I wasn't sure what to expect when I was waiting for this book to arrive. When I got it, I was pleasantly surprised. The color pictures are pictured to show the beautiful finished patterns. There's a nice how-to section in the beginning of the book. It also has a page of supplies you need to start. This makes it much easier to understand the whole process.

I bought this book to make a quilt to remember my honeymoon in Hawaii and the quilt shops we visited. I just love these patterns and when I was in Hawaii I thought that the patterns would be too difficult to ever think of doing, but I was wrong. Most of them aren't too complicated to do even if you haven't done much applique. This book has alot of really beautiful patterns.

I used this book to make Hawaiian applique on a jacket that turned out fabulous. Not just for quilts!

I love this cookbook so much I bought an extra one. Glad I did since it's now out of print. Waiting for it to come out again and waiting for Mandoe's next book.

I love this book, and hope Mandoe writes another.The recipes are clear, easy to do,and the results are excellent. I have made many of the recipes, and don't have a single complaint. Just a top notch cookbook, simple...yet complete.

I'm not a great cook, but this cookbook makes me seem like I am. The recipes are clearly explained and easy to follow, and they come out like a 4 star restaurant! I wish the publisher would print more so I could buy copies for all the friends who I've cooked for and want to borrow my copy!

and who knew he was just a professional photographer? the level of information is so in detail, i thought he was a biologist! GREAT BOOK!!!

Hawaii isn`t just big waves or sunny beaches.
For a fish enthusiast,it is a heaven of beautifull animals.
And this book is very helpfull when knowing what animals that hides beneath the surface of the ocean.
Practically every habitat is invaded by creatures creeping,floating,crawling or swimming.
Over 500 species are identified here. Scientific & common names,natural history,size,cultural importance,ecology and suitability for aquariums - everything can be found here!
The habitats are also presented,before the ID section begins.
The book begins with a chapter about sponges,which are not as diverse here as in many other areas,but nevertheless,they are very colorfull. Then,we will see some jellyfish in the next chapter. My favourite is the white-spotted one. We also have Hawaii`s corals here. They are not well-known and not so colorfull as their relatives in the Indian Ocean,but it is good to know their names. The anemones are also quite anonymous,but very colorfull. After the huge coral chapter,the worms are presented,both the bristleworms and the nudibranch-like flatworms. The latter are the most beautifull creatures of the reef,with all of their colors,but not the cutest. The worm chapter is rather small,but the next chapter is covering the molluscs. They are very diverse,with more than 110 000 species worldwide. Both clams,shells,nudibranchs (=sea snails)and octopuses are presented here. The cowries are famous here,and I can`t understand why their shells are so famous - it is the living animals that covers the shell that are really amazing!Other shells included here are the venomous cone shells,the huge triton and many more. The nudibranchs should not be forgotten either. Their colors and shapes are endless in variations and beauty. Black,white,green,yellow,purple,pink - every color exists!They are even beating the fishes in beauty. The octopuses,of which only 8 species are presented,are rather similar to each other,so it`s not much to say about them. Then,I jump to the second of the book`s big chapters - about the Crustaceans. The crustaceans are my favourite invertebrates and therefore,this section is very interesting. Many rare species of reef crabs,lobsters,shrimps,mantis shrimps and unusually colorfull hermit crabs are presented here. My favorite is the rock lobster. The last chapter treats the echinoderms,which are highly developed although they lack head!The seastars,sea cucumbers,urchins and featherstars are included here.

After you`ve seen that chapter,the wonderfull book is over!
And it has been really great.
REMEMBER: This is just what I have told you!Now it`s your turn to dive in and get your own invertebrate knowledge!

I just returned from a vacation in Hawaii. I took this book, along with a reef fish book also by Mr. Hoover. While I highly recommend both books, the comprehensiveness and quality of this book make it a real standout. How Mr. Hoover managed to include photos and descriptive text of so many common reef invertebrates is amazing enough, but I was really impressed with how much fun this book was to read. I found myself taking it to dinner and reading (much to my wife's chagrin).

1993-4 was a horrible year for Steve Dixon until a 1973 Morgan 27 sloop hove into view & enticed him into the clear & shining waters around the Hawaiian Islands. In this lively & eminently readable first effort, Steve Dixon skippers us on some of the grandest, wettest & funniest voyages around paradise.

With bright energetic writing, an addendum of navigation charts & a slew of vivid snapshots, this latter-day salty dog gives us a winter's worth of sailing yarns, geological & historical sightseeing tips & an invitation to come play around his necklace of tropical islands cast upon a fabulous sea.

This is a warm & personal account of the thrills, history & romance of sailing the Hawaiian passages with his spunky Commodorable Lila & about the lessons he learnt during his passage from despairing novice to joyous seasoned cruiser. Do check out my exhilarating eInterview Skipper Steve Dixon!

This book has it all adventure, romance, history and of course it is very informative for any one wanting to sail the Hawaiian Islands. The book includes many trial and error stories of sailing the Hawaiian Islands. This experienced sailor writes about many do and don't of the Islands. He also writes of some very exciting places to visit and tells of his stories there. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to sail the Hawaiian Islands. It is also very enjoyable to read as entertainment whether you are a sailor or not.

What a wonderful book for anyone interested in the islands of Hawaii. This is not just a book for the avid sailor. I have never been on a sailboat or even had the vaguest desire to do so, but I enjoyed this book because of its descriptions of Hawaii and I am still pondering the fact that geologists claim that the entire Sierra Nevada range could fit in the crater of the volcano Mauna Loa. Steve Dixon incorporates his sailing experiences with his own life experiences and also the history and culture of the islands. I read this book straight through at one sitting and then began to reread several passages that had intrigued me. I can't even imagine what a thrill it must be for someone who understands the intricacies of sailing to read a book like this one.

Edwin T. Layton served as Fleet Intelligence Officer for Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz. He, along with the other members of station Hypo, were assigned the task of breaking into Japan's secret codes, especially their JN-25 cypher. Through exhausting efforts by its members, they were finaly able to penetrate enough of the JN-25 code to make reasonable assumptions as to what the Japanese navy was planning. "Magic" was the term used for the intercept and decryption of these secret codes.

However, no decoding was actually done at Pearl Harbor, because there was no "Purple" decoding machine there. All intercepts had to be sent to Washinton for decryption, and Hawaii relied on Washington for their information. Layton's thesis is that Pearl Harbor was denied vital intelligence which, if issued in a timely fashion, could have alerted Pearl Harbor to the impending attack which occurred on December 7, 1941. Although I agree with some of his thesis, I also believe that the Pearl Harbor commanders made terrible mistakes of their own which also contributed to the unpreparedness of Pearl Harbor.

One message that Washington failed to send Pearl Harbor which I believe, along with Layton, could have alerted the fleet to the attack was the so-called "bomb plot" message. In a nutshell, this message divided Pearl Harbor into several sections and placed ships in each section; almost like laying an invisible grid over the harbor. Of all the messages that Pearl Harbor failed to receive, this was probably the most important.

However, with this stated, I also believe that the commanders made grievous errors of their own. On November 27, 1941, a "war warning" message was sent to both commanders at Pearl Harbor. Both seemed perplexed and unsure of the course of action to be taken. Why was this? Both Admiral Kimmel and General Short were high ranking members of the military, yet they both dragged their feet when they received this message. Short simply ordered defense against sabotage instead of ordering an all-out alert, while Kimmel failed to order any further long-range patrols, plus he didn't order the battle force to sea. They seemed incapable of making any independent judgement of their own. Instead, they needed to be told directly what to do. These omissions are unforgivable.

Inter-service rivalry also played a role in the failure. As pointed out by Layton, there was very little inter-service cooperation or sharing of messages, so most of the time, one usually didn't know what the other was doing. Further, during the Midway operation, a rivalry betwen station Hypo and the Washington-based intelligence unit nearly cost us the battle, but fortunately, Layton and commander Joe Rochefort were able to convince Nimitz that Hypo, not Washington, was correct.

I thought this was a good book, but I disagree with Layton's assertion that Kimmel and Short were scapegoats and had no clue what was happening. Granted, there was some intelligence that was definitely denied to them, but they should have been able to interpret events on ther own, namely the war warning message. This book is a good counter-argument to other works, such as "At Dawn We Slept". The information about the battle of Midway is especially interesting, plus the story of the codebreaking activities was well-done.

Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

Splendid book about Mother Russia, the way moscow was captured during the Viet Nam war was amazing. Us reds will never go wrong when we read such good books. Remember we must be who we are chosen to be and not who we want to be.

I particualry feel that this book was amazing and I am really interested in the people in the book. What an amazing family, how cute the young ones must be! Her story of Pearl Harbor was fascinating and i reccommend this book.

a fascinating account of one woman's childhood. the grandchildren sounded very interesting. i would like to know if someone could give me the the 4th oldest grandchild's number. he looks cute. i hope there are more books like this in the future

Thea Kozak returns, this time attending an education convention on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Thea hadn't planned on attending, but when her partner comes down with pneumonia, Thea has to take her place. But instead of spending part of her time in convention activities and the rest of her time on the beach relaxing and working on her tan, Thea finds herself in the "Ms. Fixit" role as problem after problem arises at the convention. When the universally disliked convention organizer is strangled, Thea finds herself investigating the case in spite of her desire not to become involved. She is aided by a charming 11-year-old girl who sees herself as a secret agent and spies on hotel guests constantly.

Poor Thea is much abused in DEATH IN PARADISE. Every time she turns around, she is attacked verbally and/or physically. On top of that, she is feeling ill from the very first chapter, to the point she knows she must see a doctor when she returns to Boston. What amazed me is how Thea remained oblivious to the nature of her illness throughout the book. While admitting the symptoms (extreme tiredness, nausea and excessive thirst), she didn't put 2 and 2 together to come up with the correct diagnosis. I spent the entire book waiting for her to figure things out!

As far as the mystery goes, I was clueless as to the killer's identity. Suspects abounded, and the author kept the suspence level high throughout the book. You won't want to miss this series, which combines a strong, likeable heroine with great secondary characters and realistic situations.

I read Death in a Funhouse Mirror after reading reviews on Amazon's site. It was excellent - so I then had to find each and every book written by Kate Flora. I haven't been disappointed. They get better and better. Death in Paradise is interesting, earthy and full of suspense. Kate is right up there with Jan Burke and Michael Connelly.

This series just gets better with each book. If you want an in-your-face protagonist, with a sharp wit and a keen sense of justice, Thea Kozak is a great read. In this book, she's out of her native New England, but murder follows her to Hawaii. "Death in Paradise" has a well-constructed plot, interesting characters, including a young "buddy" who helps her solve the case, and a slam-bang finish.

I found Hawaii For Dummies very informative. I purchased the 1st edition in November in order to start planning our trip to Maui in June. One of the reasons I purchased this book (in addition to "Frommer's Maui") was because the cover of the book states "Updates at dummies.com". So, I figure this meant that up to date information would be provided on that website (as far as Hotel recommendations, restaurants, activities..etc..). Well, after reading the book and making many notes, I went to the website and perused the ENTIRE site..went to the travel section...located the book but could not find any reference to any "updates". All that was there was information on ordering books. So, I wrote 2 emails to them asking about the "updates" and have not received one word in response. So, has anyone out there actually been successful in getting updates or does this simply mean that we have the opportunity to purchase the 2nd and 3rd editions of Hawaii for Dummies online at dummies.com? The book is worth purchasing...but better if you can get it on sale...and forget any updates.

This book was incredibly helpful for my first trip: I used it as a starting point for research. This book is easy and fast to read but very informative, which is exactly what I wanted.

The book gives summary descriptions and helps you decide between the islands first, then goes more in depth on all each island has to offer. Add the internet to this to flesh out the author's information a bit more and you will be set. The maps were good here too for Waikiki: I never got lost as I drove around, amazingly enough, even though my Hawaiian born friend and her friends did!! The hardest part was just trying to decide between all the attractions/entertainment Hawaii had to offer: the author is thorough, and there was nothing I hadn't already been introduced to by the author when I got to the islands.

When my wife and I were planning for our "once in a lifetime" trip to Hawaii last summer, we looked at perhaps 15 different tranvel books on the islands. They all had a little of something, but Hawaii For Dummies had a lot of everything. Save yourself some time and just buy this book. Perhaps after you read it you might want to get a book on a specialty topic, but this is the "Hawaii Travel 101" class textbook to read to get a great start on the topic. Nuff said.

This wonderful book absolutely made our recent vacation to Hawaii. It was our first trip to Hawaii, and our whole itinerary was devised from reading the Moon handbook. The handbook is completely comprehensive, giving everything from the history of each place, to where to get your photos processed. It provides detailed descriptions of every single hotel (or so it seemed), not just the selection of a few that most guidebooks provide. The detail of the hotel information encouraged me to make some nontraditional choices (a bed and breakfast, a condo) that turned out to be very pleasant and exactly as described. The book also got us to some corners of Hawaii that I would have never contemplated otherwise. The advice given to travelers goes the extra mile to identify many options for visitors to enjoy their stay in Hawaii. Its only drawbacks are no color pictures and it is a bit heavy to lug around in your suitcase (but don't leave home without it).

We lived in Hawaii for a year and used this book to find every nook and cranny on 4 of the islands. I had no idea what a WONDERFUL job this book did until we moved to Brazil and there was no Moon Handbook. Other guides just don't compare.

I got this book for Christmas from my son the month before we went to Hawaii. I would never have purchased such a (very) thick stodgy looking guide if I saw it in the bookstore. I devoured it during the thirteen hour flight to Hawaii and must say it was by far the very best travel guide that I have ever read and used to any destination. (And I have read them all.) It is so comprehensive and the writing is so well done that reading all of the information was almost like reading a page turner novel for me. I could not get enough. Once we were in Hawaii (three islands) we found it totally indispensible. We traveled with three other guides but with all of their color photograpy and fancy maps eventually this heavy one was the only one we eventually felt was worthwhile. After touring extensively on the islands I read it with even more interest on the long flight home. We plan to return to see more Hawaiian islands and this is the one we will bring. It is not glitzy it is the real thing. Enjoy.

What I liked best about the book were its real-life pictures with facts in the captions. I enjoyed most of the book. My great-grandfather was at Pearl Harbor. I am glad to know now what happened and what went on day by day. It was easy to read in some parts, too. The writing, however, failed to hold my attention after reading only a few pages. Also, the book was about a couple of battles, not just Pearl Harbor. Still, I would recommend this book, especially to someone who wanted to know about our nation's wartime past.

A Fantastic Read

This book is terrific. I really liked the fact that it put the attack in the context of the Second World War. It gives you a good understanding of the conflicts in Europe and the Pacific and helps you to see why the attack was so pivotal. I've never been all that interested in books about war, but this one proved to be engaging and very moving. Susan Wels has done an outstanding job presenting the people and the politics behind this much-discussed event.

With the recent interest in Pearl Harbor bringing books out of the woodwork, I spent alot of time searching for a comprehensive summary of that "infamous" day. This coffee table book has it all. Stunning photography and wonderful writing. From the start, the forward by Senator Inouye brought tears to my eyes. I've gone over it cover to cover several times and its a treasure!! If you have interest in this important part of our country's history...buy this book!