Hawaii Books

I compared it with three other guidebooks, and this one is hands down by far the best. I also like his sense of humor, and his ability to give us foreigners a realistic taste of the local culture. It is down to earth, not superficial, and it must have been a lot of work to write this guide! The first thing I did when I arrived in Oahu for the second segment of my trip was to go to the bookstore at the airport and buy his book for Oahu.

This revised edition is very comprehensive, written with a sense of humor and candor. Looking forward to visiting the island with book in hand to "test out" the recommendations.

Whatever you need to know about the Big Island, it's in this book. Excellent info, updated and concise, in a very readable form.

I found this book to give good recommendations for places to see on the island. Some were not as spectacular as described. Also it would have been helpful to have better overview maps. Those are obtainable for free in other publications such as rental car guides. Places to eat were good recommendations.

First rate guide to the Big Island. I bought their Kauai book years ago when I visited, and this one is just as good. You truly feel like your getting insider tips, and not just a project for a travel writer on assignment. Don't hesitate on this one.

As with most resort destinations there's no shortage of written material to mull through when planning a vacation. I ordered this book based on the reviews on Amazon and once I received it I put all the other material in the recycling bin. It was simply the best! My only regret is that I didn't order two copies as we're a family of four and quite often we found ourselves arguing over whose turn it was next to look at the book. My teenaged children took a real interest in planning our day excursions using the recommendations in the book. We'll definitely purchase the books written about the other islands in anticipation of our next trip to Hawaii.

The honest opinions and insider information provided in this book are great, but there are two things that I found rather annoying. First, a lot of time is spent telling people turn-by-turn directions for getting to the various places on the island. It is painful to read all the right and left directions. It's like the way my grandmother used to give directions. Second, noticeably absent are addresses that could be entered into my GPS unit to get me to the destinations worry free. The author goes so far as to complain in the book about how difficult it is to navigate the island. It is even more difficult when there are 10 rights and lefts and no addresses. Good grief! Buy this book for the opinions, but get another guide to give you addresses you can use for your GPS units.

I might look at other guidebooks as well, but if I were limited to just one, this would be it. It covers pretty much everything, covers things in detail, and gives honest opinion. If an attraction, restaurant, or hotel sucks, they tell you. The text, maps, and pictures nimbly steer you toward what's worthwhile and away from what's not. They can't cover everything on Oahu, but we'll definitely be carrying this book with us on our upcoming trip.

We purchased Hawaii Revealed last year & it went with us everywhere. When we were planning our next trip to Oahu, we ordered Oahu Revealed before we left so we could read up and decide what we wanted to do before we arrived. The information provided is accurate, and the opinions are right on.

This book is awesome!!! We brought it on our honeymoon to Oahu and found ourselves never leaving our room without it. At first my husband wanted to explore on our own and not have to worry about what other people had to say about different areas but after 2 days - he made absolutely sure we had the book with us wherever we went! This book not only gives excellent recommendations for dining, hotels, activities, etc., it told us about incredible "hidden treasures" we never would have even known about, as they are off the beaten path. Just to name some examples - a little macadamia nut farm near the north shore and the Maunawilli Trail hike and this beautiful rock formation that had the center blown out of it during a storm years ago. Friends of our who didn't have the book couldn't find it because its hidden in a neighborhood. We found it NO PROBLEM! Incredible! I've bought this book for many other couples going to Oahu and they have thanked us Sooo much for it! Buy it! It's worth 10 stars!

This is the best book I've ever had the pleasure of reading! I love the characters, and the history. I love the way the Hawaiian sayings and culture were interspersed so appropriately throughout the book. The description of the setting and time, AMAZING!

I knew that Molokai was an island used to isolate people with leprosy but I did not know about the symptoms of the disease or the isolation of those that lived there. Not the best writer I have ever experienced but it was a worthwhile read in that it kept my attention and I learned a lot! I definitely recommmend the book!

This book delves into the history or a child in the late 1800 who has leprosy and is taken away from her family to live in a leper colony on the island of Maoloka'i. It is a fascinating story that tells of her life through her sixties. Besides her story being captivating you learn so much of how leprosy was treated in those days and the stigma attached to the disease. Through the years you see how the treatment changes and people begin to be treated differently. It is a fascinating story and every page of the book holds your attention. This story will stick with me for a long time!

I could best describe this book as a "satisfying read". I won't rehash the plot but want to add my five starts to a wonderfully fulfilling novel. The characters are so well drawn and the emotional tension that permeates the story is perfect. I especially think this is an example of a male author who has so convincingly created a female leading character. A story set in a leprosy colony could easily become depressing or gruesome, but the author has maintained a beautiful balance of sadness, fear, hope, regret, and love. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good story filled with ordinary people caught up in a very awful situation.

Alan Brennert, with eloquent, descriptive, flowing prose offers an epic tale of leprosy among Hawaiians in the late 1800's to present day. Rachel, the center character, is ripped from her family at 7 years old and exiled to the island of Kalauppa, on Moloka'i, where the infected go to die. Her struggle in the most gruesome of scenario's is so gripping, so raw, so real, and so inspiring it makes it impossible to ever forget her valiant fight and her unyielding spirit.

Rachel introduces us to a myriad of compelling characters. In nearly every case we see valor among the suffering; hope among the hopeless and optimism among the grim. Historically we venture through Hawaii's distain of the USA's aggression, acceptance, and statehood. We also experience Pearl Harbor and the oppression of Japanese American's to internment camps; internment camps that bequeathed undue prejudice as ugly and unwarranted as that of lepers.

This absolutely astounding book offers a sweeping saga of prejudice, hope, dismay, hope, depravity, hope, searing struggles, hope. HOPE! When you complete, "Moloka'i" you will hug this book to your heart as I did. You will realize that the impossible is possible. Also, accountability for others mustn't go untethered by one's own discomfort or lack of knowledge. Education before exile.

Thank-you, Alan Brennert. You gave me a read to treasure all my life.

This book will make you realize that the food choices you make, are not only good for your health but for the planet and all other living beings....we are all connected after all! I found this book very informative, organized and easy to follow. I have loved the few recipes I made already and look forward to making more. I highly recomend it!

This is a beautiful book, with pictures and quotes that are lovely and inspiring. Not to mention that the recipes are really fabulous! Great for entertaining vegan and non-vegan guests and having everyone feeling satisfied and complimenting the chef. The restaurant in Portland, Oregon is well worth the trip, as I'm sure the one in Hawai'i is as well. A must-have for any vegan kitchen.

I'm a vegan living outside NYC. I am a huge fan of your book, the hardcover, it's actually my favorite cookbook. It is beautifully photographed and just a lovely book to own and use in your kitchen!

I've tried about half of these recipes and had good success. Breads, pastas, pizzas, salads, dressings, deserts - it's all here. This is vegan heaven!

When my husband and I started following a plant based diet 19 months ago I never thought we'd make it. We borrowed about 10 vegan cookbooks from a doctor we know and most everything was awful. For a whole month I flat out did not enjoy eating. We then found 4 vegan cookbooks that were o.k. and I could finally enjoy what I had made.

Then, in March my husband stumbled upon Vegan Fusion. The cookie lover in me thinks the chocolate chip cookie recipe is worth the cost of the book in itself! Vegan Fusion is my "go to" cookbook every week. I have made quite a few recipes and all that I can say is, "YUMMMMY!". My 4 year old picky, "I just want a meat sandwich" daughter said of the split pea parsnip soup, "This is the best soup ever!" and had 2 helpings.

There are so many aspects of this book that I like. Of course the recipes are fabulous! Being new to the whole vegan scene, it has a lot to offer a novice vegan i.e. the legume cooking chart, tips on roasting everything from veggies to nuts, startling statistics on "global footprints" of the different diets people follow.

I live in a small town (<2,500 people) and I can find most of the ingredients at our local healthfood store. The only thing I'm sure I can't get locally is green coconuts. I guess I'll just have to go to Kuaui - oh, darn!

I recommend this book to every vegan and health conscious friend I know!

As much as I like the "revealed" series, this book had more detail (on snorkeling particularly), so it was money well spent.

We used this book every single day we were in Kaua'i. It has the best info of any guide book for Kaua'i if you are there to do any adventuring. A+.

Guess where my wife wants to take me on her summer vacation? Hint: she likes lush resorts with hiking opportunities.

I've been to the other islands of Hawaii several times, but never to Kauai. I don't need the usual 50 pages of cajoling to enjoy myself that most guidebooks feature, and in this era of goooogle, I certainly don't need out-of-date hotel listings. This is a book crammed with info that I may find useful when I get there, concerning the rugged activities that make flying all those hours worthwhile, written in a plain and honest prose. I'd venture to say that this is the most convincing guidebook I've ever encountered.

Another reviewer complains about the absence of maps. I'd agree that lack fo maps would be a problem, except that the maps one finds in other guidebooks are almost always next to useless. My advice: get a real full-sized map and correlate!

Have only made it partially through the book and am very impressed with the outline and the depth of knowledge of the subject. My wife and i are returning to PoiPou on the south shore at the end of April, 2008 and we are making daily plans from this book.

We returned this year with their new third edition for 2008 and found remarkable changes. Hiking the Kalalau Trail again.....was even better the second time around. When it comes to organization and finding ez access to all the cool trails, this one is the winner. The strategies for getting around this beautiful island were incredibly useful.

The idea for this story is really interesting, but the writing felt flat--serviceable, certainly, and accurate--but the scene didn't really come alive to me. In the second chapter, the boat trip to Hawaii, the transitions from past to present were smoothly done and fleshed out the course Laura's life is about to take against what she so suddenly lost with the deaths she left behind. Still, her grief mixed with fear for what lay ahead, weren't palpable. Given the fascinating premise for this story, I can only hope the writing style becomes more emotional, even florid, when Laura reaches Hawaii, to match the lush tropical setting, but somehow I doubt it. This arm's length rendition doesn't do the subject justice. It reminds me of how Arthur Golden related that readers of an early manuscript of Memoirs of a Geisha considered it interesting, but dry. He rewrote the story in first person--and you know the rest. Perhaps that same approach would breathe life into a story with the great potential this one has.

This from the few chapters I read it appears that this novel will be a an excellen addition to the many manuscripts written about Hawaii and picks up some unkown information that is illuminating for those of us that love the Islands. I would recommend this to others once completed.

I was immediately engaged! A wedding dress is a great way to start a story! Additionally, I got an instant picture of Laura as someone who is more interested in comfort than in style. The author tells us a lot in just a sentence or two.

I wondered just how Laura thought she was going to control her pregnancies.

"hard for ships to reach there, like trying to sail to stars in a vast, dark sky." beautiful.

Great descriptions of San Francisco and the teeming populace.

"Laura felt a sense of coming to a crossroads, turning in a new direction where way leads into way and what was, got left behind, distorted by shimmering time ... like a mirage." Another beautiful description.

Wonderful details!

I loved how the boy kept asking another question every time his mother said, "Please, no more questions."

And I was glad how Laura realized she had lost her chance to get to know her father better, and would never know about his experiences.

I felt like the line "What would it be like to live a missionary life among the savages of Hawaii?" Should have its own paragraph, because this pushes the story forward and shows just how much everything is changing for Laura. It's really important.

Aww, that was sad where Laura remembers seeing her mother's coffin.

Darn! The excerpt ended! I wanted to read on! Darn it!

Thoroughly enjoyed this expert writing and the developing story. Hope it makes the upcoming 100!

The first chapter and a half of Gaellen Quinn's "The Last Aloha" has captured my interest and imagination. It promises a great story which satisfies the double purpose of entertainment and enlightenment about a past that was veiled in misconceptions by the colonizers of Hawaii.

The very first line of the story, where the heroine stands in front of the mirror, promises the reader an adventure into the unknown which will lead young Laura, and hopefully the reader as well, towards increased self-awareness and maturity. To emphasize this theme Laura comes across "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" in the library on board the steamer which will bring her to the shores of Hawaii. She knows nothing about her destination and very little about her father's missionary family with whom she is going to live. Incorrupt by prejudice as she is, we sense that she will meet her new experiences with an open heart and allow herself to be affected by them.

The reader becomes immediately aware of a discord between Laura's personality and her traditional social environment. About to get married, she is a strong and independent woman who is determined to shun society's expectations that she put marital life and motherhood first. However, her dream of going to medical school is shattered on the very first pages of the book when her father and fiancé die in a street accident and she is left without resources to pursue her goal. Thus she is forced to fulfill her father's last wish and go live with her relatives on the Hawaiian island Oahu, missionaries from Boston with whom she has had no relationship and who we suspect are not going to receive her with a warm and loving heart.

The story is set in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The historical setting and the ambiance of the time are rendered in delicate detail, often revealed through dialogue, or as seen through the observing eyes of Laura. The language is beautiful and descriptions are frequently imbued with a poetic aura. The astute use of symbols and forebodings lends depth to the narrative that I find satisfying.

When it comes to painting word pictures, Gaellen Quinn is Michelangelo. There's a deft touch for the telling detail and a grasp of the big picture as well. As we meet Laura Jenning's she is trying on her wedding dress and making plans to go to medical school--tragedy intervenes and she finds herself on a ship for Hawaii, heading for a place and relatives she doesn't know.

In addition to creating a lively character, the author has melded research and imagination to bring the full sense of her historic era to life. From the street scene in San Francisco to the shipboard library, a complete era is recreated. The scholarship of the author is a gift to the lazy reader, who is educated with no effort. To have your fun and then be able to sound intelligent afterwards is just paradise for a reader.

The book scales the island down in a very nice way and is easy to follow. Heed their water safety and driving with "aloha" tips. Squirts out all the best things to do and made our daily itinerary decisions slamdunks.

Take it with you on the road. I strongly recommend seeing the Hana Highway in a convertible. Our twisty ride out there in the early morning was awesome.

The places we did get to check out were awesome. I know we wouldn't have found the "aquarium" without this book and that was our favorite snorkel spot. I wish we had more time in maui to explore.

Where this one shines: compact and to the point, definitely our style. It covers all of the island and the hikes they list inside Haleakala Crater and near Hana were terrific. Bring your binoculars for the whale and windsurfer action. We had several guides with us, but the most consistent useful information came from this one.

Friends asked us how we saw and experienced so much in just a week and we attribute it to doing our homework first - mapping it all out with the Trailblazer.

Beaches are the reason we went to Maui and this was the guide we used to find them. There were several dozen to higrade. When we arrived we noticed many of the street signs were missing or twisted the wrong way so we navigated using the maps and mile markers in the Trailblazer guide. Even our rental car map didn't have the detailed streets this book had.

We have three kids and they spent hours and hours boogieboarding and their UV protected rashguards that we also bought on Amazon paid off plenty. The bike tours were closed so we hiked in Haleakala State Park. Trail distances we needed and trail distances we got. We felt like we were on another planet. They suggested we bring warm clothes and water, thank goodness we did.

Organized, detailed, dangerous places to avoid, the advice was priceless. This was our first time on Maui and this book really did blaze the trail.

We decided to visit two islands because we had heard how different they were: Maui and the Big Island. We chose the trailblazer books to guide us since they were both crammed with incredibly helpful information. For hikers and snorkelers and sightseers they are a gold mine. They are written in clear language and the outings are well arranged with accompanying maps.

The tips for getting out to Hana were treasure trove status and put us out in front of the chain of cars we saw heading out at 2pm. Leaving at 7:30 am before the tour buses made all the difference. We could have used another few days on Maui and regret taking only one hike down into the crater. We plan another visit in 2009 and our first order of business will be watching the sunrise on Haleakala and taking a helicopter tour.

Thanks Trailblazers for sharing and demystifying wowie Maui.

This guide gave our vacation itinerary a real boost. It has wonderful timeless images of places and people which simply exude calm, chill, beach culture latitude attitudes.

Photography is top notch and the information is partioned into sections so you can chew off each piece to explore at your leisure depending on how much time you've allowed for your vacation. Trailblazers do it good.

Lots of detailed info, good maps, great pics, best directions and extremely well laid out for picking out all the cool places everywhere on the island. We lucked out and got to see lava flowing down the mountain near the volcano. For driving directions and staying out of danger, it's full of dos and don'ts.

This was this best thing we took with us on our honeymoon. It's so well organized and we used it as a tool to plan our daily escapades. I highly recommend this book for travelers who haven't been before and are looking for ideas and advice from authors who tell it like it is.

Two years ago we took a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. Unfortunately we were in port too short a time and only went on a few packaged bus tours. We returned to the island we liked the best (the Big Island) last month and fortunately had the Trailblazer along as our prime guide. We hiked to and swam in the Blue Lagoon which is on the cover: the highpoint of our vacation.

In the back of the book are hotel and restaurant suggestions from which we made our reservations and were quite pleased. For accuracy and good practical advice it's right on target.

Great book, I bought it after having figured out which islands to visit using the book by the same authors, no worries Hawaii, which is a must buy if you don't know where to go and what you want to do. Following input from the first book we picked 1 day Honlolu, 5 days big Island and 9 days Kauai.
The big island trailblazer is unique in that the information on trailheads and how to find them is really really accurate, if you have to follow a dirt road for 2 miles and then stop next to a hidden bridge then that information is there. You rarely spend hours searching for stuff, the detail on where to look for something once you get to the end of the trail is less good, but that is because in the islands appear not to go in for signposts in a big way, so we were often looking at something and wondering whether or not this is it. Best ofs were generally good, didn't understand focus on Hilo, we went there on a Sunday and it felt like a run down sad little town, but maybe on a weekday there is a different vibe. The only negative is that restaurants mentioned a little more information on them to help you chose would help unless you like the sticky table-top ketchup bottle and drip coffee atmosphere and generic grub, this is fine if it is what you want, but you don't need a guidebook to discover such places, of course to be fair the book doesn't target the foodie population nevertheless a little more selectivity would help though or just a little more text on the restaurants. From personal experience if you are staying in Kapaa on Big Island try the restaurant Rapanui, a small hole in the wall joint run by a saturnine chef from New Zealand and his partner, its location is not attractive (in a mall when you enter Kapaa on the coastal road from the north on the left after the bend in the first mall), and it is BYOB but the food is really, really well cooked, from a European stand point, fresh, flavourful, beef melts in your mouth, rice/coconut nuttily satisfying, great, cooked but crunchy veggies, freshly made sauces, not a bottle or deep fryer in sight. Another great place to eat is Jays on the road towards southpoint, before the turn-off to Puuhoonuau (I forget the spelling) national park, two step snorkeling and the painted church from Kappaa, it is described in the guidebook, really spectacular and don't be put off by the appearance of the kitchen/living area. Oh and for sandwiches, a satisfying stop is Choicemart on the Highway 19 approximately in the area of the Manago Hotel, Choicemart is on the left, there is a great Vegan Cafe next to Choicemart and the sandwiches sold there and in Choicemart are spectacular. The locals recommend Choicemarts plate lunch especially on Lau Lau Friday. We tried to get it on Sat and it was all sold out. And the snorkeling at two step was the best we had on the island. Ok after all that digressing: if it is culture/food you are after then you need an additional book or to do some food research ahead of time online, for hiking, biking, walking and general reliable information then the trailblazer is a great book. Another option is to get the No worries Hawaii that has almost all information on all islands best ofs etc and then supplement that with a more foodie cultural guide for the islands depending on what you want. We did this for Kauai, although Fodors Kauai while better on culture etc really did badly for hiking and trails and was way less reliable than the Sprouts books.

YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. We have traveled to the big island many times, but still have not discovered or seen everything. This book reaches beyond of the general guide books and one of the other more popular reads about the island. Great for those who are into hiking and especailly for driving tours. Snorkelers will like some of the off the beaten path places to go.

I recently visited the Hawaiian Islands. The moment I stepped off the aircraft and the air hit my face I felt the magic. I started researching and reading everything I could get my hands on to discover the secrets of the islands. Pila's book was the most helpful in explaining the incredible energy of Hawaii. His book is not only a guide to the magical places you can visit, it is also a guide to connecting with spirit and healing your life. A wonderful book that I highly recommend. Although it was written over ten years ago, it is even more relevent as we watch our world rapidly changing. Mahalo Pila!

There are a couple of places where the author veers off a bit but for the most part he draws the reader into the mystical side of Hawaii that captivates the imagination and adds a new layer of "must do" items for ones next visit to the big island.

I particularly enjoyed the parts where he explores the subtleties expressed in the Hawaiian language and how they relate to place names and metaphysical practices and experiences. I think the author does a good job of connecting modern places and practices to traditional Hawaiian belief and faith practices. His chapter on the Big Island's place of refuge is exceptional in this regard.

The book is written in an easy to read fashion... But don't be fooled! Even if you gobble the words down like a good meal.. there is much more you will me digesting...
The essence remembering Joy is something that will forever remain in my heart..!

Pila of Hawaii takes you on a journey through paradise, all around the Big Island, but also through paradiscal realms within us all, while also sharing with us some of his own amazing journey. Pila opens the door to the little known esoteric world of Hawaiian spirituality, making it accessible to anyone willing to take to look and to open themselves. And he does all this in a style that is easy and fun to read. He leads the way joyously with a descriptive style that has you humming along as you follow his courageous. Thanks Pila. Whenever I get homesick for the islands, I just pick of the "red book" and I am back home again.

After reading many amazing books on Hawaiian Philosophy and more specifically Huna and Kahuna teachings, I must say - this is one of my favourite books. This book is so much fun to read and has many, many secrets to share.

Medusa's Daughter had me from the opening flight scene. The dialogue is witty and sharp, the characters multidimensional, the action fast-paced and fun, the setting pure Hawaiian paradise, and the plot looks like a real cliff hanger. I am dying to read the rest!"

Michael Boyd sweeps the reader into the story. Snappy dialogue, believable characters, and an exotic locale provide the backdrop for fast paced action and intrigue. The author obviously has an extensive knowledge of the Hawaiian Islands and flying. I would recommend this book to those seeking an instant island getaway, and want to read the complete book.

Panic attacks seem to be on the rise, and so I love the idea of a theme that many of us either relate to personally or we know someone who suffers from such. I already feel connected to the main character. I am curious to know more, and I am also curious about regression therapy. The characters in the excerpt are believable, the pacing is great. I want to continue reading.

This is the kind of book I want to read. Interesting characters are introduced well, with enough detail to make me want to know more. Holly is a talented woman who has pursued her dream and lives in a place I'd love to be, even though her life isn't perfect. I was already ready to know where this interesting woman and her life would lead, and then the accident and subsequent hinting at possible hidden mental secrets created the twist that left me definitely wanting to read the rest. In just these few words, there is good flow, easy to visualize descriptive narrative, credible characters (even Buck!)and a developing thread that entices. Great job!

Really enjoyed reading this excerpt. Particularly the section with Holly in the T-bird suffering the panic attack. I was once a passenger in a car when the driver began suffering a panic attack while on the interstate. We didn't crash, but Boyd's description here rings so true to me that it brought back those memories.

Also, I'm a bit of a commerical airline buff, and so really enjoyed the solid flight details, especially in the opening pages.