Travel Books

Fantastic book! What you may have thought you knew...but didn't! An interesting book of facts that help you understand the making of Walt Disney World. A must have book for Disney mania! Volume 1 is just as interesting!

I purchased Lou's book after I had found his website when I was planning my latest trip to Walt Disney World. After looking at his site and even signing up for the forum, I knew I had to purchase this book I'd been reading about! And I am so glad I did. The trivia is fun if you're reading alone or if you take turns reading with a partner and it's multiple choice too. Even more, the answers are found following each section with a short statement to provide further information about the correct answer. What I really love about this book is that the layout makes it a simplistic read that doesn't get boring. Even though it isn't a guide book, anyone (or any family) planning to take a trip to WDW can benefit from the exciting learning experience the book has to offer. It is a must read for first timers and fanatics!

Just received the Walt Disney Trivia Books, Volumes 1 & 2. I've read through both and cannot wait until my next WDW vacation. Thank you, Lou, for writing the best Disney trivia books ever. Just one question, when will there be a third?

My son and I love this book and we've only read the first section. We can't believe how much we're learning and how much we didn't know. We're enjoying finding out all the "little" things we never knew about Disney World.

The Walt Disney World Trivia Book is like the friend I've always wanted who flies me down to Disney (for free!)and proceeds to take me through every park, attraction, and resort, telling me things I never knew about my favorite place. With a loyalty only a true Disney connoisseur can possess ("ever hear of some guy named 'Bugs Bunny'? Hmph. Me neither."), Lou presents his information the way I like it-it's personal, frank, and fun. Kind of like Lou himself...drop him an e-mail, and you actually get an answer! If there is one Disney informant to swear by, it's Lou Mongello. Some of his facts I knew, some made me laugh, and some made me realize that perhaps I'm not the Disney expert I make myself out to be. All I know is that those around me will have to endure new rounds of Disney fact-spouting. I almost feel bad for them. They had assumed they were safe after our (sniff!) last Disney trip in 2005. Although I shouldn't really mourn the trip's passing; with the WDW Trivia Book, I'm there all over again.

When Gordon sent me the book, I was excited to dig into it, but life is busy, and I didn't get a chance to read it right away. I am sorry I delayed reading it as it is an excellent story. I couldn't put it down once started. Gordon's undying passion and perseverance in the recovery of these WWII relics is impressive. I thought that I have had some pretty crazy adventures moving aircraft around here in the United States, but they are nothing compared to the situations that Gordon and his group had to endure. It makes me very thankful to live in America. Warbird Recovery is a well written story that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, even if you are not an aviation fanatic like me. Thanks Gordon!

I just finished reading Warbird Recovery by Gordon Page and throughly enjoyed the entire book. It starts out fast and never looses its quick pace. The author makes you feel as though you are right there with him in his quest for these rare WW11 aircraft. I am fascinated by the aircraft and that aspect is wonderfully detailed, but of equal value are the descriptions of the inner workings of the Russian Business world. This is a fast read, and very informative about Russian culture as seen through the eyes of an avid aviation enthusiast. This is a fun book to read and will give you a great sense of adventure and accomplishment.

This is a great read. Gordon's adventures in Russia fall into the category of "someday we'll laugh about this". By sheer coincidence, I was traveling in Russia in 1993 just a few months before Gordon's first visit. Alas, I was cheated; I experienced no bedbugs, no shakedowns, no raw cod liver, no KGB tails, no self-promoting hookers, no rotgut vodka, no cold showers. I guess I was lucky to be in Moscow and not Siberia.

Gordon does a great job of describing his trials and tribulations in dealing with various shady characters, all out for a buck. Or more often, 5,000 bucks. His quest to get the WW2 crashed aircraft back to the US is described in fascinating detail, and you get that feeling of "I'm glad I'm just reading about this and not doing it". A lesser man would have given up in frustration.

An extra benefit for readers living in the Denver area is being able to visit Gordon's excellent little air museum and see many of the artifacts from his trip, both aircraft and non-aircraft related.

This is an excellent book for anyone with even a slight interest in aircraft.

Although the book won't tell you much about WWII planes (hey you can get that in a 1000 boring tomes on the subject), it is a gripping and well-written read. You get a true sense of adventure and wonder if Gordon Page was either brave, lucky or determinedly stupid in his quest for the ultimate wreck!

I enjoyed it immensely from the first to last page.

Warbird Recovery is a great, true story of a journey to bring some WWII aircraft to the US for restoration and display. This journey starts with Gordon Page's childhood dream of flying a Messerschmitt 109 and grows into a real life adventure.

After the break-up of the USSR Russia was open for business with the West for the first time in decades. Buyers were looking for treasures and just about anybody was willing to take their money. As the author goes on his own treasure hunt for vintage aircraft he encounters the Russian mafia, the KGB and questionable dealers who always want cash in advance. Along the way he experiences the breakdown of just about everything in Russia. His focus on what he wants and a willingness to follow his dream when it looks like there is no hope brings the search to a surprising end.

Recommended for high school, college and public libraries particularly where there is an interest in aviation and recent history.

I read each and every book from this series in order and nonstop. OMG...What an amazing experience Granted there were some characters that I loved thoughout the series. One of the things that most impressed me is we really get to see the happily ever after throughout the series.

If you have the money and can afford to buy the whole set, that is the experience that you are shooting for from this author. Chapman is creative funny, and sincere with these characters and you feel the love between main players as well as the family they have around them. After all those books I was still left wanting more.

I passed my set to my sister. She calls me at the end of each one to discuss the new characters, the new dynamic they'll create in future novels in the series.

Truly a fun read. The best read since my first historical romance (Knight in Shining Armor).

I got this book because of the reviews. But after reading it
I had a few problems with the story. Things happen super fast between Michael & Libby. One minute Michael and Libby meet (hardly any conversation between the two) and the next he is in her bed in the middle of the night and she's ok with it, and so it goes with things happening between this two that hardly know anything about one anoher but act like they've know eachother for years (no explanation as how they got to that point). The dialogue between the two falls flat. I felt no connection between the two. It was almost boring.

I loved this book and all the "Highlander" books!! Janet Chapman is an excellent author..

A little insite in to the book would be nice. A small peice to read to get a feel for the book and so it would help in my decision on buying. But since i read a book by Janet Chapman before; I knew that this would be just as good as the other. When I read her books it is like a movie playing in my head while i read, because i can picture all of it. wonderfully inviting.

I just discovered Janet Chapman and I will now look for every one of her books. This is a great tale about living in the Maine woods (something about which I am familiar) and I loved every page. I had been seeing her books and not getting them, because I was kind of 'done' with the historical Scots, but I accidentally discovered that these books were about modern life (sorta) and that changed everything I felt about the whole series of books. Get them! They are great!

I think THE WILD COUNTRY OF MEXICO looks great. The author's style is filled with intimate details, and he's able to take me places I'll never get to go to.

Looking beyond tourist haunts, photojournalist explores inner beauties of Mexico's largely unexplored regions which contain some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. Wonderful color photographs and Spanish/English essays. -Pioneer Press

Al abrir las paginas relucientes de "La tierra salvaje de Mexico," se vera vislumbrado por la riqueza del tejido historico que caracteriza a Mexico. El libro es un rico contenido de templos de la cultura Maya, cara indegenas, ritos antiguos, pueblos, bosques y montanas virgenes. -La Onda

En THE WILD COUNTRY OF MEXICO/La tierra salvaje de Mexico el fotoperiodista John Annerino captura a bellezo y el espiritu de la gente nativa y de la tierra salvaje que ellos habitan por medio de imagenes vivas e imponentes con texto en ingles y espanol. Viajamos a troves de seis regiones distintas de Mexico: las remotas selvas de Chiapas; las ruins maya de Quintana Roo; la Sierra Volcanica Transversal, una meseta hobitada que es la tercera mas alto del mundo; la Sierra Madre Occidental, el hogar legendario Canon de Cobre; la rica bioregion de Baja California, y el Desierto Sonorense, uno de los grandes desiertos del Nuevo Mundo. Aqui esta una evococion brillante de la gente y de los lugares en las areas de Mexico que son poco conocidos y rara vez visitodas. -La Casa del Libro

John Annerino's odyssey through Mexico is recounted in THE WILD COUNTRY OF MEXICO, a photo book with extensive text in English and Spanish. Annerino skips the cities and concentrates on lesser-known areas. The scenery, of course, is a knockout, but Annerino's photos of the people are the ones you will remember. -Union-Tribune

This is a very, very helpful book on travel! I love the fact that it is so up-to-date with web addresses and information-the athor has really done his work! I lost my Mother recently and before she got sick I tried to get her on a cruise. I could not convince to go. Your book is a Godsend! God Bless You!

This incredible book is jam packed with everything you would ever need or want to know with over 3,000 websites, adventures, bed and breakfasts, mountain climbing, resorts and spas, tips on airline fares, hideaway destinations, and cultural ones, this book has it all!

Whether you want a long weekend getaway, a long vacation, or are planning a speaking tour and want to know where to stay, and what you can see and do at your destination, this book will make your life so much easier.
Highly recommended for its incredible resources no matter where you want to go, or what your interests are, it is covered in this fantastic book.

With the thousands of Internet travel guidebooks to choose from it is very difficult to separate the good from the mediocre. You can literally devote days trying to figure out which guide will reveal the most useful information pertaining to the best air-fares, hotels, cars, lodging, student travel, medical resources, romantic vacations, unique lodging, National Parks, hideaways, things to do and see, shopping, restaurants, and many other essentials necessary to plan and enjoy your vacation.

The impetus that brought about the publication of the recent Internet travel guidebook, You Are Here Traveling with JohnnyJet.com, was the result of the many emails John E. DiScala had received from viewers of his Internet portal JohnnyJet.com.

Apparently, people were inquiring if there was a companion travel guidebook to compliment the portal.
As a result, DiScala and fellow co-author, Eric Leebow, decided to put together a innovative book that would be the ultimate Internet travel guide for people wanting quick and easy information, and at the same time to be used in conjunction with the web site.

Divided into 34 chapters, the guide effectively points its readers in the right direction in clearly summarizing and highlighting over 3000 travel Internet sites.
These sites provide a wealth of detailed information that makes life much easier for the traveler. Even the arm- chair traveler will find something of interest.

The guidebook not only focuses on the traditional topics as senior travel, restaurants and hotels, but also the non-traditional-where to find the best diving directories, adoption travel or family reunions, travel humor sites, religious travel, archaeological digs, zoos, and other topics you would not normally find in the "run of the mill" Internet guidebooks.

Also included are some interesting sidebars containing useful tidbits of advice.
For example, where is the best place to sit on a plane? We are advised that if you suffer from motion sickness, choose a seat towards the middle of the plane or near the wings.

What I found particularly useful about the book is the user- friendly format with its detailed Table of Contents, appendices and Index.
The reader is not forced to thumb through several pages before he or she can track down what they are seeking. Immediately, a glance to the table of contents or index will clearly point out the way, saving you a great deal of time and frustration.
In addition, you even have comprehensive appendices listing destination sites, automobile rental sites, major hotel and motel chains, US and International airlines, airfreight companies with phone numbers, and where to report stolen credit cards with phone numbers.

You Are Here Traveling with JohnnyJet.com is sure to prove to be an invaluable tool in covering the full range of queries travelers often ask and is a welcome addition to the spate of Internet travel books.

Whether you are surfing about online dreaming about your next vacation or seriously planning your next adventure, "You are Here" is the ultimate online travel portal.

Features:

More than 3,000 carefully researched Websites
Money saving travel bargains
Travel tips that make a difference
34 chapters filled with amazing information

Some of the main chapters:

Steals and Deals on Fares
Lodging
Airport Information
Food on the Road
Traveling with the Family
Seniors: Traveling in the Golden Years
Student Travel
25 Things to Do and See (Everything from Haunted Tours to the London Theatre)
Pets Can Travel Too

You are Here: Traveling with JohnnyJet dot com is encyclopedic and perhaps the most comprehensive book I've seen on online travel resources. If you travel, you need this book.

John E. DiScala's research will make your travel research easier and when you are actually traveling, you can visit the website. When you visit the site you can look up information with the "Jet Codes." For example: Johnny Jet Code: Boat Rides. You will then find links to various sites and can quickly click through and find the information you need. It was super fast and much easier than trying to look up boat rides in a regular search engine. Just look for the Code Index in this book. The regular index is also quite helpful.

So, whether you need a free language translator or want to avoid the world's most dangerous places, it is all here.

Eric Leebow is the founder of Yahbooks Publishing and is the author of various other You Are Here books. John E. DiScala, AKA Johnny Jet is a travel expert and the founder of the travel portal Johnny Jet dot com. He is known for his weekly newsletter and site and from what I can see he is passionate about traveling.

~The Rebecca Review

If you want to know how to find all the "insider" secrets to exciting, safe, and inexpensive travel, you can't do better than this great guide.

This book helps you navigate the deepest, darkest corners of the Web so that you can plan the best vacation ever.

Want to go hiking in Scotland, or scuba diving in the Carribean? You'll find where to look for vacation information here.

Need the best selection of luggage, at discount prices? You'll find the best places to shop online.

Want the best ways to stay in touch while on business travel? You got it -- the links are here.

I consider myself pretty Web savvy, and at first I was skeptical that a book could do better than a few minutes with Google. Well it can -- and now, I am a big believer.

Save yourself hours of frustration searching page after page in the search engines, jumping back and forth from site to site, as you try to find what you need among billions of search engine pages. Use that time, instead, enjoying the great vacation you were able to plan.

I have lived in Alaska for 10 years and can't believe I just heard about this book. I bought it yesterday and have not been able to put it down since I opened it.

Not only is it an excellent read but I am learning a lot of tips about wilderness survival. It is about the best adventure book I have ever read.

A phenomenal book for all outdoors people and Alaska fans. The text flows very naturally. There is a lot of information on Alaskan nature and history.

Excellent read ! I read mostly African based books, but put onto this from a friend now living in Juneau; thanks Scott! This is the "Capstick" adventures for Alaska !

I read these type books on a regular basis & this one is head & shoulders above the rest. Captivating, interesting, & very informative. Well written & a true treasure. This should be included in the required reading for wolf relocation advocates & "Naturalists". Glasser has no axe to grind, simply tells of his adventures & experiences. I assure you, it is time & money well spent !

Frank Glaser's story is a real, first hand look at Alaska in the early days. If you love Alaska and the wilderness, this is the book for you. Frank goes into the back-country and his adventures never cease as he traps, hunts, builds, explores and generally just checks things out. It amazes me that he is always so at ease, even in the most difficult of situations. He is the kind of guy you would just love to tag along with (if you could keep up with him!) His stories and accounts bring Alaska to life at a time when few tourists ventured into the back country. Jim Rearden has done a great job in compiling Frank's stories and amazing life. This book has given me a much greater appreciation of a great state...Wonderful Alaska! I doubt if anyone has ever experienced it like Frank Glaser.

America's Best Bed & Breakfast Recipes
I selected this book thinking that Bed and Breakfast establishments would offer great recipes that were somewhat less complicated than normal. I wasn't disappointed.
I opened the book and leafed through a few pages. My eyes stopped at Country Italian Sausage Pie. It was exactly as promised. I served it at a luncheon last week to rave reviews.
I would strongly recommend the book.

Have both books - and they are both much used in our kitchen. I have been able to find recipes for dishes others would not share based on ingredients. The index of foods is probably the greatest thing about this book and directly contributes to the usability.

Absolutely something for everyone in this book - even holiday recipes. Between the two books, I have noticed a couple of recipes duplicated, but not enough to lessen the value of either.

Definitely one to have on the shelf if you enjoy having a broad sampling of American cooking close at hand!

I can't you how many times I've gone to my copy of this cookbook for recipes... it's the one I reach for first! It's like taking a trip around the country without leaving my home! VERY user friendly format, too!

I love the small-sized recipes that many of the B&B's and Inns use... hubby and I are 'empty nesters' most of the year with our sons away at college so there's no need to make big meals or we'd be eating leftovers forever.

This review refers to "The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook"(vol 1) by Kitty and Lucian Maynard....

St Chuck Poolside Jambalaya to North Carolina Applsauce Muffins, Aunt Ruth's Baked Eggs and Cheese to Dorothy's Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Guacamole to Lobster Pie to Salt Lake City Taffy, you'll find the biggest and best collection of regional homestyle cooking from all over this great food lovin country in this fabulous cookbook!

Whatever type of fare you have in mind you'll find something good in these pages. The Manyard's have done all the work. State to State(including Alaska and Hawaii) they have found us some great recipes from Country Inns and Bed and Breakfast's from all over the country. With more than 1700 homestyle recipes you really get your money's worth.

You can go state to state(without leaving home) and try something new and different, or find some of your old favorites that you've been longing for.
There are two indexes to check through. You can check by city, or by food. For a good look at what's inside, the book, click on the 'Look Inside" link to several pages to browse through.The recipes range from meals as simple as Biscuits and Eggs to the more exotic tastes like Veal Scallops with Gorgonzola Sauce. You'll find several different ways of making the most everyday things, like French Toast, depending on what State or Regional taste you're in the mood for that day!

There's an additional perk to this cookbook as well. If you want to get out of your own kitchen and do a little traveling, you will find a little description as well as the addresses and phone numbers for all the Inn's used here, on the pages with their own recipes.In some cases there are nice little sketches of the lodgings as well.

I use this cookbook more than any other in my kitchen. although I haven't loved every single thing I've tried, it is stained and sticky with the remnants of some terrific recipes(some of my favorite pages are in worse shape than others!). Everytime I look through it for a new idea I find one. I love it! You will too.

So have fun, eat hardy and try to get someone else to do the clean-up.....enjoy...Laurie

This cookbook is great !!!! i borrowed it from a friend and never gave it back (bad!!!) but it really is a great source for entertaining. Fanstastic and easy recipes. A good way to impress your friends with your cooking. Also what i like is they usually have serveral recipes for similar dishes so lets say you want to make scalloped potatoes - you can look at them all and then kind of use the info to make your own variation with the pieces of the recipes you think sound good. Also it is good if you are doing theme parties. I love asian cooking we were having a party where i needed to bring an asian salad - they have like 5 different types. and they arent what you would expect. Note this is just not breakfast foods - all types of cooking are in this book and from all types of us regions.

A light, but fun Time-Travel Romance. Ms. Stover has sassy characters that go through a range of emotional upheavals related to falling head-over-heals in love, escaping bad guys, and working through the distress of being an unwilling time-traveler. I find I need to stretch my concepts of reality and coincidence a bit more than usual with a Deb Stover Time-Travel Romance. So, if you enjoy light romance, a bit of time-travel and some suspense, this book is for you.
A Willing Spirit, Shades of Rose

What more could you want in a book? From the absolute stunner of an opening to the last page, I was riveted by this story. Cleverly plotted, heartbreaking in places, always entertaining. A perennial favorite author.

I could not put this one down. I loved the story, it was rich in detail and personalities. The chemistry between the characters was "pardon the pun" electrifying. Thank you Ms Stover for your time. I am heading off to seek another Deb Stover novel on Amazon.com. Aufwiedersein.

If you like Time Travels you will like this book, I couldn't put it down. Plus this is an author that interacts with her reads, she's online all the time talking to people who love romance books. I think that is really neat.

This is the first Deb Stover I've read and I'm now glomming her backlist. This book is definitely a book worth more than its price - exciting, passionate, and emotional. It made me think a little about the penal code as well.

I actually bought the book for the cover. Don't laugh. But oh, what a serendipity! This book is a treasure.

If you're going to buy this book, be prepared to do extra research once you're in Munich. You'll need to call the places recommended in this book to see if they're actually open. We wasted two hours of our time in Munich going to a place recommended in the book only to find it closed! Rick Steves has much better info and is reliable!

The book is a 'must have' for those beer lovers visiting Munich.

I would like the author to include in the next edition, a map of Munich with suggestions on where to drink in the city center. The map could be used as a travel guide to Munich, and listing the beer gardens on the map would make them easier to find (especially if it starts to rain and one must seek shelter).

The guide is accurate and fun to read, but the walking distances are slightly optimistic, especially if you have short legs!

I know Larry Hawthorne as a comptetitive ballplayer who hits a lot better than your average pitcher. Knowing him this way, and being a writer myself, I recommend his book because I know he is honest, a clean player, and would not steer you wrong. Not a good enough reason to buy the book?
I could say, as the old joke goes about politicians, that he has never done a mean, rotten thing that he hasn't been sorry for, but I haven't known Larry long enough to know if he has ever done a mean, rotten thing. I know he is generous with baseball tips and has the best cooler on the sidelines. If you met him on the street he would greet you with a smile. In fact, if I asked him, he would autograph your book for you. That's how nice a guy he is. What more do you want from a book about beer in Munich? Check the excerpt and other reviews and see for yourself. If he is reading this right now, he is slapping his head with his hand and saying, "The next time Steve comes up to bat I'm pitching him a slow fat one right across the plate so he can hit it out of the park for the first time in his life!" That's how nice a guy he is.
I met him in the high deserts of south california, out where Jesus lost his boots, where right field is littered with gopher holes, where the 'Swingin' Steves' try to give him fits by getting line drives, and I'm glad I got the chance to get to know him. He made my first year as a softball player a lot more enjoyable, which was real special to me because I hadn't played since high school and needed all the help I could get. If you are still reading this then you are a serious beer drinker and if you are planning on going anywhere near Munich you need Larry by your side. From the other reviews you can see he is a great guide and knows his stuff (and his hops, he's always talking about the hops) so I will tell you the one flaw I found in Larry. He swings at everything. But he has a respectable batting average so I'm not going to knock what works for him. I'm a little shorter than him so maybe that makes me want to wait for the best pitch because I dont have the strength he does to drive the ball into the gaps. Well, I was kidding about Larry giving me a big fat pitch for this rambling review, in fact he might just hunker down and feed me low inside pitches because he can and he wants his team to win as much as I do. Like I said, a great competitor and if I still drank beer (diabetes) and had an urge to visit my great-great-grandparents homeland (apparently one of us was a king in Denmark around 1000 ad) I would still buy the cheapest version of this book I could find (that's just me, I'm cheap) but I would read it cover to cover because I trust this guy to give me the real deal. Hoist one for Larry, beer and book fans, and just for your information I wrote this cold sober. Honest. Why would I lie? And if any reporters for the National Enquirer or da Globe, etc. want the real inside dope on Larry I would be willing to supply even more colorful anecdotes to prove it.

This book is suprisingly good and gives extended information about various interesting locales in Munich. The beer locales are a kick. One could spend the whole trip visiting these occasionally quite interesting and cozy dispensers of comustibles and brews.

This book more than pays for itself with the coupons for free beer in the back! Great book too. Has directions to a lot of amazing beirgartens!

This is the first book by Hansen I've read, and I enjoyed it. It is a very funny and quick read. There are not many travel writers who describe events like "It was like an all-male barn dance at sea." Or describe a man spitting his flaming dentures off a pier on Thursday Island.

This is what I wrote to a USA forum of birders (birdwatchers):
Eric Hansen, well known from his impressive travel stories located in Yemen and Borneo, has published a collection of short stories titled the Bird Man and the Lap Dancer - Close Encounters with Strangers. The main story is about a real wildlife biologist in California and the interest a few female 'special club' dancers developed for going out with him to go birdwatching. It's not hard to believe how weird this story is, but possibly in a different way from what you think. Even though birding practically disappears from halfway this 45 pages long story, it's interesting enough from the birding perspective alone. There is even some serious talk about birding, like the standardising of bird census techniques in the USA. Good to know that these subjects have made it to the world literature!
The other eight stories are not about birding but often show Hansen's great gift in describing outdoor atmosphere.

My Aunt Dagmar once told me - `All of my stories are true and some of them actually happened.' I strongly believe that is a sentiment shared by Eric Hansen.

"The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer" is an excellent read. Hansen is a first-rate writer and has no problem holding the reader's interest from one page to the next and from story to story. I was somewhat surprised to find that the first story was a character study about a relationship between two women rather than a travel story per se. However, as I read on, Hansen made me realize that travel is not just about place, but also about the people the traveler will come across in his or her journeys and I grew to appreciate the subtitle - "Close Encounters with Strangers."

I am not at all disappointed in the tales the author has to relate. But, deep down I feel that is mostly what they are - tales. This is especially true of the title story. Perhaps I come to this conclusion because in this story Hansen at times seems to lose his narrative thread and delve a little too deeply and a little too long into the psyche of the characters rather than the encounter. This story, to me, feels like a fantasy and firmly embeds this book in to the growing genre of "creative nonfiction."

While I would not place this book in the Travel section, I do highly recommend it to any one who is interested in reading about colorful people in exotic settings.

Highest recommendation! How much living can one man fit into his years? I'd guess Eric Hansen can answer that as well as any person alive today. Some reviewers have praised the chapter "Life Lessons from Dying Strangers" as the best of the book. While I thoroughly loved it, "Cooking with Madame Zoya" brought a lump to my throat as I read about this spunky, independent woman making a life in a neighborhood most men would never consider entering--and receiving help from the most unexpected of sources! What a story!
"Three Nights on the Mountain" will give you chills. "The Ghost Wind" will renew your faith in native intelligence and perception. And "The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer" will leave you shaking your head in wonder at the amazing variety of people in the world.
Read this book!

"Foreplay lasts for hours as they circle each other in a clockwise direction - licking, nibbling, and rasping at each other's genital region. They taste and eat each other's slime; maybe to get turned on, or as some sort of exchange of genetic information. When sufficiently aroused, they enter each other and have continuous sex for up to thirty-six hours." - from THE BIRD MAN AND THE LAP DANCER

Before you click away from this review in disgust thinking the book is about bizarre sex rituals practiced by some weird cult, probably in California, or, rather, become glued to the text out of prurient interest, just realize that the quote above comes from wildlife biologist Oliver Sparrow about the mating ritual of banana slugs, genus Ariolimax. No surprise, the subspecies A. californicus brachyphallus does inhabit the Golden State.

Sparrow is one of the characters author Eric Hansen meets in this unusual compilation of travel essays. Unusual because, while the reader is taken to such exotic locales as Calcutta, the Borneo rainforest, Thursday Island off Australia's northern coast, the Maldives, and the sinister Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, the volume's focus is indicated by its subtitle, "Close Encounters with Strangers". It's a book more about people than places.

The very best chapter, the one which would earn the whole a five star award all on its own because of the lesson on perspective it teaches, is "Life Lessons from Dying Strangers". Here, Hansen recounts the months he spent cooling his heels in Calcutta while trying to arrange with the labyrinthine Indian bureaucracy the shipment home of two enormous steamer trunks filled with souvenirs from his Asian travels. Almost beside himself with frustration, Eric only finds inner peace through volunteering at Mother Teresa's hospice for the dying destitute.

And then there's the chapter about the biologist, Sparrow, who takes lap dancers from the gentlemen's club he frequents on nature hikes. Or the one about the grief-stricken widower who searches for his wife's wedding ring amidst the jungle-strewn wreckage of the executive jet in which she died.

I enjoyed THE BIRD MAN AND THE LAP DANCER more than I thought I would. More than most, it has "the human touch". And you, too, can learn what it means to be on the receiving end of a "T.I. handshake".