hundred miles without seeing another vehicle or another person. He also writes about the lower Big Bend as it is found now, and what one can still rediscover just over the next rise. An eighth-generation Texan, BEN H. ENGLISH was raised mostly in the Lajitas-Terlingua area.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Yonderings.. had me remembering great times, places, views, and feelings, many times throughout each chapter."
"Reading this book has made me homesick for Sanderson and that entire region of West Texas that I like to call No-Man's Land! With a book that is filled with adventure and with stories from Ben's history, this book is for anyone who is looking for that read that has Texas History mixed in with personal stories of a famous landmark in a part of Texas that isn't talked about much."
"As a child of the Llano Estacado, whose family drove through the Caprock to go just about anywhere else in the state, I've long been fascinated with the mysteries all the mesas, gullies, red dirt and mesquite brush it held. Then, as each chapter unfolds, the reader feels more and more connected with the area and all of its hidden treasures and threats, as well as with the author and his family and friends. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an adventurous nature, and for those who just dream of learning more about this beautiful, wild, surprising State we live in."
"“The untold numbers of forgotten souls who had lived and died within our purview had left no more visible mark upon the land than melted snow at the close of a warm spring day.”. First let me say, finally, there is a nonfiction book that has photos that go with the chapters they represent. He shares the history of the area from Terlingua to the mining operations for uranium, magnesium, cinnabar ore to candelilla wax. After reading English’s book I now want to visit the park again and especially to hike what is considered the most beautiful spot in Texas – the Chisos Basin South Rim trail. I can relate to why English concentrated so much on using topographical maps while hiking that region, as well as overstating in a gentle reminding way that you don’t go off a known path unless you know the area. I was laughing while reading that passage and imagining I was sitting on the hill with the author and that pastor witnessing the stupidity of that particular driver. If you love hiking and being outdoors then this book will take you a journey to parts of the Big Bend region less traveled."
Best Arizona Travel Guides
Easy, moderate and difficult routes are color coded, while symbols quickly show kinds of vehicles allowed on each trail. A separate mileage log ties numbered locations along the route to a custom map featuring a detailed relief background.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I used this one to find some really cool places in SW Arizona."
"I love this guide."
"Great for planning and routing."
"We will also take along our Co. and Utah books as we plan on swing back up that way for a few days before heading home."
"Very nice book with spiral binding makes it easy to lay open for use."
"You will find tons of cool trails, descriptions and directions with GPS coordinates from start and finish."
"Absolutely love this book!"
"I'm not a daring off-roader (can't afford to break the equipment), these books make it very clear which trails I should explore and which I should avoid."
Best Idaho Travel Guides
In these accounts, written with sensitivity as cautionary tales about what to do and what not to do in one of our wildest national parks, Whittlesey recounts deaths ranging from tragedy to folly—from being caught in a freak avalanche to the goring of a photographer who just got a little too close to a bison. Behind the gripping adventure, drama, and heartbreak of the stories told in this uniquely authoritative book are deep lessons—not only in personal responsibility but in the role of national parks in our society. Lee Whittlesey's compelling study of Yellowstone fatalities wisely reminds us of both the price and the pricelessness of protecting wild nature. While guides may wish to discuss the role of wolves or forest fires in a wilderness ecosystem, their passengers too often just want stories of the misfortune of their fellow travelers—and this is the seminal work on the subject. The sheer weight of new material added to bring this second edition up-to-date is a clear indication that the Yellowstone landscape continues to demand both our awe and our respect.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Covering over 300 deaths since the 1800s, Death in Yellowstone ranges from drownings to bear maulings to burns in hot springs to murders to Native American attacks to poisonous plants to carbon monoxide to runaway coaches."
"By minding the rules, being cautious and using common sense, we can still enjoy these parks and live to tell about it."
"If you have ever been to Yellowstone, this is MUST read!"
"But if you're a fan of Yellowstone, I highly recommend the book for all the stories of deaths that are unique to Yellowstone."
"The author does a great job of explaining the intricacies of each incident when details are available, and uses his great personal knowledge of the park to help the reader understand how and why these incidents occurred."
"This book is so well written and researched."
"There are signs all over the park and lots of reading material the park officials give people so I was interested to see how many people achieved death in the park and by what methods."
"Seen this at Yellowstone this year, wife said she had to have it!"
Best Wyoming Travel Guides
Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. User-friendly highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices, emergency information, park seasonality, hiking trail junctions, viewpoints, landscapes, elevations, distances, difficulty levels, and durations Focused on the best - hikes, drives, and cycling tours Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, camping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, summer and winter activities, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Contextual insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, geology, wildlife, conservation Over 47 full-color trail and park maps and full-color images throughout Useful features - Travel with Children, Clothing and Equipment, and Day and Overnight Hikes Covers Yellowstone National Park area, Mammoth Country, Roosevelt Country, Canyon Country, Lake Country, Norris, Geyser Country, Bechler Region, Grand Teton National Park area, Jackson and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Bradley has lectured on Central Asia to the Royal Geographical Society and recently traveled across Asia in the footsteps of Marco Polo for a five-hour French-German TV documentary.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good description, a bit more plentiful in suggest hotels and restaurants than the Canadian one."
"Can't go wrong with Lonely Planet books."
"It helped us hit a bunch of areas in Teton and Yellowstone with only 2 days to do it in."
"Outlines and provides good descriptions and synopses of hikes and activities."
"informative but paper was cheap so tore easily."
"Reasonably helpful in planning our trip."
"Just what I needed for a trip next year."
"My husband LOVES this book!"
Best Kansas Travel Guides
Three months on the New York Times bestseller list, PrairyErth is now in paperback. "Bill McKibben has called this book "the deepest map anyone ever made of an American place" -- a majestic survey of land and time and people in a single county of the Kansas plains.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Meanwhile, he constructs a multi-layered picture of the middlemost part of the 48 contiguous states of the US that leaves the reader wishing for that much understanding of her own place of origin."
"He is a fantastic author who uses the English language to weave wonderful stories and increase the reader's vocabulary."
"Another terrific, on the road, tour de force, by William Least Heat Moon."
"Enjoy and appreciate Heat-Moon`s work."
"One of my favorite books was Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways, so knew I would like the writing."
"This author is doing what has been called "deep" evocation and analysis of a particular place in time."
"In other words, he has the gift of revealing of the personal effect that the experiences he writes about had on him in a way that includes the reader."
"Some very obvious and frequent oversights in proof reading we're missed in this Kindle version."
Best Louisiana Travel Guides
Completely revised and updated with brand-new restaurants, Eat Dat New Orleans is the ultimate guide to America's best food city. Michael Murphy, a book publishing professional, has been a vice president at Random House, publisher of William Morrow, and founder of the literary agency Max & Co. By day two of his first visit to New Orleans in 1983, he knew he was home.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It was, at the time, the best book about food, specifically New Orleans food, that I had ever read."
"Michael Murphy's Eat Dat New Orleans is so much more than a restaurant guide: its a cultural study of NOLA through its food and its food creators--its a tremendously great read for anyone who has been to New Orleans or is planning a visit or anyone interested in NOLA's diverse cultural from afar."
"Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book highly as a reference and as a repository of detailed information on the most famous restaurants and chefs in NOLA."
"I'm still dreaming about the beef debris po' boy I had at Killer Po' Boys (Murphy's #1 rated po' boy shop)."
"Instead of a box, it was shipped in a huge flimsy bag that offered zero protection. This brand new book now looks used and I'm a bit embarrassed to give it as a gift."
"I gave this to my kids who live in New Orleans and it is their go-to book when deciding where to eat."
"This is perhaps the best and most comprehensive review of New Orleans restaurants that I have read over the years."
"This is without a doubt, my favorite book about food that i've ever read."
Best Alaska Travel Guides
Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and , unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Digging deeply, he takes an inherently compelling mystery and unravels the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons. Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity , and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding--and not an ounce of sentimentality. Noted outdoor writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer tackles that question in his reporting on Chris McCandless, whose emaciated body was found in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska, where he went to live in the wilderness.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Starving to death must not be a very pleasant experience, I know people who do all sorts of crimes and face dangerous situations, degrade their life, just to avoid having an empty stomach. Aren't we all at times tempted to leave everything and head for the secluded mountains and forests in search for inner peace and to find the answers to those hard questions of life, the truth of why we are living. in early years of 1990's when he was started hitchhiking after his graduation, to find the answers to his inner questions, I too was facing extremely difficult situations and from early childhood the question of finding the ultimate truth of life is the one repeating itself in my mind 24x7."
"I have to admit that the only reason I read this book was due to a request by my daughter who had to read it as part of her 11th reading assignment."
"The premise itself is fascinating- putting together the pieces of a man who disappeared from his upper-middle class home and moved out West with the goal of living off the land in Alaska. McCandless eventually finds his way to Alaska and dies (this is no spoiler, folks) alone in a bus, cause of death likely from starvation (or from consuming moldy seeds). This part really frustrates me; I understand not wanting to form attachment to material goods and to truly get in touch with the land, but unless you're a trained naturalist or a super hardcore Boy Scout it's a mistake. He leaves a family behind that is desperate with worry, including a sister he is especially close to (I found myself getting really angry and upset picturing my younger brother doing something like this)."
"He's taken a sad story and effectively drawn us into the world of Chris McCandless. There's no tidy ending, no clear lessons learned, and we're left with the debate about the scientific causes to a tragic ending."
"I applaud the author for all his hard work and dedication to bring the facts of Chris' life together."
Best Nevada Travel Guides
Featuring 32 amazing road trips, from two-day escapes to two-week adventures, you can cruise historic Route 66 or be captivated by red-hued rock formations, all with your trusted travel companion. Lavish color and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - 116 easy-to-read, full-color route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, and Link Your Trip Covers Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Arizona deserts, Phoenix, Santa Fe, New Mexico's Enchanted Circle, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Austin, San Antonio, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Monument Valley, Moab, Utah, Denver and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Amy C Balfour, Michael Benanav, Greg Benchwick, Lisa Dunford, Mariella Krause, Carolyn McCarthy and Ryan Ver Berkmoes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What a great collection of road trip ideas: really well done!"
"Great for my road-trip to the Grand Canyon."
"Perfect purchase!"
"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST."
"This and its companion "Southwest USA" were quite handy in Arizona."
"have travelled all over the world with Lonely Planet Guide Books."
"This book is put together in a way that makes it hard to customize and somewhat unwieldy."
Best Georgia Travel Guides
From her years as a spirited, secretive child, through her university studies—a period of exquisite freedom that imbued her with a profound appreciation of friendship and a love of travel—to her escape to a new life in California, Mayes exuberantly recreates the intense relationships of her past, recounting the bitter and sweet stories of her complicated family: her beautiful yet fragile mother, Frankye; her unpredictable father, Garbert; Daddy Jack, whose life Garbert saved; grandmother Mother Mayes; and the family maid, Frances’s confidant Willie Bell. Her “southern memoir” is a tale straight out of Faulkner, rife with episodes of dissipation and disillusion, parents who loved and fought with equally wild abandon, and ancestors with names like Big Mama and Daddy Jack. But she and her husband were sufficiently compelled to relocate from Northern California to North Carolina, settling in a university town with a far enough remove to allow her an objective distance from which to analyze the signature episodes of her childhood. With her trademark skill for capturing the essence of place and time, Mayes candidly reveals a youth riddled with psychological abuse and parental neglect that, nevertheless, ignited a fiery passion for adventure and self-discovery. “With perfect-pitch language, Mayes unblinkingly describes her growing-up years… One can almost taste the mushiness of ‘a pot of once-green beans falling apart in salt pork’; one can almost smell the cloying scent of honeysuckle, gardenias and overripe peaches that infuse the always-too-humid air.”– USAToday.com “Just the right balance of humor, irony and tragedy. “ Under Magnolia is a gorgeous, dreamy remembrance of hot Southern afternoons, mothers in red lipstick and Shalimar, Elvis turned up loud to cover up the family troubles that ran deep. In her new southern memoir, Under Magnolia , Frances Mayes describes the birth of her extraordinary sensibility, the deep-pooled clarity of her writing, her giddy love of nature, and her sharp and satirical eye for those who brought her up to honorable womanhood in the tortured South of her girlhood. “No one could have invented a more combustible, joy-starved pair of glam and oblivious parents or a more incandescent child to dive into the blue ruins, explore the sealed-off passages, blacked-out dreams and neglected outlets by the beams of her own incredulous eyes; then break the surface a smart-mouthed, truth-seeing sensualist, fully in attendance to the vibratory moment. The deft framing, the exacting word picks, apposite references, high speed wit, singled out synecdoches of a life; the cadence, phrasing, and pulse of a muted Georgian accent are all signature to the prose and poetry, stove-tops and passport stamps of Frances Mayes. Frances Mayes, a petite, brainy beauty from what we used to call politely 'a troubled home' has written an unnervingly honest and refreshingly open account of how a child can be neglected even amid privilege and a large family...
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The author has painted a word portrait so vivid that the reader feels as if he/she has had an extended visit to the places she describes. Lee Smith makes the reader"know Appalachia while Mayes lets the reader know the South."
"While on a book tour stopover in Oxford, Mississippi (home of the University of Mississippi, William Faulkner, and ground zero for the Southern Gothic literary genre), Ms. Mayes takes a stroll through the grounds of the unoccupied Faulkner home and becomes inspired to leave her Tuscan and California lives behind and return to her roots in the southeastern US. Ms. Mayes grew up in Fitzgerald, GA, which gives her an opportunity to revel in all the typical southern literary conventions."
"If you did read it, now is the time to follow Frances Mayes from California back to the south."
"So that is why this book was interesting to me, as I recognized a lot of the people she mentioned in the book (although she misspelled my aunt's name when she was mentioning the matchbooks!)."
"It's like a trip into my own past, but with the beautiful poetry and prose of Frances Mayes."
"Thinking about it now, I think it's a connection to a simpler time that I feel, the kind of life Mayes describes was the life of America's small towns and incipient suburbs of the 1950s. The main differences that I noted were Mayes' emphases on the outdoor life of a Southern girl, the heady atmosphere of Fitzgerald-- the smells of flowers, bushes, rain and river that permeated Mayes' being."
Best Arkansas Travel Guides
Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Natural State has to offer! Wyatt and Janie Jones are Arkansas natives, whose love of their home state inspired them to write Hiking Arkansas , also published by Globe Pequot Press.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He studies history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, so the product was up his alley."
"Because I grew up in Arkansas, the book is more interesting to me than it probably would be to folks who weren't raised there."
"Lots of great information!"
"this is my third copy...I just keep sharing this great little book!"
"I enjoy reading about Arkansas."
"This told us many interesting things of Arkansas."
"Very fun and interesting reading."
"Fun book!"
Best Alabama Travel Guides
There are meditations on downtown Mobile, where Hoffman's grandparents arrived as immigrants a century ago; the waterfront where longshoremen labor and shrimpers work their nets; the back roads leading to obscure but intriguing destinations. As he writes, "When buildings are leveled, when land is developed, when money is spent, when our loved ones pass on, when we take our places a little farther back every year on the historical time-line, what we have still are stories." After 21 years in New York City, Roy Hoffman (Almost Family) returned with his wife and daughter to his hometown of Mobile, Ala. Back Home: Journeys Through Mobile is a collection of his writings feature stories, memoirs, essays about the town, many of which were previously published in the Mobile Register. Hoffman interviews many of Mobile's distinctive characters, like Joseph Langan, a longtime Mobile mayor now in his 80s, who was once vilified as a Communist by whites who thought he was too sympathetic to blacks, and a racist by blacks who didn't agree.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Roy Hoffman writes great books."
"This seemed to be a lovely book."
"I was surprised at the various vignettes that took us from the docks of Mobile Bay to a Nazi WWII death camp and back."
"Very enjoyable and well written."
"I particularly liked the sketches of former mayor Joe Langan (who attempted to steer Mobile through desegregation and angered both blacks and whites), the bar pilots (who help guide large freighters to the docks in Mobile Bay), and Mobile's Mardi Gras. The sketches quickly move from topic to topic and this can be jarring to the reader."
"My mind journey's to Bienville Square, the Saenger Theater, Toolen High School, The Cathedral, the variety of languages that greeted my ears as I walked with my grandmother down Dauphin Street, the Electric Maid Bakery, whose lemon puffs were to die for, and the Gene and Roy movies at the Century on Saturday mornings. The mention of Grand Bay brought thoughts of cousins who lived there and summer visits complete with catching fireflys, wading in cold creeks and eating scuppernongs from the vine. For a few days, I can sit on my couch with his book and travel back to a long-ago time and place that I still call home."
"It is impossible to grow up in Mobile, Alabama without this historic Southern city leaving its indelible mark."
"I wrote a review last week with the above title."
Best Oklahoma Travel Guides
The product of two of Oklahoma’s foremost authorities on the history of the 46th state, Oklahoma: A History is the first comprehensive narrative to bring the story of the Sooner State to the threshold of its centennial. "Lively prose, vivid biographical vignettes, and artful synthesis make this book the best brief overview of Oklahoma ever written".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I lived in Oklahoma all my life and thought I knew a lot about it."
"Has a lot of good information and facts."
"I moved to Oklahoma only four years ago."
"I envy students today that are provided textbooks which are actually interesting to read."
"I am planning a 10 day trip to Oklahoma, and this book gave me an excellent overview of the history of the state."
"too many personal stories, too few historical facts."
"This is an interesting book from a premier authourity on the history of Oklahoma, from its Native American tribes and history to the settling of the territory prior to its statehood."
"Oklahoma is one the best hidden gems in USA."