The map looks nice enough, but it's inaccurate.
Its makers call it "the first map to ever depict all of Seattle's 97 neighborhoods... endorsed by the City of Seattle." In fact, the City has not endorsed the map, and a good thing, too--it simply does not reflect the reality of neighborhood divisions as they are understood by its residents. A few examples follow:

"Madison Valley" is shown as extending all the way to the shore of Lake Washington. Its eastern boundary is in fact 32nd Avenue and Lake Washington Boulevard (which, despite its name, does not parallel the lake north of E. Denny-Blaine Place). Those who live east of these streets will tell you they live either in Washington Park or Denny-Blaine (or perhaps Harrison), but certainly not Madison Valley (for how can a valley be on top of a hill?).

A neighborhood called "RNA" is shown located south of Roosevelt, east of I-5, and west of the University District. No such neighborhood exists. Its residents would probably say they were either in the U-District or would note how close they were to certain landmarks.

The Central District encompasses a huge swath of central Seattle, with its center perhaps at E. Cherry St. and 23rd Avenue, near Nova Alternative School. On this map, however, it is limited to a few square blocks.

The boundary line between Madison Valley (really Denny-Blaine, see above) and Madrona is given as Grand Avenue, when in fact it is really Madrona Drive.

Hang it on your wall if you want, but by no means use it for reference. It is "the only map to depict all of Seattle's 97 neighborhoods" for a good reason--it is the only map that recognizes there to be 97 neighborhoods within the Seattle city limits!

Constructing a neighborhood map of Seattle is an ambitious undertaking in any event. I saw this particular map hanging both in a City Hall office and at at least two Realtor offices. What struck me initially, like I'm sure everyone else, was its hand-drawn colorful charm. But, as bold as the colors are, the actual cartography is similarly bold. No one has ever even attempted to define the neighborhood boundaries of Seattle before--and the effort here is laudable. I would think that most neighborhood boundaries are subjective, but if anyone wants to learn about Seattle altogether (besides where the well known tourist destinations are) I would strongly recommend this map. Not only as a valuable reference, but as the only cartographical reference available of Seattle neighborhoods. I have bought one for my local Seattle neighborhood grammer school, they love it, and I suggest other parents do likewise.

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This book is the author's elaborate BUSINESS PLAN (he says so himself on page 22 & 23) for building a facility to trade forward contracts and options based upon the nursery (trees) industry . The Seattle Mercantile Exchange, in other words, DOES NOT EXIST. The book is simply a 20% business plan, 80% primer on the workings of futures & options, too.

With the changes in the industry, I supposed the CFTC somehow approved The Seattle Merc, but it was not to be. After numerous calls to the Oregon and Washington State nursery associations, the CFTC, NFA, etc., nobody has ever heard of the SME. I finally reached someone who knew Capasso personally, who affirmed the non-existence of the SME.

Now, mind you, the entire book is written in the present tense, as though the exchange is underway currently. In fact, the book's inside flap description and marketing material will lead one to believe that the SME is in operation. This is entirely NOT THE CASE. In fact, the last word about the material development of the exchange is from Capasso. He had made investments into "development cost" for $250,000 to the SME and a grower who committed $4 million of "inventory" to the exchange. But nothing came about from it. Capasso claims "Even though all new ventures have start-up costs, the idea of an exchange for an industry that was conservative in its thinking and that approached change reluctantly was a risky venture, to say the least."

The rest of the book is textbook step-by-step on his business plan operating the exchange, including a contract example, clearing and settlement procedures, and a quote terminal.

So, in the end, what you have for the nursery profession is the Seattle Utopia Exchange. This does not detract from the books value. John Wiley & Sons brings out some consisently high-grade finance books, and this one is perfect for the futures' industry economic value.

The book's main value is spiritual food for professionals and entrepreneurs who desire to offset market risk in their business transactions. Capasso's clear writing, and concreate outline of the Exchange development, is a first step towards demystifying this part of finance. Even though with the dissapointing fact that I was mislead by the marketing of this book, it was worth it to see just how easy it is to create a futures exchange for just about anything :)

Setting -- Contemporary Seattle

Plot-- The granddaughter and grandson of business partners turned bitter enemies become friends, then lovers, when both of their businesses are threatened by forces out of their control. She's a jewelery designer living in a co-op apartment and he's a successful real estate developer living on a houseboat. The menace factor escalates as do the steamy sex scenes.

So why only one star?? -- 1. There's no romantic chemistry between Paris and Tobias. 2. The rest of the characters in the book are pretty unpleasant. 3. There's some really gratuitous rough sex between some of the supporting characters - not fun to read at all (for me). 4. Because I came really close to abandoning this book midway through because I simply didn't care for the good guys and didn't want to waste my time reading about the bad guys.

Still, in fairness, somebody out there likes this book. It's on the Romantic Times Top 200 books of the 80's and 90's and was a Reviewer's Choice nominee. Just wouldn't be on my list.

I thought it was a good book, pure Stella Cameron: kinky 'bad guys' characters, sensual 'good guy' characters, slightly looney, eccentric friends.

If you liked Sheer Pleasures, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this book.

Being a long-time Seattle-dweller, and even longer-time Western Washington native, this book irritates me. The author hasn't spent enough time in Seattle to truly appreciate the wonderful things about the city, not to mention he consistently dates both himself and the text by referring to events/people/places that are no longer in rapid use in the Seattle vernacular/mindset. Seattle is about MORE than coffee, grunge (ugh.. could that irritating phase have passed more quickly?), Microsoft, Boeing and rain. I'd recommend the Fodor's and Lonely Planet series to anyone who really wants a good feel for the city. Fodor's may be snooty, but at leats it's up-to-date instead of dated.

I very recently relocated to Portland, and getting prepared for my move I went searching for guidebooks. Since the title word "Irreverent" caught my eye, I was thinking this book would be a great "insider's look" to Portland and its quirks.

Now that I am living in Portland, I found that this text lacks severely in the "insider's look" aspect. I would especially NOT recommend this for younger people like myself. This "insider's look" is definitely not geared towards my generation. For example, the flannel and torn up jeans look is so outdated, yet the author writes about Portland fashion like it's a crime to not look like you just rolled out of bed. For much better insider's info, pick up a free Willamette Week when you get to Portland.

This guidebook does have its merits. It is written more personally than many guidebooks, it's easy to follow, and it has its humorous moments. However, you can find better (and free) technical info (where to stay, how to get where you want to go, best bets for visitors, etc.) at the Portland visitor's website, or at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. For a good guidebook for "Generation X", and those about to relocate to the Pacific Northwest, I would highly recommend Best Places Portland. It provides much more detail and I find that the price guidelines are super helpful for people like me living on a limited budget.

Had I relied solely on Frommer's Irreverent Guide to guide me through Portland, I believe I would have been completely lost upon getting here. Save your money for a movie and a beer at a McMenamins theater.

Though I appreciated its humor, this book was a little lacking on some of the basic necessities in living in Portland. The sections dedicated to parks and recreation, for example, don't mention as much as you would want. On the other hand, it gives excellent background, trivia, and local interest facts. It's a fun book, but if you want something a little meatier, I recommend the City Smart Guidebook of Portland by Linda Nygaard.