Florida Books

I truly believe this book made our vacation the BEST ever!!!! We never shood in line once!!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend it!!!!

Traveling to Walt Disney World without reading this book is dangerous. Understanding the many facets and choices to be made is critical and this book provides all necessary info. I have been there many times and always obtain the latest edition of this book with fabulous results.

This is a comprehensive guide to the enormous vacation spot known as "Disney world." We were able to check out all the restaurants and make early reservations before our last trip. My principal concerns were the very small print and low color contrast in the print. Anyone with any reading problems (such as myself) would not find it convenient to use.

This book was such a great help! I purchased several other, but this was by far, the most comprehensive and best written!

I bought this book along with the PassPorter, and this book blows the other away by far! The thickness of the book may seem overwhelming, but you only have to read the sections that pertain to you and your trip. The information was extremely helpful, and delivered in an amusing voice. This book was certainly written for any reader - neither over nor under the majority of readers' heads. Also the reviews of rides and dining were just right - not too in-depth but certainly very helpful.

I highly recommend this book for anyone planning a trip to Disney!

This is the book that made me a life long reader. It is the first book that showed me that reading could be a real adventure, and made me start looking for other good books. My Grandfather gave it to me when I was about 10 in the early sixties. I would love to have a copy to give to my grandchildren. I too hope it is reprinted. 50 years later I still remember the story vividly.

This is one of the few books that I have always remembered reading as a child. Now as a parent it is one that I would love to add to our collection for my daughter. I truly believe that those of us that were fortunate to grow up in Florida, really do have a connection with this story. Wish I could afford the higher price copies, but would love it to be published again.

My 6th grade class in Tallahasse, Florida read The Lion's Paw in 1955. We were all so mesmerized that I was selected to write to Robb White and invite him to visit our classroom, which of course, he did. We all had a wonderful time with him and I have his autograph in my scrapbook in a box in the attic. I checked the book out of the library for my children but it is not around now that I am looking for it for my grandchildren. I guess I will have to bite the bullet and pay the going price for it if my grandkids are going to read it. What a fantastic book....

I was fortunate enough to find a paperback copy of this book recently at an affordable price. Like many others here, this book was a class reading project when I was in 5th grade. The entire class looked forward to our daily reading, eagerly awaiting the next chapter. I can't wait to share it with grandchildren (when I have them...someday). What a treasure! Being from Florida only makes it that much more so! Don't give up...there are affordable copies out there.

I grew up on a boat and I was always looking for stories about other kids on boats. This was and is one of my all-time favorites. Nick and Penny are orphans and Nick is always running away. This time they run away together and wind up on a sloop called the Hardalee, owned by Ben's father, who is MIA in the Pacific during WWII. Ben's uncle is about to sell the Hardalee. Ben's not going to stand for that, and Penny and Nick get a lot farther away than they thought they would. Oh, and they're not orphans, by the way, they're eganaps. Because, you know, they weren't in an orphanage, they were in an eganahpro.

Great characters, you-are-there setting (Florida), a satisfying plot and an ending that will make you cheer. I have been hunting down used copies of this book all my life to give to the kids in my extended family. I'm chivvying my publisher to acquire the rights and bring it back into print. Possibly with an introduction by...yes, that would be me.

We have always used the Unofficial guide but discovered the Complete WDW just recently. This book has a myriad of awesome colorful pictures--here's what WDW looks like! The only drawback is that, unlike the Unofficial guide, this book doesn't ever criticize WDW or give actual reader input.

Bottom line: it's worth the money. WDW lovers will read and reread the book!

I purchased this book right before a fall trip to Disney World with my 3 teenagers, and it was the best thing I did. A lot of detailed information about restaurants and tips on where to get good snacks was right on target. We were able to find some wonderful out-of-the-way places to eat for a good value while in the parks that we may not have stumbled upon on our own. The book also recommends various attractions by placing a check mark next to them, which helps plan your day if you are trying to make the most of your time. Overall, this is an excellent book with exceptional insights.

Very interesting, informative, with a fantastic amount of interesting pictures of Walt Disney World. It's small size will make it easy to carry- even to take along to the parks. The authors certainly did a lot of research for this book. Wonderful!

This was an excellent guide. The pictures were vibrant, the facts entertaining. This guide is good if you want to learn about the parks/rides/entertainment. It's not a commando scheduler.

This book will give you the best idea on what to expect from a ride. I combined it with the WDWR Econoguide and it was the best mix. I had borrowed about 8 guides from the library and these two are the best.

I just finished reading this book and it is one of the best novels I have every read. Timmothy McCann out does himself with this one. His writing is so pure and alive. He makes you feel the characters pain and joys. The people he writes about are so ral and it is amazing how he can write from a male point of view as well as a female point of view and be so accurate with it. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. You will just fall in love wiht Henry and Cheryl and Leslie. The pain and the love they share and lose will have you on edge and you will not want to stop until the end and they you will just simply say "Always"

I found Timmothy McCann's book entitled, "Always" to be a literary celebration. Following Henry Louis Davis, the second bid to become the first African-American president was like being in the studios of CBS or ABC on election night, Exciting! I highly recommend this book and dedicate it to the dreamer in all of us.

this is the story of Henry, who's about to become the first black president. Cheryl was Henry's first love but things didn't quite work out for them, they still have a love of love for one another though, then there is Leslie, Henry's wife who feel she is second after his career. The story gives you a look at their life when they were young, and older.

This was a great book. I grabbed it because the title sounded like a good one, I knew it would have to be some sort of sentimental story, with a name like 'Always'. So I started to read it and found the each lifestory SO real, it was like the Author had lived each life. The four main characters tell their life story, and the important dates in their life, and the reader feels like they were there with the characters as they grew up and suffered heart ache, and stress as their dreams were broken and achieved. It ended to soon, but I thought the ending was the best part. You wouldn't be disaopinted.

I liked the broad time span that the author covered in this book, and I believe that he covered it well. I enjoyed the book. The television show 24 on the Fox Network has a very similar story line to me.

I bought this book after seeing the PBS special about Proud Spirit Sanctuary. I loved the special and I loved the book. I now buy it for friends that I know will enjoy it.

Melanie, I can't begin to express what an inspiration you and your fine husband are to me. I have ready many books on horses, rescue, etc. Yours is so "real world" that it has made me realize that we must get our goals and tactics in place to make this happen within the next 5 years (purchasing horse property, etc.). THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for so honestly conveying the challenges and the precious rewards of sacrificing self (and monies) to do the right thing and provide a way of escape --- for these hurting horses to have a refuge to live out their days with good care and DIGNITY. Wow!!! THank you. My husband and I hope to meet you and your husband (and rescued "life changers") someday. God bless you, yours, and all you do!!!!!!! My Warmest Regards, Dorease Rioux, Colorado.

I loved this book it was Fabulous an all together could not put down!! I would recommend to anyone who loves true stories as much as I do!

Melanie Bowles is an angel. Thank you for putting horses first. I have worked at a rescue and it is difficult, exhausting work sometimes. Thank you for not focusing on the negative, but putting focus on positive energy to heal these hearts and minds. That is your true gift to us readers. I am looking forward to your next book. (google "Horses of Proud Spirit" and find her web site to learn more)

I can't say enough about this book. It is -- simply put -- wonderful. I am about 3/4 through it, and I'm so reluctant for it to end that I'm trying not to read too much at a time. I am so wishing I could have a horse sanctuary -- or even just ONE rescued horse -- like Melanie and Jim. I'm so jealous! :-)

The bad news is that I'm almost finished with this book. The good news is that I've just discovered that Melanie has written a sequel called "Hoofprints." I have pre-ordered it from Amazon. Can't wait until it's released!

Bless you, Melanie & Jim, for all the wonderful work you are doing!

This book was excellent in giving us advice for which rides to ride, which rides to skip, which places to eat at, and which places to skip (because of the cost, haha). It even has fold out maps so we didn't have to get them separately and tote them all around, and they were very helpful--we used them every day. It also tells you the costs of all the hotels, if you're looking for that, as well. We especially enjoyed Port Orleans French Quarter. This book even has a special place for character autographs for your children so you don't have to buy one for $10! Buy this book and enjoy your trip even more!

I received my copy today of the Passporter 2005. This will be our first trip to WDW and now we are even more excited after reading through this book!!! I love that it is so compact, yet FULL of helpful information. Also, I like that the book can be closed so nothing will fall out. It is perfect to take into the Parks. It is like the Walt Disney World "Bible". A must for first time travelers to WDW!!!!

This is a wonderful book. It is cleverly written and organized with lots of ample room for the reader to journal, take notes and store paper momentos. I can hardly wait to take this with me on our Walt Disney World Vacation in a few short weeks. The authors have provided AWESOME information to make sure that my family has a great vacation. If you are looking for the perfect tour guide to WDW this is it!

I LOVE this book!!! I live in FL but hadn't been to Disney in years, so I decided to buy a planning book before our big trip. Well, I sure got more than I bargained for with this book. It has useful information about every resort, restaurant and ride...and more! The passporter pockets make it convenient to store your hotel confirmations, priority seating confirmations and tickets prior to your trip. The fold-out maps are great too!

In addition to the wealth of information provided in the book, Jennifer and Dave have a wonderful website that I highly recommend for more information about Disney, including updates to the book. If you are planning a Disney trip OR if you just love WDW, GET THIS BOOK. I can't say enough about it.

If you have read any of the other reviews you already know this series inspires strong praise and I agree with all of it. I'd like to add one more reason to appreciate this book- there is NO approximation of the WDW LOGO! you may be wondering why that would be a good thing so I'll tell you. We have a 4year old who can not read yet but has the brand recognition skills of a savant- I have had this book for a few days and not a shread of curiosity about it yet. Which translates into PEACEFUL planning. We won't be tackling the mouse till Dec. and I don't think I can stand almost 3 months of "IS IT TIME YET?????"

but i'm sure this book was good. the toilet paper amazon sent me was very good too. this writer is solid, good entertainment and very talented. i wish i had this book instead of the TP but the TP they sent me is very good too.

This is Swain's first novel featuring the character Jack Carpenter. Hopefully it is not his last. Swain has created a unique anti-hero in Carpenter, an ex-cop who specializes in finding missing and abducted children. The action is non-stop, the pace fast and furious. Swain has chosen to set the novel in Florida and it lends perfectly to the steamy action. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers, you will not want to miss this book.

I have read over 700 mystery novels over the years. This novel is the best that I have read in several years. It should be a hands down winner of both the Edgar and the Shamus.

This was my first read from author James Swain and boy what a first impression he has made on me!!! I'm telling you just cannot go wrong when you buy this book! He has created a fantastic character in Jack Carpenter that you love to root for and given him a tightly woven plot to show off his skills while giving us the perfectly timed humor! Oh man... I had fun reading this book! I am looking forward to THE NIGHT STALKER!!

If you like thrillers, this is a good choice. The plot is straight-forward. The protagonist is a sympathetic figure - a police officer fired from his job for losing control and pounding on a serial killer he arrested. Jack Carpenter, the ex-officer, is broke, separated from his wife, and living in a tiny place above a bar on the beach in south Florida. But the serial killer has a slick attorney who is getting him out of prison, based on Jack's impulsive action. And the killer is out for revenge against Jack and women who testified against him. Jack has to act quickly to save his life and the lives of the women. The fast-moving story reads smoothly, and tension keeps building to a blistering climax.

This colorful guide book to the reef fish of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Carribean is an excellent reference. Fish are shown in beautiful color pictures with information on size, shape, where to find them,and how they are likely to react to divers.
All the usuals are of coures here but so are many less commonly seen in guide books. Written information also includes descriptions of common variants.
An all around excellent book for the semiserious to serious snorkeler or diver who enjoys identifing what they see.

As book reader and Diver, I just love this book, It gives me all the pictures and characteristics for an accurate evaluation of the creatures I found under water. Great pictures, and outstanding charcterization of fishes.

At one time I was the head of a volunteer organization in WPB, Florida that assisted Palm Beach County with their artifical reef program. Part of the qualification was to get training in a variety of related subjects (like fish identification) sponsored by the Florida Oceanographic Society. This book served as our fish identification "bible." I no longer live in FL, but when I go diving in the Caribbean I stil take this book with me. If you need to (or just want to) know the fish of the Caribbean, buy this book.

This is a fabulous resource, and I wish we had bought it before to take with us on our trip to BVI

This is a reef fish identification book. This sounds obvious, but that really is the focus here. It's not a book to teach you about fish behavior, biogeography, community ecology, or population trends. Author, diver, captain, photographer, and attorney (!) Paul Humann took most of the 670 photographs in this book, a real accomplishment for any diver, since the result of a blurred or indistinct photograph of a fish is to... go get another.

The organization of this ID book is by fish shape. He's got 12 "identification groups":

- disks and ovals (colorful)
- silvery
- sloping head and tapered body
- small ovals
- heavy body and large lips
- swim with pectoral fins, and with obvious scales
- reddish and big eyes
- small, elongated bottom-dwellers
- old-shaped bottom dwellers
- odd-shaped swimmers
- eels
- sharks and rays

Any fish watcher would see the "logic" of this organization, although it could make some ichthyologists squirm with these sets of artificial groupings.

The book is spiral-bound so that the pages, when opened, stay open. And the clay content in the paper makes it more resistant to water dripping from your wetsuit or your hair. Just make sure you wipe it off, pronto.

Now the photos... They are very high quality, and Humann is to be commended for taking, or selecting from other photographers, pictures that really pull out the details of the various fish . For example, the Sergeant Major has the delicate yellow along the base of its dorsal fin, and those frogfish must be viewed in both a camouflaged condition and in a setting where they are contrasted with the background.

Any amateur photographer will soon discover the difficulty in getting a full, close-up and lateral view of a fish. They tend to swim away from you as you get close, giving you a great view of the tail sweeping away. These photos are the result of a truly amazing amount of patience.

In an appendix, he throws in some sea turtles and dolphins or good measure, as well as a checklist for keeping track of the reader's sightings.

My ocean diving has all been in the Pacific, and it was interesting seeing species related to my own "friends." If I get the opportunity to dive in Florida, the Caribbean, or the Bahamas, this will be the book I throw in my dive bag... in a zip-lock bag, of course.

My Mother has Parkinsons and this book was so good I had to buy 4 more books for my 4 sisters to read. I felt like I wrote it myself.It was like reading what I do everyday,but coming from someone else, who went through the same siuation as my family is right now. I could not put it down and was upset when I was finished it.

Mothering Mother by Carol D. O'Dell is the author's story of caring for her 90 year old mother who suffered from Parkinson's disease with a couple of years of Alzheimers thrown into mix to keep things interesting. It's a great book and should be on every caregiver's bookshelf. Coincidentally, O'Dell lives here in Jacksonville. When she wrote about walking along the river to clear her head, I imagined she was just down the street. Feeling like we were neighbors who could wave to each other on the occasional outing, made her story even more recognizable somehow.

Not that it was difficult to believe what the author was saying. She wrote honestly, with both humor and candor, about a situation that was neither pretty nor easy. Amazingly O'Dell wrote her book while still raising teenage daughters and going to school herself. What I can't quite figure out is how she managed to care for and clean up after her mother day after day and still have the energy for normal things like shopping, attending church and making love to her husband. I think it helped that her husband was, without a doubt, her best advocate. I like to read about husbands like that.

The similarities in our situations stop with the age of our respective parents, yet O'Dell wrote about my life. In fact, she nailed the business of parenting a parent. Watching the person who raised you cross a somewhat obscure line to become a childlike version of someone you once believed hung the moon is not for sissies. O'Dell paints a word picture with poignant detail. She wrote the story I'd like to write but lack the confidence and know-how.

This book is a must read for anyone who has a parent with Parkinson's Disease. I devoured the book in one day. Though my mother's personality before Parkinson's was the polar opposite of Carol's mother's, it was fascinating for me to see how similar so many of their disillusions and behaviors became. I highly recommend this book.

Mothering Mother is Carol O'Dell's "humorous and heartbreaking memoir" in journal format through the last three years of her mother's life. This is not a fun or easy book to read. These are things we don't want to think about, but eventually have to, and it helps to have a guidebook, the benefit of someone else's experience and hard-won wisdom. It is the writer's gift to face challenges head-on; to write through the darkness for survival and sanity; and to share the adventure.

O'Dell is a naturally skilled and talented writer, with the ability to document her mother's decline and her own emotions and turmoil in brutal honesty, with often shocking detail, and yet, there is humor here, even at the worst moments, and love overall.

"If you are considering home care for an infirm or elderly dependent, Mothering Mother is a not-to-be-missed memoir and helpful "how-to." [I would say "how-to-survive."]

As children many of us see our parents as almost superhuman beings. In the best circumstances, parents are big, strong, and they take care of us - hold us when we cry, bandage our scrapes, and teach us how to ride bikes. They're always there and a time when they would not be probably never occurs to us.

For many young adults their parents are still nurturers, their childhood homes are still warm places, familiar rooms they visit. Even in those years they may not think that some day roles will be reversed - they will be the care givers for once independent parents who now need to be looked after. This is uncharted territory for most, and it takes a great deal of adjustment. Yet, we can learn from others such as the forthright narrative by Carol O'Dell which tells the story of how she coped and cried when she became the parent and her adoptive mother became a child.

While many offspring who are care givers may find a suitable nursing home or even day care for their aged parents, O'Dell took Noveline, her ill 89-year-old mother, into her home, a home the author shared with her husband and three daughters. The demands of her growing family were already a full-time job - caring for her mother was one more tremendous task.

The author realized that she was going to have to find additional strength from somewhere, and she sought it in nature. We read: "Water is my element, and this holy land that sits on the edge of the sea and sky touches something deep within me. Something in me knows that if I'm going to do more than just get through this, if I'm actually going to thrive, I will need nature to nurture me."

And thrive she did although there were total embarrassments, utter frustrations, and abject degradation. O'Dell spares the reader nothing in her candid picture of what it was like to have Noveline in her home during her declining days. Mothering Mother does not paint a pretty picture but an honest one, sometimes humorous, always inspiring.

Perhaps for Carol O'Dell her book, which is dedicated to her adoptive parents says it all: "Thank you for giving your home, your heart and your lives to a little girl with a fistful of seashells, hoping to belong."

She was given a home and she gave one in return.

- Gail Cooke

This is the third edition of this book that I have bought. I love the format of them. They are imformative, yet entertaining. I am a "planner", and this helps keep me organized. We had made the major decisions of where to eat & where to go when in advance. I've been a Disney fan for years as are my children now. This book gave helpful tips when it came to deciding where & when to do things. I highly recommend it & look forward to the next edition.

We used this for many months before our vacation last year. It was almost drenched with highlighter markings long before we left for Florida. When we got there, it was like our Bible as we toured the parks. It has everything you need to know for Disney and beyond. Her sense of humor is most amusing and she does let you know where to eat without losing your mind or cookies with toddler in tow. So buy it and then keep it, because you will write notes in it and after your trip it will become almost a souvenir of sorts with all your little articles and receipts etc, tucked away in side. You will look through it a year or two later and laugh at your comments about whatever you were thinking at the time. We had teenagers and toddler and everything worked out great, she has some real tips that do everyone good, not just the kids. Mom and dad won't lose their mind trying to please everyone. We are heading to Universal as well this year, so we will definitely be buying her Universal book.

Since we take so few vacations, I like to make sure they're planned well so everyone gets the most out of them. I bought 3 Disney books (Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger and Birnbaum's 2001 edition too) but this is the one I found most useful for planning a trip with a 4 & 6 year-old. The tips saved us $1000 on room costs alone! The reviews of the Disney and off-site hotels offer useful details not found on websites. The excellent ride reviews feature details to help parents determine if it's too scary for your child (tells you if dark, noisy, surprise elements, etc) - not just a generic "may scare children under age 5" warning. The book is fun & easy to read... and with her realistic advice for visiting Disney with kids, you'll have more fun and be less stressed-out on vacation than if you did it without her book.

As you see from most of the reviews of this book it is an excellent source of information. As the author notes, the level of enjoyment of your trip is directly related to the amount of research you do before your trip.

In addition to being a great source of information before we left, it was a great read on the drive to Orlando. As parents, so much time is spent on the planning that the joyful anticipation of the trip is often left to the kids. The more we read and closer we got, the more excited we got.

One personal caveat that is inferred in the book, but not stated expressly is that the Disney experience can be lost on young kids. Our six-year-old had an absolute blast, our 3 1/2-year-old was a bit tentative about the characters and some of the shows, but our two-year old was scared by the characters (I don't think he understood that they would be life-sized) and the shows created sensory overload. Several parents of young children we talked to said they would not repeat the experience with a child younger than four. We heartily second that.

I have a three year old daughter, and this book was a tremendous help in planning out trip to Disney World. It told us when and where to find the characters (a BIG item for planning the days), what rides to ride first, and most importantly, the information about FastPass. I highly recommend the book to anyone taking kids to DisneyWorld.