North America Books

Want to get outdoors and be active in the Boston area? Start by buying this book. Lee Sinai describes, in wonderful detail, many of the rides and hikes one can take within a thirty-five-mile radius of Boston. The author has organized the forty trips around geographical areas, north, south or west of Boston, so selecting one is easy. Maps of each destination are included. Each trip description includes what's important to an outdoor enthusiast.... availability of restrooms, closest access to food, degree of difficulty, directions for getting there, and a historical background of the area.
Using this book, I discovered Dogtown, a mountain biking haven in Gloucester. I also experienced Cameron's, home to the best lobster roll in Massachusetts. The author led me to Great Brook Farm in Carlisle for cycling and then to Kimball's for a memorable ice cream treat.
As a guidebook, I give Exploring In and Around Boston on Bike and Foot the highest rating.

Lee Sinai has taken a group of varied and unusual hikes and trails around Boston and compiled them into an informative and accessible guide. We refer to her book often when looking for interesting, new places to explore, and have found it invaluable in "rediscovering" Boston.

Right from the get go I found this hiking and biking guide to be a miracle of organization and indispensable information. This book not only groups locations by geographical location, but also with respect to hiking, road biking and mountain biking. I found the handy reference guide towards the beginning of the book extremely useful while including not only difficulty ratings, but also mileage for each trip, something not always available in one specific location in a guide book. The maps accompanying each site are extremely easy to follow and the descriptions really do fit the terrain perfectly, whether or not you chose to take the book along on your journeys. I found the directions to each location to be extremely useful and especially appreciated the public transportation options that help those city dwellers who lack automobiles. Other handy features include locations and descriptions of local restaurants, attractions and even restrooms. This book included an very helpful mix of locations both in the greater Boston area, as well as highlighting several gems in the neighboring suburbs. I especially appreciated the handy reference map showing the location of all the spots, as well as the ever present tips to find geater enjoyment in your outdoor adventures!

The Fast Red Road is the kind of novel that makes you want to write, and drive, and read more of Jones' work. The prose is clear and uninhibited, and never takes itself too seriously. A syllabus in Jones' class at Texas Tech is more entertaining than most books on the bestseller list; his fiction is remarkable.

The Fast Red Road is a wild ride that moves beyond postmodernism into something totally new. This is a fun, fast, read that sticks with you after you are finished. Young authors like Jones give us a reason to be excited about the future of literature.

This is probably the best novel I have ever read. Jones' style in this book is very much akin to Pynchon's in The Crying of Lot 49, except more sonically tasty. The plot jumps out at you in complex imagery that mirrors this linguistic free-for-all (I read this book with more than one dictionary at hand). It's very tough to get a hold of mentally, but, in the end, well worth it. Anyone interested in contemporary fiction does themselves a disservice by not reading this book.

I agree with both previous reviews. Cannot really add anything other than it was completely enjoyable to read and certainly sheds new light on many aspects of how we have viewed and are now viewing the Maya and their spectacular civilzation...so nice toknow that the longer the culture existed the better off the lot of the common people.

There are many books written on the subject of the Maya civilization. What sets

Jeremy Sabloff's book apart from the rest is how he approaches the subject. He refers

to his book as a story, and provides his reader with a very concise overview of the Maya

civilization. The clarity of his text enhances the usefulness of the book, which in turn

broadens the audience from anthropology students to anyone interested in learning

about the Maya. Sabloff sets out his `story' to combine history, theory, methods and

fieldwork and best describes the text in his own preface, an "attempt to explain how

early archaeologists arrived at the `traditional model' of ancient Maya civilization that

was popular in the first half of the century and how fieldwork has given birth to new

discoveries of the Maya." (Sabloff, preface). The text is broken down into six chapters

and in each chapter he uses subheadings to organize his interpretation of the

information and to reveal an accurate knowledge of Maya studies.

Using Maya archaeology as an extended study, Sabloff uses relevant sites

during specific time periods as case studies to examine the area he wishes to describe

to his reader.

The first chapter is entitled `Growth of Modern Scientific Archaeology',almost

beginning were the preface left on in terms of what Sabloff views as the `traditional

model' of early Maya archaeology. This begins with the idea of what stream of

questions the archaeologist should ask. In the `traditional model', Sabloff shows that

the `what' and `where' questions of the past are no longer as relevant as the newly

replaced `why' and `how' shift. It is in this chapter that Sabloff introduces the first of

many different scholars to emphasize each section. Schiffer and Binford are discussed

as well as one of their more popular methodological issues of the past, linked cultural

activities.

The next two chapters give the reader a contrast with the `traditional model' of

ancient civilization and new views of the classic period. With these topics, Sabloff

refers to the findings of Morley and Thompson in chapter two and Willey and

Proskouriakoff in the following section. The way he introduces these scholars is one of

respect. Sabloff does not bash the early ideas of archaeologists (knowing now that the

information is not thorough), he describes their work prior to the archaeological

revolution as successful and that many of their ideas were not wrong, just not

developed enough. With regards to the later of the four scholars, Sabloff explains

Proskouriakoff's remarkable findings from the Usumacinta River sites of Piedras and

Yaxchilan and the breakthrough idea that Maya texts record history. What Sabloff

seems to stress is that with each decade, the scholars and the information they have

gathered help the next generation of archaeologists in their quest to better understand

Maya civilization.

Chapter four evaluates new views of the Pre-classic and Post-classic period.

Sabloff introduces specific case studies such as the areas of Chichen Itza and

Cozumel. By focusing in on these areas, Sabloff is able to convey to his reader an

understanding of what archaeology can accomplish.

The remaining two chapters analyze the emergence of a new model and takes a

look at archaeology under this new modern world. Sabloff highlights the scholars

Webster and Gonlin and their research on the emergence of more distant rural

areas among the Maya subareas.

With each chapter, Sabloff gives the reader a new finding in terms of Maya

civilization. He frequently looks for parallels between ourselves and the Maya which

make this civilization even more real and exciting to the reader. The `story' concludes

with Sabloff asking questions to the reader, and having read the book, the questions

encompass so much information in only a few lines. Sabloff leaves the reader thinking

as well as feeling confident enough to ponder the questions himself.

After the final word has been read, there are ten pages of further readings listed

by chapter, which include everyone mentioned in the book and then some.

`The New Archaeology and the Ancient Maya' is lavishly illustrated with

photographs, site plans and maps all of which are in colour. All of these visual aids in

conjunction with the accurate read, help to summerize this complicated subject with

success. Sabloff hits his target perfectly with how he feels this story should be told,

his story is "to understand the development of a past culture, not find lost arks".

I found this book very informative. It demonstrates how much archaeology and our knowledge of the Maya has changed since the Mayan ruins were first 'discovered' in the 19th century.

The cultural biases of the early archaeoligts now explain many of the 'facts' put forward in early books on this subject. Acutally many of these 'facts' were just guesses, but because they were put forward by prominent people they were taken on face value. Much of the work, especially since the 1960's has disproved or changed out of recognition these early 'facts'.

The last overview book on the Maya I read had them as peace loving people in lovely cities in the jungle, who just "gave it all up for no decent reason". This book completly changed my view on that. It made me realise on how slim a foundation many of the earlier works lay.

I'd reccomend this book to anybody who wants to know how much archaeology has changed - and why what these people have discovered is not only in the past, but also has a bearing on us today..

People from the prairies of South Dakota and North Dakota aren't pretentious. Well, some might be, but they tend to stand out in miserable ways. Linda Hasselstrom's writing is like the people of her home: careful, persistent, simple, surprisingly complex, fascinating. Your own family and home may be very different from Hasselstrom's, but through her writing you'll gain a better understanding of your own people and place of origin. Hasselstrom is a master; she shows us how to cherish the tribes we were born into, despite the inevitable losses and disappointments of life. She ranks right up there with Kathleen Norris and Patricia Hampl.

Reading this book was a wonderful experience. What a touching story of a family that develops as all families do; realizing we love our family members even more when we accept them loving us the only way they know how. All this against the backdrop of a still unspoiled area of America. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this region, history or living.
Allen

I unboxed this book, flipped open some pages to preview and before I knew it, I had read 60 pages standing in my kitchen. Legs buckling, I sat and finshed the book in one sitting. The book is compelling because Hasselstrom's storytelling makes you want to read further, but also because her writing mesmerizes the soul. I found myself rereading sentences and hanging on the beauty of her unique prose. "How does she write like this?" I kept asking myself. Her ability to take you within the moment is unsurpassed. You don't need to be a cowgirl to enjoy this book, but if you are, you'll finish it in one sitting--or standing--like I did.

Dr. Hess has authored one of the most significant books in print on the use of field fortifications during the US Civil War and the relationship of these works to the actual campaigns. Although there are some other books that do include some of this information, including several excellent post-war sources from the 19th century, this book does a remarkable job of putting the subject in perspective. Many so called "Civil War" experts simply do not realize the significance of the role of field and permanent fortifications during many of the key campaigns of the war and reduce everything to simple terms stating "there were breastworks, etc..." They simply give no detail and the reader can not understand such details as why some of these "works" were easily overrun, why some railroad cuts made great defensive positions and others did not, or even why on Cemetary Ridge at Gettysburg the troops of II Corps could not entrench themselves.
Hess not only describes what the defenses consisted of, but also shows how they affected the campaign. He also includes background information as well as detailing the events related to the campaigns. The book does not rehash the old story of bullets and beans in these operations, instead with Hess we see its bullets, beans and spades.
The reader will soon notice this book does not cover all the operations of the Civil War where fortifications were involved, but that is because this is the first volume with two additional ones planned. The publisher did a good job in reproducing the photos. One serious flaw is a lack of maps for the reader to follow everything mentioned in the text. This usually results from the publisher attempting to save on production expenses and there is not much the author can do to correct it. On the other hand, any expert or buff will have other books available with the missing maps they need for folowing the text (the first volume of the old West Point Atlas of American Wars has just about every map you may need).
This volume covers the eastern theater through April 1864 and includes a good deal of information on the defenses of Washington and Richmond (which are more than just field fortifications). It also covers the battles of the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 where fortifications played a key role. The limited role of field fortifications in some of the campaigns of Northern Virginia are included as well as information on how work was done to protect Harrisburg and even far off Pittsburgh with fixed defenses against Lee's second invasion of the north.
This book is not intended for fast reading or skimming, but instead created for those who have a real interest in the Civil War and want to enjoy a good read.

A book on Civil War fortifications should be dry as the Sahara and as easy to get thru as a concrete block wall. In the hands of a lesser author that would be true! What we have is a very readable, intelligent history of the Civil War in the east with emphases on fortifications. The author chooses to follow the campaigns and discuss the use of or lack of fortifications during the campaign and in the ongoing war. This simple idea gives the reader a very good overview of the war and a very intelligent discussion of how and why "digging in" became the norm.
We start with a discussion of the American approach to battle and the theory of when and why fortifications were appropriate. This prepares us for the war's early months when armies use fixed forts to control areas but look for "a fair fight in the open". Reality meets theory during the Peninsula Campaign and The Seven Days as first one side and than the other is forced to dig. Hard lessons are quickly forgotten as the main armies struggle with the ideas of offensive or defensive actions and the fear fortifications will foster a defensive mentality. This interplay makes John B. Hood's actions outside Atlanta much easier to understand, something the book does not cover but a student of the war will grasp.
The three chapters on the war in the Carolinas are excellent! "The Reduction of Battery Wagner" alone almost pays for the book. I have not read a better account of Civil War sieges and the impact on the men than in this chapter.
The book ends with Mine Run and the Union not attacking the extensive fortifications in the area. When we reach the fall of 1863, the reader fully understands and appreciates the revolution that has occurred. The stage is set for the second volume "Trench Warfare under Grant & Lee".
A very good Glossary takes care of vocabulary problems. Within a couple of chapters, even a novice reader will seldom have to refer to it. Maps, illustrations and photographs are common and well placed giving us the visual information we need to supplement the text.
This is not a basic book! However, it is not an advanced tome that requires a military education or years of study to enjoy. The reader needs a good idea of the events in the East from 1861 to 1863. You will have to be prepared to check the glossary on a regular basic for the first 20 to 50 pages too. After that, you will have a very informative, intelligent learning experience.

In popular perception of Civil War combat, entrenchments were something that came along late in the war when troops, weary of being targets when marching across open fields, took to digging in the earth to find protection. As Hess amply demonstrates in this new volume, the first of a projected trilogy, entrenchments in fact were an integral part of the Civil War landscape from the earliest months. He backs his narrative with numerous citations from official and unofficial accounts and he discusses the details of how entrenchments were made (and how they evolved as the war went on). This volume is an important contribution to understanding how the war was fought and to better fix its place in the continuing development of military theory and technology.

This is one of the better field guides available for identifying and determining the usefulness of many medicinal plants found commonly in the Eastern and Central US. This guide is recommended for beginners and experienced medicinal plant enthusiasts alike. A must have book for the novice in this field.

This is excellent reading at home and on the go. You'll want to buy two of these just so you have one at home, and one you can really rough handle on the road. :) If you're into medicinal herbs or you just love knowing what's what out in the wild, this guide is number one! A MUST! You need it now.

This book was so fabulous, in fact, I give it more than five stars, I give it twenty! It is because of this book that I now want to be an ethnobotanical chemisist. This book has such pep and drive, just the Introduction and Preface make you want to go outside start a weed garden, picket the FDA, and go to college for seven years to get your degree in botanical chemistry. You don't believe me, but I'm serious. READ THIS BOOK! If not the whole book, at least the Introduction and Preface. It'll give you SO much energy.

As A interested Person in Bears of the World, Trying to Learn more About Grizzlt Bears ,Living in the U K , tHE bEARS Live a long Way a way, I found This Book Very Instructive, and informetive, and Interesting , A Very Good Buy Colin S/West Devonshire England U K

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in grizzly bears. It contained a lot of important information without a lot of unnecessary reading. Short and straight to the point.
The sketches were beautiful. The book is also easy to carry along for grizzly bear watchers.

Now in its second printing, with correction of a couple earlier errors, the Field Guide to the Grizzly Bear covers 500,000 years of this species' existence in just 48 pages. As the author, I can appreciate how difficult it is to write about so much in so few words. The field guide series by Sasquatch had already set excellent precedents in earlier works on the orca and bald eagle by the time I agreed to compose a guide to the grizzly. The basic requirement is to get it down briefly, and to get it right. I think it works very well as a brief introduction to the history, natural history, troubled present and risky future for one of nature's great creations.

Lance Olsen Montana

First, I would like to say I bought this cookbook because I couldn't resist the cover photo. This is a nice collection of over 200 recipes collected from firefighters from all over the United States and Canada. Included is a section with bios on the firefighters who contributed their recipes and "Firefighters on Scene," a collection of color firefighting photos with the story of the fire. A portion of the sales will be donated to National Disaster Relief Funds.

The recipes are easy to follow with common ingredients found in most kitchens, practical for everyday-type dinners or a fancier dinner party. The chapters are Auspicious Appetizers, Superb Soups, Savory Salads and Delectable Dressings, Mesmerizing Main Courses, Stately Side Dishes, Quality Quick Breads, Decadent Desserts and Blissful Beverages. Some of my favorite recipes are Tropical Cole Slaw, Haz-Mat #12 Shrimp Scampi, Broccoli-Tomato Pie, Cranberry Poppy Seed Loaf, Wayne's Sweet Tator Supreme and the Award Winning Homestyle Chili.

This is a very detailed, very nice book. Great for the firefighter looking for a little help in the kitchen. We all know how picky firefighters can be when it comes to chow.

I new I would like this book when I saw it. It is a COLLECTION of firehouse recipes-not just recipes from one person or the way a certain person cooks. It has a lot of variety, simple to follow instructions, recipes with few ingredients that I usually have in the house and are quick to prepare. I have used the same recipes for dinner parties or just the two of us. Recipes are easy to double, triple or halve and still taste the same and turn out. It is also food we normally eat. I use it constantly, often doubling recipes so I can freeze leftovers. It's a great everday cookbook-THANK YOU RG ADAMS!

A relatively unknown set of books here in the states, but unfortunately so. The Famous Five series tells of the adventures of Georgina (George), her dog, Timothy, and her cousins Julian, Dick, and Anne.

Five Go Off In A Caravan is one of the three that ties for my favorite Five book. I love them all, of course, but this one is just chock full of humor, good food, fun, and excitement! It's summer hols again, and the Five are traveling in a pair of caravans. They make camp in an area that is also occupied by a circus! They make friends with a circus boy named Nobby and his mischievous chimp, Pongo, who becomes a source of much hilarity. But something sinister is going on in the camp and the children are sure that it concerns Nobby's "Uncle" Dan and his unpleasant friend, Lou the acrobat. What are they hiding and can the children bring them to justice in time?

I could only remember the word "caravan" from one of my favorite childhood book titles and after doing a search for this word was delighted to re-discover the titles of this and other "Famous Five" books. My grandmother must have picked these up for me when she was visiting the U.K. and I have such fond memories of reading these books that I plan on purchasing and re-reading them as an adult. Highly recommended!

One of the best in the series, and one of my personal favorites. This time, our five friends: Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy of course, set out on a holiday in caravans each drawn by a sturdy little horse. The trip starts off peacefully enough, but of course an adventure soon appears...this time from the circus camp located near where the five are staying. Why are Lou the acrobat and Dan the clown so eager to be rid of the five? Be prepared for the usual hair raising adventure filled with nasty tempered criminals, secret passageways and a lot of scrumptious sounding food. Pass the tomatos please! This book stands out thanks to the strange circus folk the five befriend along the way including a couple of circus dogs, a hilarious chimpanzee, and even an elephant who loves to play cricket!

Lynn Andrews tells a great story with a liberal sprinkling of Native American wisdom to give it heft and meaning. PLEASE don't make the mistake, as I did, of reading this before reading the first book in the series, Medicine Woman. The latter really sets the stage for all that follows, and the chronology is important in the first two efforts, in my opinion.

Whether or not you read these books as fiction or non-fiction, is not paramount to their strengths. Lynn Andrews is similar to the wonderful Carlos Casteneda, but more accessible, I would venture to say. These works succeed on several levels, and have rightly remained very popular.
Read and enjoy!

In Flight of the Seventh Moon, Lynn Andrews compellingly chronicles her continuing apprenticeship to the Native American shaman Agnes Whistling Elk and her spiritual quest for the ancient wisdom of woman. This companion volume to the highly praised Medicine Woman details the circumstances that urged Lynn Andrews once again to leave her home in southern California and return to Manitoba, where she had first been introduced to Native American lore and the tribal shaman ways.

In the aftermath of all that befell her, culminating in her dramatic recovery of the sacred marriage basket from the powerful sorcerer Red Dog, Lynn discovers that she needs further protection from the treacherous Red Dog. She recognizes also that her safety depends upon the strength and insights that can only come with deeper commitment to the medicine path. Thus, in Flight of the Seventh Moon, we journey with her back to Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs, under whose guidance she begins her initiation into the teaching of the shields -the ancient path of protection and power handed down from generation to generation of Native American women.

Through a series of visions and ceremonies, Agnes and Ruby led their apprentice to profound new understanding of her womanliness and selfhood. As part of the learning process, Lynn is introduced to Grandmother Walking Stick, "a crystal medicine woman...a warrioress and teacher." Who is the mentor of Agnes Whistling Elk. Central to Lynn's rites of passage is her construction of her own medicine shields. "Learning to make a shield is the process of fitting together the shattered pieces of oneself into a whole. This puzzle becomes a working mandala, a shield that we carry in our everyday life." As she builds her defense against Red Dog's powers, Lynn earns a place in the inner circle of the Sisterhood of the Shields, a secret society of shaman women who follow the most ancient traditions of woman.

In Flight of the Seventh Moon, Lynn Andres perceptively and grippingly describes the competing forces of white and black magic in which she becomes entwined; her growing awareness of her own innate power as a woman, which draws upon the substance of earth and sky; and how she translates her newfound understanding into the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of everyday life. Flight of the Seventh Moon reveals dazzling interior landscapes of mind and heart exploring long-hidden areas of Native American culture and mysticism and sharing with us a process of learning a path of knowledge that leads us toward "balance, wisdom, and a more complete view of truth" too long denied by patriarchal society.

While reading this book in a dark, wooden, cave-like basement apartment, I was mesmerized by this woman's journey into a personal spiritual realm. Discoveries, dangers, and strong ties to surprising teachers wove a fascinating tale. More than just a book - it contains a treasure-map to claim one's own strengths. As soon as I finished, I wanted to begin my "education," and did.