One of the (If not the best war plays). Touching and humourous. Truly a maaaad play.

Mister Roberts had the right amount of amusement and sadness, which is the main reason I really liked it. At first I was not sure how I was going to enjoy it. The first chapter started out fairly slow, but this was just because it was an introduction of characters. The rest of the book was much clearer with this introduction. Throughout the entire novel there was a lot of humor. It was a fast read with all this comedy. I really admire Heggen's writing style because he incorporated wit with war. Heggen gave a more amusing account of the war than other factual book could have.

This is a fabulous story. Heggen expertly captures the monotony, the cynicism, the bravado and depression of life at sea. The story ranges from hilarious to heartbreaking, and it's sad Heggen ended his own life before writing again. I find it amazing that this book is not on the CNO's professional reading list.

Elaine's writing makes you laugh and cry and wish you were sitting with her in the park! I had to put the book down so I wouldn't finish the whole book the first day!

"My Peaceful Forest" is hilarious! Give yourself a treat and turn off that computer and cell phone for an hour, and I guarantee you will smile all the way through this refreshing book. If we all viewed life through the eyes of this author, society would be stress-free indeed! It's easy to relate to the lighthearted memoirs of this REAL family. Elaine Breen epitomizes the phrase, "stop and smell the roses".

I could not put My Peaceful Forest by Elaine Breen down until I had read the entire book! Whether you're a resident of Pacific Grove, California, or not, Elaine's insight and humor will keep you turning the pages. My Peaceful Forest will make you smile, will tug at your heart a little but mainly is a simple tale of life and it's ups and downs from a Mother's, Grandmother's, and Wife's perspective.

With all due respect to hard-working surf journalists everywhere, author Bruce Jenkins contributes an overdue dose of world-class penmanship to one of the world's most profound human challenges-- Big Wave Surfing. As a professional sportswriter, Jenkins has covered events such as the Stanley Cup, PGA, Superbowl, and World Series. But his true love of surfing shines forth here. He captures the attitudes, lifestyles, and mystique of the world's legendary watermen, in their rightful environment: the North Shore of Oahu. I grew up surfing on Oahu, and I can attest that, for a sane person, North Shore surfing is first and foremost about conquering horrendous personal fear. Although beautiful, the waves there are huge, thick, fast, churning, and unforgiving. One must endure deathly wipeouts and end-of-the-world-type situations, and cultivate Herculean stamina to survive the hellish ocean conditions. Each surfer chronicled here has somehow overcome these odds to make it to the elite inner circle. They represent vastly different personalities, backgrounds, physical builds, but all possess one thing in common: Big Brass Ones, and the respect of the entire surf community. I especially enjoyed the interview with big-wave rider Tom Nellis and his opinions of the scene. Nellis is entertaining and forthright as he pays respectful homage to his legendary surf peers Michael Ho, Clyde Aikau, and Gerry Lopez. All in all, Jenkins does a marvelous job capturing the "Wild West" feel of the North Shore lifestyle. He's right: talk and posturing matter very little there-- in the end, it is ultimately about who has "sack" and who doesn't. The North Shore is truly a macho frontier, and in this book you'll understand why. You'll enjoy all the profiles-- Jenkins' selection of featured surfers is very well-balanced, deep, and lasting. Even if you've never surfed, get this book. You will be intrigued. And if you suspect that these wonderful tales seem somehow exaggerated or too mythic, try paddling out to a routine, Hawaiian-sized 10-foot (i.e., two-story-high) day at Sunset Beach. If by chance you live through it, thank the Lord and remember that these guys handle waves and ocean conditions SEVERAL TIMES that heavy. Hats off to Bruce Jenkins-- and I hope he writes another one!

great stories and great pictures! it gives a wonderful insight ito the most fearless men's lives, a must read!

north shore chronicals is a mind boggling book that will make you take a secound look at surfing in hawaii. With all the stories being true you will have a deep understanding for how the true hawaiian watermen live there lives.

I have read other articles by Alan Poyner, but nothing can compare with having so much of his writing in one handy place. When ever I need a pick me up and a laugh, all I have to do is read a chapter and I'm set.
Luv ya Alan!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work. I'm ready for the next one!

Very nice reading for anytime, especially if a few chuckles are needed. I liked the short story layout, and it made for a great read whenever I wanted to smile. I would recommend this to anyone who likes humor delivered in a delightfully dry yet enjoyable manner! Good reading for all ages. Where is Volume II?

lots of humor and altogether enjoyable reading. I prarticur enjoyed the chapter where the moose stalked school kids on their way to the bus stop

One of Carpenter's best books (and all of them are good). He constructs interesting foods with varied flavors. None of them (at least so far) are difficult to put together. He's consistently the best cook book author that I know of.

I just finished taking an oriental cuisine class less than a year ago and our wonderfully experienced teacher recommended this cookbook for continued enjoyment in oriental cooking and eating at home. I have truly enjoyed using this book. I am quite young so cooking is new and I really like the art of it. Carpenter and Sanderson I think are at there best by exposing us to meals designed complete with the use of the most exciting and eccentric flavors. This is my favorite part about eating, besides company and presentation. At any rate, I am glad to have begun to collect cookbooks with this as one of the first ones. Thanks!

Out of +150 cookbooks we own, this is one of the top five. Hugh Carpenter isn't afraid to have you use spices to produce wonderful dishes. His method of separating the recipe into advance preparation and cooking is a great help in preparing something new. His serving sizes are very accurate and menu ideas useful. The photography is outstanding and an added plus in first time preparation. At a dinner party, we rarely dare to prepare a dish we haven't tried, but have done this on five occasions using "Pacific Flavors", all with compliments from everyone. This book is not only an excellent cookbook, but a beautiful coffee table piece also.

Excellent book! Author Kathie Weir describes hundreds of enriching things for parents and children to do in the greater L.A. area. As a longtime resident of southern California, the author has visited most of these sites with her children, so her descriptions include a personal and honest touch; for example, in evaluating one museum, she writes, "Most of the under-twelve set will be happier elsewhere, but if you have one of those super-brainy, bored-with-everything, and a bit off-beat teens, this museum is IT." I liked her warm, down-to-earth writing style. Most of us---who think of famous amusement parks when we think of L.A.---are not aware of the area's wealth of museums, historical sites, wildlife preserves, train rides, gardens, annual events and much more. For instance, I was surprised to learn that Southeast Los Angeles has a Civil War Museum. The Union Army was stationed on the West Coast during the Civil War, and the Officer's Quarters of Drum Barracks now serves as a museum. The book lists many other places as intriguing as this. A Parent's Guide to Los Angeles is also very well organized. The author divides Los Angeles County into four areas, lists the sites by geographical section, and includes clear driving directions to each one. In fact, she devotes a whole chapter to tips on driving in L.A., offering helpful advice about coping with freeways and rush hours. Weir most definitely understands what it's like to travel with children, which gives her book even more credibility. She writes, "Parents never know what might strike a child's fancy" and confesses that when she took her children to see the great sights of Europe, the part they talked about the most afterwards was feeding the pigeons. How true this rings for anyone who has traveled with children! "An afternoon at a playground followed by hotdogs, cooked in the park's firepit can be a cherished memory for a kid," she advises. I was impressed with her attitude that sightseeing is a valuable form of education for children, but that "every family is different and every child has his or her own interests." This book provides a wide range of choices for any family's individual needs. I highly recommend this book.

Finally -- an all-inclusive source of information for favorite aunties (to stay that way) and god-parents too! Although I have no children, I have scads of nieces and nephews who visit from back east; plus my friends have children who sometimes like hanging out with me (and I with them). For years I have cut articles about "fun places to go" out of newspapers and magazines and stuffed them into drawers, until I have no drawers left. But no more! This fun and well-written guide has it all and is geared specifically to children and their grown-up buddies, not just vacationing families. I especially enjoy the photos taken by the author's children, which prove they really did enjoy these places. Not only do I recommend this guide to vacationing families, I also sing its praises for Southern California adults with young friends and relatives who visit often.

I have found this book to be totally enjoyable, humorous and was extremely helpful when we took our grandkids to visit friends and sightsee in the L.A. area. I have many friends who like to travel and I will certainly recommend this book as a real time saver while in L.A. Excellent!

Please don't go to Yosemite without this book!!!!!
It tells you everything you need to know. With or without a camera,this one you must have.

I love this book!! Thank-you to Michael Frye for taking on this project. I hope he goes to other national parks and writes more books. Michael not only shows photos and tells where to get them, he goes into great detail about what time of day, type of film, use of filters, depth of field, exposure... everything a "professional photographer-in-the-making" can use.

...It has illustrations for all kinds of photographic techniques including advice on seasons, film, lenses needed, important time of days etc. Definitely worth buying it. You can finish reading this book in couple of hours in car while somebody else is driving. i did the same. In my opinion it would really help if the authur included some kind of readmap you can follow so that u can be at right places at right time. (although considering the vastness of yosemite, i am sure it will be a difficult job) All in all great little book. i would recommend to buy it in advance...to take full advantage of authur's suggessions.

Like a good naturalist or interpreter, this guide provides not only a concise way to identify the most common flora and fauna, but adds interesting facts and folklore. It will surely make the living things in and around Rainier very accessible, and provide even the most knowledgeable biologist/naturalist with enjoyable new information. Illustrations are detailed and beautiful, and the general information and references are an added bonus. And it all fits into your pocket! Great!

The problem with most field guides is that they've forgotten they are field guides and not coffee-table art books.

Not so with Joe Dreimiller's POCKET GUIDE TO THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF MOUNT RAINIER!

Sure, this book has plenty of pretty color pictures made by its three illustrators, but they are diagnostic illustrations, just like Roger Tory Peterson emphasized in his bird books. So, you have something pretty to look at but you also have something that will help you identify the common plants and animals to be seen in Mt Rainier National Park.

Pictures are nice, but after you've used the illustrations to identify an Elephant-head pedicularis, Golden-mantled ground squirrel, a Varied thrush, or a Mountain hemlock, Dreimiller tells you the field marks so you'll know what makes these things different from their closest relitives. That way, if you don't have his book next time, you've learned what distingushes each plant or animal from every other plant or animal.

And the help you get from this little gem doesn't stop there. Let's say you've used this pocket guide to identify a False hellebore [Veratrum viride]. Next time you're in the Park, hiking with a friend, and you spot it, you can say, "Oh! Look at that False hellebore! Did you know its botanic name means 'green plant with the black roots?'" And so you look at the roots and, "Wow! They're black."

For all the organisms in this book, there are not only field marks but an extensive list of notes to help you remember why each is so important to know.

Not only that, but there are descriptions of all the groups so you'll learn why mammals are different from birds which are different from amphibians. There is an extensive bird list for the Park including accidentals. And, unsual for this kind of book, there is a mammal list too. And to top off the list catagory, each habitat has a list of common plants as well as suggestions for places to walk.

Did I mention that Dreimiller's book is also pocket sized? How many field guides have you bought in recent years that don't even fit in the pocket of your daypack?

I also liked the short reference list at the end of the book, referring me to other helpful resources. The index is short, but complete.

Evidently Dreimiller worked as a ranger at Mount Rainier for a number of years and it shows. He knows his plants and his animals. All in all, I would reccomend this little gem to anybody who wants to know more about what they see while in the Park. And the best thing about this field guide is that it teaches you things that can be used elsewhere in the Cascades.

I write for a number of newspapers in the Seattle area and I'm pretty sensitive to writers who wastes my time trying to copy the prose of Muir, Leopold, Pyle, and all the other good nature writers. I liked this book because it tells me what I need to know without the usual cumbersome "awesome beauty of nature" rhetoric that encumbers so many field guides. Leave the literature for the coffee table. Take Dreimiller's book into the field.

An excellent guidebook to the Mount Rainier area. As a former Mount Rainier Ranger, I would recommend this book to anyone considering a visit to Mount Rainier National Park. The illustrations are beautifully rendered and the accompanying text is accurate and insightful. The book is small enough to fit in a daypack or take it along for a backpack along the Wonderland Trail.

I fall immediately under the spell of good sea stories. Essex is among the frontranks. Phibrick supplies a richly textured background to his subject. The author always respects his readers curiousity and interest. He presents various theories and sociological information in an even handed and non judgemental manner. My only regret was the unresolved nature of the ending. I sensed the author had run out of interest towards the end. Yet one must admit that life has a way of being existential and not part of a process but punctuated by moments of crisis and survival. One is left with a greater respect for men and whales.

This a terrific collection of personal accounts gathered together for the first time in one volume. For well over a century Owen Chase's story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex has been the only firsthand documented account. Now side by side with Chase's tale is fellow shipmate Thomas Nickerson's account of the sinking and trial of the Essex crew lost at sea. As is to be expected, the style of the period makes itself felt throughout via word choice, spelling, etc. but more so in Mr. Chase's recounting. The real gem in this volume is Nickerson's retelling of the tale from his point of view, in spite of the strange twists of phrase his warmth and humor show through. If you enjoyed Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea" and want to delve a little deeper and explore some of his resources this is the perfect place to start.

This book is a collection of accounts, remarks, annotations, and letters from the people involved in the tragedy, their rescuers, and other notable persons, which paints a vivid portrayal of the life of a Nantuckett whaler in the 1800's.

After having killed off the whale population in the Atlantic, the New England whale ships pushed farther into the ocean to find their prey - the spermacetti whale. Hunting grounds in the Pacific were discovered and, after a year's journey rounding South America in which it lost half of its boats in a sudden gale, the whale ship Essex set out to fill its hold with the valuable whale oil armed with only 3 small boats. During a hunt, one of the boats was stove by the death throes of a speared sperm whale and returned to the ship. While enacting repairs, the pings of the first mate's hammer attracted the attention of a large bull sperm whale, a creature uniquely designed for ramming. The bull made two charges, collapsing the bow of the ship on either side of the keel, and 20 men found themselves alone, in 3 open boats, deep in the heart of the blue Pacific, with only faint hopes of rescue.

The Essex did not sink immediately, and the men were able to salvage a few casks of water, some navigational instruments, and hard biscuits (which would later be fouled by ocean spray and induce dehydration in the men). The first mate also had paper and pencil, which he used for keeping a daily diary of their attempts to survive the ravages of storms, thirst, hunger, and attacks by killer whales and large sharks.

I read this book prior to reading "In The Heart of The Sea", also by Nathaniel Philbrick, and I was glad I did. The first-person narratives really bring home the tale, and Philbrick's other book helps fill in the historical background. I would recommend reading this book with a good atlas, so that you can plot the narrator's progress as he tries to bring his ship to South America, against the wind, the current, and his dwindling strength, and realize just how screwed these sailors really were.

I just moved to San Francisco, and this book was extremely helpful. However, to those about to move, I urge you to skip the Movers section. I hired one of their recommended movers: One Big Man & One Big Truck. The book said they could move a 1 BR in 1 1/2 hours. HA!!! AFTER they tore up my $4,000 sofa, then tried to lie and say the hole had been there all along, it took them 3 hours to move HALF the apartment (and of course, only moved the lightest items first, even though we TOLD them we only needed help with the heavy objects), until my husband finally told them to take off. THEN the owner dared to insinuate that we were liars, his employees NEVER lie, etc., and to minimize our damage by saying "Hey, a $4,000 sofa is no big deal to me, I deal with them every day." We're still trying to resolve this mess a month later, and every time I look at the sofa, my blood boils. BEWARE.

This book is something everyone moving to San Francisco should have. It covers everything from descriptions of the neighborhoods to what to include in an earthquake kit. Internet addresses and phone numbers to banks, rental agencies, and just about anything else you can think of are included. I used the book a lot before I arrived and am using it just as much, if not more, after making the move. I highly recommend it.

This book has so much info. A good book to help you anticipate your move!