Guides and Directories Books

This is a great book for when you need to find an affordable quality wine in a hurry. It puts the annual wine competition results into a consistent point system, so you can compare all wines on an "apples to apples" basis. It gives you those results in a clear, easy-to-scan graphic format. As a result you can quickly see which wines scored highest. You can also see which ones give the most bang for the buck. I keep a copy in the glovebox of my car, and now I find that the wine I bring to a party never disappoints.

I like lists that are well organized and help me make good buying decisions fast. This book does that perfectly--- organizes wines by variety then, within each variety, lists the wines in order of their average score in taster competitions. The big payoff is another list that lists the wines by value (taster points per $). It's great. It's not for reading about wines it's for buying them.

I wish this book had been around when I was getting married. My daughter has found this book the most valuable tool in planning the entire wedding......DON'T leave home without it. We would have paid twice as much.

This book has been a great tool in assitting me plan weddings as a new wedding planner. I also recommend this book to everyone I can. Every bride needs this book.

We own a truck camper carried by a diesel truck. We used to stay on the highway so we didn't get stuck on a country road trying to find a service station offering diesel. But with the help of this reference, we were able to map our itinerary to take us from CA through AZ and CO ending in SD and back through MO and UT on some beautiful country roads because we knew exactly where the diesel fuel was. We were able to call ahead to some stations to confirm they'd be open if we were driving through at an odd hour. It made for a much more pleasant and relaxing adventure.

a good book for RVing, since it has the places that are RV friendly, as well as parking lot size and parking. Also dump stations and propane. and places that are easy in and out's.

Great book, if you are eager to make your web searching more productive this is the book for you.

I thought I was pretty good when it came to getting around
on the Internet, but was I ever pleasantly surprised to learn
that I could still learn a great deal . . . and did by reading
THE ABOUT.COM GUIDE TO ONLINE RESEARCH by Wendy Boswell.

You'll also learn, too, regardless of your level of computer
sophistication . . . the material is very readable and
oh-so-informative . . . for example, to find the weather for
where you live, just go to the google website and type-in
weather: then your five-digit zip code . . . you immediately are
taken to a very visual listing that will provide all the information
you need by just looking at it (and not having to click further).

You'll get many tips that I've never seen elsewhere; e.g., this one
deals with how to deal with bibliographies:

There's EasyBib. a free automatic bibliography
composer; Cornell University Library's excellent in-depth article on how
to prepare an annotated bibliography; and writer Diana Hacker's informative how-to tutorial . . . all the specific web citations can be found in the book.

And you'll also find websites galore on such topics as finding crime
statistics, weird news, comparison shopping, job hunting, specific
diseases, and everybody's favorite, time wasting.

Lastly, if such terms as "blogs" and "RSS feeds" still throw you,
you'll no longer need to fear them if you just spend a little
time this most informative guide . . . I'd tell you more, but
it would take away from the time that I still want to spend
on trying just some of the things I've learned from Boswell's book.

(Planeta.com Journal) - This wonderful book provides a much-needed overview of travel that enriches the soul. The diversity of "alternative" travel is as broad as the interests that propel travelers to leave the comforts of home. Chapters cover independent travel, special interest vacations, senior travel, family travel, disability travel, adult study, student overseas programs and living abroad. This volume synthesizes the most practical information for making the most of traveling abroad. This is an excellent resource.

Now in an updated and expanded seventh edition, Alternative Travel Directory: The Complete Guide To Traveling, Studying & Living Overseas is an amazing, time and effort saving guide to the available resources for worldwide travel. The Alternative Travel Directory is a highly recommended travel planning resource whether one seeks an international ticket for the family, to accommodate disabilities, to study, or to learn a language. Personal anecdotes round out a wealth of programs one can contact with the advantages, disadvantages, and travel costs associated with each program. An invaluable, authoritative and "user friendly" resource for international travelers who want to investigate their full range of options.

I first purchased Mr. Bourie's annual book many years ago, andlook forward to each new and expanded edition of his work. He tellsyou practically everything you need to know about casino gaming, then describes the basic offerings of every casino in the country, and then provides coupons that will save you hundreds of dollars when you visit many of the casinos listed. What else could you ask for? Any casino player who doesn't purchase this book every year is missing the boat!

Like to gamble? Me too! This guide tells you where all the casinos are in the good old USA. There are maps, plus detailed city maps of Las Vegas, Tunica, Biloxi, and others. It has strategy tables for blackjack and coupons for various discounts and freebies. You'll find me at a video poker machine--see you there! Good Luck!

This is an absolutely essential guide to anyone interested in alternative press publications, especially ones with a political or cultural bent. Where books like Writer's Market and their associated writing magazines do a pretty good job rounding up all the mainstream culture magazines in North America, their sections on publications like these are usually on the slim side, and would suggest that there are now more plumbing magazines in the U.S. than left wing political publications.
A quick flip through these pages, though, reveals that the independent publisher is still alive and well in North America and the world beyond. There are listings for modern Marxist publications, alternative education and parenting journals, controversial history publications, radical environmental journals, and lots of "watchdog" publications created for the sole purpose of keeping an eye on local and worldwide political figures and military installations. Really, it's a great comfort to know that while the independent press isn't as widespread and strong as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, it is still out there, making its presence felt.

More than just being a simple roundup of various publications, though, this book is reading material in itself. So much detail is packed into each page regarding each journal that one finds themselves reaching for the ol' checkbook to begin lifelong subscriptions to certain publications--which is about the only way to get many of these magazines, since they're not carried by any of the distributors that work with the usual suspect chain bookstores. Publication focus, issue summaries and themes, and even quality of writing is discussed in these lengthy reviews--and, for those out there who cruise books like this looking for work, editorial contact information, Web sites, and email addresses are included with each summary. There's also a lengthy section on which publications sell ad space and at what cost, readership numbers, and which magazines publish product reviews (music, books, etc.). There's even an alphabetical roundup of notable columnists and contributors from some of the bigger cultural and political magazines, and where their work appears.

This directory does a terrific job exploring and exposing the diverse choices that exist outside of the mainstream magazine and newspaper world. The book seems to have been designed to appeal to a number of serious "professional" researchers -- librarians, booksellers, editors, writers, activists, even philanthropists. At the same time, its simple and elegant design makes Annotations an enjoyable, accessible way to learn about new independent voices. Sadly, it's one of the few resources the public can turn to for non-corporate opinion. But that just makes it all the more valuable....

Lee Ellis' Appearing On Tv Shows For Fun, Fame & Fortune: A Guide For Audiences, Contestants & Guests is a very practical guide to entering game shows such as Family Feud and The Price is Right; talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show or Politically Incorrect; PBS shows such as The Antiques Roadshow; Court TV such as Judge Judy or Reality TV Shows such as Big Brother and Survivor; or being in the audience of popular sitcoms such as Titus and King of Queens. Each of the many individual shows presented has about a two-page writeup, with ticket information, studio information, and clear instructions for becoming part of the show. Highly recommended for anyone with a serious interest in joining a television show audience, especially if the purpose is becoming a contestant!

I was planning our vacation to Los Angeles when my husband suggested we attend a taping of a TV show. I didn't know where to start looking for information so I went to the main library and asked if they had any books on attending TV shows in LA. I was surprised when they showed me "Appearing on TV Shows for Fun, Fame & Fortune" by Lee Ellis. It is a terrific resource. It lists over two hundred shows to be in the audience or as a contestant. We choose to the game show "The Price is Right." The book gives the ticket info and the way contestants are choosen. We got our tickets by e-mail and we were off to LA. When we got to the studio everything went smoothly and we were interviewed to be contestants. But,our luck was not to be, we did not hear our names announced to "come on down" as contestants. Even though we didn't get to be contestants it was a great experience. If any of you want to be on a game show or any TV taping, I sugguest you get this book. It helped me alot.

The Auditors Guide to internet resources is a very useful tool for the practising Auditors as well as Auditors who are in the employment. With the help[ of these resources the Auditor can provide value added services to their clients

Jim Kaplan's The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources, 2nd Edition

By: Ron Keister Date: 6-15-00

The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources, 2nd Edition has a lot of very useful information for auditors interested in using the Internet as an audit tool. In fact, there is good information for anyone interested in using the Internet. While the whole book is useful, for auditors the most interesting and immediately useful areas include:

A. The Internet Literacy Checklist B. The Digital Literacy Self-Assessment Tool C. Information on how auditors can use the Internet D Internet Search strategies and evaluating search results E. Guidelines and techniques for auditors to evaluate Internet information and data

The Internet Literacy Checklist and Digital Literacy Self-Assessment Tool will help auditors understand their Internet strengths and areas that could use improvement. Audit Directors and Managers can use these to help identify audit staff training needs, as well as help them assess their reliance on auditors' use of Internet information. The effective use of these can help improve the quality and quantity of audit work.

The Internet audit use areas presented in this book are some things that all audit organizations should seriously consider. I fear too many are not making high-quality use of the Internet, resulting in less economical and valuable audits. With the usual limited resources, audit organizations must focus their efforts on key organizational issues in an efficient and effective manner.

Knowing how to identify and find the "right" audit information via the Internet in a well-organized and successful way is essential. This book provides excellent techniques and ideas for how to achieve this. First, it provides a good method for identifying what information should be searched for. Then it provides excellent Internet search techniques and ideas. Last, it provides a first-rate way to assess the adequacy and validity of the Internet information obtained.

If the above were the only things in this book, it is worth the price. But no, there are other interesting areas including:

A. The list of available Internet features and how to understand and use them B. Good information on audit discussion groups, tips on use, and a thorough list C. Excellent "real-life" examples of how auditors have used the Internet D. A great list of technical data that can help reduce the dreaded call to "support" and the wait on them to "fix it" E. Last, but not least, is the details or inside Internet information that help you understand the Internet, how it works, and it's good and not so good features.

Reviewer Background: Mr. Keister has a bachelor and master degrees in Accounting; is a CIA and CPA; and has more than 25 years auditing experience, the last 20 in internal auditing in both large and small organizations, private industry and higher education. He has been using computers since about 1982 and the Internet since 1995, but is not an IT auditor.

As is typical of his work, Don O'Briant has filled his latest book with humor, insight, creativity and accurate information. He's a well-known Atlanta journalist and has a reporter's discerning eye. But he's also a philosopher and a warm and sympathetic observer of the human condition. Gratefully, his restaurant reviews aren't like other people's. You feel like you're really there and can experience for yourself the people, smells and sights he describes. The inclusion of comments by notable Southernors is an original and effective device. You can tell that he is a down-to-earth (but incredibly observant) person who genuinely likes the places he went and the people he met. And, best of all, he's a great judge of food. Zagat, take notice! I recommend the book highly.

I have used this book extensively in my travels throughout the South. In fact, I have planned some of my trips so that I can sample the delicious food found at the country cafes recommended by the author. My only complaint would be that the author has not come forth with a second book; I have some nominees for him!