Park Books

I first read this book a couple of years ago and thought it was very clever. Though the author sometimes sacrifices compelling language to reach a rhyme, the overall story is a rich, satirical tale for adults about how TV is used to lull a group of dissatisfied slaves back into complacency, presented in the guise of a children's book. I bought a copy recently to read to my junior high media literacy class in honor of "Turn Off Your TV Week" and a lot of it flew right over their heads. I think the rhyming helps to cloud the real issues being presented so I would recommend this title only for a high-school-and-older audience. Also, this book, unedited, is not suitable for read-alouds as it is deceptively long (and one can only listen to rhyming couplets for so long).

A classic! Fable for today's kids. My boys got the message, and my husband and I both loved it! Our current family favorite.

This is a fun book. The graphics are really engaging, and the writing has a really incisive glance at consumerism and how TV and media control every aspect of our lives. It's a nice follow up to Snark, Inc. and in many ways it's a stronger book.

Turn off the TV and check it out!

This is a very clever follow up to Snark, Inc. I read a review somewhere stating the book puts more twists into fewer pages, and I agree with that. I liked Snark but this book is more of an interesting critique of its enemy (if you will) as it has a stronger narrative. I think the best underlying theme of the book is that the "protaganosts" are treated as a faceless collective - which is exactly what people become as media consumers. There's a great illustration to convey this when the Snox Boxes are delivered to slaves, and they're all in the background with no discernable faces. Definitely worth picking up if you have your doubts about the true intentions of mega-media corporations. Control, control, control!

This book is a spectacular visual text to some of the American National Parks. The size of the photos, and their photographic quality, are just excellent. The photos are right up there with National Geographic-type quality. In addition, the accompaning text gives ecological insights to where and why this part of the United States was designated and saved as a National Park. The book gives short but insightful accompanying text for each of the Parks that are presented to the reader. The only problem is, unfortunately, the organization of the chapters, and a very skimpy table of contents, and the reader can get easily annoyed with these two problems. It is hard to understand why the publisher made such errors, as the problems are very obvious, and the whole book suffers as a result. It is a beautiful book covering many of the National Parks, with super photos and very good college level text, and if you can put up with the problems of a missing table of contents, this book is a great collection of art, ecology, and the National Parks of the USA. A 5-star for the photos and accompanying text, and a 3 for a useless table of contents. Sorry, but the publisher made major mistakes in putting this otherwise spectacular book together. But I will still give the book a 5-star anyway. The photos and text are just too good to give this book anything less than a 5-star.

Paul Schullery presents a book filled with powerful and beautiful images of fifty-six national parks that have been dedicated to the preservation and protection of irreplaceable treasures. This book shows why these parks are so worthy of protection.

Not only are they places where indescribable beauty can be seen, they have also been formed by unique geological forces. From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, these are the lands we view, wander in and learn from.

America's National Parks is a celebration of the diversity of national parks throughout the United States. They are grouped according to the geological forces that helped to create them.

Diagrammatic illustrations, important landmarks, travel routes, topographical maps and spectacular full-color photographs illustrate the sheer majestic beauty of nature.

You will also find captivating information to encourage an awareness of the landforms, flora and fauna. Families will also find information to help enhance their vacations at the parks.

Inside the front cover a map of America shows the location of each park I started to remember my trip to the Grand Canyon National Park and my husband's visit to Denali.

Our Treasured Lands
The Rolling Land - Volcanic and Geothermal Forces
The Broken Crust - The Power of Mountain Building
Water Designing Lands - Waves, Caves and Currents
Ice Sculpting Stone - The Carving Power of Glaciers
The Patient Power - Wind and Water Erosion
Weather Shaping Life - Effects of Extreme Climates

This book contains some of the most amazing photographs I've ever seen of America. From pictures of dripstone formations adorning New Mexico's Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico to Lush Ecosystems shrouded in Fog in the National Park in Washington, these pictures help to vividly describe each park. I remember once having an argument with someone over the fact that there were rainforests near where I lived in Washington and no one would believe me. Well, here is proof!

I was also especially interested in looking up the Painted Desert we visited once on a trip across America after college. At the time, I didn't actually realize I was in the Petrified Forest national Park in Arizona because technically, we were just driving right through and I wasn't paying attention.

This book has helped to bring a new awareness to my own life and also encourages a desire for more exploration. Now I definitely want to see Mount McKinley in person.

Voyageurs National Park looks like a fascinating place to paddle around lonely islands. However, they do say never to skimp on insect repellent. A third of the park is water.

A memento of past visits or an inspiration for future exploration!

~The Rebecca Review

You might expect a book on US National Parks to have an all-USA (including Alaska and Hawaii) orientation map along with local maps of each National Park--and it does. You would expect it to have beautiful pictures--and it does. You would expect it to discuss the flora and wildlife found in these parks--and it does. You might expect it to touch on the history of the locations going back to the days of the First Americans--and it does. You would probably expect to hear that Yellowstone National Park, founded in 1872, was the first US National Park, and that it contains most of the world's geysers--and the book certainly states this.

Being a geologist, what I find relatively unique about this book is its emphasis throughout on basic geological processes. The cross-sections it gives of various geological processes and structures are quite educational, and they are very suitable for the geology classroom. (I wish that I had seen them when I first began to formally study geology!) The reader learns about the internal structure and dynamics of volcanoes, the types of folds and faults that form during mountain building, weathering and erosional structures such as hoodoos, and even such things as fumaroles and mudspots. There are also detailed visual aids on bays and reefs.

Fabulous book! The text is very interesting and educational, and it explains the scientific aspects of the National Parks and their land very well. The photos are gorgeous and made me want to visit every single park! :-) They really show some of the awesome beauty of God's handiwork. I highly recommend this book to all outdoor enthusiasts, lovers of nature and science and fellow armchair travelers. The book also contains helpful contact information for planning a visit to the parks. A great read and a great book to enjoy!

Very informative book on the history of many amusement parks in the state of Pennsylvania. Many brought back memories; from all the historic photos. Alot of informative websites and locations are included with lots of information.

This book rocks. There was more information than I could possibly imagine. The author is obviously impassioned by his subject--this had to have been a labor of love. And what better muse than the romantic coasters of Pennsylvania.

Great new book on amusement parks of PA. This book show the interest in amusement parks and rides that has been growing ever since the 90's. There is a nice balance between the history of the parks and current conditions. In one book the reader learns a wealth of material about past and now defunct parks (where is the mention of the park that used to be in Mt. Gretna - carousel and all??) as well as information on parks that are up and running. Good summary of each park as well as current information on admission, directions, etc. I was disappointed that there was little emphasis on memorabilia or good trivia. The old photos/postcards really help. That would really help this work out. What about all those great tokens. Even Leap the Dips put our a coaster token to push the coaster. The book is a good read and recommended for the enthusiast.

As most roller coaster enthusiasts know, there are very few books that go beyond pretty full-color photographs and into the history of a particular park. It is even more difficult to find information on parks not owned by major corporations (e.g. Disney, Paramount, Vivendi Universal).

Futrell's book captures the unique history of 13 different amusement parks in Pennsylvania. You are given a rare glimpse into these parks that date back to the origins of the American amusement park industry. Having recently visited Kennywood and Idlewild for the first time, I have realized how much of the charm and atmosphere has faded from the latest generation of parks.

Buy this book before the print run ends! You won't regret it.

I live in the town of Borrego in the Anza Borrego desert. This book shows exactly what we see all the time. It is beautiful!!! I have a friend that had to move away for medical reasons and this book is a gift for her Birthday and a "get well" present. I hope it will make her happy.

IN the April 6th Sunday LA TImes Vani Rongachar reviewed the book. Rongachar writes: "No question, Anza Borrego is glorious in wildflower season, but true desert rats such as Ernie Cowan see the glory of the 600,000-plus-acre state park in all its seasonal moods. Cowan's new book "Anza Borrego: A Photographic Journey," celebrates the Southern California desert park in images - through close-ups of mating beetles, the patterned geologic oddities in Tule Wash and of course blossoms, brittlebush and ocotillo among others. The photos are evidence of a labor of love by Cowan, a photojournalist, former mayor of Escondido and a founder of the Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association. At the end of its 96 pages, I found myself wishing for trail maps to go see for myself." Another book reviewer in the San Diego Tribune wrote that it should be a book kept permanently on the back seat of your car along with a map. The pictures and information found inside will never be outdated. A true classic! The San Diego North County Times also gave rave reviews. If you like me thought that the desert is nothing but sand, rocks and dried up old vegetation, think again. This phenomenal book filled with breathtakingly beautiful pictures will show you a side of the desert you never knew was there.

As a person fortunate to live in San Diego County and to have camped often at Bow Willow, in the southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park, I approached this book with eager anticipation, and found rewards greater than I had imagined. The book is a beautiful evocation of the immense pleasures of this very special park, in its various moods, and the text is appropriately complementary and reverent. I would anticipate this book to be a classic on this area.

It is wonderful in this critical time of enviromental concern to have photographer, Ernie Cowan, remind us this
beautiful area does still exist. The photos are truly
breathtaking. In the desert night sky you feel you could
almost reach out and touch those glowing stars and put one in your pocket. It is an outstanding work of art -- well
worth the read for every nature lover.

I am a HUGE fan of Jim Tallon's. This book is a must have!

This is an outstanding book with nice pictures and accurate directions.

Using this book will give you the ultimate camping experience in Arizona. Slight changes compared to previous editions, especially in opening and closing dates of the campground.

Author/photographer James Tallon has divided Arizona into eight regions, then included charts and maps, information on fishing sites, climate and more to make this an extremely comprehensive guide to the state'e public campgrounds. It is illustrated with page after page of full-color photographs, contained in a conveniently compact 8 3/4 x 5-inch format.
Tallon admits that the campgrounds selected were his own choices for "ambiance, pulchritude and serenity." He says:
"At each of the campgrounds in this book, depending on the amenities available, I tried to consider the broad spectrum of campers, from those who need nothing more than a ground cloth and a sleeping bag to those at the top of the comfort chain in bus-size motorhomes with two bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. A common ground for campers within these extremes is an appreciation of scenery, wildlife, natural and historic wonders, and outdoor recreation--including fishing, hiking, hunting, biking and bird-watching."
Tallon has roamed, written about and photographed Arizona's backcountry for over 30 years. While researching this book, he visited more than 215 campgrounds.

Cannot go wrong with the art book about Chinese art. It's an excellent one, used a lot as a textbook both by university art teachers as well as teachers of Chinese culture and history.

It is difficult to write "Short History of Chinese Arts". Suppose that an honest scholar start preparing his lecture note of " Chinese Arts", he shall struggle with selecting subjects and plates. Moreover, for example, he feels that he be an expert on ancient bronzes, and a beginner of export wares in 17th century. Leaving the purgatory, he would want help to a standard textbook.

Among English books, this noted book may have used in many college courses. 1st edition(1967) and The revised edition(1973) were welcomed by many students and scholars. Even a japanese translation had been popular for many years. In this 4th edition, 84 old respectable scholar still attracts me with lucid style.

For beginners, this should be a good introduction. Appreciating artifacts in Museum, finding something in antique shop, or reading books/papers/articles about a particular subject, it needs some elementary background knowledge for chinese arts and history. This offers such COMMON SENSE.

For experienced scholars, this is an interesting reading. This might look a mean textbook for them. Before reading, I minded I become tired for many facts already learned, but I enjoy this book even in commute train, although this edition format is too large. Because not only this is Readable for a japanese, but also gives many (sometimes implicit) skeptical suggestions. At 258p, about Wan Hui (1632-1677, painter), "The Palace Museum collection also contains a number of clever pastiches of tenth-century and Northen Song landscapes that are almost certainly his work"; keen insight!.

I should regretfully notice that some illustrations/items might be inadequate, blurred, or damaged. I hope that they will be changed at next chance.

The colour illustrations in this book are lovely to behold. Many show restored artifacts from China's long history. Vases, stoneware, flasks, paintings, handscrolls and much more. From the paintings, you can see where the traditional misty style of Chinese landscape paintings arose. There are even genres, like bamboo painting. Just like the Europeans developed portraits of horses and landed gentry.

Naturally, there is also extensive coverage of porcelain plates and containers. Beautifully decorated. The items that the Europeans would call "china"; so close was the identification of the objects with China itself.

But more than just objects, the narrative also gives insight into the various Chinese dynasties from which these arose. And also the provinces, like Jiangsu and Anhui, that were artistic centers.

The book, The Arts of China, was book I needed to purchase for a college level Asian Art History class focused on China. Each chapter was divided into dynasties and within each chapter sections were written on: background history, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and other various topics. There are lovely color pictures with high resolution, which are an essential to any student or scholar studying this art. The writing is clear and even enjoyable. I'd highly reccommend this book!

Awesome book that gives very helpful tips about different locations in Oregon to backpack.
It was my first backpacking book purchased, and since then I havent found better.
He gives very personal accounts of each trail. He also rates each trail on a scale of 10 based on its difficulty, scenery, etc.
A must have for any outdoor-loving Oregonian.

If you are looking for a REAL backpacking trip guide - not daytrips - this is the best book I have seen for the diverse state of Oregon. It's unique organization style is by season, the perfect way to choose a trip in an area of widely varying climates. It gives excellent, detailed descriptions of 27 different trips, including elevation gains, difficulty, scenery, solitude and side trips. This is not a book for novices, no "how to's" here, just great trip analyses. Includes great maps and B/W pictures. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a REAL backpacking trip guide - not daytrips - this is the best book I have seen for the diverse state of Oregon. It's unique organization style is by season, the perfect way to choose a trip in an area of widely varying climates. It gives excellent, detailed descriptions of 27 different trips, including elevation gains, difficulty, scenery, solitude and side trips. This is not a book for novices, no "how to's" here, just great trip analyses. Includes great maps and B/W pictures. Enjoy!

This book is great for backpackers. Warning: it is not a how-to manual for novices, but rather a guide for experienced backpackers. It offers a wide range of backpacking trips thoughout Oregon. The author rates each trip based on difficulty, solitude, and beauty, and highlights any special advantages or drawbacks to each trip. I was excited to read so many suggestions for varied new backpacking trips (and I have been backpacking in this state for 15 years!) His ratings are absolutely correct for the trips I have gone on.

The life of Wanda Nell Culpepper takes on another complication when her brother Rusty shows up in town. He is a wannabe songwriter who has been living in Nashville, and he has been out of touch for years. He is back in town in Tullahoma, Mississippi, stirring up trouble. He has had confrontations with several local men that he knew when they were in high school. He is obviously dredging up something from the past, but he refuses to give any information to Wanda Nell.

Now one of the other men has been beaten to death, and a second man shows up dead. Rusty disappears, and Wanda Nell has been threatened and told to keep her nose out of things. Wanda Nell cannot be intimidated, particularly when her brother is missing.

There are the usual side issues with family. Miz Culpepper's cousin Belle shows up in town (a woman who can speak her mind without saying much). Some characters continue is the series, including Wanda Nell's neighbor Mayrene (with her shotgun), and some new characters are introduced. Wanda Nell is still working two jobs.

I love this series. The writing is good and the characters are well-formed and interesting. This story was very mature and well crafted. A very sophisticated cozy. Only the cover gives it the cozy feel. More, More, More.

Just like a slice of America Pie. I think this book represents most of America in a rural setting. Love it really.

this is another and the further adventures in a cute cozy series.
Funny and believeable characters throught the whole story keeps your attention and it is fun just to visit them. I look foward to more of the Tullahoma gang. the scary thing is, i could know these people!

Another great series of books for RL Stine. These keep kids attention and have them coming back for more. If you are trying to get your kids into Chapter books, then get these. They are entertaining and funny and most of them if not all are worth AR points. They are a fun read, so good your little will probably have it read before the end of the day. That is a great accomplishment for a child to read a chapter book in less than a day. These are super funny, cool, and entertaining and all the kids LOVE them.

I got this book back in 2005 when the series started. Personally, I think this is a very good book if you enjoy mysteries and smart stories. I think this book is a great start for a book series because you keep wanting to read on and on when you start to read it. In fact, I finished this book just in TWO days because I enjoyed it so much. As a fan of this book series for two years, I really recommend other kids to read this wonderful series. It has a lot of very funny and smart scenes.



The series is basically about a fourth grader named Bernie Bridges who got sent to a boarding school called Rotten School. There in the campus, he often gets in trouble. Also, he has a huge crush on a girl called April May June, so he often tries to get her attention and impress her. There are two dorms for the boys-"Nyce House" and "Rotten House". Rotten House is where Bernie and his friends stay at and Nyce House is where Bernie and his friends' enemies stay at. The two sides have a rivalry, so they often compete against each other in events.



That's basically all I can tell you right now because I don't want to spoil anything for you.

There are not enough good books out there for boys to read & spark there interest, but these did it. They loved the characters & their funny names. They were begging me to buy the rest in the series & I did. Try these out, you won't be disappointed.

This is the first in a new series from beloved children's author R. L. Stine of Goosebumps fame. Bernie Bridges wants Sherman Oaks' fancy new watch. How will he get it? He challenges the residents of Sherman's residential home to a pie eating contest. They will pick a representative for them and Bernie's group will choose a person to represent them. Of course, Bernie has a secret plan. Will it work? You will have to read the book to find out. The Big Blueberry Barf-Off will appeal to most school kids between 8 and 12 years of age. A departure from the Goosebumps style it is a good read filled with descriptions of the gross and messy stuff children that age like to read about while still providing an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns. This series should appeal to boys where other titles often fail.

Kaplan, Danny. "Brothers and Others in Arms: The Making of Love and War in Israeli Combat Units", Harrington Park Press, 2003.

Homosexuality in the Israeli Army

Amos Lassen

The military is an integral part of Israeli society and many of us do not realize that there indeed exists a level of homoeroticism in the Israel Defense Forces. Danny Kaplan takes an in-depth look and thereby makes a valuable addition to the ongoing issue of gays in the military as well as to a better understanding of homosexuality in general.
The first part of the book is made up of interviews with Israeli soldiers about their experiences in the army and they give us a picture of another world. We see relationships of men that go beyond just pure sexual lust. We hear of deep feelings and we learn that the men need some kind of sexual outlet while on active duty.
We get quite a thought provoking fusion of love and war. Kaplan analyzes the interviews with qualitative analyses of individual experiences based on erotic and social relationships in an environment that is made up of only men. He finds that a sexual fling is a symptomatic expression of much deeper feelings but above all his finding shows that sexual needs must have an outlet in a semi-confined place where there are mostly men.

`The book then explores male eroticism and masculinity in the culture of the military and how it affects those involved. It is considered general knowledge that same-sex male relationships go beyond platonic friendships and these have always occurred. Commanders even use these relationships as a resource for military accomplishments.
Danny Kaplan shows a very thin line between brothers in arms and brothers in bed and maintains that the military life is all about male eroticism. Israelis grow up in a culture that is steeped in the military and this book is essential to the understanding of gay and bisexual life in Israel.

In this book the author conducts in the first part in-depth interviews with Israeli soldiers about their experiences in the armed forces. They reveal another world, ususally written out by those who do not wish to recognise it. The author provides qualitative analyses of the individual experiences based on social and erotic relationships in an all-male environment. The point the author makes here is that such relationship go beyond sheer lust. And the sexual fling is a symptomatic expression of feelings which run deeper. It is unavoidable though that sexuality needs some kind of let-out in an all male semi-confined environment.

The book then goes on to further explore male eroticism and masculinity in military culture, and its meanings in real human terms. It is an open secret that male to male relationships transcending platonic friendships have been going on for centuries in armies and navies, and are still going on. The intimate ties that bind individuals to their fellow warriors have been (and are) used by foresighted commanders as a resource for military accomplishments.

In ancient times the sexual organs used to be cut off the bodies of enemy warriors and used in rituals to imbue the victorious army with the strength, virility and masculinity of the other side's heroes, at the same time this demasculation is a means of stripping off power and humiliation. In a perverse way the same sex acts though between comrades in arms not only serve to relieve pressure but also to take on the virility of the other in union. The title of the book, a veritable pun on its contents, says it all in a nutshell.

I suggest you watch the Israeli film Yossi & Jagger as a kind of 'live' illustration to this book.

A thought provoking fusion of love and war, this books offers unsettling real life stories of gay and bisexual men in combat. As one Israeli soldier put it: "when the war started, things became insane, completely shattering conventions. It is permitted to kill...War is an unbelievable thing, anarchy. So everyone came out of the closet during war and went wild."
The second part of the book explores these paradoxes of masculine military culture. The author unveils, chapter by chapter, the thin line between brothers in arms and brothers in bed. How does sexuality reinforce the combat thrill and the "sexual targeting" of the enemy? How do individuals manage their gay identity and at the same time stick to the codes of soldiery and masculinity?
In fact, the book reveals what is really very old news: That military life is all about male homoeroticism! The ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Vikings, and later the Turks, the Japanese, Papua New Guinea tribes, and the modern Israelis - all acknowledged the intimate ties between fellow warriors as an emotional resource for military accomplishment. Irrespective of sexual orientation, these erotic tensions are managed, controlled and then channeled and used as an aggressive driving force to strike at the real enemy, not for targeting your own friends. Reading this book, one can't understand why the American military adheres to his anti-gay witch-hunt, which only reminds everyone this open secret that this book so vividly describes and analyzes.

From Hayworh Press: "Examine the ways that gay and bisexual men reconstruct their identity-in the steaming melting pot of military life!

This unique book combines in-depth interviews with gay/bisexual Israeli soldiers with a systematic qualitative analysis of what they have to say. In their own words, you'll hear these fighting men discuss both their combat experience and their social and erotic experiences with their fellow soldiers. Then the insightful analyses of each soldier's identification with masculine-military culture gives you a new awareness of how combat is related to male desire.

Brothers and Others in Arms brings you the words of these Israeli men of action. Steeped in `masculitary'culture (a term fully explored in the book), these soldiers--on missile boats, working in reconnaissance units, in tanks, as paratroopers and pilots-share with you the inner workings of their minds and their passions as they perform their life-threatenting jobs along with their peers, both gay and straight.

Essential to understanding gay/bisexual life in Israel and its military, Brothers and Others in Arms focuses on the emotional process behind military performance."