Washington Books

Good reference of some of the favorite multi-day bicycle tours in the Northwest.

While there are several multi-day trips in the guide, this book is targeted at the more serious recreational rider who is looking for day rides of 25 to 60 miles. It covers quite a large area, mostly in Washington State, with general and detailed descriptions of the routes, augmented by line maps. One nice feature is that it details the vertical profile of each ride so you can see what you're getting into when it comes to climbing hills at various milage points in the rides.

I've ridden about 1/3 of the routes and have found the rides well planned and accurately described. There is always a place to stop for a break near mid-way, and often alternatives to shorten or lengthen the trip. A great book to get you in touch with quiet roads or bike trails that you otherwise may never discover.

This new guidebook to hiking in the coulee, sage and Palouse east of the Cascade crest fills a void in learning about and discovering a region that many overlook when contemplating an outdoor adventure. Many of the hikes and areas described may be foreign to many "westsiders", and some even to their neighbors in eastern Washington! One of the particular thrills in reading through the guidebook is the sense of discovery on finding out things about a land that many have dismissed as a wasteland and habitat for the occasional rattlesnake, tick, lizard and sage plant.

One soon finds out the truth very quickly with the help of Alan Bauer's photography and the writing of Dan A. Nelson. One of the greatest things about the region is that it's a perfect antidote to the wet and gray fall through spring of the Westside. Fall and Spring are mild, winters cold but generally dry with just a dusting of occasional snow. The region is abundant with all kinds of wildlife and without the thick forest can be seen much more readily. The wildflower show in spring is not to be missed either.

I have done a few of the hikes they describe and a whole new world has opened up for future enjoyment. Interestingly, though with most of the 100 hikes featured in the book they are describing a physical trail, jeep track or game trail, they stress that due to the mostly wide-open layout of the land the hiker has the freedom to roam whenever or wherever the need strikes them. Of course private property and common sense needs to be paid attention to!

The book is chockfull of helpful info such as a long list in the front breaking down each of the 100 hikes (in the same order as they appear later in the book) by the name, total distance, hiking time, difficulty and season it can be hiked in. A good introductory chapter gives you background on the region and how to prepare for it. Then follows the 100 hikes covering an area from just east of the Cascades, north to the upper Grand Coulee, east to Kamiak Butte near the Idaho border and south to Twin Sisters Rock near the Oregon border. Hikes range in altitude from the Saddle Mtns to the shores of the Columbia River and inside vast canyons and coulees to vistas over wildlife-teeming pothole lakes.

Each hike begins with the necessary info like mileage, degree of difficulty, elevations, maps and permits that are required that anyone familiar with a hiking guidebook would expect. What is nice is a quality photo for each trip (though a shame more are not in color- they are stunning) and a good map, plus accurate directions to get to the trailhead and the hike description itself- where the authors enthusiasm and delight in each spot is contagious!

I eagerly await the next chance to explore more of the region Bauer and Nelson have brought to light in this fine guide. It's a must-have companion for central-eastern Washington hiking.

OK, I'm not a big fan of the east side of the Washington Cascades BUT when there is so much snow in the mountains, the east (dry) side of the state looks a little more interesting.

In my heart, I'm a west-sider but I grew up and am currently in the Yakima Valley. Throughout my life (I'm now somewhere in my middle ages), I never knew there were things to do around here on the dry side! This book showed me so many things about the Yakima area and other areas on the dry side. And dry doesn't mean boring!

Herds of deer and elk, eagles, bluejays and avian galore! The flowers in the spring are gorgeous! We even have a cactus - needles and all but in the spring, a fantastic bright fushia bloom can be found on it. The views are outstanding and are comprised of huge mountains, rolling hills, canyons, as well as wild and tamed rivers. Here and there you even get to go through tunnels and visit old ghost towns.

With this book I've found plenty of things to do when the weather up in the mountains becomes too foreboding. And I'm very glad I have done so!

This lovely, little cookbook combines recipes and fun, inside-the-loop stories about prominant Southern figures. I thoroughly enjoyed Vicky Moon's book "Middleburg Mystique," and I'm glad this book is just as good.

Vicky Moon has assembled a nice assortment of Southern salad recipes that take the reader up the eastern coast, from the Florida Keys to Northern Virginia and Washington, D. C. She calls it "Margaritaville to Egoville." The book is witty with bits of humor and antidotes about her travels.

BEST DRESSED SOUTHERN SALADS has a catchy title and the small, but compact book is filled with some luscious sounding recipes. I like the small size of the book, because you can easily take it with you to the grocery store when you shop for the dressing and salad ingredients.

I tried several of her salads and enjoyed them. I'm looking forward to trying more recipes as we get into the summer months when our produce is at its peak.

It is the most accurate rated hiking book I've owned (I have alot) and most used I would also say its an accurate place to start if your out of shape the ratings are realistic you dont feel like your regretting it half way threw the hike You finish without feeling like the only thing you lost is a few pounds (not your mind or breath) your kids arent whinning and are ready for the next one!!!!

I have purchased several copies of this book, everytime a new edition comes out actually. I can't believe I am the first to review it. If you are a parent and you are new to hiking with kids in the western Washington region this will probably be the only book you need. It is superbly written, with great details on the hike itself,knowing ahead of time what difficulty level you are facing is a must in my opinion, as well as directions on how to find the trail head, tips and tricks to hiking with your children in a way that you will all enjoy it and so much more. I highly reccomend this book, you will not be disapointed.

I am lucky to have Professor Morrissey for my Photography class in Rhode Island and his book has really touched me and made me look at my photos in a different way. He truly is one of the most sincere people I have met with amazing talent behind the lens.

There are several books with moving and important photographs of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This one is a welcome addition as it focuses on the veterans and visitors to the Wall. Mr. Morrissey has obviously spent much time at the Wall and captures the feelings well.

Extremely user friendly -- great for use both by health care professionals and the general public. Very thorough, but not too 'dense'. As a postpartum doula, I recommend giving this to book to all the families you might work with.

This is a very easy-to-read synopsis of postpartum mood disorder. I highly recommend it to other care providers that work with new mothers (OB-GYN, midwives, doulas, pediatricians). It is cheap enough that a practice can buy several hundred a year so they can give out a copy to mothers who look like they are in need.

I am a childbirth educator that gives the Beyond the Birth booklet to my clients before they give birth. I make sure that partners, especially, are aware of its content, and give them all "homework" to read it and watch for mom's symptoms after the baby is born. With giving out this booklet, I feel that I am more effectively preparing the new parents for the inevitable hormone drop, relationship differences and social changes that accompany the birth of their baby.

Highly recommended. Easy to read, easy to give, full of information.

I checked this book out from the library and knew I had to have a copy on hand for my own research. It has more information between its covers than several other books I've read on kimono combined. Extremely valuable for anyone interested in the history of kimono and Japanese textiles. Beautiful color photographs, well-written and well-researched sections, copious footnotes and good quality paper all make this book worthy of a place on any textile collector's bookshelf.

This publication gives an excellent and extensive overview of the traditional Japanese folk textiles that are in the collection of the Seattle Museum of Art. Articles include an overview of these textiles and their use of color and bast fibers. Other articles highlight sashiko, kogin and hishizashi embroidery; katazome, tsutsugaki and yuzenzome, kasuri (ikat) weaving and the textiles of Okinawa. The book is lavishly illustrated with very high quality photographs of garments from the museum's collection. This will be a nice additiion to the library of any fiber artist or someone interested in Japanese design and crafts.

I don't know anything about the book or E. O. Wilson. But the service I received from the vendor was first class, it arrived on-time and I saved a ton of money on this book.

As we all know, E.O. Wilson is a giant of modern biology. Though his work has not always been quietly accepted, his ideas and opinions are undoubtedly an invaluble resorce to the world. In this huge book, Wilson presents what he believes are the 57 most important essays on the current state of Earth's biodiversity.

Being assigned summer reading, my teacher was convinced that I would love this book. He obviousely thought highly of it and so I began reading with an open mind. I'm so glad I did because the issues presented took my breath away. We are living in the middle of the largest mass extinction Earth has ever seen. Right now. These essays bring the reader completely up to speed on what is being destroyed, what efforts are being done to save the Earth, and what further efforts need to begin.

I can honestly say that my career path may have been steered more in the direction of biology after finshing Biodiversity. Everyone should read this book - I can garrentee that it will be a great enlightening experience.

Charles Birch is Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and draws upon his years of research and thought in the philosophy of biology and the relationship of science and religion to provide a seminal rethinking of both science and religion allowing each field to expand its unique contribution to our study and understanding of life in Biology And The Riddle Of Life. Birch argues that while biology has an impressive history of explaining the objective, measurable aspects of life, it has not been able to deal effectively with life's subjective phenomena. What is need to address the issues surrounding a search for meaning in life must include seeking answers to such questions as what it is to be alive, experience pain, to be in love, is God necessary as an explanatory principle for life (and if so, is it a naturalistically understood deity, or an interventionist supernatural deity). Highly recommended reading for students of biology, philosophy, and religious studies, as well as the nonspecialist general reader with an interest in the conjunction of science and religion, Biology And The Riddle Of Life is scholarly, insightful, articulate, engaging, and at times iconoclastic.

Charles Birch is Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and draws upon his years of research and thought in the philosophy of biology and the relationship of science and religion to provide a seminal rethinking of both science and religion allowing each field to expand its unique contribution to our study and understanding of life in Biology And The Riddle Of Life. Birch argues that while biology has an impressive history of explaining the objective, measurable aspects of life, it has not been able to deal effectively with life's subjective phenomena. What is need to address the issues surrounding a search for meaning in life must include seeking answers to such questions as what it is to be alive, experience pain, to be in love, is God necessary as an explanatory principle for life (and if so, is it a naturalistically understood deity, or an interventionist supernatural deity). Highly recommended reading for students of biology, philosophy, and religious studies, as well as the nonspecialist general reader with an interest in the conjunction of science and religion, Biology And The Riddle Of Life is scholarly, insightful, articulate, engaging, and at times iconoclastic.

This book is a great historic full of history and triumph that has made radio/ disc jockey's /music and players what it is today. It allows you to understand and feel what Black muscians had to go through to be noticed and recognized. I recommend all muscians to read this and appreciate the very men and women that have certainly paved the way into the new Millienium. A good read with great pictures.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I have it on my coffee table for everyone to see. The book tells you all about the first black Disc Jockey in Chicago all the way up to the mid 60's. I enjoyed the pictures which also told their own story as well.