Idaho Books

This is my first use of a Benchmark Maps Atlas and I must say it is a must for the vast wilderness areas of Idaho. Use of a state highway map (say an AAA version) would be a disaster if traveling into the Idaho "outback". Benchmark is fully detailed, and accurate and provides topographical information as well. Organization of this atlas is exceptional. It proceeds from the macro (regional maps) to the micro (detailed Idaho sections) relating to recreational guides and landscape maps. It also includes detail of the greater Boise area. The comprehensive Index includes counties and county seats, cities and towns, physical features, rivers and lakes, and parks, wildlife, wilderness and recreation areas. A great atlas, masterfully done.

Overall a nice map book, but I needed a detailed street map, so I am disappointed; it has been somewhat helpful, I just need a lot more street detail. Idaho is changing fast though; a detailed map today would be outdated tomorrow.

This is a poor atlas I will not buy "Benchmark" in the future. I bought this one because I thought it would show more (it had a newer publication date). The DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer is much better for explorers, hikers, ghost towners, sportsment, hunters, fishermen etc.

Another fine example that there was never any mining done in Idaho. For a full review check out my Oregon and New Mexico reviews. I'm through giving money to Benchmark until they start placing their contents and legend items, actually on their maps.

I live in North Central Idaho. I purchased this atlas because I wanted an up-to-date reference to local roads and recreation sites. I already own an old DeLorme atlas.

When I initially reviewed the maps for my local area, I found numerous errors. Most particularly road names and paved roads being indicated as unpaved. The cover claims that the atlas was "field checked for accuracy." I do not know how much checking was done, or how long ago, but in my area many of these details are incorrect.

In all fairness, the DeLorme atlas also has some errors, but it is copyrighted 1998. I would expect the Benchmark atlas with a 2007 copyright (and claims of field checking) to at least indicate as paved roads that were paved over ten years ago.

I do particularly like the topographical shading and the overlap at the edges of every map.

This book is great, and an awsome read. It has it's funny moments of growing up, and discusses the things that everyone tried to forget when they were little. I was really sorry to finally be on the last page because i felt that i would be perfectly content to read forever the story of iona moon. out of the other books by Thon, i thought this was the best book she has written, and was delivered perfectly to a reader. Don't pass this one by!

The book had a great storyline, but was too disjointed and jumped around far too much.For me that took a lot away from my enjoyment of the book. Maybe I'm just too picky, but this is my take on it.

This is my favourite book ever, it's filled with sadness and makes me feel better about my life. I love how the story is just about life and doesnot have a main plot, such as catching a murderer. This book brought me down to tears.

I came across this book after reading an excert in another source and knew I wanted to read more of it. Concerned primarily with Iona Moon, a skinny dirt-poor farmer's daughter, and the teens she hangs out with (including boys who would be glad to be with her, if she meets them at the movies, buys her own ticket and leaves alone), this book at times approaches the lyrical in its description of human heartbreak. For a young woman searching for love, there are few good options - mothers in this book are dead - either emotionally or literally, and yet, they are also the healers and the "hopers" who provide the voice and the strength to go on - whether the voice of Iona's own dead mother or Pearl, the mother of her Indian lover who heals her with the taste of bitterness. This book combines the smallness of small towns with their narrow class structures and small minds along with the expanse of nature - rivers that run and skies that extend forever, working as a metaphor for the human heart that can dream large and wide, but must return to the narrow confines of the practical in life - where the cows need milking, the choices are few and the easist way out of town is not the road, but death. "Sorrow came in soft waves. She saw that the smallest sacrifices were the ones that drowned you in the end." Still, the book is as full of hope and heart as it is of heartbreak. Thought out of print, it is worth tracking down and reading.

The book's meaning was very heart warming and all, but the story line??? Not so good. Yeah it's easy to read and comprehensive but it's the story line....it can be compared to a good joke delivered by a boring and unenthusiastic person.

These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.

For planning a trip to Idaho, what could be better than having topo maps of the whole state in one book? Locate trails and campgrounds, look up ranger stations and regulations, or just day-dream. Excellent research tool! I have them for every Northwest state.

I made the terrible mistake of touring Idaho with an old (1994) edition of the DeLorme Idaho Atlas. Fortunately I had a whole sackful of BLM and Forest Service maps to get me out of tight situations caused by relying on DeLorme's information. The atlas shows roads that are not there, and does not show roads that are there. The land management boundaries are incorrect in many crucial instances, and sites are drastically misplaced.

I very much like the additional topographical information in the new edition, but I also noticed they did not correct any of the cartographic errors. So-- fine for casual use or for general trip planning, but contact the BLM or Forest Service before you head out on the back roads.

I use the Delorme Gazetteers, including this one, for planning my fishing trips every year. They include comprehensive coverage of the state in question with sufficient detail to identify all the major topological features one will find, including streams and lakes. Also, they show all the roads. One criticism is that they don't contain road mileages between locations, unlike a highway atlas. But, a highway atlas will not show topographic coutour lines, or indicate locations where one may launch kayaks or rafts, or show locations reputed to have good fishing. I keep a Delorme Gazetteer for each state in which I expect to travel on any extended drive. They enable me to find campgrounds (in the indexes and shown on the maps), roads, topography, and all the essentials to plan a trip.

Good points: This atlas is the most available and easy to use topographical atlas on the market. It has helped me get into many off-highway areas with great experiences. The roadnames are particularly useful, as these are not on USGS topo maps. Road condition classification also seems to be more accurate than the outdated USGS quads. Bad points: DeLorme gives a false sense of accuracy. On the reverse side of the front cover they advise to measure distance in tenths of miles. No one should pretend to be this accurate at the scale they use. They do explain that the distance will be "slightly" more than measured. On windy roads this could be up to one more mile for every three. My biggest disappointment with the Idaho atlas came after I looked at DeLorme's atlases for Washington and Oregon. Although I have never used them for off-highway travel, it is plain to see that they are better scale, better detail, and there are more features and attractions shown. All the Idaho atlas is is an updated copy of the USGS 1:250K topo maps. Is Idaho not popular enough or what?

Don't purchase this book for Northern Idaho.

Although "North Idaho" is listed in the table of contents, description of these routes are VERY minimal. In fact, the opening to the chapter "North Idaho Paddling Trips" they reference the book "Paddle Routes of the Inland Northwest" by Landers and Hansen. This book "Guide to Idaho" even states "If you're planning on doing some northern paddling, you'll want to have their book"

Don't purchase this for northern idaho.

Excelent Book,Well writen and very informative. I have already floated many of the rivers the book describes in detail

This book has excellent descriptions of both the rivers and the roads that lead to the put-ins and take-outs. I wish every state had a book like this. It's fun and easy to read. I often find myself looking through it and dreaming about the next canoe trip in the spring. I've used many floating guide boats and this is, by far, the best organized, most helpful one I've seen.

I was disappointed that this book does not cover Northern Idaho. If you want a book for Southern Idaho to the McCall area this book would be a good resource. If you want a book for Northern Idaho this isn't the right book. In fact the authors reference another book that has detail about North Idaho waters. In addition, some of the Web pages that are referenced are not correct. I found them through an internet search.

This is exactly what I was looking for in a canoeing guidebook. Kathy and Ron breakdown the current river classification of Class I waters, into more detailed ratings 1.0-1.5, giving detailed descriptions of each level. This book if for people who aren't comfortable with whitewater runs without an experienced guide. Familes can do alot of these runs. The books consists of flatwater rivers and a few easy whitewater rivers just to spice things up a bit and get a bit of practice. Most of the rivers in detail are below the McCall area, which alot of concentration on southeastern Idaho, which is great for me since I live in northern Utah. They also describe very well the routes to the put ins, take outs, and the roads condition. Your basic lake canoe is suitable for almost all rivers described in this book, but getting into the Class II+ and III rivers, they suggest a river-running canoe is better suited for this. Keep in mind, "beginner" does not mean those who are on a canoe for the first time. You do need to know the basic paddling strokes and be able to read rivers.

I wish every state near me had such a great easy water guidebook like this.

While this is a nicely organized and easy to use guide, it has so few birds in it that I would recommend almost anything else over it. If you're a rank beginner, you might find it useful. If you have ANY experience at all, don't bother.

This is a wonderful little book that is easy to use, even by a novice bird watcher. It is organized by the predominant color of the bird, starting with black and progressing through the colors to yellow. If males and females look different each will be listed separately, with a page reference to the other, a feature that I found very helpful.

Each bird entry consists of two pages. The first page is a nice photo of the bird. The second page includes a small diagram showing the bird's range, and the following description fields: size, male, female, juvenile, nest, eggs, incubation, fledging, migration, food, comparison to similar birds, and Stan's notes.

Finding birds by their predominant color was very easy to do. Where I wasn't quite sure which of two or three entries was the right one, the size, comparison to similar birds, or Stan's notes narrowed the choice down to the right bird. If you are a beginning bird watcher like me, I don't know of a better book. Advanced bird watchers may already know everything in this book and want something more detailed and comprehensive, but for the rest of us, I don't think you can beat the compact size and usefulness of this little gem.

I found this to be a great easy to use guide. It is intelligently organized, easy to use, and loaded with color pictures and detailed descriptions. I have really enjoyed having this handy this summer. An excellent value for the price.

This is an ok book. It covers Idaho Birds. Perhaps not as in depth as I would like.

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO TAKE ON THE TRAILS. THAT WAY YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU WHEN YOU SEE THE BIRDS.

Received this as a gift from my wish list (thanks, best friend of mine!), and have been working my way through it. I truly love a lot of the thoughts, musings and stories shared. The poetry is also beautiful; I find the book thusfar to be particularly empowering at this stage of my life.

This book is poorly organized and suffers from a lack of proper editing. It's a ra-ra book for women in their 50's, but the friendship adventures are fairly boring. Throughout the book, there are poetry passages....actually some of the best writing. Otherwise, it's a badly written composition of disconnected stream-of-conscienceness experiences. It contains many, very lengthy boring descriptions that should have been replaced by more interesting dialog. Only at the end do you find out that the author had a difficult life and survived through family love and friendship.....Two very important messages for which you only had to read one or two chapters, not the entire confusing, boring book! It's hard to believe that anyone would have spent any money to publish this book! It needs so much work!!!!!

I bought this book and read it in one weekend. I have re-read it a few times now. The stories are inspiring, sweet, tender and beautiful. I loved the poems. It's a good book for women "of a certain age". Focus is on the joy in life.

Highly reccomend it

Beautifully expressed profound observations are itermingled with poorly expressed mundane thoughts. Uneven writing style. Humor and pathos co-exist. Probably would not buy another selection by same author.

I ordered this book on the recommendation of a friend. I could not put it down and raced through it in two days! I then began to read it again. This time I made myself read it slowly and reflectively and savored the poetry and wisdom of each story.

I now keep the book within reach on my desk. When I feel overwhelmed with work and the mundane details of life, I look at the cover and smile. The joyous abandon of the women on the cover reminds me to take a break and play with friends. When I feel unappreciated and tense, I randomly read a highlighted section. I always take away a bit of lyric wisdom that never fails to brighten my spirits.

Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your hard-earned wisdom and the secrets of the Blackberry Tea Club!

Namaste'

DEADLY CONFIDANTE was a mesmerizing read, as the characters involved in this tragic tale were depicted so well. We could appreciate the emotional aspects of the individuals through in-depth research by the author into each of the individual's pasts, day-to-day lives, and relationships with one another. This factual crime was riveting due to the research and writing of the author.

Badly written, loose on facts to the point of approaching fiction and completely unsupported by evidence to a degree that would be hilarious if it were not so tragic--what more can one say? Some may be looking for Robin Row's story, which has received little public space. But they won't find it here. The author was so careless in her research that some biographical details discussed in this book are not even attached to the right person!

This book appears to be the product of some sort of subsidy or vanity press. Certainly it does not merit the attention of anything better. Or the time of a reader seeking anything than to be confused.

I could not put this book down. Nancy Poore is a superb writer who kept me glued. I had the pleasure to meet with Nancy at a book signing and learned about the huge amount of research and interviews she conducted in order to put this work together. And then she added her unique writing gifts to construct a book that I have recommended to others and have gifted several times.

Whether you're a true-crime or crime-fiction fan you'll enjoy this from beginning to end.

This book grabbed me from the moment I picked it up. Nancy Whitmore Poore definitely did her homework in depicting the chilling facts surrounding this tragic story, helping the reader get inside the mind of a sociopath and showing us the wreckage left behind for the trusting individuals that opened their hearts and homes to Robin Lee Row. An excellent read.

I found this book to be a compelling read, most difficult to put down. I had thought it would be bogged down in mundane details, but rather found it to be fascinating, albeit horrifying, as it built a most convincing case of brutal, cold-blooded, multiple murders.

The author ends with a chilling revelation indicating who might well have been destined to be the next victims if there had been no conviction.

Idaho's Price by E. Harris opens with a couple of young men, Malone and Gabe, baling hay. This intro scene did the trick in setting up a sense of tedium and boredom for the lead character, Malone.

Right around the time I was thinking "is this going anywhere?" a humorous bit of dialog was infused, with Jazz as the instigator. Then back to the ho-hum sense of the hay-baling world, according to Malone.

I took from this piece the author's attempt to reflect Malone's feelings, rather present direct insight through Malone's thoughts. Even with that, I would have expected more of the descriptive language to reflect whatever sense of oppression or boredom or ambition Malone felt. The setting descriptions, though authentic feeling, lacked emotion; they almost read like coffee table book captions. Maybe Malone is a super simple man and that's the aim of this book, to present the story in a flat and even tone.

The writing itself was clean and fluid, and there parts of good humor, but otherwise I wasn't feeling the tension/frustration that may have been plaguing Malone and prompting him to seek work at MoMart.

I can hear the men talking out on the hot hayfield, stomping those 'barking spiders' and joking about the grossest thing to buy at the store. It's hotter than hot and water isn't going to quench it, but salt of the earth crews like these get the hay crops in so cattle can have feed--and this beef-loving nation can get fed.

I've never been haying, but I have friends who did it for a living every summer and this excerpt rings true with their language and what I know of haying country. This is the real stuff and the hard stuff and the work's to be admired.

There are portions of this excerpt that are funny--probably more so to folks who have been there or know folks who have. They're also a glimpse for the cityfolks into how others' live.

Earl Harris can definitely write and he's got a heartland voice and humor to go with. I think the one thing I'd suggest is for him to condense the best part of the first two chapters, have something happen at the end of that first portion, and get Malone to the MoMart.

I actually cannot wait to read about this farm-boy turned retailer. It's going to be interesting to see how he handles the hustle and the air conditioning and while there's no cow manure in a megastore, there's plenty of stench nonetheless.

This promises to be a very good story and I think it could have some salable potential if Mr. Harris could keep the humor and write a grabber that would get the city-raised editors and agents interested. I definitely enjoyed the laughter and the good humor and thank Mr. Harris for a trip to the hayfield.

The language and tone to the story is great. The reader really gets a sense of who these guys are and what working on this farm is like. The writing and details are authentic and that goes a long way for setting up a story and keeping it going. I also really like the synopsis and think this story will be a fun read all the way through. The author sets up an original and interesting character in Ed Malone. There are some grammar and spelling mistakes throughout, though, and this story could use a finetuning by an editor.

This is a well written story with a feel for the elements. You can sense the hay, hear the tractor and feel the dust. The characters are believable, too, and could be from farms anywhere in the US. The story, about a young man getting off the farm and into retail is also a story of relevance and interest. It is happening every day in this country as young men try to "work up" to something better. I enjoyed the excerpt, and wanted to see where it would head from here.

I liked the introduction to the farming world, and the character development of those working the farm. Earl is a good writer and his novel idea is very apropos to society today, especially in the Pacific Northwest. My only regret is that in this excerpt we didn't get to the meat of the tale, Ed's time at "Mo-Mart". I'm sure his experiences in this large chain store are sure to make for a funny story, and Earl seems very capable of writing it.

This book was given to me by a dear freind almost 30 years ago. I loved it then and still refer to it now. Anytime I needed to know anything about "how to" I'd look here first. Carla tells you how to do almost anything, and if she doesn't know a lot about something, she seeks out others with more experience. I appreciate her honest approch in writing the book. She never claims to be an expert, but tells you what has worked for her. Her intent seems to be to pass along the knowledge that has taken years for her and her freinds to accumulate.
This was my bible while raising 5 boys. It even helped with their homework occasionally. I learned skills and saved money by doing things myself. I would highly recomend this book to anyone who wants to be more self sufficient and wants to know more about country living.

There are many glaring omissions and erroneous facts in this book, the most appalling is her example of how to plow. If you were to plow in the manner she describes, you will end up with a dyke around your field. As a farmer in the Red River Valley of Minnesota, we do not use chisel plows in the spring as she mentions. In my opinion, one error discredits the entire book. The authors even admits periodically that she has published mistakes.
Try "Storey's Basic Country Skills" or the "Modern Homestead Manual" instead.

I have no intention of ever living in the country, or following in Ms. Emery's footsteps. I write historical fiction. Anytime that I need to know ANYTHING about the crafts and ways of rural life, I turn to "Encyclopedia of Country Living." The explanations are clear and to the point and the book and index are well organized, so that it is simple to find the information you need. This is an invaluable aid to anyone undertaking a rural life style and is equally useful to researchers like me.

This is one of my most useful books. I LOVE it! I remember when my son shot his first deer, I grabbed this book and my umbrella, as it was misting rain, and joined him in our field. I read to him step by step how to field dress the deer from my Encyclopedia of Country Living. It was a total success. Being a city girl and moving to the country after getting married, it was most helpful. I learned to garden, can vegetables, and raise goats and chickens with the help Carla's book. In the winter I enjoy just curling up under a warm blanket and reading this book. I recommend it to everyone, city or country!!!

I owned this book years ago, I remember seeing ms. Emery on a talk show promoting her book in an old car with kids and all. Over the years, and moving around I lost the book and now am planning to buy it again. I hope the new edition is as good or better. Living in the country again and on a very limited income,Im sure I will benefit again from the book, it was fun trying to find things of the land to try out and experiment ( to eat) It,s not a book for all, but if u know someone who is tired of the rat race and is going to survive as much as possible off the land and small scale farming and gardening this is the book for them.

An interesting style, detailed and absorbing for a short story. But too short for a story. Some of the short stories are very different, with a new perspective of social issues, but mostly recording sad incidents in a deep way.

Amongst the many authors in the Inland Northwest, Urusla Hegi seems to stand out more than the rest and this early collection of short stories clearly shows us how. By using love as her main theme Hegi indulges the minds of her readers in touching stories like the one about a girl disobeying all the rules at a nuns'academy just so she could go back and live with her mother.The story about a woman trying to escape the fact that her father is dying and the story about a woman, who finally plucks up the courage to see her daughter's room after she has been dead for some time. This is all encompassed by Ursula Hegi in varying extents and degrees ranging from comic to utterly tragic. This collection of short stories is truly one that a Hegi fan should keep in his or her own collection for years to come.

Ursula Hegi known for Stones from the River, in this book writes bits of other lives.

WHAT POSSIBILITIES: In each of these smidgens of a life, you can see the past, present and future. There is a whole life in all of these short stories.

POWER OF THE WRITER: These stories step you into lives either vastly different that your own, or incredibly familiar, and show how alike we really all are. What these stories do show you, is how powerfully elegant Ursula Hegi is as a writer, to be able to do this.

EACH STORY IS CAPTIVATING IN ITS OWN WAY: Each of these stories could be a novel in its own right. In fact that is the only complaint I have, is that I wanted more. It was evident each story was complete in its own right, but on the same token, you wanted to follow the writer's thoughts so you could see how things ended up. Many stories were very introscpective, as much of Ms. Hegi's work is. All related a feeling of belonging, betrayal, concern, happiness, etc. These weren't so much spelled out, but you experienced them as you read the stories.

INTERESTING WAYS OF TELLING A STORY: I found several of the stories very compelling. One was by a person that was struggling with the wandering mind of a high fever. Another was of a jilted bride that attended stranger's wedding in her wedding finery, to insure their good fortune. In both of these stories, initially you don't know what's going on. The fog of the central character is over your eyes as well. Marvelous writing.

This is a short book that makes you wish for more.

Fantastic job.

This was a worthwhile and enjoyable enough collection of short stories; most of them revolve around what seems to be the female equivalent of midlife crisis. Ideally, I would have rated this book 3.5, but I can't justify giving it a 4. The stories are interestingly told and emotionally sharp. They tend to leave something wanting, however.

A collection of essays written straight forward and in the abstract years before Floating in My Mother's Palm and Stones From the River, Ursula Hegi's Unearned Pleasures gives the reader a smorgasbord of tasty treats for the mind. Tina's room, a story of a young mother's coming to grips with the loss of her infant daughter left my scalp tingling when I finished reading it. Some stories are better than others but most have the vivid imagery that Hegi has become noted for.