Travel Books

The Soul of Baseball illuminates what life can be. It would help anyone get past their bitterness and see that life is about what I can do today and not what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow.

Poz is one of the best writers in the business. Thanks for writing a really great book about a great baseball man. Buck's is a great American story and the way it's written makes you feel like you're on the road trip with them.

This book got to me, in a very good way.

Buck's stories are funny and poignant, and we as readers definitely learn some history if we pay attention. But even more than that we can learn from Buck O'Neil's outlook on life. He was patient, caring, outspoken in an articulate and positive way (something our politicians should learn how to do), and he had grace. More than anything else reading about Buck O'Neil was a lesson on how to live with grace.

I want to tell you the last words of the book, but I won't.

If you like baseball, people or life you will like this book.

Highly recommended!!

Sometimes a great author writes a 5-star book, and sometimes he must only get out of the way and let 5-star material shine through. "The Soul of Baseball" is one of the latter. This isn't a knock on Joe Posnanski. The decision to tell the story by reporting on a year in O'Neil's life, rather than interpreting O'Neil's history, was a brilliant judgment. The reader benefits from Posnanski's willingness to set his writer's ego aside.

Another good Posnanski decision was reporting O'Neil's occasional querulousness. Rather than seeing O'Neil as a mindless happy face, the reader sees O'Neil as someone who must work to maintain his positive approach. The occasional lapses serve to highlight the effort that O'Neil makes to bring the light into the lives of those around him.

But ultimately, the star of the book is Buck O'Neil. Not because he was a great ballplayer or manager. But because he was a decent, good-hearted human being whose attitude toward life is worthy of emulation.

I give few 5-star rankings, but this book deserves it several times over.

My son, Jeremy, always gives me good books. He doesn't just pick up the latest best-seller, but takes the time to choose something special just for me. He hit a home run with The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski. It's the story of an extended road trip Posnanski took with legendary Negro League player and manager Buck O'Neil. The lessons learned along the way are great ones for sons and fathers to share.

Posnanski, an award-winning sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, chose not to write a biography of the irrepressible O'Neil, even though the story could bear to be told over and over again. Instead, he penned a moving memoir of the year he spent with the then-93-year-old O'Neil as he toured the country promoting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and the memory of those men who played the game in the days before whites and blacks could share the field. The trip takes them everywhere from Nicodemus, Kansas, to New York, New York, and O'Neil has a fascinating story to tell at every stop.

He talks about Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Josh Gibson, names that will always be enshrined in baseball's collective memory. But he also tells the tales of forgotten men like Dan Bankhead, the first black pitcher in the major leagues, who would have been a great hurler if he hadn't been afraid to pitch fastballs inside against white batters.

The key theme of the book is Buck O'Neil's spirit-lifting embrace of the best in every person he met. Despite years of back-breaking struggle, O'Neil never turned bitter, never condemned anyone for their prejudice, never had a bad word to say about the often ugly conditions the black ball players endured. Even when he failed to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Buck O'Neil refused to be angry about it. To make up for the egregious mistake, the Hall awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award after his death.

The lessons Posnanski drew from his experiences with O'Neil are well worth telling and the book he created from them is well worth reading.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

Although I have nothing but the utmost respect for these reknowned climbers and their worthy attempt to summit K2, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as some of the other climbing epics out there today.

It is interesting to see the difference in climbing narratives written back in the 50's as compared to those written in the last thirty years or so. It seems like there was a different attitude toward climbing in the 50's and before, one that was more supportive of teamwork and cooperation, whereas many of today's narrations are more reflective of each person being responsible for taking care of him or herself only (such as the '96 Everest disaster). As in the case of Art Gilkey's emergency situation, the entire team without question (at least in this rendition of the story) made the effort to get him off of the mountain.

I was somewhat bored by this narrative though (except for storm and the famous Pete Schoening team-arrest) and it's one-dimensional portrayal of the team members. It made me wonder if Houston and Bates were telling it like it really was. They were always very complimentary toward everyone on the team. But in extreme, stressful conditions (both mentally and physically) like these, don't people sometimes become short-tempered, or even withdrawn? But perhaps the authors' objective was not to give insight into individual team members and how they interacted with one another, but rather to just tell of their adventure and how, through remarkable teamwork, they were able to survive K2 against the odds, and live to tell about it.

I also would have liked to see more detailed maps of their route throughout the book, so it would be easier to follow them on their ascent and descent.

I won't deny that this book deserves a place with the other classic mountaineering epics, due to the extraordinary events that this team lived through. However, I prefer narratives that really tell it like it is, "warts and all." I want to get a true sense of the struggles (to feel like I am really there in the bitter cold), and come to understand each person who makes up the entire team.

At 28,250 feet, K-2 is the world's second highest mountain, 800 feet less than Everest. Mentally add 6,000 feet to K-2 for sheer meanness. Everest is considered a "snow" mountain; K-2 has everything. Snow, ice, rock, constant avalanches, loose shale and a generally evil disposition.

In 1953, an eight-man American team attempted to summit K-2. The book tells us of their meticulous preparations, financing and outfitting. I was struck by the fact the cost estimate for the entire 8-man expedition was $25,000. I recently read the cost for one ~person~ to join an Everest expedition is $80,000!

The two authors come across as fine, honorable, decent men. The entire team's bravery in adversity is inspiring. After a spell of fine weather during the first part of their ascent, all their luck went against them. One team member became seriously ill and a bitter storm locked them in their "camp" for seven days. The camp was a mere outcropping on a rocky ledge. The wind almost blew them off their fragile platform. They were determined to carry out their dangerously ill member. The task was almost impossible to contemplate, let alone carry out. They were not successful only because the storm was so unrelenting.

I will not spoil the book for you by describing their descent. The authors will astound you with their story. Highly recommended

A 1953 climb still translates in 2002. This is a detailed account cowritten by two of the climbers and is very detailed including the long walk in. I was surprised how little mountain climbing had changed although it did appear distances traveled daily were less as they required 8 campsites to get to the peak. I find books on mountaineering expeditions very interesting although the climbs themselves contain long periods of boredom. This expedition is no different as a brutal storm stops the climbers just short of the summit. The book does a great job detailing how high altitude can effect a climber's body. One of the writers was a doctor.

Needless to say, the long, unforgiving storm takes it's toll on the men placing them in ultimate peril. Getting down from the high altitude, steep face carrying a wounded member led to the most incredible living disaster I have ever read. Well, living for most of the climbers

Read this book for adventure and historical climbing perspective.

A riveting read, this book chronicles the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition. The authors, members and integral part of that illustrious team of eight expeditioners, regale the reader with their account of the tragic circumstances with which they were faced while attempting to summit K2, a five mile high mountain, second only to Everest in height but infinitely more perilous to ascend.

The book recounts the myriad of detail which went into the formulation of that expedition, from the selection of its respective team members to the type and quantity of supplies necessary for such an ambitious endeavor. The book, in fact, includes a series of appendixes which lists in minute detail a day to day travel chronology of the expedition, a list of all equipment necessary, the breakdown of the various foods taken, the medical supplies needed for the venture, and a list of financial costs and transport requirements. In short, it provides everything one may have ever wanted to know about what goes into mounting an expedition. Nostalgia buffs, as well as climbing enthusiasts, will revel in the plethora of information!

The book also grounds the reader in the historical, as well as geographical, pedigree of K2 and the challenges which it has presented over time. It recounts the previous reconnaissances and expeditions which had traveled to the environs of K2. Interestingly enough, on this expedition, unlike prior ones, Hunza mountain porters from a small border state in northern Pakistan, rather than Sherpas, were employed, due to the prevailing political winds of the time.

The journey of the expedition over the remote and primitive reaches of the then infant country of Pakistan is a death defying venture in and of itself. Imagine the expedition with its hundred and twenty five native Balti porters, each carrying sixty pound loads, crossing raging rivers in ancient barges said to be similar to those used by Alexander the Great in leading his armies across the same river! At other times, they crossed turbulent river waters, using rafts made up of inflated animal bladders which were lashed together. They traversed across wide gorges over bridges made of woven willows and twigs. These so called bridges had an alarming tendency to turn upside down, promising to send the hapless traveler to a certain death below! Fortunately, the expedition was able to avert death at this stage of its journey.

Upon reaching Base Camp, an assault upon K2 was quickly launched. With the assistance of the Hunzas and a stretch of good weather, Camps I through III were established with a minimum of fuss. The Hunzas, however, did not progress beyond Camp III, as the expedition members felt it wiser to ascend without them, given the Hunzas' limited high altitude experience and equipment. From then on, the expeditioners, eager for a summit bid, did all the loading and carrying work up the mountain, ultimately establishing Camp VIII at an elevation of about 25,500 feet. It was there that the beginning of the end took place.

While at Camp VIII, all eight members of the expedition found themselves storm bound for seven days. Despite being buffeted by hurricane force winds, driven snow, lack of sufficient food, drink, and sleep, all while trapped in the death zone without supplementary oxygen, they still clung to their summit dream.

That dream ended abruptly when one of them became desperately ill with thrombophlebitis, and needed to be evacuated. Their nightmare had begun. Though it was seemingly impossible to lower the ill climber down the face of K2, this group of brave men would not abandon their fallen comrade. A break in the storm, a desperate plan to save their friend, and they started off with him in tow only to have their escape aborted by the potential for avalanche. They retreated back to Camp VIII and by the next day were ready to execute an alternate plan of evacuation.

Once again, they began the grim descent with their now catastrophically ill and courageous comrade in tow, this time during a storm with driven snow and gale force winds. Braced upon snow swept ridges, they began the arduous task of carefully lowering their friend down the relentlessly steep slope of K2. There, two of them survived a skirmish with an avalanche. Despite the peril, they continued down the mountain with great fortitude. Suddenly, one of them lost his footing, however, and five of them went tumbling down the mountain side, only to have their fall abruptly checked by an amazing belay executed by the youngest member of the expedition. Despite illness, injuries and frost bite, the eight man team was still intact.

Unfortunately, it was not to remain thus. Shortly after, a heartbreaking and tragic accident occurred, resulting in a death which will move the reader to tears. The book culminates in a remarkable and harrowing descent by the remaining survivors, many of whom were incapacitated by the injuries and frostbite incurred along the way. Their survival is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and its enormous will to live.

The story of the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition is one of the most amazing and spellbinding in the annals of mountaineering history. Gripping in its telling, it is a must read for all climbing enthusiasts and for all who simply love a great read.

Houston, Bates and Bell's account of their "53 attempt to reach K2 is absolutely through in its coverage. If this wasn't enough, they manage to allow us to share this epic struggle not only through their clear descriptions of the events but also by giving us their honest emotions. It was truly a well-chosen team who deeply cared for each other. How noble of them to attempt to save their dying fellow climber Gilkey when most would have thought it folly and how miraculous the survival of their big fall. I have a feeling that a weaker team would not have gotten back off the mountain. Excellent book.

Based on the summary the book sounded amazing for someone like me, who aspires to travel everywhere! To me this book seems like a pre-cursor or more mature version of a 2006 (I think?) book entitle Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Parts of this book were a bit slow to me & while it is supposed to be a documentary of Steinbach's life with some advice worked in, I found certain parts hard to relate to. Specifically, Steinbach constantly refers to her childhood memories & imagines relatives of her past in her [then] present situations. I am 25 so am not @ the same point she is/was, which is why I'd say this book is more "mature". I just could not connect MY family/MY emotions with HER relatives & HER personal memories.

Nonetheless, there are some wonderful life lessons that anyone, of any age, can take away from this book. Likewise, Steinbach artfully mixes in traveling advice. Last, I liked that she covered typical, popular cities (i.e. Paris) for traveling but also undiscovered, off-the-beaten-path cities as well! I would recommend this and/or read again, just not a favorite.

This was one of those books that I did not want to end. I enjoyed hearing about the author's travels and her experiences. I found her to be interesting and curious about the places and the people she encountered. She shared her experiences and her feelings in an intimate and friendly way. I look forward to reading her other books.

Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach looked like a good book as I strolled through Barnes n Noble bookstore one afternoon. So I bought it and couldn't wait to get home and start reading it. I think I got maybe halfway through it before the sheer boredom nearly knocked me out. I have several issues with this book and I'm going to address all of them.

First, I am 30 years old. The writer of this book is potentially in her 40s or 50s and I wasn't too interested or excited by her lifestyle. Separated with kids is not appealing to me. There was not even a remote stitch of sensualness to her character - to me, it was reading the boring travels of a middle aged woman - and sometimes, it felt like she was already in her 70s.

Second, no one I know travels to Europe and just walks into cafe's and meets and makes friends that easily. As much as I'd like to talk to others, I'm also very careful when I'm in a foreign country. I found it hard to believe that she made all these perfect friendships everywhere she went.

Third, the Japanese man she had a "relationship" with. It was never outright stated whether they had sex and most of the time she spent describing scenery when they were together. A virtual sleep fest. Again, this made the author appear to be in her 70s.

Fourth, once she left Paris - I tried to continue reading on for the London and Italy journeys but I must admit the lack of dialogue and overall lack of interest kept me from doing this. She spent eight pages being ill and talking about that...and I was bored to tears.

I recently travelled for business and brought the book with me in the hopes I could finish it on the plane. I could barely read through it and had wished instead that I bought a glossy magazine. As I exited the airport, I threw the book away. $14.95 ill spent dollars and I refuse to tolerate that.

I will not buy anything further from this author.

There is a lot to say about Steinbach's travel memoir. Unfortunately, most of it isn't good. The author tries to use allusions (mostly of the literary kind) that stick out awkwardly in the prose and are usually inappropriate; her metaphors are forced and distract the reader from the storyline. Many of her observations are corny, and the conversations and people she meets seem contrived and unrealistic. I'm not sure it's possible to create that many close personal friendships without the use of exaggeration. Steinbach has a grating way of using colons (which, believe it or not, is actually something one begins to notice because it is so irritating). Furthermore, she continuously dumbs down the reader with constant repetition and explanations of siutations that are very easy to understand. Steinbach also has a knack for creating a problem or drama where there is none - for instance, this gem: "The problem was, the Amalfi Coast was almost too much of a good thing," which prompted two paragraphs filled with a dilemma that was neither valid nor interesting. Overall, this book is forgettable. The secondary characters (believabilty aside) are more interesting than the author, and some of the images (when not being overused) are worth seeking out. Otherwise, the consumer should feel free to find something else, and not waste one's time on a piece of repetitious claptrap.

I think the title is odd because Alice Steinbach definitely had reservations about going on the trip and she made most of her overnight reservations before she left.

A very pleasant book, but it really isn't about being alone--it's more about the people she met. Which is fine because that's what made the book interesting sometimes. Her dreams, earlier regrets, and postcards to herself are perfect for the nights when it's hard to get to sleep.

I enjoyed reading about her romance with the Japanese gentleman. Actually, I've been to Japan many times and was astonished by it. I also loved her story about the young woman she met in Italy who was to be married soon. That was excellent.

All-in-all, it's a pleasant and well written read and I felt as though the author could be a friend. Maybe because I'm about the age now that she was when she was on the trip. It might have been a wonderful adventure for her, but for me it was just a sweet travel memoir.

My seven-year-old and I are both pleased with the ideas of things to do in this book. O'Sullivan has selected 101 outstanding ideas of places to go to enrich a child's (or adult's) life. From visiting a lighthouse, to checking out a forest canopy to eating at a quirky restaurant (such as South Carolina's South of the Border restaurant), they are all easy-to-do and worth doing, and they create experiences your child won't forget. The stickers are great fun--my son has already posted what he has accomplished already and is ready-to-go on the next adventure. A++++ book.

I bought this book so my 10 year old son and I could look through it for ideas on places to visit. It comes with stickers that you place on the pages - for example "Been There," "No Way," "Top 20," and "Awesome Adventure." We had such a fun time going through the book and remembering things we've done and talking about things we would like to do, for example visit a "Big Cave." The ideas are broad so you can find them in almost any area of the country, like "A Working Farm" or "The Home Your Parents Grew Up In" or a "Marvel of Engineering." I left a pretty poor review of "500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up," but this is exactly the type of book I was hoping to find. There are pages in the back for notes on your travels, and we plan to go back and write in where we visited. Very well done book, BRAVO!!

I bought this book for a 9 year old girl for Christmas. She LOVES it!!! She spent quite a bit of time looking at it and placing the included stickers on the places she wants to go. Then, she and her mother sat together and talked about places to visit. It was a great gift and I highly recommend this book!

This is a great book for a person of any age provided that they are interested in getting off the couch. This is the second time I have purchased this book but probably not the last. This purchase is for a Christmas gift for a nephew. The last purchase was for a birthday gift for a different nephew. I'm not sure if the recipients love it as much as I do. I wish someone had given me a book like this when I was younger. Two big thumbs up!

Books that encourage one to aspire to see all the world great sites are inspiring, but it not realistic for everyone to see the Taj Mahal and Patagonia.

This book brings adventure closer to home, and is wonderfully flexible and practical. Everyone can and should see a Migration Path, a Fort, a Working Farm, a Street Market and the House Where Their Parents Grew Up.

Besides, who doesn't want to recapture those elementary years?

This is an interesting planning guide for ATC Thru-Hikers. I don't know that it is a necessity for experienced hikers or outdoorsmen.

There is a section on recommended mail drops that is helpful, but this book recommends that you cross check the information with the current year Thru-hikers companion. I haven't read the thru-hikers companion yet, and I had the feeling that the books may be somewhat redundant.

This is the first book I bought when I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. Very informative book. Almost everything you want to know about the trail, preparing to hike the trail, etc... Must have book for newcomers to the AT.

I enjoyed this action packed voyage back in time because it made adapting to the new reality much more difficult than the voyagers from Grantville had. I thought the Grantville people had it too easy, too many modern comforts were blasted back with them. Just the idea of managing and feeding thousands of convicts makes your head throb, then throw in no grasses to eat and some dinasaurs and you have lots of problems. Loved it.Some of those questions of the effect of the shift of Grantville had on those who remained behind were tied up. People speculating was interesting, too. I hope there is another in this series.

I always try to find something good in a book, especially when it's by an author I usually love to read. However, the combination of Eric Flint and Marilyn Kosmatka left me wondering why I bought it in hardcover, which is also not the first time I've read Flint's collaboration with another unknown author and was left asking questions about the publisher's sanity at times.

Time Spike seems to pick up roughly a few years after the Ring of Fire event in Grantville. In Marion, Illinois is where the setting originally takes place. The maximum security prison features a very interesting and eclectic collection of prisoners, including one man (who is a central character) who was wrongfully convicted. Very stereotypical mislabeling of the justice system.

Right around here was when I started scratching my head. One of the main characters was a skilled boxer, and I recalled in the 163x series that the leader of Grantville was also a boxer. A coincidence that so many boxers are thrown back willy-nilly into alternate time lines, or simple laziness on the author's part?

Another problem I had was with the speed that the people acclimated themselves. Grantville (163x series), without the plethora of prisoners running around wild, was still trying to get set up and be stable a year after the event. The prison, though filled with rapists, murderers and the like (you don't get into a maximum security prison for writing bad checks, by the way), seem to have an easier time coping with the change and turns not one but two towns into boom towns.

Indeed, the prisoners "with the heart of gold" bit grew stale after a time. I'm thinking that this is a problem for people who have watched "Pretty Woman" too many times and then tried to write a novel. The "hooker with a heart of gold" act grew tiresome in that movie as well, and towards the end of the book I started hoping that a dinosaur was going to come along and pull a Godzilla act on the prison proper. That perhaps would have been more entertaining than another love at first sight story, or the black guard falling in love with a prisoner roughly ten minutes after meeting him. I'm sorry, but how many guards look at a prisoner and think "I can look past his faults and fall for him"?

Time Spike is a huge let down, and I was immensely disappointed in it. It was not very believable, and I can usually suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy almost any book. I could not with Time Spike, however. I do hope that this was a stand alone, and the authors do not attempt to turn this book into a series.

Bascially another space-time surge hits the Earth, directly on a maximum security prison in Illinois. This one is different however. As it hits the prison and all 200 guards and 2000 prisoners are transported back to the Triassic era, the 'Timespike' as it gets labeled gets hammering the timeline as it goes back, thus the prison ends up in the past along with the Cherokee Indians from 1838, a Spanish expedition from 1540, the Moundbuilder Indians and many other Indian tribes from the Middle Ages. It also brings back a bunch of animals and dinosaurs from the pre-human eras.

So you have prison guards, serial killers, Cherokees, US Army soldiers, sadistic Spanish conquistadores, T-Rexs, Utahraptors (the one from Jurassic Park, which many characters in the book comment on-"Those are Spielbergs monsters! Jesus we coulda been killed", saber-toothed tigers, savage Indians and a bunch of cool characters trying to figure out how the hell they're going to survive in this new tropical, massive creature infested world with a priosn full of some of the worst criminals in the country.

In addition to this the action flashes back to the normal time where some scientists have been monitoring for anything like this to happen (as it happened previously in 1632/Ring of Fire) so they are able to monitor it and we get to see a small set up of a long teerm project dedicated to finding the truth behind these space-time anomaly and dissapperences of towns and prisons.

I am a big fan of time travel stories and this one showed promise - despite the fact that the publisher was asleep at the switch and got the name of the main character wrong.

Still...

The first few dozen pages were great, and the concept is good. The problem is that the author never seems to DO ANYTHING with it. The character's are mostly cardboard, except for "Our Hero" who is ALWAYS the stoic leading man type, The others are caricatures.

The plotline is choppy, switching from NOW to Then with two completely different groups, only the NOW portion (A groups of scientists, I think) goes nowhere except into a romance that goes nowhere. Though events are talked about they are never brought into focus and the ending just - well, ends.

If this is book one in a Series, well I will withold judgement, but if it is a stand alone... It is like 7-up without the LemonLime aftertaste.

Time Spike is collaboration between Eric Flint and Karilyn Kosmatka in the same storytelling universe as Flint's 1632 series (hereafter referred to as 163x) -- though the events of that series features little in this story. The story has twin plot threads: One element deals with the people transported into the past and the other deals with a group of scientists left behind struggling to understand the event (and the earlier "Grantville Event" that created a group of people able to understand a second event). I'll address that latter plot thread in a moment.

In short, a small area of southern Illinois along the Mississippi River is thrown back in time to the Cretaceous Period. It's basically the same idea behind 1632, but it's quite a bit more action-oriented than 1632, despite dealing with the same sort of basic survival and growth story. To make things different from 1632, Flint also throws in the curve that event picks up people and places from time periods between the modern day and the Cretaceous. In effect, it creates a situation where southern Illinois resembles something out of Baxter's novel Time's Eye -- a mosaic world of different times and places.

There seems to be a fair bit of hand-wavery involved in order to create the most interesting setting for a story. Flint seems to have picked and chose what characters, flora and fauna he wanted transported to this period. The area of effect grows the further back in history you go, so while the modern portion of the event is limited to just a maximum-security prison, it encompasses a far larger area in the 1830s, 1500s, 1000s, and 600s AD.

In addition to the maximum-security prison that serves as the linchpin of events, there's also a substantial number of Cherokees who were on the Trail of Tears, multiple native villages, a large number of interesting animals from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, and the most interesting grab -- several hundred Spaniards of Hernando de Soto's American expedition in the 1540s. If you've got an eye for archaeology, you'll really enjoy some of the descriptions of 'native' life, and even if you don't, there's plenty of eye candy along the way.

I won't go into much detail about the plot -- a cast of characters that includes the Mounds Civilization, a modern maximum-security prison, a caravan of Cherokees, and several hundred conquistadors should create all sorts of wonderful images in your mind. I'm pleased to say that most are brought forward and are very well colored in the book, even if we don't get much characterization beyond the "modern" Americans. The rest of the characters are cardboard cutouts -- well-colored cardboard cutouts, to be sure, but underdeveloped.

There are plenty of references to Flint's earlier works; in particular his "Rivers of War" and 163x series. There's also several quick allusions to other alternate history books, including For Want of A Nail. The book doesn't pull any punches with the descriptions of life in a maximum-security prison, nor does it shy away from reams of bloody gore wrought by conquistadors or criminals. In some places, the action becomes extremely gory, but serves to advance the plot, rather than just being imagination candy.

There are, however, some problems. The most glaring of these is the "modern" plot line, which revolves around a 'Project' of scientists who came together after the Grantville Event to discover the mysterious truth behind Grantville's disappearance in the 163x series (the government having clamped down on most knowledge of the Event). This plotline begins as the scientists detect something strange in Illinois and attempt to get to the Illinois site before the event, but arrive just too late. They proceed to gather evidence and make their case that there's a giant coverup.

It's all well and good, but it's just plain boring. The whole plotline reads like nothing more than fanservice to the folks who read the 163x series, and doesn't contribute to the book. It merely distracts from the story of the others trapped in the Time of the Dinosaurs (though admittedly serving as a way to explain what's happened fairly well). I found myself skipping the chapters towards the end that contained this secondary plotline.

Flint also continues his habit of including romances in every story he writes. I don't have a problem with that -- what better way to create rounded characters, after all. But the problem comes from the fact that he created several romances in each plotline. Because there's so many, it's tough to keep the relationships straight and the story moves too quickly for adequate development. I wasn't made to care that so-and-so fell in love with so-and-so by the end of the story.

The other things that bugged me were the standard problems of alternate history: the story has bad cases of know-it-alls and "As you know, Bob" syndrome. Flint needed to have characters who knew how to survive and he needed to have characters who knew what was happening in order to explain those facts to the reader. Unfortunately, there's far too few places where someone says "I don't know." Those breaks are always refreshing, to me, and create a wonderful sense of trial-and-error, similar to Martin Padway's experiments in Lest Darkness Fall or those of the Crosstime Engineer in the first three books of that series (before it went completely off the rails).

Even with these problems, the central story is an enjoyable one. There's a lot of wonderful color in the beginning of the book (though I did have to puzzle through some jailhouse slang), and Flint uses a lot of his research for past books in this one. At only one point (in a scene with the Cherokees) does that research seem to be overdone.

The book feels as if Flint wrote about 60% and that Marilyn Kosmatka wrote about 40%, but I imagine that the percentage is probably closer to 80/20 in Kosmatka's favor based on past Flint collaborations. There are places when the writers' styles differ, particularly when you compare the jailhouse scenes with those involving the Cherokees, but I'd say that it was a successful collaboration overall. The book starts out well, does very well in the middle sections, but I found myself disappointed by the ending. It seemed too much of a pat ending, but it seems as if Baen or the authors themselves wanted to leave a big hook for a sequel if this one sells well enough. This could've been a really good one-off novel, but the need to leave a hook really took away something in my eyes.

Even with these little nits, I'd recommend picking it up. If you're a fan of the 163x or Rivers of War series, you'll enjoy it. If you're not a fan of Flint's writing, I'd say that it doesn't quite measure up to 1633 -- that's probably the gold standard in my eyes.

It's worth getting on release for Flint fans. All others should probably wait until paperback.

A must if you plan on going to any of the historical areas of the Holy Land. Much superior to any of the "name" travel guides, incredible detail and historical perspective.

Great description of both the sights and the surroundings of all of the different areas of the Holy Land. Provides background to understand the significance, as well as other importance in other times.

Very informative with good descriptions. The language is a little difficult to interpret at times and I wish there was a little more history with each site, but overall a great guide.

This book is filled with the knowledge of vast experience and travel. If you want a book that doesn't just give the religiously naive and superstitious what they want to hear (like so many do), then this is your book. Excellent in several ways.

Recommended to me by an archaeolgist long active in Israel, I found this book quite helpful in appreciating a number of sites (and sights) I recently visited (and saw) in the Holy Land. For folks who are looking to learn more about various ancient sites than the typical tour guide can offer, this will be well worth its price. In addition to its being informative, I found the personality of its author evident and engaging.

If you are going to do The White Mountains, here's your book. Useful, hold that, extremely useful trail maps... If you want to do the 48 4000 footers in NH, this is a great tool to plan your travels!

"THe White Mountain Guide" is the Appalachian Mountain Club's 28th and Centennial edition of its popular and indispensible hiking guide to New England's top outdoor recreational area. The guide itself, once past a few introductory chapters on safety and geography, has descriptions of each of the established trails in the region. Each description tells how to get to the appropriate trailhead, a narrative of the trail itself, and a breakdown by distance and elevation change of the major segments of the trail. These trail descriptions, updated for each edition of the guide, are invaluable in planning anything from a day hike to a multi-day trip in the beautiful White Mountains.

The guide comes in a small cardboard box with three double-sided color maps that provide coverage of all the trail routes. The maps are detailed, easy to read, and at a usable scale for the White Mountains. Inexplicably, the maps included with the guide are paper and unlikely to stand up to repeated field use in the conditions often found in New Hampshire. Dedicated hikers are recommended to invest in the waterproof and tear-resistant versions of these maps, also published by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

This guide is very highly recommended to hikers and walkers planning an outing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

This is a great set of maps and trail descriptions, though its not much for planning or suggesting anything in the white mountains. The trail maps are very well detailed, complete, and having the mileage on them directly is a nice addition. The book is a hard to use for planning, though it works for simply looking up a particular hike and reading some about the difficulty and anything you need to know to not get lost.

This is the first edition of the WMG that I have owned, but owners of previous editions have pointed out that the maps in this edition are superior to theirs because the new maps include mileage on every single trail in the White Mountains. It is too bad that they are paper and not Tyvek or some other waterproof material, because they are already falling apart. If you are an avid hiker in the Whites, I suggest getting the Tyvek ones sold seperately.

The guidebook itself is exhaustive and lists every detail of every trail, which is useful if you already have a route picked out but not if you are trying to find a good hike and aren't sure where to go. For that, I recommend Michael Lanza's New England Hiking or New Hampshire Hiking from Foghorn Outdoors.

This 100th anniversary edition of WMG comes in a box that came unglued fairly quickly and then again after I reglued it. I would get rid of the box altogether except that the book doesn't have a pocket in the back for the maps like other AMC guidebooks do and I don't want to lose them. I hope that future editions of this guide will do away with the box and go back to the pocket.

If you do not have your own copy of WMG and are looking to purchase one, this is definitely the product to buy. If, however, you already have an older edition of this book, I would suggest buying the Tyvek maps seperately and wait for a few more editions to be published before replacing your book.

Just what I was looking for, a guide with all kind of details about the routes of the beautiful white mountains. This is a very complete guide and it is well complemented with the maps that come with it. Some visuals could be a good add to the book but the excellent descriptions are enough and clear.

Good buy for those seeking adventure at the whites.

This is one of a very short list of outstanding books for cruisers. Anyone thinking of cruising should read it, study it, and keep it on board. It's all about what makes a cruising boat run, how to avoid problems, and how to trouble shoot and fix them when they inevitably occur. Read and study it first, then don't leave the dock without it.

This a great book for "go now and cheap" or "lots of toys" cruisers. It covers all the skills you need as a beginner, buying a boat, weather, everything! The only book you need for simple cruising like I did. www.sailingfreespiirit.com

Skip the rest. Read the best. After purchasing several hundred pounds of boating publications I can definitively say, "Save yourself the trouble and buy this first."

I took this book out of the library, then renewed it for a second two weeks and still decided it had so much information I just NEEDED a copy of my own on board. Don't sail without it. An encyclopedia of information.

My husband and I currently own a CS30 that we race and cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. We have been seriously considering moving up to a 37-40 ft cruiser. We bought this book (among several others) to prepare for cruising. It is fantastic. He covers every topic imaginable in an easy to digest format. It is a resource you don't want to be without!