Resorts Books

I read SEAROAD a year ago and was immensely taken with it. Recently, in browsing through the Amazon web-site, I noticed that it had not received any reviews. That is a glaring omission, which these comments are intended to begin addressing.

It should be stated up front that SEAROAD is NOT a work of science fiction or fantasy, the genre for which Le Guin is best known. Instead, it is a collection of a dozen short stories that most definitely qualify as conventional literate fiction. All but one of the stories originally were published in magazines or journals over a four-year period. But the stories make for a very compatible collection inasmuch as they share the same setting -- a small oceanside community on the rugged Oregon coast named Klatsand -- and several share characters as well. With regard to both the physical setting and the characters, Le Guin demonstrates that, in addition to science fiction and fantasy, she is quite skilled at writing literate, sensitive, and captivating fiction of a realistic nature. In particular, she has an uncanny ability to get inside and inhabit the minds and souls of her characters.

If you appreciate excellent literate short stories, please don't pass over SEAROAD simply because it is by Ursula Le Guin and you are not a fan of science fiction; you will have deprived yourself of something special. On the other hand, if you are a fan of Le Guin's works of fantasy, you still might give SEAROAD a try; it's very good stuff.

Beautifully reproduced photographs with adequate explanatory text--but this book proves the adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Made me eager to learn more about this interesting topic. Would appeal, I think, to both nostalgists and social historians. Organized by resort town, with a couple pages devoted to each.

Being someone who loves the ocean I loved reading poems about them. Even though they are directed towards children I still enjoyed reading them. The pictures were bright and colorful. They made you want to get up and do to the beach! My favorite poem was "Goodness gracious" because it reminded me of my grandmother. When we would visit her in Florida she would always swim laps in ocean and all we could see was her bright swimming cap. All of the poems in this book are fun to read. They poems range from getting sand in you lunch, to sea shells and rocks, and to the boats in the harbor. These would be great to read to a young class if your teaching them about the ocean.

Many Americans think a visit to a National Park might allow them to escape the world of capitalism. However Selling Yellowstone: Capitalism and the Construction of Nature explains that it is not possible. Mark Barringer, an assistant professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University, details how the forces of capitalism have been shaping the national parks since Yellowstone's designation in 1872. The book chronicles the history of concessions and park policy in from the park's beginning, focusing on a concessionaire monopoly built by Harry W. Child near the turn of the 20th century and carried on by his family after his death. Early on, Child built lavish hotels that catered to wealthy Easterners arriving by rail. His stagecoaches transported guests to each major point of interest with a hotel nearby, including Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. These stately edifices became just as much an attraction as the park's natural phenomena.
The advent of automobiles ushered in a more egalitarian era of National Park tourism. The middle class took advantage of its new found mobility and started visiting the national parks, symbols of national pride and a way to get "back to nature." This group of tourists largely shunned the park hotels, viewing them as snobbish, and instead camped. With the coming of motorization, National Parks became places of expected recreation instead of just scenery (58).
Selling Yellowstone illustrates that during its first 40 years the NPS and concessionaires were partners in park management and that public opinion largely determined park policies. However, in the 1950s and 1960s attitudes about what national parks should be began to change. During that period, wilderness advocates became more influential, arguing that parks were "pristine wilderness whose inherent value was threatened by alteration" (147). By the early 1960s public opinion was divided between what national park policy was better - accommodation or preservation. At this time, Barringer explains, the NPS and its concessionaires were faced with "molding a landscape with expectations impossible to fulfill" (162).
Barringer's thesis is clearly that the NPS and its concessionaires presented their product to fit the perceptions of the natural setting prominent at the time. Early Yellowstone concessionaires created an idyllic form of nature that would appeal to tourists. Throughout the volume Barringer illustrates the key role advertisements and presentations, either by the concessionaires or the NPS, had in shaping public opinion.
The volume, however, suffers from poor word choice throughout. For instance, Barringer overuses the word mythology. The word means anything to him. He definitely stretches too far when stating that campfire programs give a "mythological connection to nature." Campfire programs actually can give the audience a connection with nature. Such presentations educate on key environmental and policy issues, which inspire their listeners to take better care of national parks. Alternate word choices instead of mythology could have been "imagined," "perceived," "idealistic" or "preconceived." Adding to the word choice problem, Barringer redundantly emphasizes his thesis, even using some of the same words. Reading such statements over again becomes tiresome.
Despite its weaknesses, the volume presents an excellent history of National Park policy with Yellowstone's concessionaires as the focal point. Readers get an idea of what was happening in other major national parks like Yosemite, Mount Ranier and Glacier during the same time period. The book demonstrates thoroughly that no policy or idea in history is static. Each generation reinterprets what is ideal and seeks to obtain gratification through that ideal.

This is a short book of surf stories--non ficition. Quotes, quips,observations--they all come out of a male gonzo mindset. Screamingly funny stuff. Sex drugs and waves. You can't read this thing without laughing. If you are a male it will remind you of what it was to be 15, 16, 17, in summer time--half crazy, every cell in your body on fire, a really neat time of life--even if you never surfed and live somewhere in idaho and have never seen a seagull. It's a perfect little book!

The sheer scope of this collection shows how impactful the landscape (and seascape) of the Jersey Shore has been. There isn't a bad story in this collection. They are evocative, exciting, emotional and just plain well-done.

Deschenes & Runge are masters of a new definiition of the American dream. It's ironic that no where else does modern literature cohabitate with conspicuous consumptions of ilicit grandeur like in Ski Party USA.

It mad me laugh, it made me cry, it made me change my life. Never before have so many words meant so little to so many people.

John Fowles calls it "[A]s various, quirkily learned, beguiling, opinionated and, in parts, as sumptuously written as Shakespeare..."

You have to read this book!!!

The book has good overall background on each state's skiing, then goes into detail on each of the resorts it rates as the best in the US. Though I would have liked more than 30 places to be covered (Breckenridge, Kirkwood, Grand Targhee and some other very good resorts are missing) the areas that are covered have good detail about the background and history of the resort, the skiing (recommended trails are broken out by ability level) where to stay and where to dine. It is an invaluable reference when going to these places for the first time, and I have used it at many of these resorts to find the good trails and good bars and restaurants. It is very readable, and to the point, and generally matches what you'd hear from locals and people who've been there. There is also an introduction that includes general tips and information for planning a ski vacation. Well worth reading when planning a vacation, and referring to when there.

This well written, engaging paperback book recounts the history of human settlement in the Methow Valley of north central Washington which is just east of the Cascade Mountains and just south of the Canadian border.

There are three initial chapters about the geology, pre-European-contact Native Americans who lived in the area and early to mid-19th Century penetration by fur trapping parties and military expeditions. Then the author presents a series of highly readable chapters about the activities and experiences of American miners, ranchers, farmers, loggers and finally winter and summer fun seekers who tried to carve a living or just a good time out of the spectacular landscape starting in the late 1880s.

It's somewhat sobering to contemplate how many waves of economic activity and human occupancy ebbed and flowed over this small region in hardly more than a hundred years. Besides recounting the facts the author presents lots of interesting anecdotes in the words of the pioneer settlers themselves or those that knew them.

Dozens of well reproduced period black and white photos show the reader what the people and places looked like in earlier years, a single map shows some of the locations mentioned and there is a bibliography at the end of each chapter (the author is a librarian!) for those who want to dig deeper.

Highly recommended as a must-read for anyone who lives in or visits the Methow Valley as well as anyone interested in Washington state history or the history of Euro-American western North American settlement in general. It's also an excellent example for anyone who wants to write an interesting regional history.

"Beauty is not simply skin deep. Beauty encompasses all aspects of a person-mind, body, and soul-with each aspect key to achieving ultimate beauty. It's quite amazing! When a person is of sound mind, body, and spirit, they have a very distinct glow." ~ Hippo Lipkin

Sunamita Lim's newest work is a book of rare beauty. Page after page invites you into tranquil spaces where you can nourish body and soul. The main chapters include:

The Quest for Radiant Beauty and Well-Being
An Introduction to Spas and Services
Incorporating Proper Skin Care
Balancing Body-Mind-Spirit with Meditation
Attaining Physical and Emotional Fitness
Enjoying Spa Cuisine
Choosing to Go Green

In order to write this book, Sunamita Lim traveled to the world's best spas to uncover their inherent beauty. This is a book filled with gorgeous pictures of hot tubs, glistening tiled steam rooms, indoor pools, warm baths, fireplaces and dreamy candlelit rooms.

"The Inn at Loretto's SpaTerre in Santa Fe mixes warm yogurt with the traditional lulur paste of turmeric, ground rice, sandalwood and jasmine. Gentle massage works in the paste together with warm honey. Afterwards a steam shower stimulates yogurt cells to restore the skin's pH balance, while the honey nourishes and moisturizes the skin." ~ pg. 56

While this book focuses on outward beauty there is also a sense of inner beauty. There are also pages of advice and a glossary of spa treatments for anyone new to the spa experience. If you are looking for spa recipes, there are a few easy-to-make skin scrubs and masks. Some of the spa cuisine recipes include:

Frozen Raspberry Mousse
Spanikopita
Candied Ginger Sorbet
Energy Soup
Carrot Cake
Chai
Mixed Vegetable Subji

Through reading this book you may feel inspired to visit a spa or create your own spa experience at home. There is also advice on how to begin a meditation practice. I can also highly recommend: Japanese Style and Chinese Style: Living in Beauty and Prosperity.

~The Rebecca Review