Title: Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia
Author: Margarete Hurn
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Modra Publishing
Pages: 200
ISBN: 978-0-979-0300-3-1
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: July 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This guide book to an area that was once part of Czechoslovakia is very helpful. Written by an author who lived there for several years after the end of communism, this guide is filled with interesting and helpful cultural and commercial details. It is more personable than the usual travel manual. The reader easily gets the sense that he or she is there in-country. The book takes one through the process of going to Slovakia for an extended stay, all the hurdles one might encounter, and how to get over them. We rated this helpful volume four hearts.
Title: Ahora Hablo Travel Edition: Seven Simple Steps to Authentic Spanish
Author: M.H. Graham
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Megusta Publishing
Pages: 117
ISBN: 978-0-9791440-0-4
Price: $12.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
The problem with so many language books for travelers is they require way too much memorization without explaining what is happening or why in the target language. At last, this language guide for travelers has fixed that problem. The essential information needed to survive in a foreign, Spanish-speaking country is here. More importantly are the explanations of simple grammar rules which lead to a much better understanding of the language’s structure. Especially helpful are the phonetic aids to pronouncing the Spanish words. Our American accents may not be so wonderful, but at least we should be understood. If I were to travel to Spanish speaking countries or in the neighborhoods of some of our own large USA cities, this is a resource I would want to have studied well and taken with me. We rated this excellent language book five hearts.
Title: Spinning Disney’s World
Author: Charles Ridgway
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: The Intrepid Traveler
Pages: 240
ISBN: 978-1-887140-67-6
Price: 24.95
Publishing Date: March 2007
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This career publicist for the Disney Corporation takes us behind the scenes to see Walt’s personality, leadership, and dreams. The author was there for the development of not only Disneyland and Disney World, but the parks in Europe and Asia. Many of the stories are humorous and enlightening. His information explains how both Walt and his surviving brother, Roy, insisted on running their enterprise based on family values. This was a pleasant read and did a great job of walking us through history from the perspective of an Americana institution. We rated it four hearts.
Title: Dead Men Don’t Leave Tips: Adventures Across Africa
Author: Brandon Wilson
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Pilgrims Tales
Pages: 280
ISBN: 0-9770536-4-4
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 3 hearts
This travel memoir chronicles an American couple’s trip from Europe to and across Africa, initially with a tour group and company from hell and finally on their own. The reader sits in wonder at the decisions made and the things people will do to one another while set in a backdrop abject harshness and tropical lushness. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you might consider going on a trip like this—there’s much to be said about the effectiveness of starvation diets coupled with the sheer boredom of the same food over and over again, punctuated by feasts of grubs and such. There’s also the excitement of the distinct possibility that you may become the main course, rather than the honored guest at a banquet.
The author has painted a graphic picture of what not to do on your vacation. The book is entertaining and a monument to those who would take on the challenge of land travel across one of the most dangerous, unhealthy continents in the world. We rated this book three hearts.
Title: Food and Drink in Argentina: A Guide for Tourists and Residents
Author: Derek Foster and Richard Tripp
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Beagle Bay Books
Pages: 128
ISBN: 0-9772176-0-4
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
As the economy and recreation become more global, more people are traveling to South America. Argentina is considered one of the most pleasant countries to visit in that region. This is the perfect book to acquaint travelers the gastronomic joys that await them in Argentina. Known especially for its beef industry, this country also sports a pleasant variety of wines, fruits, and other foods. Co-written by the food and wine editor of the English language Buenos Aires Herald and a retired US naval officer who has spent time in the country, the book is filled with many useful tips for the tourist beyond just the food and drink. Argentina has had many European and Middle Eastern influences on it, making it different from other South American countries. The authors have capture its unique essence and bottled it for your enjoyment. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: The Road that Has No End
Author: Tim Travis
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Down the Road Publishing
Pages: 313
ISBN: 0-9754427-0-8
Price: $21.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Imagine you and your spouse have decided to sell everything you own to buy a couple of touring bikes and everything you will need to peddle down the road and around the world. That is what this author and his wife did after seven years of planning and preparation. This volume is about the first leg of their journey: from Arizona through the length of Mexico and on through Central America. They intend to travel on through South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It is a heartwarming and terrifying tale he tells. The most important aspects is how he developed street smarts and how people keep surprising him with their goodness. We rated this book a high three hearts.
Title: Weekend Adventures in San Francisco & Northern California
Author: Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Carousel Press
Pages: 480
ISBN: 0-917120-19-1
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: April 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is an excellent guide book of the region. This reviewer has traveled this particular area and has a daughter living in Silicon Valley, so we have a real appreciation for how inclusive and informative this five heart book is. This is the 8th edition of this book, which makes it as up-to-date as is reasonable to expect. This is a must have book for visitors and natives.
