Resorts Books

This book centers on the major theme of individuality and conformity. Though it could be argued that since both characters were destroyed because of their need to be individuals, I believe there is a different point behind it all. In several instances, these boys try and find the hypocritical people in society. They hate a certain gang at school for their bully persona to only emulate that themselves. Their mentor talks about going against the man and capitalism, when he himself came from a very rich capitalist background and benefits from it.

This is a somewhat dark novel that shows the shallowness of several characters. All the characters are dynamic and go through several changes. The book was truly gripping in its delivery and style; I read the book in one setting because of not being able to put it down. I did not grow up around such conditions while going through high school, but since I am not that far removed from the environment, I related to this book fairly well. A good book that is worth a look

In response to Jaydekitten's comments, I do not believe that Mr. Moore was conveying a message intended to discourage non-conformist thought and behavior. In point of fact - and his book amply demonstrates this - most teens (of any generation) lack the empirical life knowledge, the bumps and bruises and contusions that the adult experience delivers, to make a considered choice and proclaim "I don't want to be a part of that." They are still evolving as humans.

Consider, for instance, the video tape released last year of Columbine killers Klebold and Harris taking the day off for a little target practice in the woods near their suburban Colorado home. There is a smug arrogance about the duo, a simmering hatred of everything and everybody who doesn't respect their self-entitled right to be "different", that is so undeserved. Simply put, these are kids who couldn't accept and adjust to the amplified traumas and social blunders of high school, for cyin' out loud, so how were they ever to adapt to the "real world"? From my point of view, what we witness with Eric and Tom and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold is harsh Darwinian theory in action, the universe, if you will, stepping in and straightening out a couple of design flaws; unfortunately and tragically, a few innocents usually get taken out of line in the process.

The author of this book is not trying to say "non-conformism" is a dangerous thing" (see below). The novel is a subtle satire on American counterculture; it shows how some people who talk the loudest about individualism and freedom don't know the first thing about either one. I thought it was dark and funny.

Since finishing the book, it has been in my thoughts frequently; it is a gauge against which I compare my own experiences growing up with the characters Moore has created. The author and I grew up in the same area, only a couple of years apart; we attended the same highschool for a couple of overlapping years, and a number of the locations he has so successfully described in the abstract are readily identifiable as "real" locations in our hometown. The imagery that he manages to pull up elicits a gut level comprehension of the Los Angeles climate. Los Angeles is constantly buzzing with activity, a proof of the converse of the adage "still waters run deep." The surface buzz of Los Angeles is sizable, its populace constantly vibrating on the edge of the now and the next, but with limited consideration for what comes after "next," or the past. Los Angeles isn't so much "sunny" as in a state of constant "glare." The sky isn't blue, nor is it often brown with smog; it's usually a matte silver tone -- a color that tends to simply amplify the sun's natural brightness to a dizzying shine that makes things stand out intensely. But over time that glare damages that which it shines upon, simply by its own intensity. Moore's novel is like that as well. As clearly as it depicts the world we lived in, it also has worn some of the polish from it.

With regard to another review that posits that deviation from the norm is what leads to the death of the main character, I read it as the reverse: Eric is brought down because of a critically mistimed attempt at bald honesty. It has less to do with conformity than a lack of emotional tools in youth to deal with difficult situations, or to reason out their consequences.

Yet another installment in a series of books tackling the issues that plague suburban youth, except this time it's set in the 1980's. While overall I enjoyed this book, I can't help but feel that the topic of teenagers and drugs has been done to death. "Too Much of Nothing" opens with the narrator Eric retelling the story of his murder. The reader witnesses as Eric relives his struggles to break free from his conforming to society standards and to present himself as an individual. In order to achieve this goal, he gives into his friend Tom's hoodlum wannabe antics. While Tom procliams himself as being a non-conformist, he reveals that he is easily swayed by other people's opinions and ideals.

My biggest problem with this book is that I couldn't quite grasp the point that Michael Scott Moore was attempting to present to the reader. Non-conformism is a dangerous thing? Because attempting to be an individual turns Tom's life into shambles and the second Eric steps away from his moral ideals, it gets him killed. And I promise that wasn't a spoiler, you know from the beginning that he dies :) Furthermore, the ending was too open and rushed for my tastes. And for as short as this novel is, I think Moore tried to tackle too many social issues and jam in too many pop culture references. It was overkill. In conclusion, while "Too Much of Nothing" was a quick and intriguing read, I would in no way consider it life-altering or flawless.

My fiance and I dreamt about having a small wedding in Europe with a few close friends and family, but we didn't know where, and we had no idea what would be involved. After reading this book, we fell in love with the idea of getting married in Scotland. The book got us on the right track for researching it and made us realize that getting married there would definitely be possible and feasible.

This book gives a great overview of the logistics of getting married in various countries...it even rates the countries in terms of the difficulty of getting married there if you are a U.S. citizen. It is a great starting point if you are thinking of getting married in another country.

If you are considering eloping, I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of Beyond Vegas. It is the best book that is out there on the subject. Though it may be more popular if the title reflected better what it was about.

I bought both this book and Let's Elope when planning our escape from a typical wedding. Let's Elope can get you excited about the idea of eloping, but does not really provide much good information on how you would actually go about planning an event in any of the countries in which you might be interested. Beyond Vegas actually gives you the details you need to plan your wedding (elopment) in 25 countries, and we actually used this information to plan our wedding in Scotland. The authors actually got married in all of the destinations discussed in their book, and give all the pointers you need, not just what can be found on the official country registrar web sites.

I enjoyed reading Tabb and Silverstein's Beyond Vegas quite a bit. While some chapters ended up relatively untouched for personal reasons (Wyoming ski lodge elopement, too cold: New Mexico kiva ruins shindig, too weird), all the ideas were creative and well thought out. I can only think of one chapter that seemed like something anyone could have thought of (Ch. 1, wedding in a castle in Scotland).

Beyond that, the writers/partners were quite ingenous and thrifty, finding wonderful wedding sites at the drop of an incredibly inexpensive hat. In Santorini, Greece, the couple married on the balcony of their rented villa, overlooking the black volcanic cliffs and ocean-covered caldera of the Cyclades. Cliche? I think not. In Figi, the whole crew geared up in traditional skirts for a native wedding complete with National Geographic-quality melee.

A word to the wise, though-- these vacations were a lot cheaper in 2002, just after 9/11, when Tabb and Silverstein eloped those dozen times. The preface says that the couple never spent more than $5,000 on their most expensive elopement. Elopements are rated in the book on a dollar scale from "$" to "$$$$", and Satorini was given a "$$". When my beau and I looked into what that would cost in 2006 dollars (going to all the same hotels and booking the cheapest flight), we were shocked to find that the price of the same vacation would be no less than $5,000. While that's still a fraction of the cost of a white wedding, it's no "$$" on a 5K max scale. Take that into consideration as you read along.

This book is about eloping --- not gambling. Hey wait a minute, maybe it is gambling!

Seriously . . . a fun read to stir up great fantasies.

...researching on your own. I bought this book because I'm a travel agent, want to evetually get marrried away, and am always interested in what others suggest to clients.

Honestly, I found the book an "ok" source of info. Sadly, I ended up wondering where the couple involved in the book would get married next and what they would wear.

I am not opposed to destination wedding guidebooks, but this one could be a bit more interesting.

Aphra Connolly lives on an island resort owned by her father. However, things are getting rather more interesting lately. There's a mysterious family, complete with hot teenage boy Seth, a second mysterious guest, and a third guest has been found strangled on the beach. Aphra needs to find out what's happening at the resort before anyone else dies - and so that she knows it is okay to fall in love with Seth.

DEATH BY BIKINI is over two hundred pages, but it feels shorter. Gerber's pacing is fast and furious. I never felt overwhelmed, but the book was over before I knew it. My mother also finished it in a single day, a rare occurance nowadays. But unlike many beach reads, DEATH BY BIKINI has an incredible heroine. Aphra is resourceful, athletic, and intelligent. Her mistakes seem real, rather than events included just to further the plot. Seth spends most of the novel hiding his past so his character is necessarily less developed, but he shows he's brave and caring throughout the novel.

The mystery component of DEATH BY BIKINI is solid. There are clues as to the murderer's identity and purpose, but neither is readily apparent. Plus, while Gerber seeds hints of larger mysteries afoot, she knows allowing some payoff in this novel only makes the next that much more desirable. (There's nothing worse than being handed a bushel of questions by an author and receiving no answers.)

Excerpted from In Bed With Books

DEATH BY BIKINI
LINDA GERBER

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Aphra Behn Connolly lives a quiet life working at her father's resort on a remote island. But things are about to change. When a family of unexpected guests show up late at night and her father pushes her away to take care of things, Aphra's already suspicious, as her father isn't all that tech savvy. She's even more so when the next day, there's no trace of him ever checking the Smiths in, let alone to villa four, the one villa on the property that isn't fully guest ready. But when Bianca, the girlfriend of their resident rock-star guest is found murdered on the beach the same day, Aphra can't stop the wave of guilt she feels over Bianca's death, since it was her who suggested the woman try the beach for a change, instead of lounging by the pool.

DEATH BY BIKINI is the definition of a page-turner. The story pulled me in from Page One and never let me set it down till the very last page. The mystery of who killed Bianca as well as the very suspicious behavior of both Aphra's father and the late-night-guests, the Smiths, ratchets up Aphra's suspicions-even more when her father warns her to stay away from the hottie teenage son, Adam. But when a Google search turns up the truth about the Smiths' real identity, Aphra thinks she's solved Bianca's murder, a thought that could prove fatally wrong.

This was a great read! Aphra's suspicions tend to be right on the money (at least about her father's behavior) and she's willing to do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even going behind her father's back, something she really hasn't done before. I loved so much about this book, but my favorite scene has to be when she's trapped in the cave and has to confront her fear of bats to find a way out, or risk having the real killer find her and Adam.

The mystery had me guessing right till the very end of who was behind Bianca's death and what was really going on with the Smiths. Several twists and turns and an unexpected guest or two made this a very engrossing read. Ms. Gerber penned a must read mystery with DEATH BY BIKINI. I look forward to reading the next in the series, DEATH BY LATTE due out this fall.

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
April 2008

This book was amazing. It has romance, mystery, and murder which I love in a book. Although I wold have loved for it to be a bit more mysterious but it was really good. The book was well-written and it was funny at times. I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait for Death by Latte. Linda Gerber is a great writer.
-Carol
_______________________________________
www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com

Aphra Connolly lives on a tropical island, but it's not a complete fantasy life. She works for her father at their resort that caters to the rich who want to be out of the spotlight. But when several unannounced guests show up, things start to get weird. One of the previous guests turns up dead on the beach, looking like she was strangled by her bikini strings. The combination of this and Aphra's father acting distant prompts Aphra to begin her search for the truth.

Aphra's determination to find the guest's killer leader to a lot of sneaking, lock picking, and even Internet stalking. Aphra digs up new information and discovers that the newly arrived and secretive family are not who they say they are. Things become even more complicated when Aphra finds out, from their very hot son Seth, that this family is somehow connected to her mother, whom Aphra thought had abandoned her four years ago. It soon becomes apparent that something more sinister and dangerous that Aphra could imagine is taking place on her island home. But how can Aphra find the answers when she doesn't know whom to trust?

I usually don't judge books by their titles or covers, but Death by Bikini immediately caught my eye, and I'm very glad that the novel lived up to my high expectations. Death by Bikini is one of the more original novels I have read recently, in addition to Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott. I definitely enjoyed the high action and suspense, especially near the ending of the book, and the maybe romance between Aphra and Seth. It had surprising twists as every good mystery novel should, and everything was more interesting because of the unique setting.

So, if you're looking for a good combination of mystery and romance, then definitely grab this book when it hits shelves mid-May. I was a little disappointed that the story was not longer, but I look forward to reading the next installment, Death by Latte.

[...]

With her father Frank, Aphra Behn Connolly lives on a tropical island where they manage a resort. Her mom chose not to go with them because she felt a need to find herself. Aphra helps her dad run the resort and the Connolly duo has become very close. That is until the Smiths arrive. The father says something in private to Aphra's dad who places them in a villa that needs renovations and fails to register them as guests.

Frank makes it clear to his daughter that he does not want her to have anything to do with the Smiths' son Seth, but not why. Aphra is curious about the newcomers and finally goes into the office to read the Smith file, if there is one. She finds cards that her mother sent her that her father kept from her. Upset she runs out of the office as two people on the island show interest in the Smiths. Frank becomes ill and the only person who can help him is Mr. Smith, but for him to save his host, their offspring must keep the killers away from their dads.

Readers know from the onset that the "Smiths" are on the run from someone who wants them dead while Aphra has to work on finding out who they are; her sleuthing is fun to follow. Readers will empathize with the members of the two families, as each has problems to deal with. Linda Gerber provides an entertaining young adult mystery suspense thriller.

Harriet Klausner

If you like hot springs, this is the book for you! The most information in the easiest format to follow. The directions are better than most other books like it, Really I haven't found a hot spring book that compares, this one has been around a long time and it's still the best. Also has been revised so its up to date.

I got into hiking and discovered hotsprings a few years ago. This book is a great guide and map to many great springs all over the South west and more.
Def. reccomend it for the adventurer

By using the GPS coordinate, we had a lot of fun searching the hot springs in the Mammoth Lakes area. The only reason I give it 4 stars is there is a wrong GPS coordinate (reading the direction eventually got me there). Great book.

This is probably the best hot spring book in existence for the southwestern U.S.. It is great, it has everything you need. Beyond the locations themselves, the book lists temperature of the pools, driving direcetions, driving conditions, exact GPS coordinates, accessability and a great description of the springs along with some black and white pictures. It has all of the major hot springs in it (I am sure there are still some minor ones on private property). I have been to a couple of the sites in the book and it was easy to find them. I would highly recommend this book.

I gave this four stars because most of the book is awesome and we've good experiences with the other additions. My wife and I love to travel to natural hot springs and we bought this after visiting most of the springs in the Northwest US.
We bought this edition just to get some idea of the springs in Texas. There is only one listed though which is pretty inaccurate. Nothing in the Austin area is included but the stuff in Hawaii was right on!

For a book that claims to be lyical and class concious, it fails miserably. All class sterotypes from the knocked-up Indian girl, who works as a maid to the rich on Beck's Point (Harbor Point, Michigan) to putting down the Jews at nearby Charlevoix, as being noveux and crass, this book contains all of the attitudes of a spoiled child of Midwestern industialists. Even the wealthy materfamilias happens to be "Catholic" and dies in a fire. A Repubican WASP point of view is contained throughout this novel. Now that this hardcover book is remaindered, the 44 cents price seems fair.

Our local library reading club is here in the San Francisco Bay area, where the author of "The Water Dancers," Ms Terry Gamble, resides. We were able to enlist her the other evening to join our review session covering her novel. It's too bad that most readers will never enjoy the good fortune of a somewhat informal chat with an author while discussing one of her recent works and how she goes about her craft. It provides a very different perspective.

I first read "The Water Dancers" six months ago and recommended it to our reading club. In preparation for Ms Gamble's attendance, I gave the novel a second reading last week, which for me is always the ultimate test of a novel's real worth. During a second read do the characters still seem interesting and fresh? Does a rereading of the dialog provide new character insights? Are there elements of prose and style and structure that went unnoticed during the initial read because attentions were so fixed on plot points? And for this reader, "The Water Dancers" holds up as an exceptional novel, even with a second reading.

Potential readers out there can gather the main plot points from any number of other reviews, so I won't bother to repeat them here. I only gave "The Water Dancers" four stars, but I'm a hard grader. Most of the novels I pick up and read these days rate two or perhaps three stars, and often that's because I'm feeling compassionate. One of the principle strengths of this novel is the way the Indian characters are drawn. I read a lot of novels covering the Native American cultures, and I've grown more than tired of the patronizing way Indian characters always seem to be presented with extra sensory mystical insights into the religious beyond, and the supernatural powers to spot the Great White Buffalo stampeding across the distant plain. Terry Gamble's characters of Rachel Winnapee, Ben Winnapee and Honda Jackson act, talk and feel to the reader like real people experiencing and reacting to the real world. Two of the novel's most powerful scenes occur in the beginning and ending, when Rachel's grandmother and Lydia March appear to Rachel as ghost-like apparitions rising into the sky as they die in the flames of their burning houses. And yet these scenes did not feel to a reader like something from The X-Files.

On the other hand, the white characters (with the exception of Ada and Bliss and Hank) seem so uniform in their physical, intellectual and emotional weaknesses that, for me, it becomes the principle shortcoming of the novel. At times the novel seems to incorporate the cliché that white people descended from wealth are evil by definition. By the end of the novel Ms Gamble is able to imbue some of these characters with more depth and understanding, but I wish she would have done it from the beginning. And then again, maybe that's just me.

I loved that the sparse physical descriptions of the characters worked so well as a contrast to the detailed descriptions of all the surrounding physical geography. Ms Gamble's repeated descriptions of Rachel's hair as wild and "unbraided" was one of the subtle guides to our understanding of Rachel.

But the real reason to pick up and read "The Water Dancers" is the prose. The writing within the novel is exceptional. Sentence structures are direct, rhythmic, paced, and always graceful. Those adjectives don't seem to fit together, but Terry Gamble's prose makes it all work. The novel was such an easy read that at the end you will need to stop and draw a breath to remind yourself just how good it was.

Ms Gamble has another novel due out next year. So pick up "The Water Dancers" now, enjoy the read, and wait with baited breath like the rest of us for her upcoming novel.

I was spellbound by this book- the depth & originality of the characters, the nuance in which their drama unfolds, the richness of the different worlds & settings they inhabit. A great read!!

Like author Terry Gamble (of Proctor and Gamble lineage), I've spent nearly every summer of my life in and around Harbor Springs, Michigan, a small Northern Michigan resort community on the Little Traverse Bay. Gamble has drawn from her childhood memories spent on Harbor Point to create the lush settings for Water Dancers, using thinly veiled pseudonyms for Harbor Point (Beck's Point), Harbor Springs (Moss Village), Petoskey (Chibawasee), and Cross Village (Horseshoe Lake).

The novel's protagonist, Rachael Winnapee, is a sixteen-year old Odawa orphan from Horseshoe Lake who, since the death of her grandmother, has lived at the Indian School in Moss Village (the actual school is alongside the Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church in Harbor Springs), and like many First Nations orphans, is sent to be a domestic at Beck's Point.

The novel begins in 1945. Rachael ends up serving the March family from St. Louis. The March's sons are both overseas fighting, Lip in Belgium and Woody in the Pacific Theater. When Lip is killed in battle and Woody comes home an amputee and morphine addict, it is up to Rachel to help make Woody whole. The two begin a brief, intense love affair, sealed with seashells, hidden gifts, lovemaking in dunes, shallows and empty rooms, and finally, Rachael's unwanted pregnancy.

Rachel raises her son Ben on her own, continuing to live with the midwives who delivered her child. After nine years of helping out on their farm, Rachel moves back to Horseshoe Lake with Ben. The novel fast forwards to Ben's experiences fighting in Vietnam and his difficult readjustment to civilian life, and culminates in an unexpected and explosive conclusion in which the past is confronted and old ghosts laid to rest.

Water Dancers is a multifaceted novel of healing (three of the main characters are veterans), of class and race, duty, discovering inner strength, and seeking peace. The characters are poetically and lovingly crafted, down to the most minor details. Terry Gamble's first novel deliciously brings to life the many moods of water and forest that dominate life in Northern Michigan, and for those who are familiar with Northern Michigan, like Rachael's habit of licking stones, this novel will bring you home.

I loved this book. It is spare and poetic and packs a real punch. I could feel and see and smell the setting (Beck's Point) in Michigan, and felt that the characters were real and compelling. It was hard to let them go. I bought three other copies to give to friends.
This love story is set among the richest AND the poorest in American society--their interactions and assumptions about each other, and Rachel and Woody's attempts to bridge the gap are wonderfully rendered.
I hope Terry Gamble writes another novel soon. I'll be first in line at the bookstore.

I bought this book as a gift for my boyfriend and he loves it. We have chosen one of the golf courses to visit on our honeymoon--Teeth of the Dog in the D.R. If you know someone who enjoys golf and likes to travel, buy them this book.

I don't care for golf too much, but I gave this as a gift. This is the perfect gift for an avid golfer.

The photo's and the script makes me want to visit every place. Very relaxing and something to look forward to.

My brother is an avid golfer so he really enjoys the history and little known facts about the "best" courses.

A lovely book. Not exceptional, but enjoyable. It was disappointing in two ways:
1. some of the authors (each chapter talks about a specific course or courses) of the chapters were the course designer of that specific course - clearly, a conflict of interest!
2. would have loved to have more courses that are out-of-the-way and/or extremely private - courses that we can only dream about playing!

I am a repeat customer of Peoples Choice Guide Cancun and the new 2008 edition is fantastic. There are many helpful improvments, such as you can now search by Food Category and the Proximity Guide where you can quickly locate Restaurants and Clubs close to your Hotel.

I live in Cancun and even as a resident this book is most helpful. Locals have to eat out too. When I travel I always try to find a Travel Guide before I plan my trip. It would be great if this guide was available for other travel hotspots.

I imagine it is hard to keep any travel guide current, with name changes, business closings, new places, etc. but the author states that he makes frequent trips to Cancun to allow for the most up to date information at the time the guide goes to print.

This book would be a great resource if only it were up to date. I carried it to Cancun with me, and the majority of the restaurants that we chose from the book are either gone or have changed their name. One place ("Captains Cove") was highly recommended for breakfast. It just happened to be right across the street from our resort. We walked over on our first morning there, only to find it closed. "Breakfast served on Sunday's only" was on the door. After the first two days there, I stuck the book back in the suitcase.

I bought this book for a young couple headed to Cancun on their honeymoon! They loved it. (And they said the book wasn't bad either.)

Although you have to know going in that the age of the book will mean many of the restaraunts will ahve closed, we still found this to be the only useful source of reviews.

Easy to read and understand info on nearly all hotels, restaurants & clubs in the Cancun tourist area. I really like that the location is pinpointed to like km 6.5 for example. Most directions in other ads and publications are to the nearest km marker so you may be trying to find a place for a half mile or so. Tough to do when you are dodging the Cancun taxis on the divided highway running for about 29 km through the hotel zone.

Helpful and informative on which places other travelers like and dislike. I travel to Cancun regularly and found new places to try in this easy to carry book.

I recommend this book for new or repeat visitors to Cancun.

I found the book a little boring. I don't usually write reviews, but I read them all the time. I read this book based upon other reviews and was disappointed in this book. The characters were not developed well at all. The story was slow moving. This was my first Hilderbrand book and I will give her one more try in hopes that this was just not one of her better books.

This is a book of love and healing. I found this to be a fast page turner. You get to know the charactors, and wand to keep knowing more. I thought the story was pretty realistic. There was no fairy tale sappy ending for the different charactors. All in all this is a great summer read!

I wasn't so sure about this book when I first received it. I have not read anything else by Elin Hilderbrand, but decided to give it a try, knowing it was pretty much the last book I hadn't read in the house. WAS I GLAD THAT I DID!!! Wow, this book pulls you in with a captivating story line and just when you think it's about over, surprise! Another twist to keep you coming back for more. This pulled at my heart, trying to make tears come to my eyes. I'm not one for books that you know what will happen or how they will turn out, but this book is not one of them. And I am sooo glad it isn't! Please read if you have some extra time on your hands, you'll be thankful you did!

This is my second Hilderbrand book. I like the way she writes. Her characters are believable. There is usally something in the story that hits home. This was a good read. Defintely recommended.

I am patiently waiting for the next book by this author. I feel as though I were in Nantucket with these people. I cannot remember the last group of books that I just wanted to stay with from beginning til the end.

JUST QUICKLY SKIMMED THROUGH YOUR BOOK.
THIS IS GOOD FOR THE BEGINER, BUT I CAN NAME AT LEAST A DOZEN HIGH ENERGY TOP OF THE LINE PLACES TO WORK-OUT WHILE TRAVELING.
I CAN DO THAT IN ABOUT THREE MORE CITIES.
I THINK THIS IS GOOD FOR TRAVELERS IN THEIR OWN HOTEL.
PERIOD.
MY WIFE COMPETES IN TRI'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I AM THE VACATION PLANNER.
WE BOTH LIKE TO HAVE UPDATED EQUIPMENT WHEN WE TRAVEL, SO I MAKE IT A POINT TO INVESTIGATE THE AREAS.
NICE ATTEMPT, BUT THEY MISSED MANY GREAT PLACES.

AL

Jim Kaese and Paul Huddle have given us a reference work, not a discussion of what it means to be an athletic-minded traveler nor how to become athletic minded if you are a traveler doubling as a couch potato.

Mind the subtitle: 'Where to work out and stay when fitness is a priority.'

If a reference book for your or your travel agent is what you need, this is your book.

If you want to figure out how to maintain some level of fitness in an ever-changing travel environment that seems to mock the very thought of it, this is not your book. Those books do exist (see my other reviews) and you'd be wise to buy one of them.

The book under review here is organized by major U.S. metropolitan areas. Since airport fitness facilities are still not widely available, the writers have to presume you're willing to part company with two taxi fares for many of the venues. Things get a little better on the hotel side, where noticable improvement in most major hotel chains now makes it possible to get a workout without falling down the steps, where you are fortunate to be found within the week.

Bottom line: the book delivers what the subtitle promises.

I received the Athletic Minded Traveler for Christmas. I was skeptical at first since I thought it was just another travel guide. Once I started looking at the book, however, I realized that it was extrememly helpful and the pithy writing made it a pleasure to read. Morover, the easy to use summary for the hotels allowed me to quickly and easily choose a hotel on my first business trip of 2006. (The guide was right on the money about the hotel.) This is an invaluable tool for anyone who travels, whether for business or pleasure--it even covers smaller cities like Cleveland and Madison, WI). Today, whilst surfing the web I found the author's website, which expands on the book. The site has even more information such as running routes and thorough restaurants recommendations for healthy eating on the road. From now on, I'm going to consult the book and the web site before I travel.

I gave several of these as xmas gifts to friends who travel for business
and all of them can't stop raving about how useful it is--the authors
obviously did their homework. I even got an email from one of my friends
while he was on a business trip to tell me that he just got back from a
health club recommended in the book where he ended up running next to a
woman who asked him out for a date! Bet the authors never thought they
would be making love matches!

I've actually used this book in a number of the cities and it saved me time and energy trying to find someplace to workout.

Real information the hotels won't give you. How many times have we called hotels and been told they have something only to get there and its not the case?

This book will make working out on the road extremely simple whether you are a casual athlete or an Ironman Triathlete!!!!

There are some rave reviews about this book already posted. I do not want to unduly detract from this excellent book. However, I do believe some balance should be given. This book, as a vacation guide, is ok. It provides a broad sweep of resorts and fine ski areas, but without any indepth insights about any of them. If you're interested in trying out a new area, this guide is excellent as a starting point for your web research. You will need other guides, or dig out on the web or from references, to really plan out your trip.

I was particularly disappointed with the lack of information available on Northeast areas, but perhaps my expectations were off...again partially due to the rave reviews on this site.
For example, 1 page is given about the Lake Placid region. Perhaps this region is more well known than others so a reminder is not needed?

Fundamentally, I think this guide tries to take on too large a geographic region. I was looking for a few selections in different price categories that were independently reviewed,
and best-in-class. This book doesn't quite hit that mark.

My husband and I have used this book to plan more than ten vacations and on each one we've had a great time. We are at two different levels of skiing (beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced), but using this book we have been able to find places that are perfect for both of us. Every place we have been to has had great food and amenities, too, which we read about beforehand. It has been really nice to know that we can plan a vacation being confident that when we get there, we'll have a great time.

Cross-Country Ski Vacations is a delicious introduction to North American cross-country ski resorts and a refreshing testimonial to what's best about snow: skiing upon it!

Jonathan Wiesel's humorous dialogue leads readers past the continent's biggest mountains and over the finest snows while highlighting lodges, food and services. In particular, I enjoyed the personal connection that the writer gives within each chapter by introducing readers to the local skiers or the local history.

It's obvious that the writer has skied every one of the trails in his book and that he would love to have each reader join him on the cross-country ski pistes.

Cross-Country Ski Vacations is a delicious introduction to North American cross-country ski resorts and a refreshing testimonial to what's best about snow: skiing upon it!

Jonathan Wiesel's humorous dialogue leads readers past the continent's biggest mountains and over the finest snows while highlighting lodges, food and services. In particular, I enjoyed the personal connection that the writer gives within each chapter by introducing readers to the local skiers or the local history.

It's obvious that the writer has skied every one of the trails in his book and that he would love to have each reader join him on the cross-country ski pistes.

Thanks to Jon Wiesel for doing the leg work for this great guide--and kudos for presenting his exhaustive research with such style and wit. It's been a wonderful help in planning (and dreaming) for family ski vacations; I've also used it extensively for my business. It's clear Wiesel has done his homework, and he understands what skiers are looking for: We want to know how good the tracks are, but we also want to know about the food, the beds, the hosts, etc., not to mention approximately how much money we'll be spending and how long it will take to get there. And the best thing: Weisel's love for skiing comes across loud and clear--echoing the way so many of us feel about the sport. Thanks!