Johnny Molloy's "Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park" is a superb handbook for anyone wanting to hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In each trail description, he provides a map and rates all of the most popular hikes, including day and overnight loops, in distance, hiking time, difficulty, scenery, suitability for children, trail conditions, and solitude, as well as giving a brief summary of the outstanding features, such as waterfalls, mountains streams, rock formations, etc. He tells me everything I need to know to help me decide on a trail to hike. His book easily fits into my back pocket, so I always carry it and refer to it quite often during the hike. It's the best Smokies guidebook I've seen.

This book, particularly the useful rating system, helped us to make the most of our visit to GSMNP. Thanks to the precision of the directions we city folks didn't have to backtrack once during four days and over 30 miles of dayhiking the trails. Although I like the small size and the brevity, it would be useful if the book included elevation charts and more map detail. However, serious hikers should use a detailed topographical trail map to complement any guidebook.

I bought two hiking guidebooks for my recent trip to the Smokies. Molloy's book and Albrights' Hiking Great Smoky Mountains. I tried to use both of them, but time and time again I returned to Molloy. His guide is concise and you can quickly find what you're looking for without reading ten to twenty pages. His rating system, distance, and time charts are extremely valuable. His time estimates are a bit on the faster than average side, but you should allow extra time anytime you go hiking. Keep in mind too that most of the trails in the park involve going up and down hills as trails take you up to crests and ridges. Mainy of these trails would be hard to find on your own, with an overwhelming amount to choose from. I did trails in Tennessee including Injun Creek, Mount Cammerer, Sutton Ridge Overlook, and Walker Sisters Place. I would recommend doing a three or four hour hike before jumping to the six hour hikes. I think the only bad think about this book is after doing most of the hikes, you wish he would mention more.
As for the other reviews, Molloy spends a little time on suggesting you take rain gear, plenty of water/ water treatment tablets/filters. You don't need too much gear to just go hiking, but you should be prepared for nearly anything. I would say this book is geared to someone that has been hiking, backpacking before, but there is no reason a beginner couldn't benefit from using Molloy's guidebook. You can always ask a park ranger where to find various wildlife, but spend any amount of time on the trail, especially quietly, you're bound to run into some of the diverse wildlife found in the Great Smoky Mountains.

This book serves as an excellent guide to those wanting to dive around the many wonderful sites in the Philippines. I just wish the author included a more in-depth write-up on Apo Reef.

The book is a great reference for people who are planning to or thinking about diving in the Philippines. It provides a good description of what to expect with regard to general dive locales, as well as specific dives.

The book works, and works well because of several reasons.

First, it provides (still valid) contact information on dive operators and lodging providers in the different areas, as well as providing general ideas on price range for these operations.

Second, the book gives a good briefing and summary of the different dive locales in the Philippines, providing pros and cons, as well as tips that are useful to the would-be traveller.

Third, the book provides a near-comprehensive listing of specific dive sites in the different locales. While the underwater environment changes, it does so slowly, and practically all assessments and descriptions still hold. It provides info on what to expect in terms of depths, surface conditions, currents, as well as what to see. It also provides a quick rating in the form of stars, as to how good the sites are. These are highly accurate, although some have been under-rated, in my opinion.

Fourth, the photography is great. The book has been designed well, and is quite engaging. Full-color photographs are peppered throughout the book.

The text is getting old, but that doesn't change the fact that it holds its promise well of talking about the dive sites in the Philippines.

I can understand why no one has come up with anything to replace this book. It would be a tough to top or even match. Mr. Jackson has done a really great job of this one.

After diving the Philippine Archipelago, I can only understand and appreciate the book more and more.

taj d.

a philippine divemaster

On the basis of the information in this book we planned our dive trip to Bohol. It turned out that everything written was accurate and reliable, and we had a great trip. Like the rest of the series, nicely laid out with excellent photos.

The opening and closing lines in this book says it all. "Just another lousy day in paradise". The characters are so real you feel that you know them. Kudos to Ron Ely and I hope there are more on the way. The storyline is tight and the dialouge is as smooth as a single malt whiskey. I've read this book and Night Shadows several times.

I have always been a Travis McGee fan. Loved most of what John D. MacDonald wrote, but then came Ron Ely and Jake Sands. Never have I been so captivated by such a set of characters and the setting of Santa Barbara. If I could give ten stars, I would.

Ron Ely has done it again. Book has a well contrived plot with interesting beach characters. The volleyball techniques and play was laudable and blended in beautifully with the overall plot. Ron Ely can craft the finest plots and his Jake Sands protagonist is as good as you will find.

The stories are haunting and enthralling in the best fairy tale tradition, and the illustrations are spectacular.

I have loved this beautifully written and drawn book since childhood. I would love to see it back in print, as it is a wonderful addition to any book collection.

I am a professor and an artist. I have a book pitch which would contain color prints of the most valued artists and illustrators with the highest valued out of print books and I am looking for a publisher.

East Side Dreams is the debut book and memoir Art Rodriguez, of a Latino American who survived growing up on the rough side, at odds with a dictatorial father, and once an inmate of the California Youth Authority -- a prison system for young lawbreakers. Reflections on both happy and miserable times of his childhood, growing up, learning maturity and finally making a comfortable life for himself fill this heartfelt and revealing personal testimony. Highly recommended reading for young adults, East Side Dreams has justly earned the distinctions of being named the "Best First Book of the Latino Literary Hall of Fame", and has been honored as one of 200 Best Teenage Books in the United States by the New York Public Library System.

My son who is 21 came home with this book and said Mom you have got to read this book it is so good. So I said o.k. mejio let me read it! When I started to ready it it brought back so many memories (I grew up in the East Side of San Jose) and most of the things he was talking about I lived it. I laughed and cried and could not put down the book. This is a great book for all ages. After I got done reading it I gave it to my Father to read and he enjoyed it too.

Art Rodriguez takes us to jail with him so that we never need to go. He sits us next to him in his cell with nothing left to do but sit and remember. We try with him to connect the memories to being imprisoned, but there is no connection at all.

Although Art had an abusive father, he never once cites this as a reason for his violent behavior. He was a kid that made poor choices and got what he deserved. He blames no one but himself, and it is with this realization of responsibility that Art turns his life around. He went from street punk to a successful business man, a supportive father and an award winning author. He shows us that people can change and that bad mistakes are not the end of your life unless you allow them to be. Art Rodriguez is the silent roll model all troubled children are looking for.

This book is a great experience for audiences young and old. Buy it and read it.

Mary Hoyt's new memoir is the story of her personal and professional journey and it is truly a profile in courage. She shows that when armed with determination, a woman who strives to be independent can achieve the career of her choice. Hoyt has my greatest admiration for her humorous insights as she leads us on an intimate fast-paced journey through the highs and lows of her career. A single parent of two young children, she was determined to carve out a future for herself and her sons. Without any formal introductions, she uprooted her family from the west coast to the Washington political scene and established herself as a political journalist. In the early days of the women's movement when political partners created their own roles as players in national campaigns, she served as press secretary to the wives of presidential nominees and then to First Lady Rosalyn Carter. She reminds us that each American First Lady copes in a different way with her unelected, unpaid, and often unrewarding job. East Wing is a real contribution to 20th century social and political history. Beautifully written, this book tells it like it was through themes of courage, hard work, risk, and fulfillment. A must read!

Mary Hoyt's "East Wing" was a thoroughly enjoyable read. For those who care about public policy, politics and history it is a wonderfully up close and personal look at a time of rather dramatic change. At the same time it is every bit as lively and intimate as the highly acclaimed "West Wing" television series.

"East Wing" takes an interesting approach in its look back at the significance of the changes taking place in the 70s. The author does this through the prism of her own life and an activist First Lady. Capturing the changing times and how they impacted her life and then played out on one of the leading stages in the world -- the White House -- was informative and entertaining.

A tip of the hat to the book's author Mary Hoyt for reminding us just how much we have all changed and the significance of those changes. It is a book I want my daughter to read.

The insider views, from the Press Secretary of the McGoverns, Muskies and Carters are illuminating as we can see the evolution of the women's roles in their husbands political lives. After I started the book, I bagged the rest of my TO DO List for the weekend. It's a great read--present tense, short crisp sentences, make your feel like you are there, and moving as fast as Mary Hoyt must have been at the time! The book is even more enjoyable and meaningful, because the author's personal life--full of challenges to say the least-- is interwoven into story. Hers is a rather inspiring story of one woman's "evolution."

....the book is touching and one can feels that the Author has very strong feelings toward the subject. One can feel the hardship that these young and brave men felt. But there is something missing, maybe more historical facts would have been nice. Still a great buy, if you want to get into the minds of the people who were there.

This book is an incredible blend of high quality photography -- from Lerman and archival --and memorable writing. These two skills seem most often to be mutually exclusive, but this is certainly not the case here. The story is compelling but it is the quality and passion of the writing which most impressed me. Not reading this book is like being aware of a great sunset and not watching it.

Hallie Lerman did a wonderful job finding a way to express the sentiment of Israeli soldiers who experienced the devastating frustration of the opening events of the Yom Kippur War on the Golan Hights. I served with Menachem Ansbacher until his release from the service several months after the war. We all looked up to him and thought of him to be the quintessential Israeli warrior. He was full of life and had a unique ability to motivate people when the chips were down. After reading this book, I realized the great pain Menachem and the others carried with them. A pain that was never verbalized, but, exposed in great detail in the book. I now know what was hiding behind his great smile. Though beyond all hope the war was won, many veterans of the Yom Kippur war are reluctant to discuss their experiences. As this wonderful, warm and poetic book illustrates, war is a terrible waste of human life. I lived 2 miles away from Tel Saki in Moshave Ely-Ad. When I would pass by There, I was always reminded of what Churchill once said -" Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few". Shukym@aol.com

This book does an excellent job of describing the culture and civilization that was the ancient near east. The pictures and maps are totally sweet, and provide a lot of the appeal in this book. In addition Roaf's text is an enjoybale read, that is accessible even to the non-expert. I'm fascinated with ancient history and I really enjoyed this book. So if you are in to the ancient near east or just into ancient civilizations in general give this book a try, it's some sweet action you just can't pass up.

Although I'm a biologist by education, I'm something of a history buff and I've purchased 6 or 7 big atlases of world history and cultural atlases of the world lately (you can't have too many atlases in your life), and this one is the best atlas on Mesopotomia that I've seen. It's well-written and has lots of interesting information, but it's major strength is all the beautiful color photos of art, artifacts, buildings, and other cultural items from the many ancient sites, along with a number of maps. The author does a fine job of discussing the importance of many of the major archeological sites and their history. You'll hear a lot about these in the book, some of which, although I've read a fair amount of archeology and ancient history, I still wasn't that familiar with, so the author knows his stuff. All in all a beautifully illustrated, well-written, educational, and even reasonably priced book given the overall quality and features.

While we're on the subject, another very accessible and interesting book is Prof. Jean Bottero's Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotomia. The ancient Mesopotamians come across as practical, no-nonsense people who, in contrast to the ancient Egyptians, weren't especially religious and believed in living life in the here and now as best one could. Although they did have a religion, it was mostly for propitiating various gods and deities who they hoped would bestow their blessings on them in their present life. There was a concept of the afterlife, but it was basically a dark, dingy, netherworld where not much happened, it seems, and they regarded the present life as far preferable to it.

Just another suggestion for further reading in case you're interested.

This is a well-written book and has lots of valuable information, but it's major strength is all the beautiful color photos of art, artifacts, buildings, and other cultural items from ancient sites, along with a number of maps. The author does a fine job of discussing the importance of many of the major archeological sites and their history. All in all, a beautifully done book, well-written, informative and even reasonably priced given the overall quality and features.

Tim Hollis' book is an entertaining, informative, and evocative tour of the glory days of tourism in the South -- mostly before the arrival of the interstate highway system, but certainly, as the title suggests, before the opening of Walt Disney World in 1965 changed the nature of vacations. A veteran of many of the roads and roadside stops pictured here, Hollis has a real feel ... and a real affection ... for his topic. In these hip days, when so many writers feel the need to ridicule or treat with arched eyebrow anything less sophisticated and post-modern than *right now,* it's very pleasant to read a book about popular culture and "commercial archaeology" that's not encrusted in irony.

This book is also a celebration of Southern culture, especially that part of Southern culture that developed in order to separate visiting Yankees from their money. For, as Hollis notes, it was the arrival in the South of northern vacationers seeking warmer weather that prompted the birth and growth of the attractions listed here. It also promoted a number of important, and lasting, businesses. Among the companies born in the South to capitalize on the tourist trade, KFC (of course), Popeye's Chicken, Long John Silver, Red Lobster, Burger King, Hardee's, and Holiday Inn are just some of the more recognizable names.

From water parks to Wild West shows, Cypress Gardens to Stone Mountain, Dogpatch USA and the Grand Ole Opry to Stuckey's and countless attractions now nearly forgotten, this book is a great nostalgia ride through a largely vanished time. If you were fortunate enough to have seen that time, this book may bring back some happy memories. And if this is your first time through you may find yourself wondering what you're missing as you cruise in air-conditioned comfort on the soulless interstate.

Tim Hollis has done a great job of showcasing the unique, quirky, and sometimes down right bizarre, attractions of the South. I, too, am a Southerner and I miss the days when Gulf Shores was not more than a few cottages on the beach. I enjoyed reading about the places I remember and the ones I never knew. This writer has done a wonderful service by perserving the memories of a bygone era.

What a refreshing look at family travel! Even though many of the places mentioned are either greatly altered, torn down (or should be), Mr. Hollis's delightful peep into the past provides insight as to why we Southerner's are so eccentric and also makes many wonder about the eccentricity of those Yankees who were flocking to our aquarium-ski-lodge-Indian-reservation-botanical-gardens complete with wild-west-shoot-outs-in-the-sky! Mr. Hollis's humorous descriptions of the many 'um... "interesting" things the South had to offer families was like traveling with my brother!