Travel Books

Planning a beach or destination wedding can be costly and time consuming. We recommend that all our wedding clients get and read Destination Weddings For Dummies. The time and headaches it will save you is well worth the price of the book.

Reed Johnson
[...]

This book is great. I love it. There are so many details that it goes over. A BIG HELP FOR DESTINATION WEDDINGS.

I'm kind of obsessive, so I bought The Knot destination wedding book and the Destination Bride book too. They're both good, but this is probably the only one you need if you're just buying one. The Knot book has lots of nice pictures of other people's weddings which can give you decorating ideas, but not much practical info. Destination bride is good b/c it's by a real wedding planner.

What I liked about this book is that it first helps you decide if you're the kind of couple who should have a destination wedding (we are!). And then there's a chapter that really helps spark ideas on where you can have the wedding, in a place that's going to make sense for you and your FH.

The book tells you about all kinds of places to get married -- not just hotels but also parks and beaches all over the world. And if you're just in a rush or don't want to spend a lot of money, you can find out how to have a wedding in Las Vegas (I'm tempted!) for under $1500, and that includes flights, hotels, ceremony, and even the ring. But I have my heart set on a beach wedding, and you can't do that in Las Vegas!

Susan knows her stuff and she puts it to the reader in a well-written way that any "dummy" can understand. As far as I'm concerned that's the mark of a good communicator. Susan is also an excellent researcher so you can be sure that there is the most up-to-date information and choices of properties in this book. This is a read that every bride or romantic will want on their bookshelf. And it makes a good shower gift as well!

The cheat sheet alone is worth the price of the book, especially for the guide to the new wedding-related online lingo. My GBF was my BM -- and I didn't even know it!

Like all the Eyewitness Guides I've used, this is chock full of pictures and lively information. I'm sure it will be hugely useful on my trip.

What happened to the rest of Cambodia? Last time I saw Angkor Wat it was still in Cambodia. What gives? Does Cambodia not rate reviewing? Gezzzz

If you want pretty pictures of a few sites in each city, buy this guidebook.

If you want the in-depth logistical information you need while traveling - doctors in Saigon, how good/bad the train really is, more than a handful of hotels/restaurants in each town, names of interesting shops - buy something else.

I bought this ONLY because Lonely Planet got horrible reviews and Footprint, which are my guidebooks of choice, had not been updated in a couple of years. I will never buy it again.

This book is a big disappointment. I thought it would be filled with maps and diagrams of the places discussed. Nope. Just a couple of very basic maps and I do mean basic. Much of the information appears to be out-of-date and there are many omissions in the Roatan section so I am guessing the same goes for the rest of the book. The parts that I did read were so boring and generic that I really couldn't get more than a few pages in each section. Yeah, it has some nice color photos in the front of the book. But I could have gotten that elsewhere. BIG disappointment.

I read this book fairly through in trying to determine where and what to do Honduras. Afterwards I ordered the Moon handbook of Honduras and was much more impressed with the maps, detailed descriptions and the quantity of information. Just the better book period.

As you would expect a Lonely Planet guide to be, this book is thorough and complete with gorgeous color photos and many maps. We are headed to Honduras via Roatan on February 17th and will be taking this book along! I purchased it to give as a gift but I couldn't help sneaking peaks in it before I wrapped it!

This is one of the few books solely on Honduras and their coverage of all aspects of travel there is excellent. Specifics such as language help, money, health, and transportation are well defined. Plus a good read for history.

Just returned from 2 weeks in South Africa on a hybrid business/pleasure trip, where I went on Safari in Kruger, visited Soweto, Newtown, Sandton and Benoni in Johannesburg for work, went to Port Elizabeth, and then to Durban (Scottburgh, Amanzimtoti, Umhlanga and Shaka Zulu), and finally back to Pretoria for work. I took two books with me: this "Eyewitness Travel Guide" and the Frommers' South Africa book. I really found the "Eyewitness" to be more along the lines of something you might read BEFORE you go. There are beautiful pictures and descriptions of things, but it doesn't tell you how to get there, who to contact, where to stay (in an easy way) that's close by, etc. It's more of a teaser, really. When I unpacked my suitcase, it was clear that the Frommers book is much better - it was well worn by the time I got back, with highlights and notes and dog-eared pages. For my money, I'd get Frommers to keep with you while you are in WILD South Africa. If you want to see beautiful photos, get "The Eyewitness Guide." Just my opinion. Have a wonderful trip - it is an intense and beautiful country.

This was one of several books we bought for a trip to South Africa. The book itself is beautiful-good photos, concise descriptions, good background and is itself a keepsake of the trip. It provided some good background and historical information about the different areas of the country and what to expect, but it is not the kind of book that will tell you all you need to know about where to stay, what time the trains run, etc. It is a great start to get excited about where you're going, but should only be considered as an adjunct to another book (like Frommers or Lonely Planet) that provides all the nuts and bolts information you actually need to travel there. If you have both, you're in great shape, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it ahead of time.

Basically this is a useless book. It gives a broad overview of very basic things. It is in NO WAY a travel guide. It does, however, have nice pictures! I returned to book!

I think these DK guides are fantastic, they not only make nice travel guides, but are good to have whether you plan to travel to that particular destination or not. Frankly, the reviewer who stated he returned this book and gave it one star is an idiot of the first order. South Africa is an amazing country with very distinct parts, this book does a fine job of breaking the country up and giving the history and the highlights of each region. If you have any interest in South Africa or just like travel guides, then pick this up you wont be disappointed. As for South Africa itself, lord let's hope they dont elect another neianderthal to run the country, but from what ive heard the ANC has nominated another corrupt pol to be the next president..for what is considered the most forward country in Africa..ill grant you that is not saying much, just look at Zimbabwe..South Africa seems to be going backward..how sad.

ANOTHER HIT FOR THE DK SERIES, THEY HAVE BECOME MY GO TO BOOK FOR TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. GREAT PHOTOS AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND. SUGGESTIONS FOR ALL PRICE RANGES.
THANKS

I love the whole series and I recommend it for anyone ages 11 and up. Meg Cabot is my favorite author and this book WOW'd me more than any other book I've read by her! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I read these books a few years ago from the library, When a friend picked them up at a bookstore recently, I decided to flip through them again. It wasn't long before I had to buy my own set and re-read them.

Darkest Hour is my favorite in the series as it introduces some interesting new characters and serves as a pivotal turning point in Susannah's relationship with Jesse. The storyline is very intriguing, and humorous, as always. There is plenty to keep the pages turning.

I recommend this series for any girl who likes her love stories a little more unconventional and less Disney. =D

THIS WAS THE BEST OF THE FIRST 4 BOOKS!! Seriously, my favorite!! From the beginning to the end is amazing and very surprising. I didn't want to stop reading. Im a girl of 13 years old and I seriously recomend the series to grade 7 to up.

My daughter got me hooked on this series and I was surprised at the great writing.

I love this book , and I love the character Jesse. This book is nothing but nonstop action and thrills , and some parts are so sad , and how Suze does to get Jesse back is certainly is unexpected. Although the new character Paul is very intriguing and I like his character , I can't wait to read the next book to find out about him.And I love the ending . Meg cabot really undone herself this time!

As would be expected with a Michelin map, this newly updated version of their formerly huge and unwieldy France Atlas is a vast improvement. It still maintains the same scale, but in smaller pages (and, alas, more of them). Still, it's indispensible for a motoring trip to France.

Very helpful and accurate. Had even the tiny back roads and gas stations marked.

Just what we needed to find our way around France. We seldom made a wrong turn; and when we did, we were able to u-turn ourselves around and find our way. The maps are defined enough to show most little roads and "paths" so that we could drive right to where we needed to be.

The Michelin Atlas is the comprehensive way to get around France. The scale is such that every road in France is included. They have reduced the page size in this edition to make it easier to use and compete with GPS. This beats GPS becvause although it doesn't tell you when to turn you can use it to plan your travels by leafing through it in your hotel in the evenings. If you are going to drive in France you NEED this book. The pages exactly match the Michelin online maps which is an additional bonus.

The sender said my address was wrong and charged me $8.00 to send it again. I asked them to cancel the order and refund my money. I haven't received it yet.

I needed a book from my son and purchased in amazon.com. They was excellent, the parcel arrived in less than week.

Carey McWilliams has been called "the single finest nonfiction writer on California--ever." This book, along with *California: The Great Exception* (1949), helped establish that reputation. Drawing on McWilliams's deep insight and remarkable versatility--he moved easily between the worlds of politics, law, literature, and journalism--this book, even after six decades, still captures the spirit and energy of a region that seems to remake itself continuously. *Southern California* has influenced not only journalists and academics, but also artists. One of its chapters, for example, inspired Robert Towne's Oscar-winning original screenplay for *Chinatown* (1974).

Unlike most historians, McWilliams also made history by serving in state government, arguing against the Japanese internment during World War II, and defending the rights of workers, minorities, and the unjustly accused--frequently in high-profile cases such as the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Hollywood 10. In one critical area after another, McWilliams mapped the social and political territory, raised the main issues, distilled the key facts, and proposed the most practical remedies. He's probably the most versatile American public intellectual of the 20th century, and *Southern California* is one of his masterpieces. Highly recommended.

Originally published in 1946, McWilliams describes the socio-historical and economic formations of Southern California from the "bottom up" in a way uncharacteristic for his time period. He unveils the racist, eurocentric, environmentally devastating, materialistic and otherwise ruthless basis for the area's hegemonic culture, economy, and social relations. Moreover, he adds great insight into the incorporation of California into the world capitalist system. He covers the use, abuse, and devastation of various peoples in the area including Native Americans, Californios, Chinese, Japanese, Oklahomans and Mexicans. He also offers insight into the materialism or 'fake' culture which has emerged from the area only to exploit the cultures it has destroyed. The book is a bit long winded at times, but overall is a must read for anyone intersted in the topics I've described. It would be of interest to anyone who appreciates Almaguer's Racial Faultlines, Pitt's The Californios, or even Montejano's Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas.

For all residents of Southern California past, present, or potential, there can be no better book about this unmatchable part of the world. Past residents (like myself) will sigh with fond remembrance, current residents will be amused, and potential future residents will be astonished. All will be entertained. The land, the geography, the history, and the weather. They're all discussed. The social outcasts, the wierd misfits, the kooks, the characters, and their schemes and dreams. It's all here, along with so very much more. Written by a longtime resident in a very entertaining style that combines dinner conversation with classroom lecture, this book will be a joy to anyone who has a love for the irreplacable experience of Living In Southern California. You will truly FEEL as though you are there. This book is one for the heart as well as the mind. Oh Los Angeles, how I miss you. Carey McWilliams, thanks for taking me back.

....California historian known to me, with his pithy style, his endlessly fascinating observations, and his anecdotes, rich in history and amusing in detail, which unlike the rivers of my state flow one after the other without any damming. I'm a native of Southern California, and I have yet to find a better book on this territory even though this one was originally penned in the late 40's.

The colonizers, the boosters, the flamboyant pillars of society who bamboozled, bulldozed, and boutiqued their way into California: they and other characters appear on the McWilliams stage in a fascinating--and at times disturbing--progression in which the land itself, that most neglected of characters, puts in appearances too. For we Southern Californians live in a land of constant paradoxes; to quote the author ("The Land of Upside Down"):

"To their amazement"--he means tourists--"they discovered that umbrellas were useless against the drenching rains of Southern California but that they made good shade in the summer; that many of the beautifully colored flowers had no scent; that fruit ripened earlier in the northern than in the southern part of the state; that it was hot in the morning and cool at noon...here, in this paradoxical land, rats lived in the trees and squirrels had their homes in the ground." No wonder we're all a bit topsy-turvy out here.

My one objection: I disagree with the author's description of the early Missions as "concentration camps." That through disease and, later, a mis-education that left the Native converts vulnerable to ranchero exploitation and settler genocide is beyond question; but however misguided their efforts, those early padres had no conscious agenda of wiping out a people. Nevertheless, McWilliams's detailed accounts of Mission life provide a much-needed antidote to the idealization and denial and Eurocentric bias that saturate most Mission histories.

If you want to know Southern California better, then of course you must stand on her soil and listen to her voices; but you could do much worse for an intro-at-a-distance than this fine book, which fellow natives will find confirming and eye-opening.

I didn't know that! What a fun and informational read. I can now entertain with true stories no one knows about. Highly recommend!

Where to begin?

Weird Kentucky covers so many fascinating subjects, making it difficult to pigeonhole. Old wive's tales? Check. Urban legends? They're here. The paranormal? Fox Mulder would be proud. And you'll meet a wealth of local characters from all corners of the Commonwealth, from the 18th century to today.

This is one of the most unique and interesting books I've ever had the pleasure to read. Weird Kentucky is a celebration of the many wonderful things that make the Commonwealth special.

If you know how to read, you'll enjoy this book immensely, even if you have no connections to Kentucky.

I recently picked up a copy of Jeffrey Scott Holland's "Weird Kentucky" book and, being from Kentucky, I was amazed at the stories I had never heard. The book is full of photos and every story is professionally written. I plan on purchasing extra copies and giving to friends. I certainly hope Jeffrey Scott Holland will be providing us with future books of the same caliber.

I was rounding the corner in Joseph Beth when I saw the Weird Kentucky display and I was giddy with glee!! This book is amazingly great for all us weirdos and you know who you are!! Don't bother trying to hide:)

For starters, did you know about the "blue people" in Perry County, Kentucky? Heck, I live just a few miles from there and I didn't. But some investigation on my part, and the book facts are dead on. The blue people did exist!!

Did you know that Kentucky has their own versions of Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil and the notorious "Goatman"? We also have our own version of AREA 51 in Bluegrass Depot. Amazing scary stuff.

There are giants and secret midget villages. Ghosts and lost cities, both above and underground. Secret societies abound, along with mysterious mounds.

This is really good stuff!! I felt like a kid on Christmas morning poring over the photos and all the nifty factoids. After reading this volume I know my summer vacation plans have changed. I want to go exploring my mysteriously fasnicating state.

Jump into WEIRD KENTUCKY with both feet. You're gonna to love the swim:)

This was my first venture into the works of Julia spencer-Fleming and it was totally enjoyable. I plan on reading more of her works when I next want to do some "light or escape" reading.
Her protagonist, Reverand Clare, is a delightful, daring and caring human being. There is a hint of forbidden romance with the local Police Chief and a humorous one-upmanship relationship between the two.
The plot is a little clumsy in places but the theme of hate crimes and the terror they cause make it worthwhile.

This book continues the relationship between Clare and Russ plus being a great mystery. I love these books and am looking forward to the latest in the series.

(Kindle format). Interesting book, bad e-formatting. Many format errors, including line spacing and kerning, words falling into the line below - it all makes for a very crowded, tight page. Forced hyphenation means odd hyphens in the middle of lines.

Strong characters, interesting story, although a little more politically/socially heavy-handed than the first book.

Some irritating automotive errors - the Reverend Clare drives a classic car which is worth upwards of $45,000, after complaining in the last novel that she couldn't afford to replace her MG B (which is not a luxurious high performance car, as is claimed in the first novel). There is no such thing as a "four hundred twenty seven liter" car. 427 cc or 4.27 liter, most likely.

Good story. A priest and a lawman artfully thrown together against the backdrop of crime in small town America. Engaging though the tale, a pageturner its not. The e-format of this edition is so clumsy that the slow-turning pages are a true barrier to their enjoyment.

The story is excellent and the author can be proud of it. She should, however, fire whomever created the Kindle version of her book. This is absolutely the worst Kindle-format book I have ever read. If I hadn't gotten it for free during a recent Amazon promotion, I would be asking for my money back.

What's wrong with it?
* First, the device renders each page so slowly that turning pages is annoying--every page! I've been told that this is a consequence of not using the font that's built into the Kindle firm-ware.
* Second, there's no table of contents, so you can't jump directly to a particular chapter.
* Third, there are no page breaks at the beginning of each chapter. I doubt the publisher would have been happy with this in his print edition.
* Fourth, the text looks like they didn't use a proper font. Rather, you see some broken letters like mis-prints in paper books, while the same letter nearby is perfect. Also, there are some lines where a given word will be out of place.

Don't spend your money on a poorly made Kindle edition. Get the paperback. A Fountain Filled With Blood (A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery)