Complete is the best way to describe this guidebook. I wasn't planning on visiting the Marin side but was forced to when the fog in San Francisco made it too cold and wet to enjoy the parks and trails. Marin was in complete sunshine everyday.

This book stands apart from all the rest because it was written by hometown authors who definitely know their turf and didn't mince on destinations, more than any other book on the subject. It mades a good companion with the Lonely Planet San Francisco book. If you like to explore the outdoors on your vacation buy this book. It will keep you entertained as well as busy.

We mountain biked in Marin and along the coast line of San Francisco using this book as our guide. We began our morning ride with misty views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidio, then crossed the span and discovered all sorts of cool trails that connected to sunny Mount Tamalpais. This book has very good access information to all the open space area trails and even includes a two page list of places to take my retriever. Packing alot of sports into one volume makes this book very valuable to me.

I have reviewed lots of travel-related guidebooks over the years, so I can say with some authority that the Golden Gate Trailblazer--the third title in the popular Trailblazer series--is a real find. Although I lived for a number of years in the San Francisco/Marin area, I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of new information I learned about this most wonderful place. The choices of hikes, walks, jogs, and off-road (and sometimes on-road) cycling options are simply overwhelming. The "Best of San Francisco and Marin" section thankfully helps to break down all these choices into dozens of useful categories to help you get to where you want to go faster (for example: Short Walks to High Places; Wildflowers; and Raptors and Woodland Birds; Family Rides; Beach Runs; etc.). The "Free Advise and Opinion" section near the back, while only three pages in length, is nothing short of fabulous in dispensing loads of cryptically written, helpful information and side-splitting humor in equal proportions. And the black-and-white photography throughout the book are stunning in creating a visual sense of place (In my view, the quality of the photos sometimes reaches award-winning status--I would certainly love to see enlargements of some of my favorites!). Including hundreds of trail descriptions, jogging paths, and so forth in a book less than 300 pages long is no mean trick. The Sprouts accomplish this by using a consistent, well-organized, yet compact format, well-selected abbreviations, and carefully crafted yet succinct directions. One important note: This is one book where reading the "How to Use This Book" section will be time well spent. The organization of the book works and works well. But the reader will benefit by taking a moment to orient him or herself. And buying a good street map of the area is another essential, as the authors themselves so indicate. Map drawing, especially in the backcountry of Marin County, is a major challenge and the authors were wise to leave that job to the cartographers. With a copy of the Golden Gate Trailblazer and a good street map in hand you will be ready to explore places you may have never even heard of in a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. And if you are first-time visitors you will be thrilled to have so much well-informed guidance in selecting the activity that is just right for you. And, oh yes, a final tip of the hat to the authors for taking the time to include dozens of good ideas for outdoor exploration for those in wheelchairs and parents who opt to push the little one(s) in a baby stroller.

As children lend an ear to Grossman'e counting book, they will have but one question: "What creature will that girl eat next?!" Through words and images, excitement abounds on every page as the reader witnesses the progressive feast of one ravenous little sister. Grossman's words and Hawkes' illustrations keep the audience in a state of anxious anticipation. With predictable rhythm, Grossman's lines unite with the whimsy of a song and the silliness of a cartoon: "My little sister ate three ants. She even ate their underpants." Children can easily master the repetitive wording, becoming active and eager participants in the telling of the story. Beginning with the consumption of one hare, each page build upon the former, adding more sustenance to little sister's belly. As she eats across the pages, little sister's apparel transforms, providing context for her current meal. Eating eight worms, little sister has donned a bright red chicken suit; outfitted with snorkeling gear, she reaches for seven polliwogs. On almost every page the girl's round, gaping mouth dominates, amplified by her monstrous shadow and her exposed gullet. With vibrant hues in mostly primary colors, Hawkes' illustrations extend Grossman's text. After one edge-of-their-seat journey through the pages, children will giggle with desire to hear this unimaginable tale again and again.

My Little Sister Ate One Hare
By: Bill Grossman

Would you ever want to eat ten ants? Well I wouldn't. I would watch the show because this book is so good because she eats animals also because there parts and good a audience. I like the show. I also like this book because the book is a good and interesting read. Also because it's good for kids to read. I like what she does. She is a funny character. The book made me feel happy and it was funny and amazing. It's interesting to see what happens in the book. I read it. It is good. You should read it too so you can see what this girl eats!

Yes -- there are a billion books for children out there. Buy this one for your toddler, throw in a few classics by Dr. Seuss, and forget the rest. My Little Sister is written with intelligence, wit, suspense, and an intriguing cast of entrees, er, I mean characters. It spurs an interest in counting. It builds an ear for language and rhyme. And most importantly, it won't drive you stark raving mad when you've been asked to read it for the 15th time in a given evening. Buy this book -- I promise it will make you and your little literary pal smile.

Essays by poets vary widely in scope. Some seek to portray the "revolutionary" nature of the poet's ideas. Others get lost in craft or in the needless pedantry concerning schools of poetics. Jane Hirshfield instead presents the coherent well-written prose of a synthesist. The result provides an effective rumination upon the "mind" (or "spirit") of poetry.

Ms. Hirshfield uses literary and religious allusion freely, but this is no glib new age-ish miracle cure about the artist's "mystic journey". Instead, she uses the symbols of faith and skepticism as a rich metaphoric base to try to explore the goal and inner working of the effort to write a poem.

This work does not pretend to be some Quran of poetics, complete unto itself or changeless. Instead, the author surveys her task like a visitor to the crater of diamonds park, hunting for something shining among the crystal.

What I like about this book is that for all its rich allusion and reflections on symbolism, it's an accesible, affirming and non-saccharine take on why we are poets, and what it means to us.

My only quibble with her work is that the influence of eastern thought on the western American poets comes through much more clearly than the effect of the American experience on these same poets.In the poetry I read, Sandburg, Millay, and Forche spring from very different places with radically different voices, and yet each has an "American" tone that is unmistakable. It's not a matter of "nationalism" per se, but a matter of history and the lasting impression of the American experience. It's not a fault of the book at all, but a perspective I missed.

I think this is a great book to own for anyone who has pondered the "big questions" of poetry--what does it mean? why do I write?
In the abstract, an essay on poetic philosophy sounds filled with dull pretension. This book is anything but dull.

As a professor once said to me, "Puzzles are fun to put together, equations exist to be solved, mysteries are simply our guides to awe."

I unabashadly admit that Jane Hirschfield's book attracted my attention because 1)I've grown increasingly interested in essays about poetry and 2) because I've lately been somewhat obsessed with the number 9 - finding it's way into my own poems more than once. So, what a wonderful surprise - to find this slow, satisfying read of a book unlocking so many gates for me - to things like increased appreciation for the connections between poetry and spirituality, new admiration for ancient Asian poets I'd never known anything about before, and consequently more about the joys of translation.

The dramatic denouement came surprisingly at the end for this reviewer - as she explored again the area of living on the liminal edge. There is so much - so much the other reviewers have all ready praised and recognized. I'm eager - now - to read some of Jane's poetry.

It was especially enjoyable to read "NG" in tandem with "Soulmates" by Thomas Moore, "Poetic Medicine" by John Fox, and David Whyte's "The Heart Aroused."

To the reviewer who queried about the mystery of the "Nine Gates" - it is a curious thing that the title phrase does not receive one reference in the entire book. It seems there might have only been one outside reference - perhaps on the cover or in the preface - alluding to the nine essays themselves to be the nine gates. Someone had to come up with a concrete answer I suppose. For me, this is associated with another fellow reviewer's comment, that roughly read, "The book itself is a poem." Ah, that could be a lead. And of course, there is the hint regarding Memnosyne, mother of muses . . . A lovely mystery that might introduce us to awe.

I wrote another review for this book & said great things about it there, but even that didn't do it justice. It really is an incredible amazing very special book. I cried a little at the end, not because Hirschfield was saying anything poignant or lachrymose, but just because the writing was so unbelievably beautiful. Jane Hirschfield is brilliant. Luminous. This book anyway is great for learning about poetry & life via the historical facts she proffers & also her own wonderful thoughts. It's essential for writers & readers, & for anyone. I feel like if I hadn't read this book I would be missing out on so much from life -- the meaning the world aquires from & gives to my part in it.

This was the most fascinating book that I've read in ... well, I don't know how long! THE BONDWOMAN'S NARRATIVE is a fictionalized yet seemingly autobiographical slave narrative written by Hannah Crafts somewhere between 1856-1860. Hannah delves into the the mind and heart of a slave by telling the story of a young woman's personal experiences.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who chairs the Department of African American Studies at Harvard University, came across this hand-written manuscript at an auction for African American artifacts. He then embarked upon an amazing research project which explored the author's identity. From scientific analysis of the manuscript (handwriting, ink, paper quality, etc) to actual genealogical research (census reports, etc.), Professor Gates attempts to prove that Hannah Crafts was indeed the first African-American woman to write such a narrative. ...This is part of the book is intriguing although I do have one word of advice here - READ THE NARRATIVE FIRST! If you read the Introduction first, you will know much of the story before actually reading it (in his discussion, he gives away the ending!). By reading the narrative first, I found that I was able to reach some of my own conclusions before reading those of Professor Gates and I better understood the informative analysis!

I usually don't read books more than once but I would read this one again!

This book is worth buying to read about Gates' research efforts alone! You will be moved along the rollercoaster ride of snowballing excitement as Gates moves from first reading about the handwritten narrative in an auction catalog to authenticating the narrative to publshing the it as this book. Gates devotes the sixty page-plus introduction to his research and the appendices include the narrative's authentication report, the catalog of Hannah's owner's library(containing books from which Hannah borrowed plot elements), and testimony from another female slave that escaped Hannah's owner as well (Hannah mentions her in the narrative).

While some might feel the novel may seem un-original because of Hannah's "borrowing" from literature of her time, I found the book a pleasure to read. Historian/bibliographer Dorothy Porter Wesley (the narrative came from her library) concluded early on that the narrative was by a black woman because the black characters were treated as people first of all AND that some time would pass in the story before it was evident that a character was black at all. Long used to novels (from Uncle Tom's Cabin to Gone with the Wind) where authors, usually white, took immense pains to point out the literal blackness and lowliness of negroes, Hannah's assumed humanity and ordinariness of her black characters is refreshingly different.

Though some punctuation has been added to aid reading (major changes are bracketed to let you know where), Gates left in Hannah's mispellings, strikeouts and other revisions to keep the narrative as close to the handwritten manuscript as possbile. Overall, this book's an engrossing read from start to finish and I'm now looking for some of Gates' other literary finds to read.

I couldn't have been more moved or impressed with a work of literature than I was with "The Bondwoman's Narrative" by Hannah Crafts and Henry Louis Gates Jr (Editor). Sadly, this is a part of history and literature that I am not that familiar with so I was eager to read this and expand my horizons and knowledge base. WOW! I was taken back in time to a world that I can hardly imagine. As a 27 year old white woman living in 2002 I can't even begin to truly understand what it meant to be a black slave in the South. It is a completely different world and existence that I will never comprehend. The mere fact that she was a self-educated woman who survived to reach freedom should be enough to make this a wonderful work but, it's so much more. It's the human condition and spirit that takes the reader on an adventure with Ms. Crafts. I was charmed.

I found the Introduction by Mr. Gates particularly informative and was entranced by his ease and clear explanations. It is truly amazing how he found this unknown jewel. I am so glad that he did, because it provided me with knowledge that I desperately needed. Thank you!

One of the most noble and challenging biographies you will ever read. The compelling account of a young missionary couple in the 1950's who commit their lives to ministering to the tribal people of Ecuador. What was meant to be a lifetime commitment ended in tragedy when Jim Elliot was killed by the people for whom he was laboring to translate the New Testament. His widow and biographer, incredible as it seems, remained in Ecuador for ten years to carry on his vision of ministry and compassion to the tribes who killed him. For forty years, Mrs. Elliot's life has been a testament to the enobling impact of God's love. She has written extensively, but this is the book for which she will be remembered by generations to come. The Elliots are heroes in the finest sense. Their lives inspire and challenge in a deep and lasting way. Read this book.

This book by Elisabeth Elliot is one of the most moving, most challenging books I have ever read. Not only does it depict the great obedience of Jim Elliot and the other 4 missionaries, but it shows the unimaginable faith of their wives after their deaths. It makes any Christian evaluate themselves and ask themselves, "How much am I really willing to give up for the Lord?"

The events in this book took place in the 1950's. A group of young men set out as missionaries to reach a previously un-reached savage tribe in South America. This books tells of the lives of the men and some of the events that lead up to their slaying. I did like the book "Shadow of The Almighty", (which is the life story of one of these men, Jim Elliot) better than this one, but only because it gave a more in depth look at what motivated a man to live up to what he said he believed. My favorite quote from that book sums up the whole of "Through Gates of Splendor" as well, and is as follows: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose". I also very strongly recommend the book "The Savage My Kinsman" (also by Elisabeth Elliot) which is a book that picks up where this one leaves off, of how Elisabeth went back to the same tribe of people who killed her husband to carry the message that her husband had set out to give. It's a must read!

A life of wealth and splendor fills the dreams of twelve-year-old Cecile Revel. When given the unexpected honor of serving in the court of King Louis XIV, she leaves home with her father's blessing and eagerly accepts a position with the Duchess of Orleans. However, life at court is far more difficult and dangerous than she ever imagined, and a single misstep could cost her her position or her life. Then tragedy strikes the royal family, and Cecile is placed under suspicion. And a dark secret from her past is suddenly revealed.

Superbly written, this book offers readers of today a glimpse of the splendor and majesty of the French court in its height of glory. Through the eyes of the heroine, readers will see important events in the history of France unfold. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.

For further reading of the French court, I also recommend "The Royal Diaries: Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles."

This book is so good! I cried. I laughed. I felt like I was Cecile!! Mary Casanova is an excellent writer. I don't want to tell you anything about the book, then it'll spoil it and you wont read it!! I also suggest you read the other Girls of Many Lands books, although this is the only one I've read so far.

Before you press the NO button on the bottom of this review saying that it is not helpful, please read my review because it is OK. This book is so horribly horible it is wonderful. The book begins at 12 year old Cecile Revel's poor village. She finds a woman (the king's sister in-law to be correct) who is injured and has her father help the lady. The lady then lets Cecile come with her, leaving her life as a peasant to be a servant of dogs at the kings palace. And of course even a servant to dogs at a palace is better than being a peasant in a shack. So then she goes to a life at court and recieves word that her father has died. So then she's all depressed and then she starts to fall for Phillipe, a boy her age that often escorts her around. Then she is accused of killing royalty, and then more royalty, and then again, another member of the royal family. She learns of her father's devestating past. She is not allowed to go to the Royal Christmas Ball. (What a shame that was, I was looking forward to her going with Phillipe) She is sent away to a boarding school at the end of the story. About all of the main characters die. It is a book that is so horrible, but, in a funny way, it is good. I would recommend it to all GIRLS aged 11 to 14.

Bill Gates is by far the most successful man of our time and probably of all time. This book explains gates earlier life in depth. Who was Bill Gates before the billions? This is all explained in this book. Gates' incredibly driven personality was always present even in his earlier years. Gates is today undoubtedly the most feared man in the industry and thought of by many as the most powerful man in the world.

This book shows both sides of the man behind it all. Enemies and Allies alike are all shown in this book. He fought wars with Apple and IBM and had peace with people like his friend and partner in success Paul Allen and his mother. Is Gates really the "ruthless" billionaire as many consider him to be or a giving loving and gentle man as few people know? Well he's a little of both and the great insight that can be gained by many can be found here in this book.

I previously read a book about Bill Gates by Johanthan Gatlin and this book is far less indepth and much more for a quick read. HARD DRIVE is a book I highly recommend to those of you who are interested in knowing all about Gates. A little out date, this book was released before the release of Microsoft Windows 95 which in many ways brought Bill Gates up in power almost twice as much. At the time this book was written he was the richest in America. Presently he is the richest in the world. I reccomend going out and buying the sequal to this book "Overdrive" which I am about to do. VERY GOOD BOOK OVERALL. Go out and get your self a copy today.

Even though I typically don't like to read books that are assigned to me and I am forced to read this book was just one I could not put down. I loved reading about this book. I was able to understand the whole story of how Microsoft was made. This book gives you an insight to who Bill Gates and Paul Allen really are. The author goes into great detail about how two teen entrepreneurs were able to successfully start up and manage a business. The only thing is that this book is a little outdated meaning there is no current updates. To continue on the sequel book Over Drive which I am in the possess of reading is excellent as well.

This book gives a fascinating insight about Microsoft and how the two buddies Gates & Allen transformed the way we live, learn and play today.

More important is, the book gives us a glimpse of an often misunderstood genius, Bill Gates himself. Read this book and you'll get the idea what makes him tick. Really, he is not as bad as some people would like us all to believe.

I don't know about you guys but I think this was the best book in the whole series because this is the part where Haplo and Alfred start to understand what the "higher power" wants of them. They start to see things the way that things are. And I still don't fully comprehend (although I have read it 2 times) those chapters that they are in the Chamber of the Damned (and like its sort of a mystery to me I like it more). Definetly a MUST in your book collection.....

The third volume of the Death Gate Cycle just blew me away when I read it. The story takes a darker turn, looks at death and our perceptions of it, and becomes more depressing than the other books of the series, while maintaining the fast pace and enjoyability I have come to expect from Weis and Hickman. The cast of characters, again renovated, as in the first two, is by far superior to Dragon Wing and Elven Star. Living, dead, and undead, all the characters are made real by the vivid writing styles of the two authors. This book is disturbing, but also amazing. Even if you didn't like the first two, they're worth it just to get to this one. A couple warnings, though: first, this book contains some major violence, and I wouldn't recommend it for readers younger than, say 13. Another, on a different topic: make sure you have Serpent Mage handy when you finish this book, the ending is a direct lead-in to the fourth book. Amazingly enough, Weis and Hickman manage to keep the quality of the series nearly as high as this book for the last four volumes!

Fire Sea was a wonderful book - I enjoyed it immensely! Dragon Wing (the first Death Gate book) was kind of slow, but if you can get past it, get ready for some great fantasy adventure! Elven Star and Fire Sea will blow you out of the water and leave you begging for more! Fire Sea is an extremely serious book - morbid, bloody, depressing - all of these words describe it well. Fire Sea is also one of the most important books in the Death Gate Cycle because Haplo and Alfred discover that there IS a higher power in the universe. If it wasn't for this important discovery, the war might have been lost. I'll stop there, so I don't give anything away! You should read it

This book is the darkest painting of suburbia I've read in awhile. If your life stinks, replace it with Jernigan's. Here's what you get----alcoholism, self-abuse, teenage son on drugs, shacking with mother of teenage son's girlfriend, death of wife, death of rabbits for food, loss of job, plus did I mention drinking large quanities of gin. Now why does this character continue to shot himself in the foot (or in his case hand)? Seems like he just doesn't give two hoots. What makes the book work though, is Jernigan's wisecracking nature, basically condescending everything, as his life drops away by his own powers. This is brought on by the tight, descriptive naratives by David Gates, Jernigan's creator.

Not that Jernigan is alone in his life of horror. There's a cast of characters that are barely functioning. Of course, Jernigan cannot stand them. He's going to do things his way and it's a way so unimaginable yet possible, it leaves you riveted.

I can't believe this secret american masterpiece is out-of-print or something like that. "Jerningan" reads like a novel written a deux by John Cheever and J.P. Donleavy but, in the end, sounds a hundred per cent David Gates. I can't believe all I had to wait for "Preston Falls" (it was worth it: a novel that reads like "Jernigan Redux & Revisited", an apocalyptic end of milenium "Tender is the Night"); I read one of the best interviews to Bob Dylan ever (signed by Gates in Newsweek) and I hear that a short stories collection is coming out. Open the Gates, I'm first in line.

This book is a true killer. Like a suburban "Heart of Darkness," it suggests what evil lurks in the modern American male... and he continues to get away with it all...Peter Jernigan is a bizarre and somehow totally believable mix of charismatic intellectual and emotional bully. It's probably impossible to read Peter's story and then NOT make attempts to change your own evil ways. In the tradition of "Hunger" by Knut Hamsun, and the better works of John Fante, "Jernigan" has got to be one of the most brutally-honest and lovingly-crafted books one can read. Jernigan is a desperate character, who, sadly, all too many of us can relate to. Gates has a new book out, "Preston Falls," which, while remarkably similar to "Jernigan," is written with the same kind of astonishing clarity. In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than this book.

I love the way that this book follows on from "Legend". It relates to civil war, and sets things up nicely for the sequel (Quest for lost heros). The leading three characters are fantastic. The badies bring real intrest to the story also. The Dark templar are wicked, but I think the werebeasts known as the Joinings are an absulote master stroke!! The end battle delivers more excitment than that of Legend, espicially the final stand against the Joinings.

After this, read Quest for Lost Heros strait after.

This book is the epitome of what a good heroic fantasy novel is supposed to be. The characters are all to human & run the range of emotions with a clarity that is almost eerie. David Gemmell is without a doubt the BEST fantasy author ever to pick up the pen. Only Paul Edwin Zimmer has written Heroic Fantasy of this caliber (with his 'Dark Border' novels). WARNING-Once you read Gemmell's books, you will have a hard time accepting the cheesy, boring fantasy stuff being pumped out by lesser authors...

A very gripping book it is impossible to put down and it moves the reader to tears at the end. I strongly reccomend this book to all those David Eddings readers as It is 100% better than his books. It is so much easier to read.....