Sheldon Bluestein gives excellent advice for desert hiking. He gives reminders on the essentials for experienced desert hikers and good advice for beginners. The directions to the hikes are precise. The difficulty levels though, are a lot tougher in the heat of summer than he lets on, and the hikes seem twice as long due to terrain. Most of the trips are day hikes and they are graded by difficulty and length. There are lots of black and white photos, maps, and descriptions of what you will encounter on the hikes. He also names which BLM or USGS maps you will need, as well as what seasons are best to visit, and PLSS locations. As someone new to desert hiking in Idaho, I had no problems finding the trails, dirt roads, and landmarks. I enjoyed it so much, I now live in Idaho's back country and hike in the desert every chance I get.

I was dumb-struck when I read the poem, "Without The Comfort Of Stars." I came by FINDING PEACHES IN THE DESERT in an old bookshop (Shakespeare & Co.) in Paris, near Notre Dame Cathedral. I had never heard of Pamela Uschuk before, and I bought this book on a whim. Turned out to be one of my best buys ever. This poetry touched places inside me that I had forgotten, or never knew existed in the first place. I want to thank Uschuk, so, so, so very much for what she has given mankind.

This is a great trek through the history of the Arizona basketball program. Lots of kewl pictures of Coach Lute Olsen and his team.

This book is superb. Packed with spectacular photography and interesting essays regarding Mount Desert Island's history, geography, and ecology. The print quality is first rate; kudos to the publisher. A very inspiring volume which reminds us how important it is to have places like Mount Desert Island and Acadia. Highly recommended from a resident of Maine.

(Planeta.com Journal) - This massive 700-page tome is the culmination of more than a quarter century of research in the magnificent Sonoran Desert by an eminent desert botanist. The study of more than 500 species of plants includes innovative identification keys to the families, genera and species. Common names are given in English, Spanish and the native O'odham languages. Abundant illustrations make this book a work of art.

In this book Father Demetrius of St Vincent's College and Archabbey links the "journeys" (Moses' exodus, Jesus' climb to Jerusalem) of the Bible with the "journey" one takes in his or her own spiritual life. It teaches how one confronts solitude and hardship, and grows from the experience. It teaches a spirituality that is firmly grounded in the traditions of the Bible. This book touched me deeply. At times Fr Demetrius's prose borders on poetry and touches the reader in the soul. This book is a must for anyone seeking a contemporary Christian spirituality.

This is an incredible story of struggle and courage. The fighting scenes are so real, it's as if Venia has put you on the battlefield, and having fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, these battles are very realistic. The emotional saga of Audra Krieg is told expertly, and very unique to have a Female war hero. Absolutely incredible novel. one for the ages.

In a world where almost everywhere has been explored, it is exciting to read about the world's deepest ravine, almost inaccessible, full of vigin forest, strange plants, and animals, and still not fully explored either by Chinese or Westerners. Frank Kingdon Ward explored it in the 1920s, in what was then Tibet, leaving a stretch of several miles unknown to all but the local tribes. His original book is reproduced as the core of the present one (with some editing of his words to remove comments that would today be viewed as unacceptably racist). There are also accounts of earlier explorations of the region, including the wild borderlands of India to the south, choked by subtropical forests and then populated with violent tribes (this border region is still disputed by China and India). Kingdon Ward was a botanist, focusing on the plant life of the gorge, whereas the new book gives accounts by modern explorers and covers additional aspects, such as Tibetan religion. There are some fascinating photographs: black and white ones by Kingdon Ward and modern color ones. Two I particularly like are the same view of mountains and old-growth forest taken from a cave where Kingdon Ward camped in the 1920s. One is Kingdon Ward's photograph, and the other is taken some 75 years later, with individual trees grown larger, a large glacier melted away, and the treeline higher up the mountains. Recent, separate expeditions by Western and Chinese teams in the 1990s have shrunk the unexplored stretch of the gorge to about three miles. The discoveries of the Westerners are described and illustrated in the book, including a "new" waterfall. Unfortunately, though, politics make an unwelcome intrusion at the end of the story.

Mona Hodgson knows what interests children. In her Desert Critter series she carries a theme of friends, their differences and their needs. She also creates a story which teaches us about actual desert critters and their "real" needs. Her references to God's created world is gentle, appealing to all children. Her books are totally age appropriate with details about the ages and reading levels to which the books will appeal. Her humor is child-friendly and makes the critters fun to read about. Buy these books and treat a child to a delightful look at critters as well as God's love for them.