Reviews (48)

Kauai on a shoestring
If you're curious about what Kauai is like and what there is to do there, Kauai Trailblazer is your guide. Practical info is as good as you can get and their style is lively and positive.We counted on it day by day to get us to the highs. The locals even gave it the two thumbs up. We stayed in the plantation cottages they recommended and never looked back. Our getaway turned out to be not that expensive. We're going back for more at Christmas.

Prime guide
HIGHLY recommended.We designed our own itinerary weeks ahead looking at all the photos in the book.A virtual Kauai. Another good feature is their layout.The hikes and snorkeling spots are grouped according to place.As we circled around we knew exactly what there was to do in each town. In the front of the book, before the list of hikes is the authors "Best" list.Start there. If this is your first visit, this is the book to have.

Puuokila Hiking
If you are lucky enough to vacation on Kauai you should take the hike on page 170.It follows the highest rim along the top of the Kalalau Valley.The view down is an everchanging dreamscape.We followed the trail all the way to the Alakai Swamp, an all dayer, and when we returned around five the valley view took on a whole other personality with swirling clouds that were pink and orange.We made a poster of the photo we took at sunset. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Guidebooks    3. Hawaii    4. Kauai    5. Kauai (Hawaii)    6. Outdoor recreation    7. Special Interest - Adventure    8. Sports & Recreation / Hiking    9. Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills    10. Travel    11. Travel - United States    12. United States - Pacific - Hawaii    13. United States - West - Pacific (General)    14. Hiking   

Reviews (62)

Mr. Keegan's Opus
This is the first work that I and most others discovered Mr. Keegan's great mind for military history. It is an overview of the evolution of warfare from the middle ages to the present but more than that it seeks to answer the question of what motivates the common soldier to fight instead of following his instinct to run.Mr. Keegan's admiration and adoption of the common soldier's lot is moving and commendable in itself. He brings out the hero in the common man and for that all us common men can thank him.

Keegan at His Very Best
John Keegan is one of our best writers of military history and The Face of Battle is simply Keegan at his very best. He attempts to explain what humans actually do under the stress of battle and why. The book contains keen insights and some surprises. For example, while running away may intuitively seem highly sensible from the standpoint of self-preservation, it is in fact one of the most dangerous things a soldier can do. Or the US Army study that showed a shockingly high percentage of US army infantry never fired their rfiles when under fire - that study led directly to a sharp increase in the emphasis on the psychological molding of soldiers in US Army training camps.
A Modern great book of Military History. Buy it and read it!
`The Face of Battle' by renowned English military historian, John Keegan is one of those books I would always keep in stock if I were managing a bookstore. In its own field of `analytical' military history, it is probably one of the two or three most important works available to the average reader (that is, not including classified material and training material reserved for the world's professional military at West Point, Sandhurst and what have you).
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Subjects:  1. Battles    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Medieval    6. Military - General    7. Military history    8. Special Interest - Adventure    9. History / Military / Strategy    10. Land forces & warfare    11. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    12. War & defence operations    13. World history    14. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (1373)

Fast paced, educating account of extreme mountaineering
Mr. Krakauer's account of the deadly trip to the top of Mt. Everest has a credibility to the story that many other action filled, non-fiction works have.Due mostly to the fact that Mr. Krakauer was a reporter who was there, a member of a team who witnessed the way the disaster unfolded in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world.His book is a chronicle of the things that went wrong with the expedition, things that were red-flags to those there but were not heeded.Some of the book deals with the commercialization of Everest, where if you have the money, you can find a guide that will risk your life, his life and others lives to get you to the top.Some of those who died were Everest guides, people who knew the signs of things going wrong, yet they still made the fateful decision of pressing on for the summit.Part of the book, about Beck Weathers is amazing and does give some hope to the extents and abuse the human body can take with a certain frame of mind.Albeit, it cost him his hands and part of his face, the fact that he survived is amazing none-the-less.
Read "The Climb," too...
I give "Above Thin Air" 5 stars because it is a magnificently written work about Everest, but Krakauer's venom towards Anatoli Boukreev was and is inexplicable when the facts of that night are laid bare.
Non-Fiction at Its Best
I couldn't put this book down. To be honest with you, I rarely enjoy non-fiction, yet the way with which Krakauer creates tension - something that most likely is not that difficult as Everest on its own is a formidable place - is as effective as some of the best fiction writers out there. I was also impressed with how he was able to situate the expedition and the characters involved within the rich tradition of Everest mountaineering. His descriptions of Hall and Fischer are remarkable and he has immortalized them for the general public as they have been immortalized with climbers for years. I also like the way with which Krakauer is honest about what he is and is not sure about concerning his account. Being above 26,000 ft. makes it very difficult to be sure of what took place. Overall, I was quite impresed with this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Accidents    2. Adventure Consultants    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Everest, Mount (China and Nepa    5. Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)    6. Guided Expedition    7. Mountain Climbing    8. Mountaineering    9. Mountaineering accidents    10. Mountaineering expeditions    11. Special Interest - Adventure    12. Specific Groups - General    13. Sports    14. Sports & Recreation    15. Sports - General    16. Krakauer, Jon    17. Travel / Adventure   

Editorial Review

When a millionaire adventurer goes in search of the true Mount Sinai, he gets more than he bargained for. Spies, missiles, and secret military installations are just some of the obstacles that Larry Williams and his sidekick Bob Cornuke must confront in their unprecedented journey to find the lost treasures of Moses.In Read more

Reviews (67)

Treasure Now Found
In the book, there are two guys. Their names are Larry Williams, a self made millionaire, and Bob Cornuke, a retired police officer and a former Swat-team member. Larry Williams is also an archaeologist and he hears rumors that the real Mount Sinai (the mountain where god gave Moses the Ten Commandments) is actually in present day Saudia Arabian, on Mount Jabal al Lawz. They want to make sure that they are right, so they actually follow the route on which they believe the Hebrews used to get out of Egypt. After a couple of days, they realize that this must be the way that they took. Every single detail that is in the bible they find. When the get to what they believe is the Reds Sea, They go scuba diving in it. They find the prove that they need and Larry almost gets eaten by a shark.
Bad, bad book
This book is written like a 4th-rate children's adventure story. From the spy story to the lead "characters" furtive journey into Saudi Arabia to their diving expedition - it's all so full of hyperbole and exaggeration that the pictures of the book are needed to convince the reader that the trip happened at all.
Unlikely tale with no research content
I have the hardest time getting rid of books, and every purge of the family library ends up being a long series of painful decisions. Yet I had no trouble giving away this book after the first reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1979-    2. Adventure    3. Archaeology    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Biblical Archaeology    6. Espionage    7. History    8. Israel    9. Israeli espionage    10. Middle East    11. Politics and government    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Special Interest - Adventure    15. History / Middle East   

Reviews (14)

Delicious, full-bodied novel...
This book was fantastic!I probably loved this book out of sheer envy for what Ms. Steinbach did - pick up, and travel around the world to take classes and participate in life!I would love to do exactly the same.Since I'm not at the place where I could do just that (unfortunately!), reading this book was the next best thing...
In search of kindred spirits
The best thing about this book was the interest it sparked in me for adventures I had previously not considered.I'm now seriously thinking of doing two-week learning stints in interesting locations rather than the relaxing visits or typical tourist approach to seeing other cultures and countries.
With Reservations
After having enjoyed Steinbach's previous book, Without Reservations, I was eager to see what she has been up to in the past few years and if she and Naohiro are still an item. In Without Reservations, Steinbach tells the story of how she took a year off from her job, bought an apartment in Paris and fell in love. It is a story of risk and reward. It really happened, but Steinbach tells it like a story.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Special Interest - Adventure    6. Travelers    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / Women    9. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (8)

Excellent Buy
This is a very good road atlas. I gave it to my husband as a birthday gift and since then we are on the raod every weekend. It has very accurate maps and so we don't need to get directions before we leave. Also it has a very good feature of scenic drives so that we can plan our trip to cover the maximum scenery. This is a very good buy. You sure can start with this atlas and then probably move on to higher level.
ational Geographic Road Atlas - Adventure Edition
Pretty good overall guide.You would still need detail guide on particular area you want to visit.
US Road Atlas
One of the best road atlases for the USA.Have used this to cover 1400 miles in a 12 day stretch around California, Arizona and Nevada.Easy to read and full of useful information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Special Interest - Adventure    2. Travel    3. Reference    4. Atlases   

Reviews (1)

Get Off Your Couch!
Armchair movie aficionados beware! Leave your remote control behind and visit hundreds of famous movie locations in person! This one-of-a-kind travel guide (very few authors can claim that) is the result of exhaustive research covering hundreds of film shooting sites and is a must have for anyone who loves movies and the great outdoors. I liked this book so much, I bought TWO copies - one to keep clean and one whose margins are already filling up with notes as I visit the places featured. Get this book and go touch Hollywood history in person! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. California, Southern    2. Guidebooks    3. Motion picture locations    4. Television program locations    5. Travel    6. Travel - United States    7. United States - Pacific - California    8. United States - West - Pacific (General)    9. Walking    10. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (18)

A great survivor story
This is a well written story of a man's ability to survive on an inflatable raft for 76 days. Written in the first person the author/survivor describes as only he can the depth of his pain as well as the spiritual awakening he experiences. Everytime he describes his small tins of fresh water he made me want to go get a drink myself. His survival skllls, luck, ingenuity, resoursefulness, and his overwhelming desire to live kept him alive where most other people would have surely perished. This is a remarkable story told in a captivating way.
Astounding
Adrift was a great book. The way that the author describes what he goes through and the way that he interprets how he survives being stranded at sea for 76 days. This is an epic novel that catches the reader's attention within the first few pages. He starts off telling a story about a race that he's entered himself into with his sailboat. Then he tells you about how they are going to start the race even though a huge storm is approaching. With this in your head you can stop reading the book. He puts into detail exactly what you want to hear in an adventure novel. He makes you feel like you were out on the raft with him while he was stranded at sea. He makes it so that when he fights the shark for the first time that your there. You want to try to help him but you cant because you're only reading a book but you wish that none of this had happened to him because it's just so horrible. So if you wanted to read an adventure book with an edge of excitement throughout the book then I would recommend this book to anybody willing to read it.

Excellent
This is a great book. I thought the author did a great job of putting you in his position. I just finished reading the story "Two Survived" which is a similar story about people trying to survive in a small boat with little or no survival / safety equipment. After reading that book it made me appreciate "Adrift" even more (Although I always thought Adrift was a 5 star book). Very good.
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Subjects:  1. Callahan, Steven    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Napoleon Solo (Yacht)    4. North Atlantic Ocean    5. Special Interest - Adventure    6. Survival after airplane accide    7. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Travel & holiday guides    11. Travel / Adventure   

Reviews (2)

camping & wilderness survival
IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN LEARNING AND/OR INTEREST IN THE OUTDOORS. YOU WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK.IT IS LIKE AN ENCYLOPEDIA FOR THE OUTDOORS, EXCEPT IT IS WRITTEN LIKE EVERY PAGE IS A FULL ON TOPIC SYNOPSIS.YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Most complete nature/survival book I've ever seen.
This is my first book review. I'm trully amazed by what all is contained in this fairly compact book, yet each page contains a massive amount of information. It is quite thick, over 1,000 pages,LOTS of really sharp color photos.Covers so many subjects in addition to survival and camping. It's as though it could be 10 different books in one. I'm really impressed by this book and feel it truly is one of the best books I've ever bought.I'm actually thinking of getting two of them... One to keep in the truck and one to read in my spare time at the house.. SO MUCH information is in this book, it's like a small nature encyclopedia..It covers all possible terrains, types of plants, animals, cloud formations, many maps showing insect distribution, etc.. climates, etc.. reptiles, most all of the usual survival/camping info.. but SO much more..how to survive practically any imagineable scenario. So many color photos.For nature-lovers and campers this is really a must-have book as well. I've bought several other survival books and this seems to contain just about all that is in the others..shelters,first aid, mental preparedness, kits, backbacks, fish preperation, game hunting, etc..Although, there are some survival books that are quite unique as well in their own right and may go into much more detail on say, shelter-building for instance, this book shows with pictures, quite easy-to-understand basic construction techniques, for emergency situations. No SINGLE book can have everything, but I must say, this book sure does come close to it!I don't think you will regret this purchase.Just one warning though, because there is so much information on each page, the print is quite small. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Hiking    3. Mountaineering    4. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (4)

A good one
The Backpackers Handbook is more informative and easier to read than the other two books I bought recently (Hiking Light Handbook, and Everyday Wisdom).Save your time and read this one alone.

Best book of its kind i have seen
I got three backpacking type handbooks at a library and read all three this is by far the best one. It has the most in depth information and is enjoyable to read.

The title says it all...
This is, without doubt, the best book on backpacking I've read. Just the right balance between specific recommendations and general advice, objective information and personal opinion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Backpacking    2. Camping    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Hiking    5. Mountaineering    6. Outdoor Life    7. Outdoor Skills    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports & Recreation / Hiking    11. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Reviews (3)

A vivid adventure comes to life in a compelling 'you are there' story.
Author Jeffrey Taylor used a custom-built boat to travel over two thousand miles to the Arctic Circle, recreating a journey first made by Cossacks over three hundred year ago, seeking a respite from the modern world. RIVER OF NO RETURN: DESCENDING SIBERIA'S WATERWAY OF EXILE, DEATH, AND DESTINY charts his journey, providing true life travel adventure at its best as Taylor comes to realize his guide is a bitter Soviet army veteran who hates all humanity - including Taylor. A vivid adventure comes to life in a compelling 'you are there' story.
Summer rafting in an extreme place with an uncertain future
Burdened with a brutal history of Cossack conquest, labor camps, gulags, displaced people and rapacious resource plundering, and all but abandoned by the state that exploited it, Siberia is the perfect choice for a certain sort of travel writer to go and reflect on the state of the world.
A PHOTO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
This book is really two stories.One is about an adventurous trip down a Siberian river in a small boat.The other is about the frontierspeople who inhabit its shores.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Description And Travel    3. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    4. Former Soviet Republics    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. Russia (Federation)    9. Siberia    10. Siberia (Russia)    11. Special Interest - Adventure    12. Tayler, Jeffrey    13. Travel    14. Travel - Foreign    15. Travel - General    16. Voyages And Travels    17. Travel / General   

Reviews (7)

Fantastic book
This is the top dog for off road books.I've driven several of these courses in my stock Chevrolet truck with zero problems.Beautiful lay-out, great descriptions and GPS coordinates.Get this book!

Best of the Lot
I have read several other map books for off road trails, etc. and this one is by far the most comprehensive and accurate.My wife and I have used this book on a couple of trips now and the accuracy of the directions is uncanny.I also apprciate the GPS coordinates and the maps in the book itself.The fact that this book is all color is awesome too.I would definitely buy this book if you're in the market.

Must have for off road adventures!
This is the most thorough resource for off road travel I have seen.I found some beautiful and fun roads near my home town that I was completely unaware of.This book is perfect for those who have stock vehicles and want to enjoy the backroads.You will know in advance whether your vehicle can handle the route without getting damaged or stuck.(Yes, there are also some more difficult roads in the book for those who are equipped and need a challenge.)
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Subjects:  1. Special Interest - Adventure    2. Travel    3. Travel - United States    4. United States - Pacific - California    5. United States - West - Pacific (General)   

Reviews (9)

Lonely Planet- not with this many package tourists.
"Nobody touches the Lonely Planet for budget travel advice," states the back cover of this book.
Great to read but difficult to do so due toVERY SMALL print.
I really like the Lonely Planet guides, and this one is very good regarding the amount of information it contains. My main complaint is the size of the type. Not only is it very small and difficult to read even with glasses on, but the paper is very thin so the words from the reverse page show through. I'd rather pay a couple of extra dollars and have higher quality paper. I also agree with other reviewers who felt that the Indonesia chapter could easily be eliminated, partly because it is difficult to due justice to that widespread country in a chapter.

typical shoestring guide
This guide is really good value, although you notice easily that it covers a lot of countries. South East Asia is big, the book is limited in size and therefore detail is missing. I bought seperate guides for Laos and Cambodia and this benifited my trip greatly.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. Guidebooks    4. Special Interest - Ecotourism    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. South East Asia    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (47)

An interesting peek into small-town life, but don't read it while you're eating
You know that small, faded town you pass through on your way to Somewhere Else? These are the folks who live there. Having grown up in New Auburn, Wisconsin, but moving away to make his way in the world, writer Michael Perry returns home some years later and joins the local fire department as a way of reconnecting with his community. In the book he alternates between relating his experiences as a small-town volunteer firefighter and first-responder and giving fleeting glimpses into the lives and personalities of some of his teammates and fellow residents. The detailed emergency calls were fun to read about, but more than once I made the mistake of reading while having lunch! I generally don't pick up many non-fiction books, but I read this as part of the "Eden Prairie Reads" community program (www.epreads.org).

fabulous book I have given to friends
I have passed this book along to many and recommended it to even more- it is well written, interesting and touching.The author is an EMT in his small town of New Auburn WI- pop 485 and the town's folk - his neighbors and friends -are portrayed with true warmth and humor. There are passages in this book that are so evocative of the human experience I cried - and so did my husband who read it upon my recommendation.It was passed to me a friend and I have given a number of copies and have to keep buying one "for myself."Well worth the time and money- a little gem of a book.

Perry = an approachable volunteer and wordsmith
This was an excellent read, by all accounts.The author's ability to articulately convey time, imagery, flavor, and life was superb.
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Subjects:  1. 20th Century American Prose    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Medical - General    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Special Interest - Adventure    7. Travel    8. Travel / Adventure   

Reviews (85)

Non fiction that reads like fiction.
I love history stories that read like fiction. I learned a lot in the book and in addition enjoyed the the story.

Like A Renaissance "Star Trek"
This book is fascinating.
well worth the trouble
Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan departed the known world in 1519 to find a new route to the lucrative spice islands for Spain. One of his five ships returned to Spain three years later: the first to circumnavigate the globe.
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Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Civilization    6. Explorers    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. History: World    10. Maritime History    11. Portugal    12. Special Interest - Adventure    13. Voyages around the world    14. World - General    15. History / World   

Reviews (6)

GEO Book
The book has an excellent number of graphs and pictures and makes it fairly easy to absorb information through self-learning.Great tool with lectures.Sometimes a bit of a drag on the boredom scale depending upon the topic.

Abbott explains how Natural Disasters occur
Although Abbott could have done a better job of simplifying some of his explainations, he does a great job of breaking down the formation of Natural Disasters in easy to understand steps.He also provides briefings on real life natural disaster occurances.

Natural Disasters
I used this book for one of my Earth and Ocean Science courses at the University of British Columbia. Although I enjoyed the many good examples, I found that the text did not have a very good flow to it. I found some of it to be choppy, and some of the sentences to be quite unclear. I agree, the examples are interesting, but it seems like the text relies on those examples to be interesting. I think a lot of processes could have been explained better, as I thought the point from class notes I received from my professors did a lot better than the text in helping me understand certain processes. I definetely agree it's a beginner text though as the examples give a good indication that natural disasters only occur because humans have inhabited locations that often times threaten lives. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Natural Disasters    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Special Interest - Adventure    6. Travel - General    7. Geography    8. Science / Geology   

Reviews (22)

Our July in Hawaii
We just returned after spending one solid month on the Big Island.It wasn't until we got there that we realized a guidebook was absolutely essential and we picked this one up at a bookshop in Hilo.After that essential was out of the way, our exploration of the island really began.This book scored big points for accuracy and wealth of outdoor information.The only trail we found closed was to Alakahi Falls so scratch that one off your list. There's a whole section on biking and another on camping and we had time to do both.We would recommend this guide to anyone seeking a supercharged Hawaiian experience.

A hikers dream
This is the only travel book going with me when I go to the big island. The details in the book are great, and I look forward to seeing how accurate the directions are. If you want to get off the beaten track, this is the book for you.

Get this book
We were impressed with the huge scope of information and activities they fit into 256 pages.The trek into Waipio Valley filled up the whole day and was one of the most memorable days of all our vacations.Most tourists descend in vans and are zipped out in an hour. What a beautiful untouched place! It was tempting to swim at the beach but the advice in the book changed our minds.If you go, be sure to take this hike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hiking    2. Sports & Recreation / General    3. Travel - United States    4. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)    5. United States - Pacific - Hawaii    6. General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (77)

A Delightful Journey
The reader will travel with the author throughout the Middle East, following the steps of the patriarchs through the beginnings of the conquest by Joshua, in source of a connection with history and ultimately a divine spark. This author is very easy to read and provides colorful descriptions of his surroundings that allow the reader to be there. Throughout the book is an undercurrent of "Why can't we just all get along!"
A Wonderful Guide to the Lands of the Bible for People of all Faiths
I've been a fan of Bruce Feiler's writing after watching him on C-Span's Book TV talk about his first book about Abraham. This must have been about four or five years ago now. I went out to purchase ABRAHAM and discovered a treasure. Feiler brings many gifts and talents to writing, particularly religious writing. First of all he writes about issues regarding faith from the point of view of one who practices his faith. Like many of his readers, his journey to faith has not been a straight path which seems to give him a good perspective on the questions people are asking. He also has a fluid writing style and is able to weave personal memoir, always interesting and at times moving stories, geography, history, and theology together to create a great read.
Succeeds despite itself...
Walking the Bible is not among the better travel writing I've read primarily because it focuses more on the author than the locations he visited.Feiler did get around:from Turkey to Egypt, from the Negev to the Sinai, from Jerusalem to Jordan, but he minimizes the narrative elements one typically associates with good travel writing for a seemingly endless array of personal epiphanies. Despite it's subtitle, Walking the Bible is more a journey by catharsis through Bruce Feiler's mind than a journey by land through the five books of Moses.Thus, beyond his ubiquitous food metaphors, a descriptive presence is often found wanting.
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Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    3. Bible - Study - General    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Description And Travel    6. Old Testament    7. Religion    8. Religious    9. Special Interest - Adventure    10. Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology   

Reviews (6)

A beautiful introduction to an addictive hobby
Honestly, we didn't expect this to be an in-depth letterboxing tool, just a neat way to explain the hobby to our kids, and interested family members.