1 comments about Hide and Seek (Large Print Edition).

1. I loved this book. I have only read "The Haunted Hotel and Other Stories". I have yet to read "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone" (which I will read soon enough...) so I am not most reliable Wilkie Collins fan (fast becoming one though).
   
   I have read other Victorian authors but I find Collins to be the most enjoyable (not forgetting Braddon as well...equally beautiful in her writing). His prose is a pleasure to read, it feels as if he really treasured his gift for composition and narrative. Each paragraph resonates with warmth, tenderness, compassion and care. The mystery of the story draws you in while the characters revolve gently on the stage, moving from each with ease. I was swept up in the atmosphere, the pace. It is a novel you don't want to leave for too long. Work, family, hobbies... I simply wanted to push everything aside and get to the ending. Of course, sadly, when you come to the END you don't want it to end.
   
   There is a bit melodrama here, I'll admit. (It was an early novel following "Basil".) And there are some coincidences here that fall into the "sensational" and "stretched" category. Otherwise, the great writing and the pathos for the characters make up for it. A must for Wilkie Collins fans and readers of Victorian literature. A must for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts.

5 comments about I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away.

1. Mr. Bryson's half-hearted curmudgeonly approach to life makes for another enjoyable read by this author. He covers a wide array of society's peculiar habits with a mixture of surliness and confusion. The only editorials that were creative but somewhat ponderous were his columns dealing with his computer. With the exception of just those few pieces, I enjoyed his book. Mr. Bryson is a funny, insightful writer who is a great remedy for a case of the blues.



2. nothing like looking at the US from the eyes of a stranger. What a beautiful perspective. There were many times I was laughing out loud when I read this book. Also a great gift for those who are travelers. you will not be disappointed.



3. After quite a number of years living and writing in England, Bill Bryson returned to his native land, the United States, with his family and apparently continued his writing career. Mr. Bryson wrote a series of weekly articles, a column, for a British newspaper, recording his experiences, thoughts and observations on his native land and his return after a long absence. This book, I'm A Stranger Here Myself is a collection of these articles which were printed in that British paper.
   
   I like Bryson. I enjoy reading his books. This one was no exception. I suppose the first thing I like about this author, is that we both have the same attitude toward life. We are both rather inept in many ways. We neither of us seem to take ourselves very seriously. I can relate to that. One of the big differences between is though, is that he has the ability to articulate his thoughts, attitude and experiences, in a way I never will be able to. They guy can write and he can write well.
   
   When I first picked up this book, I did with a bit of a sense of dread. I did not want another "lets get together and bash American" book. I need not have worried. Yes, he does point out some funny, amusing, odd and silly things about our culture, but he is just a quick to point out that these different little oddities can be found around the world, only in different forms and customs. Let's face it, there is a lot a bout this country that is absolutely great, in fact, most things are. The author is quick point this out. On the other hand, there is much about our culture, our people, our government and our lives in general that is, if viewed from a certain angle, absolute hilarious. Bryson is quick to point this out too.
   
   Everything is free game in this little work. Everything from the postal service, cars, diet, computers, holidays, work, play, language, government, family relationships, and so much more, are free game to his pen. Through all of his work though, he is constantly laughing at himself more than anyone else. Most of the articles are funny, many of them absolutely hilarious, and some of them are quite serious, simply due the subject matter. Each article the author has written (he even rather humorously refers to making money on his recycled work), makes up one chapter in this book. It is well written, easy to read, and, if you are like me, addresses subjects we all feel the same about, but just cannot say them in the way Bryson can.
   
   Enjoyed this one and it was a well written, relaxing read.



4. Having made previous aquaintances with some of Bryson's work I think that I can confidently say that this is a work of comical genius, from the completly accurate complaints of such things as spell check and setting up a computer to the zany tangles with attick hatches, Bryson keeps the reader engaged and laughing. Well done, Bill, well done once again.



5. This is my 3rd Bill Bryson book and possibly my favorite of his so far. The super short segments (compiled from past published articles) make this book extremely easy to pick up, put down and pick up again. His writing style is exceptionally intelligent, and he finds hilarity in the most mundane of situations. He has a way of making the reader reconsider just how silly much of our lives actually are, while interjecting a few heartwarming and philanthropical comments here and there. Would love a second edition of this!

2 comments about I'm Not Done Yet: Keeping at It, Remaining Relevant, and Having the Time of My Life.

1. To use the favorite word by which Ed Koch describes his life experiences -- this book is "enjoyable." It is autobiographical/philosophical, revealing, funny; I couldn't put it down. If you like Ed Koch (which I do -- I'm envious of his self-absorption), you can hear him on every page, ultimately as the educator that he is. It is a must-read, particularly for Post-War Baby Boomers, to see a view of age 75 that most of us didn't see/don't see in our parents. The book is truly inspirational in a very realistic way. "Ed Koch, I hope you live forever, and if you can't, I hope God takes you all at once as is your desire and not in pieces like 'salami.'"



2. ed koch, america's best known mayor in modern times, continues his sucess as a fascinating author. this book offers insights into how he moved from mayor of new york city, into jobs keeping him equally motivated and renowned. if character is everything, then ed koch has everything. a page turner of the first order, it pulls you in from the first page. anyone who has dreamed of coming to new york, been to new york, flown over new york, or heard of ed koch will find the book fascinating. we should all be as relevant and involved as ed koch.

5 comments about The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes From My Life (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)).

1. I am entranced by Mr. Conroy. This is possibly because many parts of his life sound so familiar to me. In this memoir/cookbook he once again is enchanting. He fills me with joy/sadness as I recall similar memories. My favorite author. I wanted to make all of the recipes immediately and did so on a number of them. Some were excellent and some not so excellent; however the stories behind the recipes kept the disappointment at bay. I continue to try the recipes. Next is the pickled shrimp.



2. If you like Conroy you'll love this book. As with any cookbook you aren't going to like everything and I think this cookbook fell just short of average with the number of recipes that have caught my eye. It's also not a cookbook for the kitchen novice.
   
   As a book of short stories I loved it! It's part background (and I would guess a healthy dose of fiction) on recipes and people who have made Conroy the cook and author he is today. This book provides a culinary backdrop to the life of Conroy and help explain what he was eating when he wrote about the food and characters in his books.
   
   This isn't the book I'd recommend as your first, or even your second Pat Conroy experience, but I do feel that your Conroy experience isn't complete until you've read this book.



3. This author can do no wrong. I have everything he has produced and while this is called a "cookbook" it is so very much more...It resides proudly
   in the midst of my complete and comprehensive collection!...Bravo, Mr. Conroy!



4. All of Pat Conroy's books reside proudly on my bookshelf. I started collecting with "The Water is Wide" and "The Boo". I have followed his career with joy for his well deserved success in literature. In "The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life" he treats us to a witty and emotional memoir interspersed with his culinary expertise garnered in France, Italy, The South, including Atlanta, New Orleans, Mobile and the low country of South Carolina. It's another "can't put it down" Conroy book, only there are many wonderful recipes to please the discerning palate -don't miss this one!



5. This has now moved into my all time favorite Pat Conroy book, and I'm a big Conroy fan. It's not so much a book of recipes, though that is definitely a part of it, as short vignettes of life in Mr Conroy's world. And since our world overlaps, and we know some of the same individuals, it was even more delightful. Mr czuk took one look at the picture on the front and said "You'd read a book about food by a man who looks like that?" Well, yes. And better him than some anorexic yuppy chic in a glam kitchen. Bring on the hush puppies, baby!

5 comments about Ten Things I Wish I'd Known: Before I Went Out into the Real World.

1. This book talks about the problems and difficulties you face when you hit adulthood. It also tells you things that might help you get through it all.
   
   I liked this book for several reasons. I liked it because I thought it was very educating. Also because I believe this book can help people start preparing for their future. Ten Things I Wish I'd Known-Before I Went Out into the Real World is a book that I think can help people on their way and to understand the point or meaning of life.
   
   In the end it's a very good book altogether and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who has troubles with preparing their future



2. This book would make a wonderful graduation gift. I wish I would've read it back when I was eighteen-years-old. Although I purchased this book over three years ago, I still come back to it from time to time. She offers so much insight and wisdom, but she also humanizes herself as a woman and teaches her readers that even she has experienced self-doubt and has strived to reach 'perfection' (something she teaches you not to do). She writes about how important it is to start at the bottom because it's where you learn the most and gain character. I especially liked reading about her husband and children. She and her family are so much more normal than anyone would ever think.



3. I am 56 and had I had this book to read in 1968 when I graduated high school I might have had the tools to do things a little better through my 20's and 30's. She gives you a rundown on what realistically to expect out of live, love, career and everything in between. I may have even been able to avoid my ex-husband!!!
   
   This is a must gift for any young person, maybe even younger than a high school graduate. It could actually put a kids expectations into the realm of reality without putting a damper on any of the joys of life. This is not a book that a conservative religious advocate would have to avoid. It contains simple comman sense about life and how it differs from what kids would often see on TV, movies, or any other media they would encounter. It doesn't tell you what belief system is best, just what life is most apt to hand you on any given day.
   
   It is easy reading and not very beefy, so even non-readers would benefit. They could use it as a reference book for a specific situation.
   
   Great Birthday or Graduation or Holiday gift and reasonable priced, too.



4. I bought Maria's book "What's Heaven" for my Granddaughter when her Grandmother (my mother) died 6 years ago. Now my Granddaughter will graduate from high school next year and Maria has followed her to college, with her last 2 books. Next I will buy my Granddaughter the Marlo Thomas books. As a Grandmother I believe it does take a Village. My Granddaughter will take 2 real good role models with her to college and now we have to set her free.



5. Maria did have some excellent points. The majority of the book is just an autobiography, though, and I skimmed through those parts. My advice would be to stop by the book store and look at the table of contents and then the very end where she gives a list of some other things she wishes she knew, because they explain themselves. A lot of her things I already knew, and she points out that she's not trying to help us avoid those things, just let us know we're not alone. If the great, talented Maria could get through life, then we can too! That was sarcasm.

5 comments about Cary Grant: The Biography.

1. Cary Grant: A Biography
   
   I am almost through with this book (2/3).
   
   There are far too many footnotes, references to other books, and research.
   
   I do not have any "REAL" idea about Cary, as much as I have of his career.
   
   If you are looking to find out about him, I suggest a book he was an actual part of.
   
   Not this posthumous glance back at the persona, that WAS him.
   
   In other words, don't waste your money!!



2. I'm so pleased about one thing - I didn't buy this book I got it at my local library.
   While this book was well researched into Cary's early childhood and adulthood and his movies -the book seems compelled to make certain the reader agrees that Cary was either gay or bisexual.
   While neither really matter, the author is so insistent it becomes irritating. Ok - he's gay - move on.
   Then I noticed that many of Marc Eliot's other books follow the same pattern of delving into Hollywood's leading men and finding their skeletons of gayhood.
   I wonder if Marc Eliot is gay and that is his reason behind it. I went onto his website but it was pretty paltry.
   Please do yourself a favor and pass on this bio.



3. I feel this author did not back his biography up with qoutes or sources to assume the things he says about Grant, such as Grant being a male prostitute! I feel it was like sitting in a beauty parlor listening to all the gossip about Cary Grant and no one really having hard evidence. I feel so bad for his family and fans who love him reading this. I just wanted to know more about Cary Grant being in my 20s. Why ruin a good thing!



4. I am a huge Cary Grant fan. Or I guess I should say I was a huge fan of the onscreen persona that is suave and the epitome of class for me. This book will blow away the image you had of Cary in films, and not in the best-written way. Reading this, I felt like it was a 50/50 mix of hearsay and fact. Whichever half you choose to believe, good luck watching his movies with the same fantasy as before.



5. I agree with many reviewers that tend to believe that there are certain so called "facts" in this book that seem to be just gossip.
   But I will say this, the book is very entertaining.It talks about his childhood and the lies that were told to him about his mother (really after that don't you think you'd have commitment problems?). It delves into his early life in New York and how he made his money, the author speculates about his even being a male escort. But really just because he lived with a guy that was gay, does that automatically mean they were lovers?
   And his relationship with Randolph Scott is seen as a homosexual relationship because they lived together and they were always seen out and about. Could they have been lovers? Yes, but I believe that for a biographer you should get some quotes from someone stating that fact. Not just because the gossip columns of the time were insinuating this, does it make it fact.
   But other then that discrepency I find that the book does give you some insite on the man, especially to see him stand up to the big studios when he decided to go at alone, and still succeed.

5 comments about On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

1. Mr. King's story of his development into a noted and successful writer and his description of the writing craft is only one man's story, but a unique and inspiring one. Think of it as the first half of his autobiography - may he live long and well! Also, think of it as his tutorial and elucidation on how to write something worth reading. Two tales in one unique book.
   
   King's early life was tumultuous; the reader begins to see how the writer of rather unusual stories was formed. After learning about his extended starving artist time, the reader easily celebrates his well-earned success and acclaim. His recovery from the near-fatal attack by a minivan illustrates real grit, and the extremely positive influence of his wife on his life it wonderful. King is almost as interesting a character as he the many he give us in his best books.
   
   The greatest value of the book, however, at least to writers and wanna-be's, is in his candid explanations on how to compose, edit, re-compose, edit, edit again, re-write, proofread, and cut until the manuscript shines. Even for a master and journeyman like Mr. King, writing top-notch fiction requires focus, sweat, and time. It's tiring. I imagine if he could work more than four concentrated hours a day he would. While his description of the author's daily life is not glamorous, it nonetheless is realistic, and illustrates how a true writer can never be satisfied NOT writing.
   
   Whether or not you usually read Mr. King's variety of fiction, if you even dabble a small amount as a writer you can benefit tremendously from what he has included in this wonderful volume.



2. Until I read On Writing by Stephen King, I had never read any of his books. To be honest, since On Writing, I've only read one other of his books which I didn't like so we've come to an impasse.... however On Writing is one of the best books I've read. The first half is a memoir of his life where we learn how his early jobs and experiences inspired the ideas for his best sellers. Every thing King sees becomes an obvious cue for him to think "what if". He is a prolific writer and I admire his constant discipline at sitting down and typing his heart out. He finishes a novel and then writes a novella followed by a short story and then he's back to a new novel. The man has ideas a plenty simply by always asking himself "what if" and then writing it down.
   
   The second half of the book is a lesson on how to write. King has much authority on the subject not only due to his global success but also because he was an English teacher before the phenomenal success of Carrie back in the 70s. He teaches how to pair nouns with verbs so we can make sentences that come alive; for example, Rocks explode, which immediately takes the reader to a place where they can envisage rocks exploding... it's all about showing the story rather than telling the reader a bunch of words.
   
   Stephen King is a master writer and teacher. A great book which even a non-writer will enjoy because King shows the reader, his Constant Reader, just how much fun you can have.



3. The postal service lost the product and so we never received it, but amazon quickly refunded the money.



4. If you're a writer or enjoy reading about Stephen King in depth, this is the book for you. The first half is his life and writing career and the second half is how he goes about writing. Very Freeing Ideas!!! He shows how to write using your creativity and intuition instead of constricting plotting/outlining techniques. Special book! Wonderful man.



5. This is a great book. The first half or so of it is mostly autobiographical and informs the reader how Stephen got into writing. The latter part of the book is more of an actual guide on how to write fiction. The very last part of the book recounts his life-changing accident.
   
   I really like how Stephen writes - throughout the book I had a sense of direct communication with him. He describes writing as telepathy - and his is very effective. His humorous, honest and straightforward voice is constantly present. I also like that he unabashedly describes his particular and peculiar interests and always sticks to his guns regarding what he believes works.
   
   If you're looking to learn how to write good fiction from a bestseller, and want to be entertained and engaged in the process, you ought to read this book.

No comments about It's a Lovely Day, Outside.

5 comments about A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to My Father, Jack Lemmon.

1. When writing about Jack Lemmon's failed aspirations on the celebrity golf classic Chris Lemmon declared that he could clearly imagine his "Pop" winning with his traditional hearty "Isn't that a bit of terrific!" Every time I read that I could hear Jack Lemmon's voice in my head. That's the juice of this story. Jack's voice singing through his son's words.
   
   This is the view of the gifted, charming, incredibly likeable Jack Lemmon through the eyes of his gifted, talented, and seemingly honest son Chris. He is a bit heavy handed on the "beloved father" and "cherished sister" phrases which, although refreshing in a celebrity biography (very un-Mommy Dearest), such affectations were completely superfluous because his adoration of his Pop came through in every word.
   
   It took a bit of getting used to hearing of squeaky clean Jack Lemmon swearing and drinking so much. But he swore in such a funny, enthusiastic, unique way that I ended up adoring that about him. And the drinking? He fixed it. The hero came through in the end.
   
   Some of the players didn't come off as well. I was appalled at the pettiness of Lemmon's wife who had her knickers in a twist over some fight with Walter Matthau's wife and made Jack and Walter's friendship difficult. Chris said of the depth of his father's relationship with Walter "I think if Uncle Waltz had taken up golf, Pop would have married him." But that was not the only time Lemmon's widow got into fights with people. She fought with Jack and nearly killed him in a drunken rage when she threw a heavy glass ashtray at Lemmon's head. That particular drunken brawl was the end of drinking for Jack, but not for his wife. Chris alludes that he and his stepmother were never on good terms and it's admirable that he didn't stoop to airing any of their dirty laundry in this book. Though dirty it certainly would be.
   
   The book takes us on fishing trips to Alaska, sound stages in Hollywood, and on the golf course. Chris' references to the "Lemmon curse" is amusing and so well told that it played in my imagination as clear as a movie. What a great sense of humour Jack had, and how delightfully it was passed down to Chris.
   
   I had such a crush on Jack Lemmon, and still do even now he's gone. I wish he had enjoyed a happier marriage and had taken more time to be a father. But he was true to himself, and did remarkable things. I would imagine being his son to be the most wonderful thing in the world and one of the hardest. What an act to follow!
   
   This was a fascinating tribute to the father, not the actor or the person. Chris Lemmon is a really gifted writer. I hope he continues to write. I will eagerly buy whatever he puts his name to after reading this charming book. I hope he reads these reviews because there is something I'd like to say to him. "Hello Ramhead, go F yourself!" (He said he missed hearing that.)



2. CL pays the ultimate tribute to his father in this classy portrayal of the supremely gifted father and the somewhat lonely but not lost son trying to sort out a complicated relationship made more complex amidst the mixed fortunes born of fame and celebrity and the tensions and heartaches that always come with divorce. This is a wonderful read that confirms much of the positive image that most people hold of the elder Lemmon while affirming the deep love that father and son were able to share in an environment that has split so many other families apart. Jack Lemmon was without doubt driven in terms of his career, but the measure of the man is that he reserved a part of himself for his son that was theirs and theirs alone.



3. Recommended: A Twist of Lemmon: a Tribute to My Father, by Chris Lemmon
   
   Chris Lemmon writes as though chatting with a friend, about the father he loved. I was drawn in by the humanity of the man and the honesty of his son, the author. According to Chris, Jack Lemmon was like an ornery little boy, a little like my own father. Both father and son were aware of Jack's strengths and shortcomings (drinking, a temper, over-dedication to his career). I think Jack Lemmon is probably recognizable in some person in everyone's life. STAR is not the picture drawn here.
   
   There is some language that a few sensitive folks may find offensive; I did say he was ornery didn't I? However,I believe if those folks read on, they will be glad they did. There's nothing really vulgar, but some humor is pretty worldly. Chris says that one of his father's favorite lines to the nurses, even near the end, was "Wanna take a peek at Stiffy?" Alternating from hospital room to scenes from Jack's life Chris Lemmon creates a complete picture of the man without ever going Hollywood neon.



4. A twist of Lemmon is Chris Lemmon's literate, deeply-felt tribute to his father, the unique Jack Lemmon. CL wrote partly for his children, who must have liked his elk- and poodle-stories better than his golfer's yarn (but tell this to a golfer), partly because it helped him heal the big loss he felt.
   
   An extraordinary insight into people's nature presented his highly-gifted father with a career that lasted half a century. Two oscars, eight nominations, best actor in Cannes (twice). There were times when he stood alone. His Billy-Wilder-films have no equal but he was proud of DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES 1962 and SAVE THE TIGER 1973 - he suffered creative agonies and was never happier. A committed democrat and environmentalist. "Experts" smiled at his breath-taking performance in THE CHINA SYNDROME 1979 - three weeks later fiction came true. No other film, except MISSING 1982 - about a father who searches for his son in Chilean morgues - made more headlines.
   
   Many anecdotes revolve around "America's sweetheart" who wrecked jaguars and ferraris, did not make the cut at Pebble Beach and was chased by moose, eagles, bobcats and bears. He had great moral courage, though: The fact that he suffered painful operations during his childhood did not keep him from entering the navy (many heroes stayed in Hollywood) and make dangerous stunts. Too few films catch his "quirky, unpredictable, sweet devil side". He was one of Hollywood's most exciting stars.
   
   A tribute is no platform for criticism and while CL drops many hints most of his concerns remain unspoken. Nobody could accuse CL of "nepotism". JL made it by himself and expected the same of his son. That he played small parts in his father's films is perfectly legitimate. It was a proud moment when his father was in the front row "applauding, whistling, wiping away a tear". Daddy's amazement that junior worked hard enough to buy a car is the book's comic highlight (the Paris-brothel-episode is not bad either). How I wish that CL could have protected his generous, trusting and compassionate father from all those well-meaning people who asked him favors and harmed his career (the man of flesh & blood belonged to his family but his reflexion on celluloid belongs to us). Neither could he influence his father's eating habits (cheeseburgers) despite a warning shot: CL lost his mother Cynthia Stone to cancer in 1988 (his book is of course a tribute to both parents who remained optimists to the end).
   
   His parents divorced when he was three, both remarried and he commuted between two patchwork-families with younger sisters. He and his father had fishing-trips to Alaska ("it was only during those times that I felt he really belonged to me"), jam-sessions, golf. He excuses his father's "inadvertent irresponsibility" - he woke his father up with a triple-martini when he was six - but is still haunted by "that empty chair at dinner-table" and felt "in the doghouse" when separated from his father. He did not grow up in his father's household and survival was difficult for a son-of-the-first-marriage who was a teenager during the hippie-era. JL's second family was part of his everyday life and "the only person I think he ever did commit to totally was Felicia" - his second wife. "Pop and Felicia had been partying hard the night before...an airborne ashtray had sliced pop's forehead". JL's private life is still terra incognita (or "treasure island" for biographers).
   
   His moving description of his father's last fight ("I never heard him complain once...his only concern during the final days was for us, his family") and his desperate attempts to tell the dying father what he did not say to the living one are the highest points in CL's book. Chemotherapy; radiation; the reprieve; devastating surgeries; colostomy; morphine; the respirator. But CL also writes: "He had too much pride to let us know if he was suffering". Memories of his fater who held him after his mother's burial counterpoint his account. He makes also an alarming confession: "I remember feeling hurt that no one had told him...that I'd been out there with him through those many weeks he's been unconscious" although he admits: "We'd all remained in a state of utter denial".
   
   CL holds out to the end and his real, great merit is that he does without rose-colored-glasses because he understands that his father, about whom Kevin Spacey said that his humanity was even bigger than his talent, deserves the truth. I hope this book becomes a best-seller!



5. Actor Chris Lemmon,not as famous as his late movie star father Jack pays homage to the elder Lemmon in this book. The elder Lemmon has done quite a few films throughout his career with his late longtime friend Walter Matthau. Chris' mother divorced Jack when Chris was a toddler. Chris became a cast member of one of Fox's first sitcoms,Duet,which ran from April 1987 to August 1989. Duet was then spun off as Open House which ran for nearly a year. Chris' character Richard Phillips and his wife Linda,played by Alison LaPlaca, were respectively,a patio furniture salesman and an executive film producer. Richard quit the retail business and became a cocktail lounge pianist. On the spin-off Linda went into real estate. Post-Duet-OH,Chris has had a series of guest roles on various shows. Hundreds of people,including Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones,attended memorial services for Jack in 2001. Jack was 75 years old when he passed away. I dedicate this book to Jack's memory.

5 comments about Blue Highways: A Journey into America.

1. Took a tour of America with a chip on his shoulder. Guess it gives you a different perspective.



2. I have written many reviews for Amazon.com. Blue Highways is the only book to which I've given five stars. I would recommend it to anyone.
   
   Blue Highways is William Least Heat-Moon's account of his 1978 low-budget car ride across America. Heat-Moon's reporting reminds me a lot of Charles Kuralt's On the Road reports for CBS News. Heat-Moon has a talent for engaging strangers on the road and bringing out the best in them.
   
   What separates Blue Highways from so many other travel books? There are a variety of factors. Heat-Moon is a good writer. He understands pacing - and does not allow the story to bog down. He is, overwhelmingly, positive about the people and places that he encounters. Heat-Moon took pictures of many of the people he met and I think that those pictures add much to the book.
   
   More so than the above factors, however, I think that Heat-Moon's philsophical bent adds a lot to the book. Blue Highways is not just an account of a trip; in meeting these people and engaging them, Heat-Moon wants to help answer some of the big questions about why we are here and what it means to live a good life. While no one can answer those questions once and for all, Heat-Moon provides some great food for thought.
   
   As several reviewers have pointed out, Heat-Moon's 1978 descriptions of the USA are now poignant due to the changes in our society. Sadly, many of the older people he encountered must now be dead. Many of Heat-Moon's other observations are just as valid today as they were in 1978. Specifically, he laments the increasingly-homogeneous American culture, materialism, careerism, and many other problems.
   
   I first read Blue Highways in 1993. I reread it this summer (2008). It lost nothing on the second reading. If you like travel writing and are at all philosophical, this book will "speak" to you on so many different levels. Don't pass this one up; it's that rare, wonderful book that makes reading all of the mediocre books worthwhile.



3. I bought this book over 25 years ago. I picked it up by random because the the book's cover synopsis was intriguing. This book has been one of those books that I come back to over and over again. I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone who seeks a soul-searching adventure. You will feel like you are travelling right along with the author; experiencing his adventures and depth of self-discovery,,, first-hand.
   
   Buy this book and it will be a treasured book that you too, will come back to again, over and over throughout the years.



4. If you stop to think about it, this book and those like it really aren't about anything - just a person driving around the country because his relationship wasn't going well and he didn't have anything else to do. But for those of us who love to travel, doing it in person or vicariously through the words of a good travel writer is equally enjoyable, and Moon's anecdotes and experiences - the take he has on humanity - is ample reward for accompanying him on his wanderings.



5. This is an excellent journal of a troubled man's attempt to try to figure out who he is by taking a solitary journey to meet real people and see real places in this country. For all the loners and independent thinkers out there this is our "magic bus".