Travel Books

Ted Lea, author of "When I Grow Up I'm Going to be a Millionaire (A Children's Guide to Mutual Funds)". I read this over the holiday season and found it to be a wonderful story with a great message on money for children. The story is great, and the messages on money are right on target. Enjoy it.

I spent several months researching programs and books that explain wealth building. I was looking specifically for something I could use to teach children the fundamentals of building wealth when I came across this book using an Amazon search. I took a flyer and ordered it, and then read it through. I was pleased to find that the book takes the reader through a series of adventures that both boys and girls can relate to while imparting to readers the basic fundamentals of building wealth.

One of the best lessons comes as the children (who are searching for the pillars of wealth) are looking for the second pillar. Like our present society, the characters from the book who seem to have every extravagance actually live beyond their means and have borrowed themselves into near ruin. The man of wealth, an unlikely fellow living a quiet, reserved life, who through discipline has managed to hang on to his earnings- has actually accumulated wealth. What better a lesson to teach a child, before they get into a race with their peers for "stuff", than to illustrate that it's not always the fellow with the Rolex and BMW who has true wealth. Often it's the guy with the truck in the driveway that says "Hank's Plumbing", or the person in the jeans and sweatshirt shopping in Walmart.
If you're looking for tools to help you instill values in your children this is a great tool. When young people get to that phase where what you say is discounted because you're Mom or Dad, remember the power of having a book like this. The author can instill the lessons you want them to absorb even thought it doesn't come directly from you.

I received a copy of this book as a promotion and, being interested in investing and active in educating kids about the stock market, I read through it in one night. I have to say, Mr. Pritchard has an excellent way of putting good money sense into the minds of kids. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself or your kids...30 years from now they'll be thanking you when they pay for your retirement!

My two children loved this book! I bought it so they could learn how to better handle their allowances, but they really got into the story and said they couldn't put it down. The lessons about finances seemed to sink in also. My 12-year old has started saving more and spending less. "Quest" is an undicovered gem!

I really like what J. J. Pritchard has done. First, he has simplified what it takes for good personal finances (a good work ethic, thrift - delaying gratification today for tomorrow, and investing - particularly compounding.) That alone is valuable. But he has built wonderful stories around them. They're exciting and interesting.

The children in all my classes learn quicker when they enjoy the subject matter and this book does that. It's a very refreshing approach. DOn't be put off by the subtitle "A Children's Guide to Growing Rich." It presents a balanced approach and touches on the value of sharing once someone has attained wealth. A very good read!!

I have been to Paris many times so I have seen the major sights and want to some lesser sights for my next trip. This book recommends many of these type of sights with good descriptions. I will take and use the guide on my next trip

This book is wonderful. Not only can one locate unusual spots to explore and soak up atmosphere; it is a treasure trove of historical and cultural minutia which add greatly to your enjoyment of these out-of-the-way finds. This is like having a Parisian friend who loves history and an entire library of reference books rolled into one. Kudos!

A charming book that will lead you to places known to seasoned and local Parisians. Not the run of the mill tourist spots. You will become part of "secret Paris".

A friend gave us this book before we left for a month's visit to Paris. We had been there, done that three times before, so we welcomed a guide to the kinds of places we had overlooked on previous visits. This book accomplished that. We visited more than half of the places and enjoyed almost all of them immensely.

I bought this book based on previous reviews. It is a wonderful little book with lovely photographs. I plan to use it to plan my next trip to Paris. The fact that all of the places mentioned are free to the public , is an added plus for travelers.

that follows the Tauchman family on an exuberant bildungsroman full of hammer-your-knee-off funny tour de force comedy. A great read for any family looking to strengthen the bond experienced only through world travel.

Wow- What a wild ride!!! I'd like to come back as a Tauchman in my future life... Here is a man and his family dreaming a seemingly impossible adventure and making it a reality. And all the while maintaining a composure that his teen-age kids will still hang out with him- anywhere in the world! A riveting, well-told story coupled with a wild sense of adventure. Bravo!

I haven't seen or talked to Roger in probably 15+ years back on Kenneth Ave. and was very pleased to know that he wrote this book! Roger was of those "older" Tauchman boys (older than me anyway) that I sort of idolized with their wit and athletic abilities. I am almost finished reading Ramble On, which I read exclusively on the train to work. It is very entertaining, educational and sometimes very colorful (bullfights & French hotels). I hate to admit that his teenage children write better than me! I still have to look up some words that Alex used..
A must read for any wannabe worldwide traveler - these guys are the real thing! Nice job, Roger and family.
It was good catching up with you Roger, even though it was a one-way dialogue.

Ever dream of taking your family on a trip around the world ? If
yes, then Ramble On by Roger Tauchman may be the book for you.

Easy to read, it is filled with useful information and is written in a highly entertaining style. Try it' You will like it.

What a great experience to share in! This family takes you through their highs and lows through the pages of this entertaining book. I was tickled as they trompted through jungles and across deserts -- with each of them having a perspective.
Super book!

I never read this book as a child. I only read it when I was buying the Trixie Belden books for my daughter, thinking she would enjoy them. Wrong! But I enjoyed this one. I loved the character of Mary Smith, the farmer's wife. I could read the parts about her over and over. Definitely worth the price of the book! Of course, this is from an adult perspective. Still, I think kids will love her, too. Everyone has a female friend and/or relative just like her--fat and cuddly and verrry talkative!

People don't get half a million dollars everyday, and respond by running away from it. Trixie's friend Jim did just that. His step father had been very cruel to him, so Jim ran away. Just after his house that he was to inherit burnt to the ground leaving him with $500,000. Everyone thought he burnt down with the house, but only Trixie and her friend Honey knew he was alive. So she and Honey set out in their trailer to the place Jim allways talked of going to find a summer job. On the way there they heard word about a missing trailer. Their suspicions arose when a family camping next to them had the exact trailer! As they travel to the area to find Jim they pick up clues on where he'd been. When they finally wind down the case they find Jim working for a farmer along with the Father who stole the trailer. Who was actually only borrowing it from his nieghbor without him knowing. When the nieghbor heard this, he told them that he would be happy to give them the trialer (He was rich). This book was interesting and cliff hanging, that anyone could read.

Even though this book was good, I found it to be a little predictable. There were other trailer thefts going on at the time which Trixie and Honey just happened to be involved with. When they found the thefts hide out (an old barn) they took too much time in their and BINGO the men show up. Trixie and Honey climb into the loft to wait the two men out. The men, like most other thiefs are stupid and don't notice anything. And like most other partners in crime, get into fights all the time. After ten minutes of fighting Honey just happens to sneeze. But just before the men carry the girls off the police pop in (surprise, surprise). And quincidentally that all happened in the same chapter.

This book was also a little unrealistic. The farmer who Jim worked for had a wife that was very, very fat (Named Mary). Mary owned a locket that had all of her children's pictures were in. The farmer had adopted a crow long ago that he found sick and dying. So they took him in, nursed him, and soon he was well. The crow stuck around and even built a nest near to the house. As you might have already guessed the crow stole the locket. Imagine a crow flying out of a house that out of all things, even food, carrying a locket. In the story there was the family who borrowed the trailer who had a little girl about 4 years old. That family had just had a little black dog that passed away, so the little girl calls any little black dog that roams the earth, hers. Honey has a little black dog, and of course the little girl calls it hers. Near the end of the story Honey gives the girl the dog! It's generous but a little unreal.

Even though this book had it's downs it was still a very interesting book. It was fun to read about all the characters and how much they differ. Like the Farmer's wife and Trixie. Trixe hates keeping the trailer clean and cooking. However that's all the farmer's wife does. Or Honey and the little girl that kept Honey's dog. Honey is kind and generous who would allways help someone. But the little girl on the other hand, is greedy and would rather do anything but help someone else.

This book was a joy to read and all in all adventurous. I had a great time reading it, and I know many others will too. The book had it's ups and downs, but it was still really good. Now it's your turn to pick it up and read it!
A. Lindemann

I recommend this book series of Trixie Belden: The Red Trailer Mystery. It's a story of Trixie Belden and her new best friend Honey Wheeler who just moved up the street from Trixie house.This story is about their friend Jim who ran away, but through the process of this mystery these two run into many different problems.
This story takes place on a farm, but then they have to go to save Jim who ran away.While they are on their rescue trip to save Jim they meet a girl their age, who also runs away because of her parents. So now they have to find two people to find. But one of the problems on this trip is that when they try to solve one problem, they just run into another.
I highly recommend this book to everyone because it has great mysteries to be solved. So if you like great mystery books then I would recommend you buy this book series of Trixie Belden.

I recommend this book series of Trixie Belden: The Red Trailer Mystery. It's a story of Trixie Belden and her new best friend Honey Wheeler who just moved up the street from Trixie house.This story is about their friend Jim who ran away, but through the process of this mystery these two run into many different problems.
This story takes place on a farm, but then they have to go to save Jim who ran away.While they are on their rescue trip to save Jim they meet a girl their age, who also runs away because of her parents. So now they have to find two people to find. But one of the problems on this trip is that when they try to solve one problem, they just run into another.
I highly recommend this book to everyone because it has great mysteries to be solved. So if you like great mystery books then I would recommend you buy this book series of Trixie Belden.

Thirteen-year-old Trixie Belden, and her best friend, Honey Wheeler, couldn't have been more upset when their new acquaintance, Jim Frayne, ran away from Sleepyside, in the hopes that he would not be caught by his abusive stepfather. Unfortunately, Jim took off right before Trixie had the chance to tell him that he was the heir to a huge fortune. Now Trixie and Honey, along with Honey's Governess, are on a trailer trip through upstate New York to locate Jim. However, during their trip they meet up with a family in a red trailer, who couldn't look more upset, and when their eleven-year-old daughter runs off through the woods, Trixie and Honey decide to try and find her as well. But when the two girls meet up with a couple of trailer thieves, they have to try and save themselves, protect all trailer owners, get the trailer thieves arrested, and find Jim and the lost little girl before it's too late. If only the two girls had known that their little trailer trip would turn out to be so full of surprises.

I am a longtime reader of the NANCY DREW series, so when I stumbled across the TRIXIE BELDEN series, I knew that I had to give it a try. I read the first book in the series a few months ago, and loved it, so I decided to get the second book in the series. To my surprise, I loved it even more than the first. Julie Campbell is a marvelous storyteller, whose characters couldn't be more fun and exciting to read about. Trixie is an upbeat girl, who is always getting into trouble; while Honey is more shy, but at the same time loves a good mystery. Fans of mysteries will adore Trixie Belden, and find themselves grappling to read the next book in the series.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This gorgeous giant book, measuring in at 16" x 12", capture the beauty and uniqueness of Ireland through spectacular photographs. At times in this book, not only do you see a panoramic photograph spanning two 16" wide pages, some actually extend further through a folding flap to measure over 38" wide! In addition to the beautiful photographs the authors have included detailed written descriptions.

People of all ages that are interested in the history, landscape, and culture of Ireland will thoroughly enjoy this book. The list price is $75 according to the inside flap, making it a bargain at the current Amazon price.

This is the best photo book of Ireland I have seen over ten years, and the text is excellent.

This is a great book to give to someone who will be traveling to Ireland in the future, has visited before, or is just a huge fan of this amazing country and wants a good coffee table book. The photos are gorgeous and really showcase the beauty of the Emerald Isle. There's also a great variety of photos: not just from one area of the country. It also gives you a bit of historical background. There are several pages that fold out to reveal huge panoramic shots. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Ireland. It really is spectacular!

First of all, please note that this is a coffee table-type book. It is oversized and oddly-shaped. So if that bothers you, steer clear.

BUT the size is very appropriate to the pictures! It's a large-rectangular book that fits the panoramic wide-angle photography inside of it! The photos are intensely colored and the paper used in side the book is a thicker, glossy high-quality paper. Some of the most gorgeous photographs of Irelands landscapes, castles and towns are in this book. It also includes a bit of history.

FYI... the book normally comes with a slip-cover that has the same cover design printed on it that the actual book cover underneath has. Nice touch. A lot of books of this fashion do not have the same cover printed on the actual book itself, but only the slip-cover.

Very nice. If you love photography or Ireland...or both....this is the book for you!

I bought this book because my dad's side of the family is Irish and I'd hoped to one day go. The book is a gorgeous addition to my photography book collection...and my desire to go to Ireland has been upgraded from 'one day hope to go' to 'can't wait to go!'.
--Vicki Landes, author of "Europe For The Senses - A Photographic Journal"

We had the pleasure of meeting Monroe on a recent vacation, and knew we had to read his book after hearing him talk about some of his adventures. The tales are exciting and interesting--if one can get past the incredible grammatical and spelling errors throughout the book. The editing is positively nonexistent. In fact, it reads as though Monroe printed up his travel notes without even rereading them! I don't know who "Big Top Publishing" is, but their reputation is on the line with this one.

This book is a fantastic combination of adventure and information! It's a exciting book with wonderful descriptions of all the amazing places. I admire Monroe that it is possible for him to visit so many diffrent places in the world!! THAT IS REALLY A GREAT BOOK; BUY IT!!!!!!!!!

Monroe keeps you at the edge of your seat as he valiantly tramps the Globe.He is allowed access to the places most journalists are not and uses that privilage to report the sublime and the bizzare.All the people are real the places are fantastic and the adventures are mind-blowing.Monroe is the "real deal" If you have any curiosity about the world NOT seen from a cruise ship,BUY THIS BOOK! His advice to my thirteen year old daughter at a recent book signing,"Quit school now while you have the chance.See the world.If I'd known what was out there at your age I wouldn't have wasted so much precious time."Go to Monroe's website,look for him in your area,look out for his next book.

I had listened to Julian Monroe Fisher's weekly radio show called 'Monroe's Talkabout the World' on The JohnBoy and Billy Radio Network for the last several years. I had also kept up with Mr. Fisher's travels through his Internet website editions.... And although his radio show and website are excellent, his new book is absolutely fabulous. It takes the reader to some of the most exotic locations on the planet with stories that are so exciting that it's hard to put the book down. And it's all about stuff that really happened. I especially liked the story entitled 'Travels with Roy Smith' about Mr. Fisher's adventures in Belize. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the world at large!!

I read this book, and I was really surprised about the adventural and interesting stories from all over the world. Monroe tells the stories in such an interesting way that I also want to visit all this places immediatly. I don't promise you to much!! IT IS REALLY FASCINATING TO READ THIS BOOK!!! BUY IT !!!

This is a great book. Endlessly fun and insightful and funny. Poe's adventuresome spirit sweeps-up the reader and delivers us to places we may probably never go. He dares to visit the shadow of America as well, and delivers to us the jewels of characters hidden therein. The experiences through which they all live are painted here in vivid, full spectrum color. I would buy and/or read anything this guy writes.

I am not very good at writing reviews, but just wanted to say this is a great book which deserves reading!!!

Whether one believes this work of Poe Ballentine's is fact or fiction, what he says is deeply rooted in truth. He tells the stories of the "little people" and gives the peons and the nameless faceless grunts of this country a voice. He paints a gallery of portraits that reflects the real day to day struggle of a vast majority of people in this country, who live minute by minute because that is as much of a future as they dare to expect. Sort of like a modern day Woody Gutherie, rather than ride the rails, he rode Greyhound and brought back the kinds of stories Woody would have sung. When I finished the last page of the book, I imagined that this must have been the way his friends made along the way must have felt when they saw him board that bus and leave them behind. They were hopeful he would find something better, sad that it all had to end.

I became a fan of Poe Ballantine through reading his articles in The Sun magazine. This collection of short stories is just great. They are all autobiographical stories about his stays in different areas of the US and Mexico. The editorial, or maybe confessional, "twist" he puts on each experience is what makes the narrative so interesting.

If life were a greyhound bus, you would find Poe Ballantine out on the front bumper, experiencing it sooner and more intensely than the rest of us. This book is a collection of dispatches from the road, and what they have to tell us is edifying, entertaining, terrifying, and reassuring, as well as utterly authentic. Some readers have likened Ballantine to Charles Bukowski, and certain common themes suggest the comparison, but Ballantine's sympathy, wry understanding, and cheerless optimism have more in common with the themes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams.

Eileen Grimes' Titanic Astrology is a stellar achievement that will hopefully herald a new era in astrological scholarship. She crafts the rare text that reveals a riveting tale of discovery and tragedy through the lens of in depth research. This story is as personal as it is personable, as easily accessible to those without astrological training as to those with substantial background in the field. Grimes constructs her narrative from a vast array of historical documentation and astrological charts for these events and the many individuals connected to the Titanic, either past or present. With passion and dedication, she discloses her highly credible theory of astrological markers as indicators for this historical disaster and for why it still remains so vivid in the imaginations of people today. Grimes has set a new standard of quality for investigative astrology and, in so doing, provided a blueprint for those who would follow on their own journeys of astrological excavation.

In spite of the in-depth research, the mountains of data, the skillful interpretations, and the masterful turn-of-words of all that information, the most surprising thing about this book, to me, is that it made me "feel" to the point that I cried, a lot. This is a book with a metaphysical quality...similar to turning water into wine. In this case, however, a rock is turned into a sponge.

The fact that I have none of the Titanic degrees in my own chart, 19-25 degrees of the cardinal signs, probably offers a clue to my surprise. Although I have enjoyed a couple of the Titanic movies, I have never been particularly drawn to the ship, its history, its people, or their fate. Admittedly, I purchased and read this book only because its author, Eileen Grimes, has been a good online friend of mine for the last seven years or so. I got far more than I expected! She has made me feel proud, once again, that I became an astrologer so many years ago.

In a very intriguing way, Eileen has perhaps given us "The Keys To the Kingdom" where investigative astrology is concerned. She has opened the doors to new and exciting methods of stretching the scope of astrology. As much as I became emotionally 'caught up' in the story as she has told it, I am just as intellectually excited about the doors she has opened for us astrologers. In my opinion, no self-respecting astrologer should miss reading this book.

For non-astrologers, I can only suggest that, in this book, you may finally discover the connection we all have with the Heavens above us.

Eileen has proved, not only the astrological connections between Heaven and happenings on Earth; she has transformed a terrible disaster into a victory that will be with us when the Titanic itself is nothing but dust.

Thank you for such a wonderful book, Eileen. I am extremely proud of you and your talents which you have so masterfully shared with us.

Randall Collins - ZodiYak@proastrologer.net
Former Publisher of AstroMind Magazine

If I had no knowledge of Astrology--and had just picked this book up on a whim (which could happen as the Cover Art is Exquisite) I would thank the universe for steering me to it, and then buy more to give as gifts.
Ms. Grimes presents her research (over five years) of the disaster like the writer of a fine detective novel. You the reader have the advantage of knowing what is to come...she explains the why and how. With the added bonus of learning the meaning of A Grand Design.
It is a masterful work and an exciting read. Astrology has found another Star.

Practicing astrologer Eileen Grimes presents Titanic Astrology: The Grand Design Of A Famous Shipwreck, a compilation of data from over 1000 astrological charts that reveals an "astrological signature" found in 83% of the birth charts of the ship's passengers and crew. Tracing biographies of the ship's builders, passengers, and crew, and revealing how heaven-predicted connections played out on earth, Titanic Astrology is a remarkably well put-together exploration of the metaphysical purpose and meaning of the Titanic's demise, and what the legacy of the great shipwreck has to tell us about our own star signs and destinies.

Eileen Grimes' Titanic Astrology is a stellar achievement that will hopefully herald a new era in astrological scholarship. She crafts the rare text that reveals a riveting tale of discovery and tragedy through the lens of in depth research. This story is as personal as it is personable, as easily accessible to those without astrological training as to those with substantial background in the field. Grimes constructs her narrative from a vast array of historical documentation and astrological charts for these events and the many individuals connected to the Titanic, either past or present. With passion and dedication, she discloses her highly credible theory of astrological markers as indicators for this historical disaster and for why it still remains so vivid in the imaginations of people today. Grimes has set a new standard of quality for investigative astrology and, in so doing, provided a blueprint for those who would follow on their own journeys of astrological excavation.

I read this book many years ago and then lost my copy of it, so I ordered another one on Amazon. This is the most moving book I have ever read. If you're into non-fiction westerns, this is the book for you. I found the first half a tad slow but the second half was fantastic. To this day, when I think about it, it almost brings tears to my eyes. The story was written from the memoirs of Andrew Garcia, a scout for Custer and tells of his adventures traveling through the west with his native american wives. I loaned this book to a friend and he shares my enthusiasm for it.

I purchased this book for my husband. He enjoyed it and passed it on to other readers.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
This book's handwritten manuscript was found in a dynamite box in its author's Montana cabin after his death at age 88. Garcia was an original Western settler, arriving in Montana in 1878, one year after the famous Nez Perce Chief Joseph's surrender. If you want authentic Old West, here it is. Garcia tells it like he saw it, favoring neither Native Americans or Europeans. He marries three Indian women (sequentially) and leaves his past world behind. This book has romance, beauty, humor, deadly adventure. Danger. Thrillers come nowhere near this true story. Most of all, Andrew Garcia's soul shines through his writing. What a dear, good man. I wish I could have met him.

A Spanish-Texan quits his job wrangling for the Army in Montana to set out trapping and trading with the Indians. His stories - full of grandeur, intrigue, death and romance - never cease to have a ring of truth.
In Garcia's accounts he is never the hero, but rather the hapless greenhorn who escapes by the skin of his teeth and a generous apportionment of luck.
Written in true trapper/trader/rancher dialect, this book is a joy to read and a pity to finish. I love his insights and Tom Sawyer wisdom, self deprecation, and observations about life with the Indians (and life with whites).

this is a great story from one who lived with the indians during the time before their decline. this book is hard to put down.

After reading one of the reviews on this site about cost and outdated calendars, I was a little hesitant in purchasing this travel planner. But I went ahead and bought it anyways, and I'm sure glad I did! I found this planner to be extremely useful to me and intend on using another for my next trip! I also found the price to be very fair and contained current calendars for this year and the next.

This is a complete and compact travel journal, loaded with travel tips, space for recording absolutely everything, great packing lists for all kinds of trips. What I didn't like was the out-dated calendars (1999 and 2000) on the inside front and back covers--some help that is. I purchased four journals at once, all different, to use as gifts. This was the most expensive, and I probably would have returned it except that our trip is less than 2 weeks away!

This year, I used a personalized travel organizer to attend my grandmother's 100th birthday, and it has become a keepsake! I kept notes on family history that I never had before, recorded contact information for family members I'd lost touch with, and the cover photo of my family not only turned out better than the original picture, it completes the memories of a special event in my life."

I haven't kept a travel journal before and I found it very useful in helping to remember things. Each day was so full of activity that they tended to blur into one great trip, so the book helps to tie down certain events to specific days and locations. It will be especially helpful to me when I finally get around to writing my article on the trip. I have two overseas speaking engagements this year to give a slide presentations and talks on the visit to aquarium societies, so the book will also be useful in compiling notes for the talks.

Not only did it help us to not forget anything, it cued us to bring things we hadn't thought of! The chore of making plans and putting checklists together before a trip is not something I enjoy. This organizer does most of that for you; you just have to fill in the pertinent information. Besides, having the custom picture of my Grandfather's dairy farm on the front put a smile on my face and warmed my heart throughout the entire planning process! I also loved being able to capture our trip in the journal; what a great idea! I'm ordering another one for our Walt Disney World trip in the Fall! I can't wait to see it!