Road Trip Books

These books are an excellent example of how the reader can influence the story. When Serge goes on a manic rant, George Wilson's interpretation makes you want to sell your house buy a six pack and get in the car with him. When Oliver Wyman reads the same monologs you want to stop the car and throw the irritating little motor mouth out on the street and leave him there. Wilson's Serge comes off as a big eccentric genius who you want to listen to and learn from. Wayman's Serge is an irritating nut case Joe Pesci character who just won't shut up.
When he started my wife said "That's not Serge, that's a little New Jersey guy named Vinnie." Coincidently, a little guy from New Jersey named Vinnie shows up later in the story and when they start talking it gets very confusing because you can't tell which voice is which.

I loved these stories, but I will always look closely at the readers name and I won't by anything else read by Wayman.

The feeding tube guy is very quiet. Coleman is perpetually stoned. A second killer is on the loose and making trouble for Serge. The manic pair travel through the eyes of hurricanes during hurricane season to execute justice of their own brand.

They "kidnap" a newspaper reporter to resuce him from the second killer, the self proclaimed "Eye of the Storm", also travelling through the eyes killing Floridians. Eye of the Storm writes the newspapers claiming that Serge is the copycat killer and is inadequete. Mahoney is convinced that Serge's personality has finally split and he is both killers. Serge is beside himself with rage and goes in search of the Eye of the Storm.

The story twists and turns all over the state of Florida during hurricane season in 2006, although it is a fictional season. Serge scores chicks. Coleman scores pot. The plot scores with a wonderful surprise ending.

Two things are slightly different in Hurricane Punch form the other Dorsey books I've read. First, the language is cleaned up a bit; nearly to the point of being PG-13. That's fine and good, but a slight change from his usual style. Second, the imaginative killing is missing. Usually Serge offs a menace to society in a most creative and outlandish way. There is a murder near the end that is typical Serge, but lacks the oomph that Dorsey gives him.

That being said, Hurricane Punch is five stars with a wonderfully woven plot, reduced cast of wacko's and a great ending you could never guess.

Rock on, Serge.

Since I've read all of Carl Hiassen's books, Tim Dorsey was recommended to me. Both authors love Florida (especially Everglades City and the Keys) and offer bizarre characters, but Dorsey seems to be lacking Hiassen's finesse in writing. I find the character Serge A. Storms bizarrely amusing in his quest to punish "bad" people. Dorsey is imaginative in Storms' murder methods (particularly with the cooler and MREs heating fuel) yet his writing style leaves me to guess what Storms has done. While the murder method is later revealed, I'm more interested in what else in happening in the story. Given a choice, I'll take Hiassen over Dorsey, but Hurricane Punch is a better read than some of the other Dorsey novels--Hammerhead Ranch Motel, for example.

Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey is another hilarious adventure with Serge the serial killer. Dorsey has the rare talent of being able to make you laugh at the absurdities of modern living, if it's annoying, offensive, revolting, ugly or just plain evil, Dorsey can make it funny.
In this story Serge gets into the relationship thing, (among other things) and the quest for love raises ridiculous to epic heights. Serge is busy trying to be all things to Molly, but there's another serial killer on the loose. Mahoney is trailing him, sure it's Serge, but Serge is playing house with Molly. Meanwhile a hurricane is coming and Serge is trying to protect his new friend from the serial killer and give him the low down on how to handle women and there's this parrot guy...
Serge's buddy Coleman is along for the ride, and the drugs and the partying and be prepared for a really surprising ending.

Serge and Coleman are off on another whirlwind tour of Florida. More of a hurricane tour this time though. Serge's obsession with hurricanes leads him to drive around Florida in hurricane season within the confines of the eyes of hurricanes. On the trip, Serge tries to rediscover a religious path to follow while squeezing in appointments with his therapist. Meanstwhile, Jeff McSwirley becomes everyone's favorite sympathic tragedy reporter for a 'fair, unbalanced newspaper' of Gladstone Industries. All this and an apparent copycat killer of Serge. Meanst-meanstwhile, recently released Agent Mahoney becomes stuck in 1940s police-noir and thinks this purported second killer is really just a split-personality of Serge A Storms.

In this series by Tim Dorsey, there is a definite step back from the usually murderous ways of the unstable Serge and chemically oblivious sidekick Coleman. I've enjoyed this whole series, some books more than others and I think this is a step up from The Big Bamboo and Torpedo Juice : A Novel. There's less inventive deaths here but Serge striles an ominous one with an amplifier. It's not a socially redeeming series but it's sure fun to read.

My opinion when picking this up was simple. Just read it to read it and get it over with. "Flabbergasted" was really good, but by the time I finished "A Delirious Summer," I was glad it was over! And so I had this one on the shelf with a stupid Kangaroo sign on the cover. I thought this one was going to be really stupid, so I couldn't wait to read it and simply not review it. But I can't get past the fact that Ray Blackston is highly creative. He's not only creative with his titles, but the covers of the books stand out. They stand out each and every time! And this time he's standing out with Jay Jarvis leading the way once again. You're taking a trip to Crocodile country, mate. Or in this case, Kangaroo country!

So Jay and Allie are going to Australia, and they've invited Steve and Darcy to join them. They are ready for outback adventure, and nothing is going to stop them from having fun. And not only that, but Jay and Steve have rings in their baggage, and a question for the ladies! When to pop the question, right? So many ways to be creative. And when Ray Blackston tells this story, it gets more then creative. Mayhem ensues, and it ends up being more than just an average Kangaroo chase! And the twists and turns in this are very sneaky, so you aren't going to see what's coming. I didn't know you were allowed to be this sneaky for being so conservative, but that's ok!

I'm glad I picked this up. I'm glad it wasn't stupid! It turned out being my favorite of the three. And I'm really glad that I have "A Pagan's Nightmare" waiting for me. It'll be for another time and place. And my thoughts go right along with the whole theme of this novel. No worries! I was worried I wouldn't like this one, and I loved it! How do you like that?

I cant tell you how bitter I am about getting suckered into reading this book. The title and description are intriguing. However, soon after starting you learn that this is merely a pathetic attempt at passing off christian propaganda as literature. It was the single worst book i've ever read.EVER. The characters are ridiculously obnoxious and worthless- the only thing keeping you turning the pages is the hope that one of them will meet a painful and prolonged end. I despised everything and everyone in this book. The cover of this book should contain a warning advertising the fact that this is propaganda and listening to the dialogue between characters will make you nauseaus"

Christian Missionary Dude & Overgrown Boy Scout Dude take a trip Down Under & mess up big time while trying to find the perfectissimo romantic moments to propose to their Christian Chick girlfriends.

True fans probably won't mind, notice, or care that Book 3 ("Lost In Rooville") has virtually the exact same plot as Book 2 ("A Delirious Summer"), nor will they mind, notice, or care that, throughout the entire series, somebody always seems to be getting their hide saved & all their probs solved by somebody else's good fortune (read: free $$$) &/or somebody else's inheritance (read: free $$$), because, hey, we all L-O-V-E these kooky, whimsical, non-sensical, highly anti-materialistic folks who (incredibly) are forever benefiting from someone else's materialistic greed & avarice ...

(Has anyone else noticed that anti-materialistic missionaries show a disturbing tendency to feel superior to all the hard-working, materialistic folks who support them? Or is it just me?)

But perhaps the best feature of any Blackston novel is the completely random, unexpected & delightful appearance of:

Lines-that-encapsulate-the-entire-story-of-my-life.

For me, it happened midway down page 200:

"My entire life seemed a tangent from the straight and narrow path; every time I aimed somewhere, I ended up somewhere else."

Oof.

How did he KNOW?

:P

Ray Blackston hits the nail on the head with another GREAT addition to the "Jay Jarvis" series! In Ray's first novel we find Jay scoping out the single females at a local church!!! In "Lost in Rooville" Jay, Allie, Darcy, and Steve are headed for the Outback. Jay and Steve have plans for proposing to their girlfriends but things don't exactly go as planned, at all. Jay and Allie get stranded in Australia leaving Steve and Darcy franticly searching for them. As the story unfolds you will be turning pages as fast as you can as you read this hilarious book, seeing everything from Jay's point of view. The characters make the story though with titles like "eccentric Alexis" and "leadfooted Darcy." If your going to read this book, make sure you have read Ray's first two books about Jay and his crazed christian friends: "Flabbergasted" and "A Delirious Summer."
Read this book!!!

P.S. to answer the popular question throughout the series: Would Jesus drink a brew on the beach? I think he would ask for wine instead.

I picked up Ray Blackston's first novel a few years ago just because the title was so great. I mean, titling your first novel Flabbergasted is a great selling point and I will admit that I came away from the first book feeling just that. Blackston's story of Jay Jarvis, a single guy who visited various churches to meet single women and found the girl of his dreams who turned his life upside down was a hoot.

So, I quickly read it and then its sequel. Now, come the latest entry in the series that finds Jay still dating Allie and moving toward taking the new step in the relationship. And the thing is-three books in, Blackston still makes all of his characters feel authentic. Jay struggles with his faith journey, but it never feels contrived or predictable like you get in other contempoary Christian fiction stories, such as any book with the name Tim LaHaye on the cover. The book starts off slowly as Jay and Allie, Steve and Darcy all take a trip to the Outback of Australia. Jay intends to propose to Allie while Steve has planned the same. But, as is typical for a Blackston book, things go a bit awry. OK, they go a lot awry. Before you know it, Jay and Ally have wrecked their Land Rover and are stuck in the Outback with no way to communicate and call for help.

Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, but the thing is Blackston says-just go with me here and as a reader, I can. Because he makes the characters so interesting. Also, the question of will she say yes does keep you turning the pages.

Anyway, to say more would be giving away much of the later portions of the book, but I will say this-the momentum picks up in the second half of the book. My only real complaint is the ending which is a bit contrived. Blackston takes his characters to a crisis and gives them an almost fairy-tale like ending that just doesn't quite ring true. But hey, it's not enough to make you not enjoy the overall book.

Give this series a try-I think you might like it.

Norwood Pratt has just been discharged from the Marines in order to take care of his sister, Vernell. She's not disabled or anything, she just lacks the common sense to take care of herself. Norwood gets a job as an auto mechanic in his old hometown of Ralph, Texas, as his sister gets married to a loser Vet and brings his annoying presence to their shared home. Having dreams of breaking into the country music business, he accepts the offer of an acquaintance to drive some cars up to New York for him. Norwood also hopes to reclaim a 70$ loan he had made to a friend who lives there. Of course, this is a picaresque novel in which our hero will have many adventures on the road. The problem is that this novel was dull.

There are some humorous bits in the book, like when Norwood throws a sausage patty at his sister's husband, but humor loses its power as we are shown a parade of caricatures and what I would call "quirky" characters. "Quirky" characters are those characters that authors use to inject an aura of strangeness or supposed surrealism into an otherwise realistic work. This pretty much destroys the book because these grotesquerie's apperances are so brief that they are not shown as true characters and become part of the scenery. It's like watching a play and focusing on the background instead of the main actors. The other failing of the book is that it's just not interesting. Even the dialogue is unbelievable. Especially a scene in which two characters decide to get married after meeting on a bus for a couple of hours. It all just seems like an attempt at a discount Dickens. Avoid this work.

The premise of this book (a cross county trip for the purpose of collecting $70) seemed thin at the outset but it proved to be the basis for one of the funniest novels I have ever read. The way the Portis is able to use the slow dry southern dialogue to push the plot forward quickly while delivering quick one liners is amazing to experience. The scene near the beginning of the book in which Norwood fights with his sister's husband and ends up throwing some of his warmed up meal at him made me laugh to the point of tears.

Norwood Pratt has neither guile nor an education, but he possesses a comic wisdom that guides him from one nutty encounter to another. He is the man he is, regardless, slow to fight but ready to fight, honest, to a point, and rationalizing beyond that. He never internalizes, seldom jumps to conclusions, and just proceeds along the rightness of his course without question. He is a Faulknerian character distilled down to the basics, so unsophisticated he is hilariously honest.

Norwood is a fast-paced comedy of the simpleton winning out in the end because his sights are so low he can't lose, and Charles Portis' social commentary should not be missed, but if you do, the dialogue alone is worth the read. And if the characters in Norwood seem too silly to be real? Well, I recognized them more than I care to admit.

If you're already a Portis fan, you'll find this familiar, if somewhat tedious, territory. It's really a practice run for the truly brilliant The Dog of the South. I wanted to like Norwood, but he's just not an interesting character, and implausibly slow on the uptake. If you've never read Portis, DO NOT read this first. If you are, you must meet Edmund B. Ratner, but be warned, this wonderful character doesn't make his appearance for some time. Norwood has some fine moments - notably his sojourn in New York City - but I was very disappointed.

This long lost first novel by Charles Portis is quite worth the quick read. The Norwood character is a nearly perfect creation. The naive character set in the complex world may be an age old plot device. but Portis gives it a fresh look.

It's not hard to imagine that Portis' spare style had an influence on writers like Larry Brown, who has written more recently about similar character types. The difference is that Portis' book has an edgy sense of humor that is capable at times of laugh out loud moments. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the evolution of the contemporary novel.

Not the most interesting or comprehensive text. When cross referenced with other England travel texts this one lacks a great deal.

We loved this book! Instead of getting guided tours we made a list of places that looked interesting - all of which were in this book - and used trains and subways. We ended up with two half days to fill and used this book to plan some spur of the moment travel as well. It has maps, train schedules, places to see at the different sites, suggestions on where to eat and how much everything cost, and a nice variety of places to visit. It was also small enough to carry easily. It included train schedules, bus information, and directions for driving. The best investment we made for our trip.

If you're wanting to plan a trip outside the city, this guide helps orient you to all the options. While I didn't use the suggestions on Hotels (too short a list)...it did help me decide where I wanted to go. If you've already decided on a destination, this book won't be that helpful.

I just got back from England last night and took three of the day trips described in this book: Winchester, Dover and Hampton Court. Obviously these guides are somewhat subjective, so I didn't always agree with the authors' opinions on certain things, but the factual information on how to get from London to the destinations was spot on. Their suggestions on obtaining a Brit Rail pass and/or a Great British Heritage Pass saved me loads of money and time. I would also recommend England for Dummies, which is also by Frommer's. It gave some great general info about England and London not in this text.

I visit England frequently. I have an earlier edition of this book which I find to be very useful, even now. The new version leaves out a lot of the good places that were in the old book and it lacks credibility. I have a hard time taking any of it seriously when it tells me that an English pint is 16 ounces. Anyone who is serious about English beer knows that an English pint is 20 ounces.

This book serves well if you want to learn about US region cooking, if you are traveling and want to know what to check out, or if you are looking for sources of regional specialties on the internet. Extremely well researched, this book will serve repeated use on all fronts. A great read.

After reading the most interesting parts I could find, I don't did not find this book useful (or interesting) enough to consume bookcase space. I enjoy cookbooks and food books, but this does not cut it. For what it's worth most of the high ratings seem to be from New York (whatever that means).

I haven't figured out what culinary qualifications, if any, the author has. He certainly does not know anything about Durian (but he ate it once frozen/thawed and included a couple of pages about it). His other books don't seem to be food related. Don't expect much depth of knowledge in this book.

The layout of the book is a annoying - especially the frequent boxes label 'Quick Bite', which since there is no other subtitle on the boxes, you need to read before you know it was something of little interest. This book is a hodge podge of stuff which does not seem to know where it is going. Fun title, disappointing book.

I really enjoyed this book, but was crestfallen upon discovering no mention of the northern New Jersey Italian Hot Dog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_hot_dog) in the otherwise quite serviceable section on Hot Dogs. How can one know about "rippers" at the Rut Hut and not make mention of the Italian Hot Dog?

...and he was hungry, he very well might have written this charming book. A celebration of that spot in town that only the locals know about, this book is a light footed tour through the places that will never be included in the Michelin guide, but should not be missed at all costs.

Written with a great eye (and ear, nose, and tongue) for detail, lovers of "real food" everywhere will find this book a very satisfying read. Finally, a food book that understands that a super omelet or a perfect pizza is just as important to understanding great food as a fancy 3-star meal.

I liked the book so much, I bought 15 copies -- one for me and the others as gifts for family and friends, both local and farflung. I figure, wouldn't anyone want to read about great eateries both where they live and where they might some day travel? Plus, it's a great read.

For the armchair adventurer or for the weekend woodsman, this book is a must. It is full of historically interesting sites that probably most people don't know exist in the tristate area. This book contains a nice assortment, from iron mines from the 1800's to abandoned missle sites from the cold war era. Good Stuff!

In this book, Steinberg has collected twenty years of hiking, exploration and historical knowledge with the end goal of giving other people a good time. The small handwritten maps, by their very nature, are bound to be fanciful (you can't fit reality into a 3 x 4 inch space) so you need to buy your own map. This book can take you places that you would never find on your own, so go for it.

I'd like to address some of the issues people have brought up in their reviews.

The back cover states that the book is "geared for the experienced hiker or camping adventurer", which is not to say casual explorers are not welcome; indeed, I'm glad they're coming aboard, but they need to plan carefully. Maybe they should start out with the easier hikes and build up experience for the more challenging ones.

Sorry some folks are having problems with my maps, but the drawn maps are not for trail navigation, and I make a point to mention that in the text. I tell people, and I'm telling you now, to pick up the "official" maps (such as NY/NJ Trail Conference maps) that I clearly endorse at the beginning of the chapters. May I quote myself from the "Preparation" chapter: "The personally rendered hand-drawn maps presented herein are for general location purposes only. I would not rely on them for navigation. Pick up the maps listed in the chapter introductions."

Regarding Doodletown, if you picked up the blue trail 25 yards south of the trail then you didn't read the text carefully: "pick up the blue-blazed trail near the sign for the merry-go-round (at the Bear Mountain Inn) to the right of the brook." The trail you used was to the left of the brook.
Much more interesting? First, I submit that's in the eye of the beholder, and second there are no features on that trail (unless you count the Cornell mine sites way up on Dunderburg Mountain) that would be included in the book.

The Pergola hike is rated as "moderate, with some steep ascents and descents" and I later mention the "arduous ascent to the top of the cliffs" and trudging up 500 feet to the top. Is this not accurate?

The FRONT cover promises "...adventures in the NYC area...and beyond" and the text further qualifies "within a two hour drive of NYC in most cases". Did someone really think that Boston, the Adirondacks or DC was two hours from NYC? That's the "beyond" part, and before you go on any trip anywhere you ought to do some homework. The lions share of the hikes are distanced as promised. The rest are added because I think they are unique, interesting, and worth the trip.

Regarding Island Pond, the parking area is actually just west of the trail instead of just east, but as drawn it's on the correct side of the road. Sometimes there are multiple parking areas near a trail.

I welcome feedback, comments, and indications of errors at www.TheRoadToRuins.com.

Two hikes and two WOEFULLY inaccurate maps and descriptions of landmarks. I give this book more than one star because I love to hike and I believe Mr. Steinberg's heart is in the right place, but the book is SO inaccurate that it does a real disservice to the casual hiker. Case in point #1..... Doodletown: it is very easy to get on to the "blue trail" about 25 yards south of the blue trail he describes. Problem is it is a different but MUCH MORE INTERESTING trail. You will eventually catch up to the area he describes, but it will give you a much different impression. Trail was rated as "moderate".

Case #2 is the "Pergola" trail in the Palisades. Another very inadequately described trail, but what was especially disturbing is that this trail is MUCH more challenging than Doodletown, but given the same "moderate" tag. My wife and small dog have still not forgiven me.

Steinberg has picked some decent destinations (BTW MANY of which are nowhere near the "within two hours of NYC" the back cover promises), but the descriptions are lame, the writing style is amateurish, and the maps are USELESS!

If you use this book as a resource, do yourself a favor and get a second opinion before taking one of his recommended hikes. The hikes are good. The info is bad.

Hiking just for a walk in the woods is certainly not for everyone and this writer addresses that issue by featuring walks in the woods that lead to the remains of culture, whether civil or military, now long abandoned. However, the trail maps provided by the author should be checked against reliable sources which the author references. For example, the map provided for the hike to Island Pond shows the parking area on the wrong side of the road in relation to the hike - an error that could send the novice in exactly the wrong direction and into disappointment. Use this guide for choosing a walk and as a guide to sites, but get a good map and take the author's recommendation seriously - bring along a compass.

This book was extremely useful!!! We had this book and this book only to guide us up the PCH and it was very informative. I highly recommend it.

Very informative, but needs more sprcific information on "Places to Stay" and "History."

Just used the book for a road trip up the PCH. I found the book very useful, with great info, recommendations and maps. The book is also the perfect size. It can fit in a pocket, so you can carry it with you without declaring to the world that you are a tourist.

I went on the trip with the book and it gives you minimum information. In most of places I had to visted information centers. Better than nothing.

This book will fit in a purse or backpack. Just took a road trip up the PCH and this book was extremely useful..We used several recommendations for restaurants and sights to see.. I highly recommend this book..The maps are awesome..

Ms. Horvath's quirky imagination and precise prose continues to delight me. Through an impulsive and aimless journey across the United States, a boy almost improbably comes to terms with the balance between keeping peace and allowing others their right to free will. The scenes with the sisters'dad as well as the baseball game are profound and will stay with me a long time.

Slightly less outlandish with humor than past adventures, The Vacation still is a great frolic by a writer I revere. Ms. Horvath's teeny foible was to have the family first visit Mt Rushmore before Devil's Tower coming up from Colorado. Ha!

I read the book then I read all the reviews and I have to disagree with the praise heaped upon The Vacation. Horvath has taken her formula for success and applied it once too often. Instead of being eccentric and quirky, all the adults in this variation on a theme are just plain selfish and unpleasant. Even the Hallmark Moment at the end of the story can't redeem a tedious and pointless journey.

Polly Horvath's Vacation comes from a Newberry Honor-winning author and presents another story of a family divided. Here Henry's parents are off to Africa, leaving him in care of two aunts who decide to embark on their own dream vacation with Henry in tow. Before long they're crossing the country just as Henry's mother is lost in the jungles of Africa. An intriguing story of family connections from afar.

I just finished reading Polly Horvath's hilarious, quirky and artful The Vacation. Though I'm many decades past qualifying as a "child," this children's book is for everyone at every age. Twelve year-old Henry suffers that most ignominious of all fates: having to travel with his two maiden aunts while his father follows his pixilated mother to what she sees as her destiny--a mission field in Africa. As Henry and his temperamental,unpredictable aunts learn to tolerate each other, they give their readers side splittingly funny moments and intensely poignant ones.

Aside from enormous batches of writing talent, what I most appreciate in all Horvath's books is her ability to write to and about children without talking down to them. The words are big and wonderful, the young protagonist's comments are insightful and ironic. And though there may be very very deep, very very hidden messages, I believe that the author's first priority is to tell a great story to the kids she understands better than any writer I know.

By the time that Henry's wildly unstable parents are reintroduced, he has traveled through a great deal of the country picking up along the way a bucket of lifeskills that just may help him stay sane in the neurotic mess that is the family he can't help loving. Henry has seen a big country and a slice of life from the back seat, learning that family relationships can make for a very bumpy ride.

There are no "aha" moments and there is no neat tying everything together. Instead, Horvath gives us a great deal of fun as she cleverly signals that life can be messy and sometimes you just go along for the ride.

Polly Horvath's up to her old tricks again - writing clever, concise laugh out loud funny prose. "The Vacation" introduces Henry. Now, Henry ought to be used to rather outre adults because his father, who works for the Fillmore Brush Company, vows his deep affection for his son, urges him to keep safe and then orders him not to die. His mother, on the other hand, has found a mission. Although she's not in the least religious, she's decided to become a missionary in Africa. Father would much rather stay on the road for the brush company but off they go leaving Henry in the care of Aunt Magnolia and Aunt Pigg.

While Henry's parents are a bit unique, his aunts are bizarre. Upon their arrival Henry moves into his closet to get as far from them as he can. But, he is to be closer to them than he has ever dreamed. For this eccentric pair decide it's time to take a trip, although they're not quite sure about a destination.

Aunt Magnolia (who is recovering from a recent illness) wants to go to the beach, so the trio drive off to Virginia Beach. The lure of sand and sun soon wear thin so Aunt Magnolia decides she wants to see some blue grass in Kentucky. They take to the road again. After they view the blue grass from their car door, Aunt Pigg decides she wants to see the Everglades.

Well, you get the picture. "The Vacation" is a witty, surprising travelogue as the trio motor across the country and poor Henry becomes lost in a Florida swamp. It should be mentioned that he's not the only one missing - his mother has disappeared in an African jungle.

Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath has a fertile imagination and non-stop humor that's sure to appeal to younger readers.

- Gail Cooke

This is a great book for getting ideas on short, inexpensive trips all around Ohio!

Ohio Road Trips - Too superficial. Not enough detail to entice me to make the trips.

Experienced TV travel reporter Neil Zurcher presents Ohio Road Trips with Neil Zurcher, a collection of his all-around favorite Ohio getaways. Ohio Road Trips is packed cover to cover with descriptions (usually one or two paragraphs long) of unforgettable Ohio restaurants, lighthouses, malls, animal preserves, prehistoric mounds, romantic country inns, and much more. Each entry is accompanied by the phone number and street address of the location mentioned, and the entries are categorized by subject with an index in the back for quick reference. A "must-have" supplement for anyone visiting or vacationing in Ohio!

I bought this for my husband, who loves to take us to new and interesting places. We actually had been to more than half that were written about in the book, but he loved reading about them and saying " Hey, we've been there!" Great book, glad to see him reading.

This book is what it is: a fun, readable account of the European leagues during the NHL lockout.

The author certainly did a lot of work in putting this book together, and it shows. She includes lots of good interviews from lots of different places. I was particularly impressed by the chapter on Switzerland; the Swiss leagues are overlooked far too often in North America. It's equally impressive that she checked out hockey in non-traditional countries like Hungary, Belgium, and Norway.

Unfortunately, the editors here didn't do such a good job. There are typos galore, and the book's organization could be better (the "sex scandal" during the Sweden Hockey Games is mentioned at least twice, long before it is finally explained on page 134). Also, I feel like some things (eg. promotion and relegation, import rules, etc.) are, at times, dumbed-down for an audience that presumably doesn't know much about the politics of European hockey, while at other times it is presumed that the reader already understands certain concepts.

If you're an American with an interest in European club hockey, it seems like this is something you really should read. Otherwise, you can skip it. It was fun, but it could have been a lot better.

This is a fabulous find - a 'road book' that appeals to hockey fans, travelers, and anyone who simply enjoys a good read.Ms. Sullivan's account of her criss-crossing of Europe during the
hockey lockout is humorous, knowledgeable, and very interesting.
We meet the stars of the NHL as real men, whose conversations and
opinions may surprise their fans. Still, you don't have to be a
hockey fanatic to love reading this book !

How do fans show their spirit in Europe? Which countries have hockey cheerleaders? Why do some players wear a yellow uniform during games? If you don't know the answers to these questions, this book is for you. The author attends games all over Europe and shares her unique experiences and observations about the Euro hockey infrastructure. She manages to interview many of your favorite players who chat about themselves, hockey and the NHL. Great stuff!