Hawaii Books

One of the best horticultural books I've seen (and I own too many!).
Lots of information, not only on the plants but also on propagation and diseases.
Superbly organized and well indexed.
If you live on Hawaii and have a yard this book is a must.

Great book. It gives the common name, the latin name and the Hawaiian name of plants we find here in Hawai'i. 416 pages chock full of easy to read and apply methods of growing Hawaiian plants. Lavishly illustrated, generous size of 9 by 11 inches, this is a must have for growers, artists and students of Hawaiian plants. This is the best $45 I have spent on books in a long time. Thanks to the author and publisher.

for anyone that is a real freak about native hawaiian plant
growing,this book is going to be your bible.along with easy to
understand descriptions on the growing of native hawaiian plants
the photos make this book a book for everybodies coffee tables.
i know kerin personally and have been in on her growth as the
foremost authority on the supject of hawaiian plants.she comes
by her knowledge through being friends with and close to the
masters in the field.no college degree for this girl,just,
love for hawaiian plants.great book for all.

Excellent gardening book. Even though we live in Florida, the book is very valuable for growing vegetables in our climate. Great, easy and delicious recipes too. What a great idea to have recipes in a gardening book.

This is a great gardening book! I received it as a gift and found it especially helpful in answering my questions on pesticides and alternatives to pesticides. My little backyard garden is now in much better shape. The recipes included taste just like mom's home cooking.

This is one of the best gardening books I have ever bought. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and the material is easy to read and follow. This book is definitely great for the amateur gardener. The recipes included for each vegetable are so delicious! Gardeners in all 50 states (not just Hawaii) will find this book enjoyable.

Diana Helfand has taught nutrition in the Food Service and Hospitality Education Program at Kapi-olani Community College and hosted the 'Heart-y Chef" cooking show on KHON for five years. Her column "Heart-y Cooking was a regular feature in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for nine years, and she currently writes the weekly "Heart-y Chef" column of "MidWeek". In Hawai'i Light And Healthy, Helfand draws upon her many years of culinary experience and expertise to compile recipes (each of which includes approximate nutrition information per serving) that showcase what an Hawaii perspective has to offer the health conscious and adventurous family kitchen cook. From Chinese Chicken Salad a la Heart-y Chef; Easy Fish Stew; Candied Acorn Squash; and Banana-Chocolate Chip-Macademia Bread; to Maple Fruit Crumble; Grilled Spice Salmon; Veggie Penne with Pine Nuts; and Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Hawai'i Light And Healthy is an ideal addition to any personal cookbook collection and features a spiral binding allowing the book to lay flat upon the kitchen counter while in use.

This book has enlightened me. I never knew how easy it could be to eat AND prepare delicious, healthy foods. The recipes are easy to follow, the book has great information on the foods as well as the nutrition information. This is all very useful to me, especially being a college student. The cooking is very easy for me, even with the limited space in my small apartment. I wish my parents had sent this to me my freshman year. Then maybe I would not have gained the "freshman 15." Now I will lose that weight using this great book!

How many low fat cookbooks have you read? I've read at least 100 and I'll tell you this: You Must Buy This Book! The author is so down to earth-- there's no nonsense, no gimmicks, no fuss-- just straightforward valuable information, including nutrition information, that's needed for you and for your entire family. This book could literally save your life-- How many people do you know who are trying to lose weight? How many people do you know who have been on those awful fad diets? This book has an entirely different approach because its underlying message is to change your lifestyle; it's practical because the recipes are eeeeassssy and they're TASTY! I've tried out about 15 of them so far and everyone loves them. The recipes are easy and quick and so simple that your kids could make them. My friend, who's a single mother, bought this book and she has three kids. Her youngest is nine and she's been teaching them all to cook. Her nine year old has already made two recipes and he's thrilled because he was able to make dinner for the entire family. Let me share with you my favorite recipe so far: Wait! I can't, because I have too many favorites. Well, here are some delicious hits with family and company: Ono Caramel Pecan Apples, Turkey Shepherd's Pie (mmm mmm mmm), Candied Acord Squash, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Shrimp and Rotini in Wine Sauce, Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes, Fall Pumpkin Date Muffins, Poppy Seed Biscuits, Hawaiian Party Fruit Salad, Soda Pop Chicken, Sesame Walnut String Beans, Seafood Linguini Alfredo, Tangy Lemon Sorbet-- there are too many good ones to choose from.
Also, there are deeeelicious recipes from ten of Honolulu's favorite restaurants; I've made two so far-- An exotic Lilikoi Cheesecake, and the most scrumptious Blue Crab Cakes I have ever tasted. I have to say folks that I'm a tough audience and I rate this book a 10/10 because the recipes are easy to prepare, the nutrition information is soooo helpful and informative, the color pictures are beautiful, the binding lays flat so you can keep your place while following the recipe, and just look at the price! How can you beat that? Buy one for yourself and I promise you that you'll come back to Amazon.com and buy another for your best friend!

Hawai'i One Summer is a slim collection of luminous essays reflecting diversal topics ranging from surfing to house chores. Indeed, this is the least read book by Hong-Kingston. Her prose is clear and evocative. It is very different from the radical Woman Warrior. It evokes a zen quality, like sipping a soulful cup of ginseng tea.

HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER is probably Kingston's least-read work, but I think it's the piece which captures this writer's clear and graceful prose style the best. Her essays range from surfing to dishwashing. Who'd ever guess that someone could write a substantial essay on a mundane activity like dishwashing? Well, Maxine Hong Kingston achieved this task. HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER would probably be good to use in an expository writing course.

A memoir of Maxine Hong Kingston's memorable years in Hawai'i, when she went from Viet Nam protests and virtual street existence to pedagogies and mythologies of empowerment that took on national and global impact. This, I find, an insightful, wry, even caustic book on the local literature movements in Hawai'i, always fresh and insightful even when New Yorkerish.

this book is mostly directed at teenages who have a fetish for surfing and all things girlie. it portrays a feeing that who ever is readding the book is there and can understand the charaters feelings. the five girls in this novel have problimes not only with boys but with family as well. this way the reader can relate to the story.

i really liked this book. i read it under 3 days and becaue im not a huge fan of reading, i found this book easy to read. not only does it share realationships between boys, but familys as well, which most girls can relate to.

if your a fan of surfing and love a hawaiian getaway then this book is great. its about a girl who goes to hawaii with her mates to have a photo shoot for a surf magasine, plus a bit of a surf. so if you wanna relax with a book, this 1 is great for you.

This book is awesome... I was totally stoked to get this book. I read it in one day. I so want to go to hawaii right now and surf... that would be so awesome! This is a great book and you should definitly read it.

I have always been an avid reader and credit that as the source of my strength in communicating ideas and concepts when I teach. "A Hawaiian Life" proved to be a most enjoyable reading experience for me - and not because of the inclusion of pidgin english which I am so familiar with - but more so because of the stories told. George Kahumoku Jr. has lived, as is living, an incredibly full life and Paul Konwiser has been able to capture, through first person narrative, some of the exceptional and wonderful experiences of George. The stories are a window into a lifestyle and are sprinkled with insights into the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic diversity that is unique to Hawaii. That alone, though, is not the allure or appeal of this biography. George has had EXTRAORDINARY experiences few, if any, of us will have. Each chapter is subtitled and "Almost Dead at Six Weeks Old" and "A Shark Attacks" may give you an idea of what I mean. Often humurous, at times touching and wonderfully illustrated by George, this book did what I want books to do - entertain and captivate me. Buy it today and ENJOY! I'll be waiting for more stories from Paul and George!!

"A Hawaiian Life" is a collection of stories from the daily experiences of a contemporary Hawaiian man, George Kahumoku Jr., a master slack key guitar player who has entertained all over the world. The stories are funny and unpretentious, such as an ahi (tuna) fishing disaster; teaching his son to be an entertainer; and adjusting (or not) to life in an elegant resort hotel. The book gives a generous view of a Hawai'i most people never get to see. Illustrated by the author, these allegorical tales are layered with meanings, often spiritual, and they resonate for a long time after being read.

The only bad thing about "A Hawaiian Life" is that it's over so quick. I could have read another 1000 pages of Mr. Hakumoku's story. For any Hawaiian at heart who longs for sitting down with a true Hawaiian and talking story, this is as good as it gets. A picture window into a lifestyle so far from what some of us are living today. Sit back with inu, kick off da kine slippas and escape brah. Feel Hawaiian for a while. Mahalo nui loa George!!

I used this guide along with "Oahu Revealed" and was thoroughly happy with both purchases. This particular guide, while missing color photos, had awesome walking tours and many useful maps. Each area was divided into easy to follow categories such as eating, sleeping and activities. And the reviews are short, but accurate!

I just get back from Oahu for my engagement trip. I can say, all my 7-day trip is on this book, from attractives to restaurants. The informations are accurate and comprehensive. Highly recommended guide book.

My sister-in-law and I used this book daily on our trip to Oahu. We started referring to it as "the Bible"! Lots of info but not overwhelming. Fun tips on how to navigate popular tourist attractions. All information was accurate and up to date for our January 2007 trip. Highly recommended.

I have not found a better estate planning book on the market as informative or as easy to read than this one. It is humorous, full of information and a lot of fun to read. Highly recommended.

This book has very simple descriptions about every aspect of estate planning. It is very easy to read and understand. And it provides a comprehensive outline of all the ways you can eliminate death taxes. I liked the simple graphics and pictures that made the descriptions easier to understand. A must for anyone interested in avoiding death taxes and probate.

As an attorney, I recommend that all clients read and consider the information in Mr. Lilly's book before they finalize an Estate Plan. The book is well written in everyday language so all can easily understand.

Island Boyz is a collection of short stories that is sure to delight readers young and old alike. More then just stories told with a Hawaii flare, these stories could take place in any young person's life, and I believe some of them have.

Some make you chuckle, such as the story 'Mrs. Noonan', some make you wonder(Forty Bucks) and yes there is at least one that left this reader a tad sad (The Doi Store Monkey). Isn't that what a good read is all about?

A good mix for the mind and soul. A recommended read, one I feel you will truly enjoy!

Shirley Johnson/Reviewer

These short stories reflect the author's love of Hawaii and its culture and atmosphere, providing very different viewpoints and experiences of Hawaiian culture and dreams. From a dead boy and a ravine's hidden beauties to images of the shark as a family protector, this captures perfectly the diverse cultures and concerns of Hawaii's youth.

These stories are fantastic, varied, vivid, subtle, captivating, engrossing -- I'm running out of breath to describe them. Nearly every narrator (and certaingly every speaking boy)in these stories uses the pidgin dialect of the Hawaiian Islands, and as you grow accustomed to reading it, the rhythm of the language begins to feel like music in your ear. Few writers have created as detailed and heartfelt a portrait of a place as Salisbury does here for his beloved Hawaii. The stories are full of fishing, diving, flips flops, green mountains and soaring birds. The stories, and the island boyz, will stay with you long after the book is closed. Waiting for the War is the standout story among a whole collection of fine pieces.

Island Boyz is a collection of short stories that is sure to delight readers young and old alike. More then just stories told with a Hawaii flare, these stories could take place in any young person's life, and I believe some of them have.

Some make you chuckle, such as the story 'Mrs. Noonan', some make you wonder(Forty Bucks) and yes there is at least one that left this reader a tad sad (The Doi Store Monkey). Isn't that what a good read is all about?

A good mix for the mind and soul. A recommended read, one I feel you will truly enjoy!

Shirley Johnson/Reviewer

Oliver Statler's Japanese Pilgrimage is a delight. Retracing the steps of generations of past pilgrims, he brings their stories to life and evokes a gentle reflective mood for the reader. As well, modern Japan is brought into focus through his appreciation of the links between tradition, Buddhism and Shinto and contemporary culture. A really delightful read, and a good "travellers tale" that will be enjoyed by those who have or are planning to visit Japan.

This book tells the story of an American man who makes a famous pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku with his Japanese friend.
Having lived/studied in Zentsuji Shikoku for a year, (the home of Kobo Daishi the monk who created the pilgrims trail) I can vouch for the books authenticity.

It is a tale about the 88 temples along the way, the political intrigues, secret love affairs between villgers and pilgrims and the stories of despair and pain. Oliver weaves a beautiful web between the past history which he quotes and the present conditions of the modern pilgrims and village people he meets along the way. It is not only a book about Japanese culture accurately and sensitively crafted but the spiritual journey of the author also and his struggle with his inner darkness. Its a great read.

Each temple along the way has a personality and a shadow and the pilgrim connects the stories of the past with his present journey as he interviews the local people and describes their various characteristics. The journey traverses various provinces from Kagawa to Kochi where the various people display unique attitudes towards the pilgrims varying between open hostility to hospitality.

It is a good book to realize the complexity of Japanese culture and to appreciate the beauty of this amazing island of sea, temples and mountains. Oliver is truly an amazing oriental observer with the spirit of zen in each page. He writes honestly, openly and without pretention.

They just don't make books like this anymore! This is a wonderfully rambling, lyrical, impressionistic portrait of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, anecdotal and episodic and yet gradually unfolding according to an underlying narrative plan. It's accessible and simply written and yet well-researched, informative, and highly evocative of Japanese religiosity as it functions in real life. At times it's intensely personal, based as it is on the author's own pilgrimage experiences (mainly a complete walking circuit of the eighty-eight temples accomplished with a friend in 1971), and yet at other times it's intriguingly biographical concerning monks and pilgrims prominent in the pilgrimage's long history. The author's fervent enthusiasm and deep esteem for this religious phenomenon and its underlying spirituality overflows on every page, and yet he's quite realistic and straightforward about some of the shadier and unsavory aspects of the pilgrimage. Finally, the icing on the cake, the book is profusely illustrated with fine woodcuts and paintings both premodern and modern, once again proving the principle that a picture's worth a thousand words.

The book is divided into three sections, and with each section the reader gets closer and closer to lived religion in Japan. In the first part Statler concentrates on outlining the historical personage of Kukai (later known honorifically as Kobo Daishi), the 8th/9th-century monk and founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan upon whom the pilgrimage is focused. In the second part Statler attempts to portray how layers and layers of legend and belief enlarged and eventually apotheosized Kobo Daishi and of how faith in him as a divine savior was spread among the populace by wandering, itinerant holy men (many pious if unlearned, some inevitably charlatans). Finally, in the third section the pilgrimage itself comes into sharper focus, including discussions with current pilgrims and priests along with accounts of many past pilgrims such as the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danzo VIII, the feminist writer Takamure Itsue, the Chicago anthropologist Frederick Starr, and the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki, to name only a few. And of course all three sections are permeated with legends, folk stories, anecdotes, and miracle tales that are fantastic or even bizarre--and that capture the mood and feel of the pilgrimage perfectly in all its ambiguity.

Just a word of warning, though, this is not a guidebook. Statler does not describe every single one of the eighty-eight temples*, and for those temples he does describe he skips around a lot and backtracks now and then with no attempt at going along in their order on the pilgrimage route. And there is absolutely no concrete information on travel and accommodations or the like, so don't count on this book for such purposes. Instead, allow this book to get you into the spirit of the pilgrimage, whether you really intend on actually performing it or not, in fact. Indeed, you don't need to know a thing about Japan to follow and enjoy this fine account, and yet those who've studied Japan for years will doubtlessly find much to learn and enjoy as well. And if you happen to have fond memories of life in rural Japan, then believe me, this book will definitely take you back there in spirit.

*(In the back there is an appendix with each temple listed by name and number along with the principal deity and sect affiliation of each, though this is more in the nature of an FYI than a guide per se).