Parks Books

This is an excellent book. Sure, every woman should read it, but it is a great fundamental financial planning resource for men, too. If you are looking for a way to get started, start here. You will learn the basics of investments, insurance, estate planning, etc. And the book gradually progresses to more complex concepts.

EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO READ ANDEXPERIENCE WHAT EVEN THE MOST SOPHISTICATED WOMEN IGNORED...THEIR FINANCIAL HEALTH. 9 OUT OF 10 WOMEN WILL AT ONE TIME BE ALONE IN THEIR LIVES...6 OF 8 WOMEN WHOSE HUSBAND DIES NOW WILL SUFFER SEVERE FINANCIAL DISTRESS...THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL...IT HAPPENED TO ME---AND THIS BOOK IS FILLED WITH HORROR STORIES OF WHAT OTHER WOMEN JUST LIKE YOU HAVE IGNORED FOR SO LONG. I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY IT

This book is well written. It seems quite complete. I do have to qualify that our trip involved cooking on our own, hiking and a little bicycling, so we didn't avail ourselves of all the other things to do in the park and surrounding areas. I like the layout and the text font. The reference maps are clear.

This book is extremely helpful as a planning guide to a great trip.

When I'm planning a trip the first thing I do is order a Moon Handbook for the area in which I want to travel. They are invariably well informed because the people who write are passionate about the area and will suggest places that some people may miss out on.

The layout is good and the maps are excellent - simple to read and navigate by. We travel pretty extensively in Canada and America and the Moon Travel Handbooks are the only travel books we take with us.

I particularly like the suggestions for hiking trails and what you can expect to see as well as the rating for each hike e.g. easy flat walk or moderate walk with some steep ascents.

Before you book the suggested accommodation check on tripadvisor to get traveller reviews and make your judgement from those. This book had the usual good tips on where to eat.

If you're planning an extended visit to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, I highly recommend this guidebook. (If you're only going to visit the Parks for three or four days as part of a longer trip, however, it's probably more detail than you would need.) We recently visited the two Parks for a total of twelve days, and I found this Guide extremely helpful. Unusually for a guidebook, I actually read it pretty much straight through before we left. It's an enjoyable read, even aside from the quality of the information it presents.

The Moon Guidebooks only seem to have emerged onto the scene within the past several years, and for many readers they are still likely to be less familiar than such old standbys as Fodor's or even Lonely Planet. But I've used several guides from this publisher now and have found them to be uniformly excellent.

In terms of the book's coverage, you get 70 pages on Yellowstone Park itself; 64 pages on the Yellowstone Gateway communities; 33 on Grand Tetons National Park; and 91 on the Jackson Hole area. There's also a 33-page "Background" section that provides interesting information about the geography and climate, flora and fauna, and the often controversy-ridden history of both Parks, and a 4-page section on avoiding or dealing with bear attacks. Finally, there's a solid 6-page bibliography with suggestions for other reading.

The book includes an abundance of maps - in the sections focused on sightseeing (as opposed to where to stay and eat), you'll typically find at least one map every four pages. There are interesting, even compelling sidebars, such as the one about "Beaver Dick" Leigh, an English immigrant and early resident of Jackson Hole who on Christmas Day 1887 watched his wife Jenny, newborn baby, and four other children all die of smallpox and left a heartbreaking account of the experience, which the author quotes in full (p. 113).

This guidebook is thorough, accurate, and useful, but beyond that, I enjoyed the glimpses of the author's personality that he lets come through in his writing. "The Buffalo Bill Museum is a real joy," he tells you, although his assessment of the Cody Firearms Museum is more restrained: "it's interesting even for those of us who consider the proliferation of guns a national menace. . . . All told, this museum houses more implements of destruction and mayhem than you're likely to see at an NRA convention." Or: "For those who love history, Trail Town is an incredible treasure trove without the fancy gift shops and commercial junk that tag along with most such endeavors. This is the real thing, low-key and genuine."

He also writes effective descriptions that will help you decide what you may want to see:

"Togwotee Pass is one of the most scenic drives imaginable, with Ramshorn Peak peeking down from the north for several miles until the road plunges into dense lodgepole forests (Shoshone National Forest) with lingering glimpses of the Pinnacle Buttes. At the crest it emerges into the grass-, willow-, and flower-bedecked meadows with Blackrock Creek winding through. Whitebark pine and Englemann spruce trees cover the nearby slopes. . . . Togwotee Pass is a complete shock after all the miles of sagebrush and grassland that control the heartland of Wyoming. It's like entering another world - one of cool, forested mountains and lofty peaks instead of the arid land with horizonwide vistas."

In short, this is an excellent guidebook to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the immediately adjacent areas. If you're planning a more extensive ramble around other parts of Wyoming, then you'll want to check out the author's Wyoming volume for Moon, which tops out at a comprehensive 728 pages. (The Yellowstone-Grand Tetons coverage in the statewide volume runs about 180 pages, about half as long as in this separate volume specifically focusing on the Parks.)

Blending human & natural history, this book has opened me to an entirely new way of experiencing Mt. Rainier. I love the trail descriptions, & the auto tours are filled with information. A MUST HAVE for anyone visiting the Mountain!!!

If your interested in Mt.Rainier,this is the book for you.Written by Jerry and his wife Gisela with illistrations by Larry Eifert, this book is great for if your interested in any aspect of the mountain.The interesting true storys make this an enjoyable book for even casual reading.Jerry Rohde is what is called a Home&Hospital teacher.He teaches children that can not go to school their school assiments.I had to go into this program due to surgery and luckfuly ended up with Jerry.He's a great guy and a great historian and I am glad to be one of his students.

I wish that other authors of hiking guidebooks would read this one and copy its author's style. Each hike is described in detail with every bit of information you'd ever need, including how to get to the trailhead, where to park, etc. The trail maps are clearly marked and well detailed, taking the guesswork out of navigation. The trail descriptions are detailed and accurate, with useful and interesting information throughout. I can't wait to get back and tackle more of the trails he describes.

Things get awful hot during an Arkansas summer. I decided to head for the Southern Appalachins, where the summers are cool. Mount Rogers National Recreation Area has the scenery without all the crowds of the Smokies. Molloy's book details literally everything you can do there, from biking rail trails, to camping, to overnighting at B & B's, to hiking at Virginia's highest point.

After arriving there, I started in the West End at Beartree Campground. Reading Molloy's book at camp, kept leading me to other destinations at Mount Rogers. Before I knew it, two weeks were up and I had barely scratched the surface of this outdoor getaway. Molloy must've had a blast writing this book. I sure had fun using it. This book is a must buy guide to what is going on at Mt. Rogers. Take a read and see for yourself.

has majority of trails in the area; gives detailed instructions

A tad dated (hint for a revisied edition!), this is the most authoratative description of Bend's mountain biking trail system. After four years of living and mountain biking in the Bend area, I still have a couple trails that Scott has written about that I haven't completed. This book along with the Bend area Adventure map (available at any local bike shop) are indispensible when enjoying the amazing and endless mountain bike trails of central Oregon.

A captivating read of a vanished Rocky Mountain culture who "bucked the trend" of normal society by retreating to the high mountainous regions of the Yellowstone environs.

The authors have carefully pieced together significant evidence and documentation to impart the reader with a respected awe into the lives of the Sheep Eater Indians.
From archeological digs, petroglyphic sites, stone and animal tools, etc. to discussions with contemporary day descendants, this study covers it all in general terminology.

Having visited a few of these sites myself, it never ceases to amaze what had once occured in these landscapes so long ago.

The Sheep Eaters were an amazing people that flourished in the majestic, alpine environments of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, including areas that are now part of Yellowstone National Park. They lived entirely by gathering the natural plant foods of their environment in addition to hunting Big Horn Sheep, which was their primary source of protein. They were renown as a peaceful, highly-skilled, and even industrious people who so thoroughly mastered their rugged alpine environment, they opted to continue living in the mountains even after others in the region adopted the horse, the tipi, and the buffalo-hunting-on-the-plains lifestyle.

The authors provide a thorough picture of Sheep Eater history and culture, including social structure, religious beliefs, and the crafting of their tools, clothes, bows, living shelters, and even their cookware.

This is an excellent introduction to a Native American people that few know anything about. Both scholars and laymen will enjoy the very accessible, easy-to-read material. Mountain Spirit should be required reading for everyone interested in the American West, Native American culture, as well as those seeking inspiration from a people who managed to prosper in one of the most beautiful and forbidding environments in North America.

I was entranced by this book. I began reading it to relive my own experiences of growing up on the Natal South Coast in the 1960s. The author's descriptions took me right back: the beaches, the climate, the vegetation, the culture, and even the coastal train are all described with affectionate precision. Her reference to amathungulu berries as `martin-gulus' gave me a `shock of recognition' at a distance of forty years. Her accuracy and honesty make this a valuable first-hand witness to what it was like to grow up there, then.

This attention to language is reflected in the presentation of the text. Non-English words are italicized and expressions peculiar to South Africa are placed in bold. Both are explained in the glossary, with aids to pronunciation when necessary. The author is an accomplished artist, and her clear maps and diagrams, and original artwork and photographs (some by other family members) enhance the book throughout.

As a direct contemporary of the author, I recognised the authenticity of her accounts of other life experiences that are similar to mine, such as the process of coming to Christian faith as a young adult or the controlled pain of emigrating with a young family. Again, I found that her recollections rang true, capturing with simplicity some of the complexity of these experiences.

The author's personal narrative is helpfully located within a wider historical perspective. The shaded `bhansela' (bonus) boxes offer a shift of focus that places her story in 3-D. Chapter 7, `Suid Afrika,' differs from the others in offering an overview of South African history, from the arrival of the Dutch in 1652 to 2006. The use of the Afrikaans name for the country reveals that this is a re-telling of the former `official' Afrikaner view from the perspective of an English-speaker. It is an example of oral history, artfully incorporating within it the recognition that others will have their own `meta-narrative', and that these are all likely to differ from whatever the official version is at the time.

A beautiful book, then, that deserves a wide readership. Readers familiar with South Africa will find much to enjoy, celebrate and regret. Others, curious about what life was like for South Africans of British descent in the apartheid era, will find here an honest, enlightening and appreciative family story with implications for us all.

Writer's Digest 15th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards.

Judge's Commentary: I greatly enjoyed the artwork and the juxtaposition of the art with the stories and locations described within the text. The writing is excellent and all is purposeful. The author has truly lived a remarkable life. Unlike many life-story/memoir writers, this author seems to see beyond herself and is able to reflect on the community at large, namely, South Africa and the U.S. She is one of the most learned, brilliant people I have ever read/learned from. From cover to cover: most ingenious.


Jeanette Gilks: Artist/Educator

Here is a story that sweeps broad and deep. Shelley manages to engage with both the micro and macro visions of things: minute, intensely personal details are seamlessly woven into the larger web of world events. Everything and everyone that has touched Shelley has been remembered - no, resurrected - in meticulous and often humorous detail. You peep into her world as you peep through a jeweller's loupe, where even the smallest worlds are vast landscapes of great clarity, colour and depth. Her world, our world, is made precious. The wisdom in this anecdotal tale is dished out with spice and flavour. Entirely to my taste!


Andre van Niekerk: Sculptor

An exquisite read for another expat. I relived my life in South Africa through the prose on these pages. Shelley brought back the vibrancy, the smells and sounds, the joy and pain that is Africa. The unbiased historical background will give readers a deeper understanding of the 'White Tribe of Africa'. To quote the author; 'True art is a sacrificial offering, a precious gift tremulously given to fellow human beings. The gift can be accepted, appreciated, thirstily imbibed - like sweet water from the last oasis on a parched planet'. This reader drank gratefully from this gift and in his humble opinion, considers the author to be a true artist.

This guy Michael Jahn's family has been in New York since before there were printing presses. He knows more about the Big Apple than any other writer. Read "Murder In Central Park" and you will know enough to give guided tours, somebody said, and I agree. Have a great day!

Though Manhattan's Central Park seems like a vast oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle, there are sections that few people will ever visit. Captain Bill Donovan, Chief of NYPD's Special Investigations Unit, camps out in the park with a friend who is conducting research on crows. The next morning, Bill sees a crow eating a human corpse slashed several times by a knife. Bill's overnight companion Lauriat is a suspect because he was not with his camping partner at the time death occurred. Bill and Lauriat heard teenagers nearby, but when Donovan and his men track down the two people, they find it to be the researcher's son and his cyber-stripper girlfriend.

Officials believe the victim was killed for spying on the queen of cyber-nudity. Lauriat lies to protect his son, which only muddles the bewildering case further. Bill goes undercover to try to ascertain new leads since he does not truly believe the trio of prime suspects are killers. Bill's hunches have always worked out in the past, but this time his need is more personal than ever before.

Anyone who has not read the Bill Donovan mysteries should try them because the lead character is an everyman doing his best. Bill is a devoted husband, a doting father, a dedicated police officer, and a recovering alcoholic. MURDER IN CENTRAL PARK continues this fifty plus anti-hero's exploits to see that justice is served. The support cast enhances the star quality of Bill by making him seem more vulnerable and human. Respected author Michael Jahn focuses his latest police procedural on one of Bill's most puzzling cases and will send the audience seeking out Mr. Donovan's previous tales.

Harriet Klausner

This is a great book to promote writing and photojournalism with children. The pictures and writing make you feel like you are exploring with them!

Fantastic photos of one of the planet's most scenic places. An excellent book for families who love the outdoors and enjoy sharing time together. Consider "My Denali" a dream book, it is inspirational and darn pretty to read, over and over again.