California Books

This is a great source for Yosemite Big Walls. It provides valuable information including strategies, ratings with relative comparisons to other big wall routes, approaches, precise topos, optimum belays and bivy locations, pitch-linking possibilities, weather/seasonal factors, and descent routes. For those interested in Yosemite Big Wall history, there is a section devoted to the pioneers of Yosemite Big Wall climbing that is quite interesting. All in all, a great book for Yosemite's Big Walls. Thumbs up!!

Yosemite's best in painstaking detail -- a truly outstnading resource !

These topos are the best on the planet!

They are so detailed they allowed me to relive most of the hard or akward sections on the wall, occasionally even describing a single move. With the supertopos you can be ultimately prepared, as they include to what extent "clean routes" depend on fixed gear and what to bring if some of it rips out.

Real wall-rats/purists might feel that it removes some of the adventure, but then again you don't have to read everything and there is still plenty adventure left. Also the stories of the first ascents and histories of the climbs make it the ultimate guide, and even a good read.

Reading it got me so psyched up that I can hardly wait for my next "Big Wall" trip.

I can only hope that the other supertopos (e.g. free climbs) will be just as good.

This is hands down the best climbing guide I have ever purchased. Not only does McNamara replace the ambiguous beta from past books with straight-up ratings and tips, he also provides entertaining history and profiles to get you psyched. I also recommend "The Road to The Nose" book that Chris sells on his site ...

This book sets new standards for climbing guides. The production values are superb, and the information contained detailed and informative. If you're even thinking of climbing a big wall in Yosemite, buy this book. If you're a guidebook author, or thinking of becoming one, buy this and imitate it.

Fun romp featuring repo men (and women) of DKA as heroes versus gypsy clans. The king of American gypsies has died, and the clans from around the US are vying to have their leader be selected as the new king. To this end, they are stealing Cadillacs left and right in order to show up in the proper style at the big gathering where the new king will be selected. Lots of fun to be had as Gores skillfully describes scam after scam after scam, both by the gypsies and the repo men. Both groups are sympathetically portrayed for the most part, and the background detail about modern gypsy life is interesting in its own right.

This book is full of heroes on all sides as DKA agents and gypsies strive to outwit each other throughout a very funny story. 32 CADILLACS is the best entry in the entertaining DKA series.

This book explores the world of gypsies, scamps and thieves and the offbeat group of Private Investigators who pursue them.

Always planning the next con, theft or bunko, a band of gypsies in San Francisco pull off a perfect crime. Using four branches of the same bank, slick tactics and phone banks, a group of gypsies manages to steal 32 cadillacs, all in the same day.
Facing a million dollar loss, the bank hires DKA, a local PI firm, to recover the stolen cars. Tipped off that a gang of gypsies was responsible, the DKA operatives, or repomen, start a chase that follows the cars across the US. Using very unconventional methods this quirky band of PIs, who are rejects and misfits, must use their wiles to "outcon the cons."

What makes this story really outstanding is the background tale of the gypsy life, description of how the cons are done and the plotting of the PIs to get the cars back. There is lots of action too including breakneck chases and escapes, including one where a DKA agent must leap into a car while his rear is filled with buckshot.

My favorite character is Ken Warren, a repoman with such a severe speech impediment that he barely communicates. But with extraordinary skills in hunting down and absconding with cars that no one else can get, he earns the respect of his fellow DKA agents.

A fun ride which I highly recommend.

... I found it to be a nice treat.

It was an interestinglook at the workings of the repoman and an enlightning look at the gypsy lifestyle.

The members of the DKA agency were wonderfully drawn characters...very Runyon-esque. The gypsy characters could not have been more colorful. The plots and sidebars were neatly tied together.

There is a lot of humor mixed in with the crime, trackdowns, deceptions, double dealings and repo procedural. This would make a great movie. The action never stops and Mr. Gores does a great job of putting the reader inside the mind of the players.

"32 Cadillacs" was very entertaining and my initial Joe Gores book. I feel like I have discovered a new writer and look forward to more fun reads by Joe Gores.

Why Joe Gores isn't a better known author is a complete mystery to me. Ok, Ok, he's won 3 Edgar Awards and all, but still you don't hear his name mentioned too often when asking for recommendations. His DKA Files series are full of action, humour, cons and scams and in short are pure entertainment. Well, no matter, I've discovered him now and I'm here to tell you that the series, and 32 Cadillacs in particular, is one that's not to be missed.

For the first time, the DKA Agency is pitted in a head-to-head battle with San Francisco's Gypsy community following a Gypsy scam that had netted a grand total of 31 Cadillacs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime job, recover the 31 Caddys for a nicely negotiated fat fee. But the Gypsies are crafty specialists of the long con and are exceedingly difficult to track down, so the recovery process will require the DKA team to use every resource available as well as every underhanded trick in the book.

To give you a head start, I'll introduce you to the central DKA characters. They are, Dan Kearny, Giselle Marc, Patrick O'Bannon, Larry Ballard and Bart Heslip. And two new characters are added to the staff, Trin Morales, a sleazy Latino who failed on his own as a PI, and Ken Warren, the genius carhawk with a killer speech impediment. Both bring tremendous dimension and entertainment to the DKA team.

But the real stars of the book are the Gypsies, colourful in character as well as in their various ingenious scams. Although they're such big thieves that they'd make a kleptomaniac look like a saint, you can't help but like them and hope that every now and then they'll catch a break.

Joe Gores is an author who has walked the walk, having been an agent in the real life DKA Agency. His first-hand knowledge and experience is apparent as his agents work through their cases. Rumour has it that the Larry Ballard could very well be modelled on Gores himself.

As a final word, if there are any Donald Westlake fans out there who have read and enjoyed his Dortmunder book Drowned Hopes, I would urge you to read this one too with a brilliant crossover of storylines. This book was an absolute pleasure to read and, I know it's a much-overused catch phrase but I would term it a "must read book".

I have enjoyed reading this well written book and learning about the scientists and volunteers who are working to restore the species. Science got a little short shrift, which is probably nice for many readers. I learned a lot anyway. Though I did not always agree with the author's opinions, I think this is an important book and may help reduce the general ignorance about the fate of the American Chestnut, something everyone really ought to know about.

I have read a number of books in the genre of environmental science or nature that missed the mark for me when it came to explaining the science of the problem. This book was perfect. Some books spend too much time on personalities - again perfect and seemingly balanced. My only minor complaint was that I didn't need so much preaching about why I should care about the chestnut. I do! This book exceeded my expectations and I truly learned something from it.

I work in plant pathology which sparked my interest in this topic. This book is written by a non-scientist and it is very well researched and full of interesting stories of many of the people affected by, and dedicated to saving the American Chestnut. I would recommend it to anyone interested in US history or biology or just looking for a good read.

As a biologist with an intense avocational interest in the American Chestnut, I planted nearly a hundred seeds on my property in PA way back in 1972. After 8 years of beautiful growth, the blight hit them. I joined the American Chestnut Foundation and discovered a hypovirulent chestnut on my property that I shared with professionals studying the blight fungus. But my interest in chestnuts waned, in part because of the ACF's backcrossing program, until I read Susan Freinkel's marvelous book! The people I knew only as names became personalities--Burnham, Rutter, Hebard--and she introduced me to others, such as Gary and Lucille Griffen, whose work she described finally explained to me why the hypovirulent inoculants I applied to my chestnuts back in 1980 didn't help at all. It's the combination of genetic resistance with hypovirulence that is needed. What an eye opener and what a fantastic book she has written, one that has rekindled my youthful interest in restoring the role of the American Chestnut. Her book supports the huge role natural history plays in producing good science. Passion for a species is a natural element in knowing it.

As an avid amateur botanist, it is rare when an informative AND interesting book on plants is published. But this the case here. Freinkel speaks with an informative and lyrical voice, making one ponder the tragedy of the loss of this truly magnificent tree. I'm very glad to see this lovely book published, and hope more writers follow Freinkel's example.

A considerable amount of history during the early Middle Ages was written by Middle Easterners, and their scholarship should be taken seriously, as shown in this book. There is a lot of information appropriate to the issues in the region even now. See other reviews in the resource library at civilsociety dot seedwiki

As other reviewers have noted, this book is an engrossing, highly informative text, that is (generally) quite an easy read. It can be gory and propagandistic at times, as some have noted. Overall, it's a very good digest of Muslim narratives of several key events.

The main drawback is that I would not consider this a stand-alone book, particularly on a lot of the convoluted political arrangements - I'd suggest Wasserman's "Templars & the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven" for that - and I really don't think one can get the full understanding of the Muslim mentality in fighting the Crusaders from it. For that I'd suggest al-Sulami's "Way of Sufi Chivalry" (for those on a budget) or preferably Sabzawari's "Royal Book of Spiritual Chivalry" (for those who aren't) to get into the mindset of the Muslim warriors. For while "Arab Historians" includes a lot personal commentary from the authors, these last two books were written as guides for the emirs and warriors, and once reading them one gets the feeling that "Arab Historians" was written by some military public relations officer.

Still a highly recommended, enjoyable read, though.

Once you've read the popular histories of the Crusades, and your appetite for the original source materials has been whetted by the excerpts in Payne, Runciman, etc., you will want this book. It's THE source reader for the Arab perspectives, better in many ways than The Crusades Through Arab Eyes (Maalouf). You get the flavor of the culture as well as their particular slant on the events and personalities. And the snarky footnotes can be delicious!

A very good source, especially for those who have read about the Crusades and understand the context of the writings. This book is not an overview of the crusades or of a single crusade; it is selections from the writings of Arabic historians placed in a chronological order. Easy to read, detailed and engrossing; both useful and enjoyable.

A good book. It has many parallels with accounts of the original Muslim invasions and subsequent 700 year occupation of most of the Iberian (Spain/Portugal) Penninsula. Due to this initial Muslim invasion and occupation of Christian Europe, the Christian Crusades were launched into Spain and the Holy Land. Same story in the Balkans and Anatolia with the Seljuk and Ottoman Turk invasions of those Christian lands. First hand accounts of events always make for good reading. A good book, unfortunately I lost it.

The word artificial originally meant "artful, crafty." That's an apt description of ARTIFICIAL IMAGINATION, which blends art, craft, and wit into a narrative that teaches us life lessons that we did not knew we knew.
-- Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2JQ1EBHV3YOR6 Great book, nice splash of humor--high quality photos! I specially like the love story at the end.

Here are some links to photo posters and calendars from the book and promotional T-shirts:
Scenic City and Boat Photo Poster
University of Washington Photo Poster
Seattle Secenic Sunset Photograph
Seattle Secenic Photograph
Thonging At the Beach
San Francisco Scenic Union Square Photo Poster
Pike Place Market Photo Print
Beach Hotties Poster

This book transcends genre -- it's a good collection of memoirs, entertaining style, nice splash of humor, an extremely detailed travelogue with beautiful photographs, a good description of technology, a touch of Science Fiction (since it is purportedly written by a Artificial Imagination program) and suffused with philosophical musings.

Even though it's obviously written by a Technologist, the book is very human. It is primarily about the immigrant experience, but Kalpanik is extremely observant and has an eye to look for the unusual, notice what stands out and build humorous side of people, places and his own life.

Wonderful! one can feel a touch of his bitter-sweet experiences but one is encouraged by his ability to find humor everywhere.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1CJDZRIOJJIFN Kalpanik's writing is down to earth, funny, witty and smart. He chronicles his journey of self-discovery with an amazing detail and humor. His coverage of the various places he has been to--UC Davis, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Nashville-- was informative and enjoyable, and so were his jokes around them. I recommend this book to anyone looking for light reading, specially busy professionals who do not have time to read a whole book in one straight session but want to read one entertaining a chapter at a time.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3T5IX83S8N7DX Light reading, but very engaging! Entertaining and excellent for busy professionals since you can read it chapter at a time and still enjoy it!

The word artificial originally meant "artful, crafty." That's an apt description of ARTIFICIAL IMAGINATION, which blends art, craft, and wit into a narrative that teaches us life lessons that we did not knew we knew.
-- Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3MNQP39J0TE6R Great book, will make you laugh, smile, giggle, chuckle, giggle, crack up, guffaw and generally have a good time. Extremely nice photos. And it is actually very thoughtful, one can quickly see through the pretended thoughtlessness. Here are some posters and calendars with the high resolution versions of the book:
Scenic City and Boat Photo Poster
University of Washington Photo Poster
Seattle Secenic Sunset Photograph
San Francisco Scenic Union Square Photo Poster
Nashville Tug Boat on Cumberland River Photo Poster
Pike Place Market Photo Print
"Playing Guitar" Photo Poster
San Diego Scenic Waterfront Poster

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R27056TEI8N6A9 his book transcends genre -- it's a good collection of memoirs, entertaining style, nice splash of humor, an extremely detailed travelogue with beautiful photographs, a good description of technology, a touch of Science Fiction (since it is purportedly written by a Artificial Imagination program) and suffused with philosophical musings.

Even though it's obviously written by a Technologist, the book is very human. It is primarily about the immigrant experience, but Kalpanik is extremely observant and has an eye to look for the unusual, notice what stands out and build humorous side of people, places and his own life.

Wonderful! one can feel a touch of his bitter-sweet experiences but one is encouraged by his ability to find humor everywhere.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3HI11PJUYIZVJ Kalpanik's writing is down to earth, funny, witty and smart. He chronicles his journey of self-discovery with an amazing detail and humor. His coverage of the various places he has been to--UC Davis, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Nashville-- was informative and enjoyable, and so were his jokes around them. I recommend this book to anyone looking for light reading, specially busy professionals who do not have time to read a whole book in one straight session but want to read one entertaining a chapter at a time.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2K9BD305H2ISE Very entertaining and engaging. Author is able to take a relatively mundane topic and make it interesting. Excellent for busy professionals looking for light reading since you can read it a chapter at a time and not lose the thread.

I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.

His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

My copy arrived yesterday; I may not get to read it until our beach vacation this summer. But the photo of the two authors on the inside back flap of the dust jacket may be the funniest author photo ever! It will be hard to wait until this summer to read it.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.

This book has everything a casual offroader or overlander would want (this book does not cover the hardcore break stuff, tear up your rig trails). Great descriptions of the trails and the road surface you be riding on. Great turn bu turn directions to each trail with GPS coordinates! Also explains some of the history and highlights of the trail and rates all trails for remoteness and beauty. Interesting book just to read for fun. There is no better off road book available!

After being transplanted to Southern California from the Northwest, I felt hemmed in, separated from all things natural. Backcountry Adventures has helped to change that. It's a wonderful guide to exploring the region.

The hefty book begins with a historical, botanical and geographic guide to the region, highlighting Southern California's explorers, settlers, missionaries, bandits, flora, fauna and more. It then moves into the individual descriptions of off road routes.

The book is geared towards exploring Southern California's outdoors with a 4WD and might disappoint the Glamas crowd who is focused doing awesome things in their trucks. But, for those of us looking to justify the excess of our SUV's with some exploration, it's perfect.

Each route guide begins with a simple rating guide which rates the trail on a number of qualities like driving difficulty and remoteness, then moves into a description of its history and the history of the region it explores. Next comes a description of the route itself, and then a detailed turn by turn guide with GPS coordinates.

The only real complaint I have with this book is that sometimes routes can be difficult to find without reading through the entire guide. It does contain a few "20 most scenic routes" and whatnot lists, but includes no way to find, say, the most remote routes in the book.

The other thing I'd suggest to improve the book is an accompanying website with downloadable GPS coordinates and user comments. Typing in the coordinates for a route is needlessly time consuming, and being able to download them from the internets would be wonderful. Hearing feedback from other drivers would also be great.

All in all, this book has helped to liberate me from the urban sprawl of Southern California, and for that I'm very grateful.

Tons of info, loads of great photos show you clearly what to expect on each trail. I'll be buying the Northern Cali book next.

I've been using this book for close to a couple years now. While I don't consider myself a novice to off-roading, I definitely don't fall into the rock-crawling group, preferring to use my 4x4 to simply get me to new and out-of-the-way places when time permits. Thus far it has proven to be an excellent resource for quick weekend off-roading getaways and for reading up on new trails to explore. In fact, I've enjoyed this book so much I wound up buying two others as gifts for family and friends. The photos and overviews of each trail definitely help give a good feel for what to expect. If you're a techno-geek like me, being able to plot a computer-generated map using the detailed GPS coordinates will prove highly invaluable (though I have discovered a few critical--though easily identifiable and correctable--errors in the coordinates), and with a handheld GPS I don't need to worry about the often-unusual orientation of the printed maps. For those of us who love exploring, this book will make a fantastic resource.

I bought this, and another book about place to go off-roading in so-cal. This book is like the bible of southern California.
Not only does it have extensive trail location and info, it is a virtual encyclopedia of So-Cals towns, cities, how they got their start. In addition it has extensive info on native species, of plants and animals, important founders of California, and much more. I would definitely recommend it.

Great book with lots of information for anyone traveling. My nine-year-old son is the biggest fan of the book, he can't put it down!

It was very thorough about times, content of restaurants, rides, themes.
It gave helpful hints about best hours and days to visit each area.
Even a few coupons included.

Very helpful, easy to read, great guide to add to the excitement of getting ready for the trip of a lifetime for us travelling from Australia in October 2008, but also provides you with essential information. Also brought "the unofficial guide to disneyland" which is also very good, but we keep picking up this one because of the pictures and ease of finding information.

I enjoyed reading this guide. I understand that it is written with a Disney slant but that was what I was looking for. Excellent information is provided. This is a must read for a for time visitor or someone who just wants a refresher on all that Disney has to offer.

The book is very helpful in planning a Disneyland vacation. It has information on everything to do there and in the surrounding area.

Okay, so I was on a tight budget and needed a new book...found this in hardcover at the local superstore on the bargain table...what a find! Frances Norris tells a wonderful story of a character coming to grips with the loss of her family, both recently and in the past. The characters are very believable and Norris gives a true feeling of setting without drowning the reader in description. I read this quickly, but still felt satisfied. Very enjoyable read.

Love and food are two of my favorite subjects, so how could I resist this book? I was not disappointed. The loss element keeps the story subtantive so that its not just another piece of fluff. The book has hilarious characters (including an overbearing narcissist in an amoeba jumper), but the author treats all with compassion enough to make them full and true. The food styling scenes bring together Hollywood fakery with a delicious disgustingness (photographing motor oil poured on macshed potatoes to resemble a sundae). You can't help cheering on narrator Julia as she navigates the crazies and searches out her soul in a soul-less city. Buy this book right away and enjoy!

I loved Julia's story. She finds her inner spark by overcoming her pain, loss, and depression and finding love and forgiveness in unusual ways. The characters are well portrayed and do not lack depth, even the obviously obnoxious figures are seen with irony and compassion at the same time. Highly recommended.

Dear Francie:

I just finished your book. What a wonderful story, full of feeling, wisdom, beauty and hope. I really enjoyed the characters, not to mention that you are an incredibly gifted writer style-wise. I lived the whole trip to Sedona as if I was there. And the end is so sexy, yummy, I love it!! All I can say is, keep writing, girl! And like I said, some day we may see the movie "Blue Plate Special", very attractive title to my ears. Thank you for your gift to the world of readers,

The only reason that I got this book was because the author went to my high school - so I have to admit that my expectations were not that high. But I really, really enjoyed this book, for the reasons stated so eloquently by other reviewers. It was gripping though sad.