Journals Books

This Christmas journal kept me awake several nights during holidays, keeping notes, writing down heirloom receipies and memories of my childhood Christmas and those of my parents,sticking old photos and using it both as a journal and a scrab book, proceedings that I love to do!
It gave a joyfull tone to my Christmas this year,and as it was the first Christmas as a family of four,in this journal I will record my childrens' first Christmas! I can't wait for the next Seasons to come, so I can give it to them to draw,stick or write something in it, so that everybody will remember for the years and generations to come! That's why I wished for more free space and less lines in it, so more photos and every kind of Christmas souvenirs can be holded in. Whith its present form demands a lot of writing(it is a journal after all),something that averts you to give it as a present,as not all people love to write(especially during holidays).

I received my first Mary Engelbreit Christmas Journal way back in 1996 as a gift from my sister. Already a fan of Mary Engelbreit, and journaling, this was the perfect gift for me! 1996 was a banner year for me, as I had just recently gotten married and my husband and I were eagerly sharing old Christmas traditions while starting some new ones.

This journal comes with two parts: Part 1 is entitled "Memories of Christmas Past" with sections including "How my parents celebrated", "My childhood Christmases", favorite photographs, recipes, and so on. Generous room provided for your answers.

Part II is entitled "Five Year Christmas Journal", and as indicated, follows with 5 sections for five years worth of memories. Each yearly chapter is broken down into: "Preparations for the Season", "Seasonal Fun", "Celebrating Christmas", and "Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead". Each of these sections provides thoughtful entry "starters" with plenty of room for elaboration. Also included is a red satin ribbon page marker, which is helpful.

I cannot express how very valuable this journal has been for myself and my family. After the first 5 years, I lucked out and found a stack on sale at a local bookstore -- without hesitation I bought enough for the next 20 years!

When I started this journal in 1996, I was newly married. 10 years later now (and just about to begin my 3rd journal!), my husband and I have three children, 2 cats and a dog (we even have Santa pictures with our pets occasionally included, LOL). The memories I have recorded for posterity are absolutely priceless. Every year I re-read previous entries and always think "I am SO glad I wrote that, I would have never remembered!".

Whether or not you are a Mary Engelbreit fan, this Christmas journal (and I've seen lots of them) is an absolute must-have for those hoping to preserve favorite holiday memories over the years.

Merry Christmas!

This is a great item! We are really happy with this Christmas Journal. This is a great bargain and a really thoughftul gift! We are looking forward to building memories & traditions & saving them so they may be cherished for years to come. You are buying much more than a book with this purchase. It is well worth the small price tag for what we got in return.

My wife and I got married just over a year ago. We bought our first home, and a little puggle (dog) at about the same time. Christmas came really fast last year with all the things going on at once. We now are looking to start a family, and really wanted to slow down and relax this time around as Christams approached. We have been focusing on the Holiday, decorating the house, getting into the season, starting our own traditions and enjoying time together over the holiday. We were really looking for a way to organize our thoughts and come up with our own Christmas traditions & routines. We felt a little like amatures. Although we both have enjoyed many Christmases, it is a little different now. No more depending on our parents...now we are the grown ups & it's our turn to orchestrate the festivities around the Holidays.

This Christmas Journal gave us exactly what we were looking for. We are enjoying it tremendously and look forward to continue filling it with our photos, memories, ideas & traditions, and then returning to it year after year. I definitely recommend it, and plan to buy more in the future to fill our years after year 5. I also think it makes a great gift, and we have decided we should buy some as special gifts to friends and family in the future.

I've had my journal for 5 years, and I have enjoyed pulling it out every year after Thanksgiving and (reluctantly) putting it away in January. It is so easy to keep up - great for busy people like me. The layout is simple and yet detailed. The beginning of the book records childhood memories and has space for a mass Christmas card list. Subsequent chapters cover each year up to five. I use the calendar to organize myself and have had a great time looking back on previous years where I recorded activities and special moments I had since forgotten - many very happy, some very sad, moments with people who are no longer here. Even the years when I felt little Christmas cheer, I always opened that book, and there is a comforting constancy to that. A tip from me. . . choose a favorite Christmas card every year that you have received from someone and tuck it in the book at the beginning of the chapter for that year. Another tip. . . buy the book - needless to say, I am online right now to order mine.

I am so glad to have found this Christmas Journal on Amazon. I got it 5 years ago and have recorded so many memories on it. It is the only time my family writes a journal, and the layout of the book is so inspiring. I am buying two for myself this year, and one for my sister. Glad to see it is still in print!

This is such a great book. I really enjoyed reading it. It tells Buddy, Ritchie and J.P.'s story in a very interesting and easy to follow book. I would recommend this book to any Buddy fan. Five stars!

This is a great book. I have always been interested in "The day the music died" I had read several books and magazine articles about Buddy Holly's life but there was little in the way of the actual Winter Dance Party or the other musicians. I purchased this book and was shocked at how well and detailed the accounts of the musicians lives and the aftermath of the plane crash was. Larry Lehmer did an excelent job and should be commended on telling the truth not just what Buddy Holly's widow wanted or others who are wanting to cover the truth about what life was really like for all those involved. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in rock and roll, Buddy Holly or just 50's style music.

This book is great because it not only tells of the careers of those involved in the Winter Party Tour, but also tells details leading up the crash (including stops in many small towns along the way). It was quite informative.
Buddy Holly is the best known,yet most elusive and enigmatic of all Rock 'n' Roll legends.This man was a genius.The way he constructed his songs was sensational.

The initial first run of this great book was not around very long and people have been begging since for a reprint and here it is! This one is hard to put down, it is intriguing, informative and FACTUAL, which most Buddy book are not (avoid the Amburn book at all costs). What is particularily nice is that it features a great deal of updated info about the last tour & crash, info about Roger Peterson, and a good deal about Ritchie & The Bopper that usually doesn't get included. Lehmer talks to people that were at the shows, helped with the Tour, etc. No wild theories here, just the facts. Top notch in every regard. You see any bad reviews here? 'Nuff said!

Larry Lehmer has crafted one of the better journalistic books about a historical rock 'n' roll event. He brings a newspaperman's observations and senses to the project, which connects all the dots in the tragic last tour for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. "The Day the Music Died" is not only entertaining -- somber and occasionally macabre in appropriate moments, and humorous elsewhere -- but it describes the days and weeks leading up to the tragic crash in Clear Lake through the eyes of people who were there. In each case, he paints a vivid portrait of a fallen star, making their stories all the more tragic. To read this book is to understand how American rock 'n' roll evolved from its early, innocent roots toward the fragmented, even chaotic market it encompasses today. I highyl recommend this book.

I recently bought this as a present for my fiance, he loved it. It's a really nice journal, for those of you who keep them. Plus new leather smells really good!

This handmade leather journal is beautiful and the price is reasonable. Leather journals are generally very expensive (anywhere from $60 to $100 dollars). So, this journal is a bargin. Love to write in it, smell it, and hold it. Highly recommen it!

There is something completely appropriate and right about a handwritten book being made by hand. It is to by-pass the modern age of mass production and mass minds. There is an umistakable feel to this book- it is made to be felt, caressed, and even smelled or tasted. It is from different age.
Potentially this journal is the greatest tome ever written- for it has infinite potential. This book can be anything. It can be you- your innermost thoughts lovingly, or feverishly, written out by hand. Writer and journal become one. That is how magic happens. This is especially true when you go back to read your journal and you find thoughts far beyond what you ever dreamed that you could express. Perhaps spirits look for this kind of book, and writer, so that they may inspire your soul and hand....

I searched every stationary store, insence shop, and bookstore in Denver looking for an apparition of my imagined journal. This was exactly what I was looking for. The book is lovely, with soft cover and very firmly bound. The pages are fascinatingly blank, and just waiting...

This journal is really just a beautiful leather journal cover wrapped around a machine-made journal insert. While the leather itself is wonderful -- soft and supple and with that beautiful leather scent -- the paper journal insert is rather inexpensively made . The paper has a glossy shean to it that does not reflect the style of the leather cover. This journal should have a heavy cotton paper, and not a commercial quality, shiny insert.

If you like to read gardening books this one is a keeper. I wanted to pack my bags and move to Vermont so that I could have an adventure like the lady in the book and create gardens in different areas on my property with a stream and a pond and a forrest, and and and...

What delightful moments "The Invisible Garden" by Dorothy Sucher presents to the reader. It's a memoir of a garden, no less, presented through the perceptions of the gardener.

This is a book for both gardeners and non-gardeners. Ms. Sucher shares the joys and frustrations of tending people as well as plants. As she fights brambles and weeds in the land, she negotiates the intricacies of memory and a variety of human relationships. This is a series of essays, actually, so this is a book to be enjoyed a piece at a time or, if time permits, indulged in with abandon -- like gorging on a box of chocolates.

The treat here, though, is how she illuminates her own growth through sketches of individuals who come into her (and her garden's) life. Her explorations of herself and the world of her garden continuously touch tender buds of awareness in the reader. Her style is direct and honest as she explores her expectations, frustrations, and failures crowned by the occasional triumph. This book should become a classic -- it's bound to be loved by everyone who stops to smell the flowers on the way through life.

Dorothy Sucher is a therapist by trade, and a gardener by avocation. As I read her book, "The Invisible Garden" I had a sense that she would make a good friend. She seems to have an appreciation of human limitations and frailties, and probably lives up to the old axiom "A friend is someone who forgets your shortcomings." Well, maybe not where her husband is concerned, but what can a gardener do with a guy whose allergic to the great out-of-doors and can't tell a Dandelion from a lily.

Ms. Sucher's book is not so much about gardening as it's about coming to terms with a yourself. Sure, she cultivates the garden, But she also understands it's existence is as ephemeral as the life of it's author.

Each of us carries our own memories of past gardens. I will always be reminded of my parents garden in North Carolina when I see daffodils blooming in the spring. My folks grew thousands of daffodils. I don't think my father ever met a daffodil he didn't try to grow. And everytime I see a Brunnera I think of my mother, standing over the little blue flowers and saying, "What are these things? I can never remember their name!" We all laughed because it's colloquial name is "forget-me-not."

The invisible garden consists of the cumulative memories of gardens past that you carry in your heart.

My bookclub has just finished reading this wonderful book. We all loved it; one member compared it to "Gifts from the Sea" with its evocation of quietude and solace. This is a book for gardeners, who will delight in the delicious insights Dorothy has as she hacks her way through the brambles beside her stream, as well as nongardeners, who will finally gain some insight into why gardeners delight in working the earth and transforming the landscapes outside ourselves into things of beauty. I found reading the essays enjoyable, humorous, and deeply satisfying. Each essay is easily read on its own, but together the book becomes a gardener's journal, a transcription of what goes on in a gardener's mind as she designs and transforms the land around her.

This is an enchanting book, subtle in working on many levels to capture and to hold your attention. The theme, intertwining the impact on her life of some family and friends with various aspects of gardening life, works surprisingly well. The workmanship is fine, in many senses of that word; as in grading gems, or in the weave of a great tapestry. It is something that her grandfather, or her neighbor Tom--both craftsmen in their own right, and important in her life--would recognize and admire. The style is somewhere between early John McPhee in The New Yorker, and Bill Bryson's latest book of essays, "I'm A Stranger..", between straight autobiographical and first-person commentary. It comes off very well, and you put down the book with some insight into a complex person still exploring herself and the world around her. The insight reflects into our own life, giving pause for reflection and reevaluation of important things we might have slighted in passing. Her sketches of the individuals she chooses to illuminate aspects of her own growth are simultaneously detached and loving. The chapter on her physicist husband's encounter with flowers shows the tender exasperation that any non-scientist wife of a scientist would instantly recognize. The vividness of a flashback to her grandfather's youth, spanning more than a century, pays a debt to his memory while showing us the unbroken chain of generations. So, too, the balance in "The Pond" chapter on her mother; and the nostalgia in the chapter on "Little Houses" grips each of us and thrusts us back to our childhood, where "-all the polyurethane of life-" can not intrude. A wonderful book, well worth reading.

November 29, 1999

I ordered this for my neighbor after she saw the one I had been keeping for four years without missing a day. The entries are sometimes very brief or go to the add-on pages, but I always have time for something, even if it is just the weather. Invaluable resource in tracking medical history, etc. I highly recommend it.

I already had a Journal 10+ that I enjoy very much and gave one to a friend for her birthday. The present arrived well and on time for it. Thank you

I put off purchasing this journal for too long! What a great keepsake. Love that there's only four lines per day. No pressure to write a whole page. Plenty of carryover space in the back if there is "extra" for a special day. Easy to keep up, I write in mine every night after the kids are in bed. Can't wait to look back in time years from now and know what we were doing back when.

I really like the way this 10 year journal is designed. It also looks sturdy enough to last the ten years.

About twenty-five years ago, my mother kept a few journals. For the most part, she jotted down a few sentences each day about what our family had done, who we'd visited, things like that. I ran across one of her journals last year, and was surprised by the memories they brought back. A sentence as simple as "we had dinner with the Buchners this evening" reminded me of people and events I hadn't thought of in years.

I haven't had much luck in keeping my own journals. I've bought several with the best intentions in the world, but then would go weeks, months and even years without making an entry. I recently read a review about a 5-year journal, and thought "perfect!" I went online to look for it, and ran across this journal instead.

I've been writing in this journal for two weeks now, and I'm very happy with it. It takes me less than two minutes to make my four-sentence entry. If I didn't make the entry the night before, I jot it down while I'm having my morning coffee.

One reviewer on this site complains about the formatting and the material out of which the cover is made. I have no problem with the formatting or the cover. Sure, there's some wasted space, but not much. The only major change I would make to this would be to replace the name and address pages with more "overflow" pages for journal entries that run past four lines. I'm sure that most people today record important names and addresses on the computer or in some other digital format.

The cover isn't leather; but it's a durable "leatherette" of the sort that covers inexpensive Bibles. I've got a Bible that my grandparents gave to me in 1976, when I was 9 years old. I didn't exactly take great care of it, and it saw heavy use (my father was a minister, so I was in church at least twice a week), but it's still holding together well. I fully expect that the cover of this journal will last at least as long. The journal is well bound, and the paper is smooth, heavy and real pleasure to write on. I also appreciate the fact that the creator of this journal hasn't added anything "cute". Some of the other journals I looked at add annoying sections with titles such as "My Favorite Chuckle." This journal includes several blank pages, and if I want to add any "favorite chuckles" or other whimsy, that's up to me.

I've already recommended it to several friends, and will be giving my mother one for her birthday.

May Sarton is an author you must not miss. Not of you're a thinker (and do your own thinking).

This book was beautiful. I loved reading it. It felt delicate to me...the insights shared within the pages...but it was compelling. I picked it up and read a few pages whenever I had the chance. Loved it.

I've read most of Sarton's journals and this is by far the best. Her writing allows the reader to enter her mind. It's so honest, so raw. I've reread Journal of a Solitude a few times over the years; its one of those books to keep on your shelf, and read to get back in touch with the things that matter.

I read Journal of a Solitude shortly after giving birth to my first child. I was alone in a new neighborhood with few family and friends around me and felt completely estranged from my former life as a professional woman working in New York city. May Sarton's story - shared in such a real and heartfelt way - has always stayed with me. Where are the May Sarton's in today's world? She was an extraordinary woman who was able to connect with a broad audience of readers, through the authentic sharing of her thoughts, feelings and experiences. I miss her work but am thankful that she left behind a wonderful legacy.

If you're into reading memoirs, this is exceptional. Her clarity of thought and her ability to portray her feelings into words is unsurpassed, in my opinion. I enjoy her prose so very much. I can find myself relating to so many of her feelings and thoughts despite the difference of age and time. This is a great read.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the inner qualities of our nation's most well-known and respected figures and the lesser-known, who were the people who shaped our country. From the early settlers and our founding fathers to people of the present, this book offers a touching and rewarding look into the lives of people during war, hardships, family life, and many other aspects of life. Letter writing truly reveals the inner part of ourselves. A wonderful book!

Andrew Carrol writes an intresting novel compiled of historic letters in various stages of our Nations history. Whether they are from prominent, well known people, or lesser known, yet just as important members of our society, they keep us enthralled.

I'm 24 years old, young enough not to have lived through many of our Nations defining moments, but when I read these letters (and the helpful notes by the author!) it made me feel as though I knew exactly what was going on. Mr. Carrol did an excellent job, and I've let many others read this novel!

~Gina

This book is one of the best investments I've made over the past year (I typically buy 3-4 books a month). I teach - and am passionate about - American History at the high school level. I discovered this book on Amazon and purchased it out of curiosity and a desire to add to my stash of "primary sources." What a great find! The letters are grouped thematically, not chronologically, and offer a great mix of subjects, authors, and viewpoints. While my primary motivation for purchasing this book was its potential use as a classroom source/reference, it proved an interesting "read," as well. History really comes alive, as do the "players" and events, through reading correspondence. While these letters were not necessarily intended for public consumption, it allows for real insight into the past, and into the psyche of the people who have helped to shape our country. Each letter is "set up" for the reader with an introduction explaining the context in which the letter was written. There are also "postscripts" to let the reader know what took place after the letter (a "conclusion," so to speak). Thank you, Mr. Carroll - it's obvious that a lot of work (and editing!) was expended here for the benefit of your readers!

This book is easy to read and interesting. The editors notes in front of and behind almost every letter really make the book that little bit more. I found all of the letters interesting and many of them quite moving. Many of the letters illuminated subjects about which i was familiar but did not know that little part of the story. I recommend this book for any and every one. You do not have to be American (although much of the information is perhaps from an American perspective) to feel the things that are brought forth by the reading of these letters.

What a fantastic book. The letters I've read have brought voices to America's past. It's like reading a hundred stories in one book. For me, it's been an emotional read. The voices of people-slaves,soldiers, presidents and mothers that helped shaped our nation are still ringing in my ears. I'm recommending this to all my friends. A great trip though history.

Seriously. This lady apparently never threw away ANYTHING. She didn't even throw away the "Glorious Aryan Motherhood" medal she got from the Nazis in 1938 in an effort to entice her back to the Third Reich, though she was much offended by the "award" and described her displeasure in pithy terms. Conversely, she proudly told her daughter, Maria Riva, that whereas most daughters inherit medals from their fathers, Maria would inherit medals from her mother, and these decorations (including the U.S. Medal of Freedom and two degrees of the French Legion of Honor) are displayed in one of the book's many color photographs.



This splendid book is a Marlene Dietrich museum all by its lonesome. Gorgeous photographs from every stage of her career (including some very sexy and risque ones displaying her famous legs to best advantage!) are coupled with a visual catalogue of the most interesting of her clothing and possessions, including her famous good-luck rag doll, which appeared in several of her movies, and a pair of matched pistols she received from General George Patton (with whom she is rumored to have had an affair) during World War II.



Speaking of which, Marlene's WWII service, one of the great defining experiences of her life, gets full attention in this book, with many very striking photos of herself at the front. My favorite pictures from this period show her watching a training drop by the 82nd Airborne Division, the unit closest to her heart, in Holland in early 1945.



Marlene, of course, is famed as one of the great style-setters of the 20th century, and we see many, many photos of her outfits and accessories, both as display items and when she was wearing them.



Can I use the word "splendid" twice in one review? :) Because that is exactly what this book is. It's a bargain at any price you care to name, and one of the best retrospectives on any great film star I've ever seen.

Here are images we've never seen before. The ones of her life on the front in W.W. II are amazing. Brave woman fighting for the US soldiers. And the picture of her in the bathtub is worth the book alone. The private dresses, her lingerie, her jewels -- these are amazing.

A delicacy! The best book of photographs I have seen on Dietrich and a compendium of beauty, not only hers but all that was created through and with her. A must have book.

This is a dream of a book. Full of glorious photos and facts. I highly reccommend this to all Dietrich and film fans. All public figures should be the subject of a book like this.

If you were a fan of Dietrich and were allowed to own only ONE book about this woman, then this should be the book to own. To reiterate another reviewer's thought -- it is EXQUISITE.

... I have met the author. It is certainly true that I have met Lee. Indeed I've known him for several years. The fact is though, I like Lee's writing style. I have read his newspaper columns. I own his earlier book on Vietnam too. Lee has the ability to bring a full range of emotions to the surface in the reader. From sadness to anger to a feeling of smallness in awe of the power of nature, I can't help but be involved with his writing. Moving among the lights and shadows of this book is entirely pleasant, amusing and fulfilling.

From earliest childhood Lee Basnar loved nature. Basnar was born in Vermont in 1938. Stories of Alaska created a fascination for Lee. He wanted to experience the last frontier.

Lee's father had plans for him to graduate from college. Instead Lee married his high school sweetheart, Joan. He worked for his father as an apprentice carpenter. It was seasonal work. Tired of menial jobs and unemployment checks during the winter months, Lee again disappointed his father. He joined the army in 1961.

Lee's service career took him to Germany and France. In 1968 he was transferred to Viet Nam where he served as advisor to the South Vietnamese infantry division and later as an infantry company commander.

In October of 1971 Lee was assigned duty at Fort Richardson. His dream of seeing Alaska had finally come true. However, in 1974 he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia. Soon Lee was seeking reassignment to duty in Alaska. An opportunity opened and Basner became senior advisor to the 207th Infantry Group of the Alaska National Guard, near Anchorage, for the remainder of his Army career.

As time drew near for his army enlistment to end, Lee began to plan his retirement. Together, with Joan, he looked for a site that would accommodate a cabin home. They both were ready to take on the challenge of the Alaskan frontier by living in the bush.

Lee is a gifted story teller. His descriptions of animal life, nature trails, mountains, and rivers in the vast Alaska wilds are spectacular. In breathtaking word pictures Basner creates new vistas for the reader. "Snow sprinkled the mountains like powdered sugar on cupcakes, and each new snowfall frosted the slopes a little lower." Each chapter includes a photo which depicts something of its contents.

Narrow escapes and life threatening experiences mount up as one after another Basner chronicles his story. He tells of a smoke filled cockpit in his small Taylor Craft airplane. After an emergency landing and repairs he had to battle river rapids for a dangerous take off at 2:30 AM to return home. After landing, securing the plane in a blinding snowstorm, having had no sleep for 24 hours, Lee, the master of understatement put it this way, "For some reason I felt a little tired."

Adventure stories of trapping, hunting, fishing, and photographing moose, wolves, bears, and other wildlife fill the chapters of this rapid paced narrative. The unpredictability of grizzly bears, a midwinter chimney fire, and other narrow escapes will keep you turning the pages of this fascinating account of the Basner's life in the bush.

Lee related how after surviving his tour of duty in Viet Nam, he was plagued by survivor guilt. He hoped to exchange combat nightmares from Vietnam for a new sense of freedom peace and contentment by living in the bush. After some years of roughing it, Lee wrote: "Vietnam intruded less frequently as the years accumulated...the demands of bush living shoved Viet Nam aside, leaving room for healing. The nightmares, less frequent now, retreated to a hidden place, emerging rarely. Drifting and pondering gave me time to realize that I had truly survived and shouldn't feel guilty because of it".

This is a book for everyone who ever had a dream of adventure on the last frontier. It is a book for Veterans, who experienced the ravages of war. Every school library should have a copy. It is for the sportsman, the hunter, and the environmentalist.

This is an incredible read.

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (08/06)

Ever since I read Jack London's Call of the Wild when I was a child, I have been enamored of anything to do with Alaska. If a book is set in Alaska, I'll buy it, more for the background and how people live than for the storyline.

Lee Basner was born in Vermont and in his early childhood developed a fascination with the Alaska Territory. It took him thirty years, but he finally achieved his dream of living in the far North. Sick with guilt over the men under his command who never came home from the Vietnam War while he made it through, Lee retired from the U.S. Army as a major at the age of forty-two and he and his wife Joan built a log home 200 miles from Anchorage. They moved in during a March blizzard and lived there for the next sixteen years, pitting themselves against the worst Alaska could throw at them and surviving to tell the tale.

They had no indoor plumbing, self-generated power and no telephone for the first years. Clothes were washed in a wringer washer and hung outside to freeze, after which they were brought inside to thaw in front of the wood-burning stove, the only source of heat.

Balanced against these inconveniences was wildlife at the door, breathtaking scenery and the chance to really live their own lives as they wished, with no one to tell them what to do.

Filled with anecdotes of their daily life from the mundane, like digging a trail to the outhouse, to the poignant such as a herd of caribou caught in an avalanche, many of them killed and injured while Lee was unable to reach them to at least put them out of their misery, I was unable to put the book down. I even took it with me to read while I waited in line at the bank. I loved this book. It's a real keeper.

Wow! Captivating from the beginning digging your way out of the cabin. Excellent imagery. Made me want to go there before it is all gone, to breath the air, to see the landscape, to feel the rush of the wind, the chill of the frozen tundra, to taste food that is fresh and wild, free from man's processing. To hear the sounds that nature sings.
This descriptive account of life in Alaska is an eye opener of the fortitude it takes to make it in the Last Frontier. The extreme conditions and the extreme rewards.
This book opens your eyes to the hardships and the little things a tenderfoot wouldn't think of in your survival in the Alaskan wilds. Dotted with humor, sprinkled with love and support of a life mate, along with the daily challenges of self-sufficiency. Here you will find many helpful hints if your dream is to live in the wilds of Alaska. And if it has been your dream it will open your eye to the reality of such a challenge. A marvelous read and an excellent way to experience the wilds vicariously in the comfort and safety of your own armchair, from wildlife survival, to the Elmer's, natures Christening, the antics of the wilds, this books is fascinating, one to read and re-read.
I can only say thank you Lee for writing your experience out in such vivid details.

A great book. The descriptions of the wildlife and landscape are insightful and accurate - I was informed as well as entertained. The book captures the feel of wild Alaska and allowed me to experience life in the bush along with the author and his wife. I felt as if I was in the plane when he was lost during a snow storm. I stood beside him and felt the excitement and fear when wolf or grizzly was encountered at close range. The book gives us an environmental message as well. Wilderness is ours not only to experience, but also to protect. The author's insights into how to live with the land and appreciate its beauty and harshness make this a valuable read.

BEST guide book you could ever want to have in your possession before, during and after your cruise!!!!
These guys really have done their research and we are glad they did so we could have a wonderful, relaxing and informative cruise.
Thanks!!!!!

This book was an excellent resource in planning my second Disney cruise. I like to research as much as possible before taking a vacation and this guide gave me lots of information I needed. I especially used the reveiws and ratings of the shore excursions to help select which ones were best for my family. They also offer great budget and planning information and offer a behind-the-scenes look at what fun activites there are to do on the ship. I would never have thought to participate in the treasure hunt on Castaway Cay without them. The links to other websites to find more information was also a big help. Finally, they have a great website where you can get the most recent updates to whatever your edition is missing and color downloads of the ships deck plans. Overall, it's an excellent resource!

Once again, Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx have done an outstanding job with the new edition of the Passporter Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line! This volume is comprehensive, informative and easy-to-use. The authors are genuine Disneyphiles and their affection for all things Disney is evident in every page of this book. However, they are not blind to its (few) flaws and are careful to let readers know aspects of their trips did not meet their standards. This book is very carefully researched, right down to which meals and restaurants are the best, which cabins are quietest, which cabins have "secret" portholes and which on-shore excursions are best value for the money. Readers will really appreciate their insider tips on how to get the most from their Disney cruise. And the information in the book is regularly updated on the authors' website. I have been vacationing at Disney for decades and Passporter has been my vacation guide ever since they started publishing it. You're going to be spending thousands of dollars on your Disney cruise...spend a few dollars more and you'll be investing in a book that will really help you get the most out of your vacation. Passporter is outstanding and worth every cent!

Don't bother buying both. This one is much more useful and easy to use. I agree with the comments above. Start your cruise early by buying this guide and really get the most for your money! I feel like it is stretching the experience and giving me a head start by familiarizing me with what to expect.

Do consider ditching your nice luggage for nylon totes/something easily compactable or at least nesting - we are bringing the ones we use to pack our camping gear in when we travel because they are thin, strong and hold a lot, plus they collapse completely and will take up much less space in our cabin.

As first-time cruisers, we had much to learn. This guide explains everything, answered all of my questions and provided a wonderful overview of the cruise. This book is a must if you're taking the Disney cruise!