5 comments about Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (I Can Read Book 2).

1. I bought this for my 7 year old newphew and he loved it. He an early reader and was so proud of himself for reading such a big book all by himself. He laughed like crazy when he knew how she was going to mess things up. Some of the phrases are a little dated, so we had to explain a few things as we went along, but it was definitly a hit.



2. I got this book for my 6yr old granddaughter. She loves it. We take her camping with us and she is already reading books like this. I would recommend the Amelia Bedelia books for reading fun for this age group.



3. I think that Amelia Bedelia is really funny. I want to recommend this book to anyone who likes to laugh.



4. So Much fun to read to the kids, at the same time they learn the meaning of the words.



5. This I Can Read Book stars Amelia Bedelia who goes on a camping trip. Amelia has never been camping before so hilarity ensures as she is told to catch a fish--which she does and then she lets it go to Mr. Roger's dismay! He didn't tell her to hold on to it. From pitching the tent (throwing it in bushes) to starting a fire with pine cones (watching them to see how they start the fire)--Amelia Bedelia makes camping a very different experience than the Rogers family are used to.

5 comments about Curious George Goes Camping.

1. My child loves it when I read her stories before she goes to sleep and she loves Curious George.



2. Can't go wrong with any Curious George books. My 3 yr old has learned several 'site' words already.



3. While on Summer vacation, my nephew was acting up a little bit so I decided to distract him by reading a book. I had my Kindle with me and knew he liked monkeys so I crossed my fingers and got lucky - found some Curious George books. Score! He loved the book and the story of the silly monkey getting into trouble (and saving the day, of course!). All the kids had a great time with the story and talking about what that monkey was going to do next (and taking turns clicking the 'next page' button on the Kindle is always a draw). The bottom line is that the story is fabulous, the kids all walked away happy and chatting about other Curious George books and were satisfied.



4. My 2 grandchildren loved the book. I read it to them while we were in the tent we also got them for Christmas. Great fun!



5. It looks like I'm in the minority here, but I really don't enjoy reading this book. I bought it because I wanted a book about camping since it's an activity that we do pretty often. I wanted to like it. But I just find the text really unpleasant to read. After reading it twice it went into our donations pile.

5 comments about Hornady Reloading Handbook 7th Edition.

1. I have read some other reviews that recommend looking at a collection of reloading guides. I disagree 100% with this attitude. If you are using Hornady bullets (arguably one of - if not the best) then this is the book you should use. Lyman does not make bullets (do they?) so their research can get complicated since it covers too many variables. I suggest using a manual specific to the brand of bullets you are using and follow the recomendations carefully especally the brand of primers recommended. The case brand is the least important but if you can find the brand recommended for your caliber use them. I would not use any cases other than American made (Remington, Winchester) if you cannot locate the Hornady cases for example. I always choose the powder that produces the lowest velocity with the highest number of grains and start there. This reduces the chance of detonation and if you are doing things correctly (like using a device that measures actual velocity) you can work your way up from there. More is not better when it comes to reloading. Since I use nothing but Hornady bullets this is the only manual I need.



2. As per Hornady's usual standards this book is a wealth of knowledge and reasonably up to date reloading data.
   
   My last Hornady manual was a 2 volume set with one volume being ballistics tables. This volume is a single book with no ballistic information. Ballistic information, however, is available on the Hornady web site. This defeats the purpose of buying a printed book but does keep the price down so overall it seems to be a fair trade.
   
   There are a lot of new loads in this book. Some new cartridges can be found here as well.
   One draw back to printed manuals is the inability to immediately stay abreast of the latest happenings. Since this book was printed there has been many new powders, bullets and even cartridges that have come out that will not appear in print until the next version comes out.
   
   Drawbacks aside, Hornady provides, in addition to reloading data, excellent information on hand loading metallic cartridges.
   
   Overall a great book and one that deserves to be in the library of all reloaders.



3. Whether you are new to handloading or have 40 years of experience under your belt like I do, the latest Hornady Reloading Manual is a must have, invaluable tool.
   
   It covers the latest cartridges, the latest powders, and the latest ballistic data. Of course, all loads featured use Hornady bullets. That is, after all, their forte. Particularly useful is the section on loading for the M1 Garand semiauto rifle of World War II fame. The Garand is rugged and reliable as rock, but the gas operated action requires that powders and bullet weights be within certain parameters to avoid damage to the rifle or shooter. This information will go a long way to keep those old warhorses functional.
   
   I highly recommend this manual to anyone interested in the shooting sports. It is worth every penny.



4. This manual has everything you need to know about Hornady bullets. Reloading isn't what it used to be.



5. This, and the Speer book, are what I refer to most often. And that's how I judge how useful it is. I particularly like the layout as it makes it fast and easy to get to the relevant information.

5 comments about Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes.

1. Nice base information, i always find somthing new every time i get a chance to stop and read.



2. As a relative newcomer to endurance racing this has become my de-facto reference text. I've read the book cover to cover and highly recommend that you do so as well. Unlike the hundreds of training or nutrition fad books out there, Monique Ryan focuses on the fundamentals of nutrition, hydration, and the physiology of your body. For the first time, I can finally connect the dots between the nutrition discoveries I've made along the way while experimenting with my own diet, and even more importantly, I now understand why they worked. Likewise for hydration, supplements and recovery.
   
   A must read if you are serious about any endurance sport, and best of all, it is a very well written book that you can read from start to finish without any prior knowledge on the subject. Highly recommended.



3. I'm a distance a runner and I care about my nutrition, but what I don't care about is the inner science behind it. What I wanted was a reference guide to tell me what foods I should eat with maybe a BRIEF explanation why I should care to eat it. I don't want chapters and chapters of food sciences! Just tell me, eat X, Y, and Z, which will help you with A, B, and C with regards to distance running or any endurance sport. I don't want to know about lipids, amino acids, blah blah blah. If I was a food science expert, it would make sense to me but since I'm not, I feel like I'm reading through my college textbook.
   
   I did enjoy the tables in most of the chapters where certain foods were listed in order of how much of a particular ingredient they had (e.g. Omega-3, protein, carbs, etc). If the entire book was just a bunch of those tables along with one or two paragraphs of why those are good for you, I would've enjoyed reading this book much more. Instead, I had to put it down after about 1/3 of the way.



4. it was in great conditions and was quickly delivered. all I expect when buying a book. thanks!



5. Overall, a fairly useful book that a novice in the area like myself was able to learn from.

5 comments about The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.

1. This book has been a big help in ientifying birds that I photgraph. The info for each bird is very helpful by showing the areas the birds migrate, winter, summer and other helpful stats.



2. This is an excellent reference for birders living in the eastern half of the U.S. It contains detailed species information and key field marks for identification. I only found two drawbacks - I prefer photographs of birds rather than drawings, although drawings can show specific field marks that might not be visible in photographs, and the range maps are a bit small for local birding.
   
   This is a must-have guide for birders, although I think that a guide with photos would be better if you are just starting out or want to give a book as a gift to get someone started in birding.
   
   Marshall Faintich, author of "A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Wintergreen"



3. This book was a gift. The pictures are beautiful. It was just what was asked for and was delivered quickly. A complete and comprehensive guide.



4. Outstanding guide for quick reference in the field or at home. Enough info for the non-professional ornothalogist.



5. This guide is transportable and handy. It fits easily in a coat pocket and can be navigated around binoculars, but still has enough information to identify a bird reliably. If nothing else, use this for reference in the field and keep the big guide at home. I have never had a problem with a Sibley guide, and this is a marvelous little product.

5 comments about Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why.

1. I liked this book but it got on my nerves.
   
   If you liked the movie Top Gun; if you think the guys with the need for speed are "elite" (a term the author uses throughought the book when referring to his heroes, and you get the sense he includes himself in that number); if you love the macho adrenaline junkie jargon (which the author sometimes doesn't even bother to translate for us ordinary folk), you may love this book.
   
   On the other hand; if the guys in Top Gun sometimes grate on your nerves; if you think football heroes, aviators, race car drivers and military men can sometimes be full of themselves and overrated; this book will definitely get on your nerves.
   
   The author has some interesting insights, but if he could just get over himself, his Daddy and all of the other "elite" performers running around avoiding death, it would be a much more palatable read.
   
   This guy comes off a bit like a narcissist. His book screams "Look how *awesome* these dudes are and I'm one of THEM!!!!" He does name drop; he does seem to be talking down at us peons much of the time and spiritual quotes get thrown in sometimes as if they were in an SNL skit. Has more than a healthy dose of ego, this guy does. We "get" how special he and his homies are a few pages into it.
   
   I disagree with a reviewer who says he is sexist. True, most of his heroes are male, but there are a few female heroines that get their due in the book and they are pretty awesome chicks too.
   
   He does have some good information and interesting insights for us about the mindset and actions we need to survive scary situations. Information we can all use, God forbid, should we find ourselves in a dread situation.
   
   Take the good and blow off the bad, if you can. It's worth reading, but be ready to roll your eyes shake your head at the storyteller more than a few times.



2. Laurence Gonzales was impressed with the story of his father's survival during WWII, falling five miles out of the sky in an airplane and living to tell the tale. He was intrigued with the questions of not only how people survive in extreme circumstances, but also about how and why skilled people who should know better get into these situations. He explains quite a bit about how our brains and instincts work both for us and against us in these circumstances, and in so doing, produces a work that's fascinating, scientific, and compellingly readable. His summaries of what places people in peril and what helps them survive seemed so vital that I ended up reading the book twice, while ignoring a stack of unread books on my nightstand! I recommend this book to any reader, even the non-adventurous, and I look forward to reading his latest book as well.



3. A park ranger, while leading me on a rescue mission for my friend, on a very dark night in the wilderness, recommended this book. So I went to Amazon.com and bought it. It has changed the way I think about a lot of things I do. It's not so much a book of survival techniques or stories of heroism as it is a book of how people who survive dangerous situations think. There are some concrete ideas about thinking and will that apply to everyone's life whether we expect to be in danger or not. Well written, easily comprehended, compelling - some adjectives to describe this book.



4. Fabulous book about the philosophy of survivors and surviving.
   Filled with incredible accounts of survival and non-survival, and comparisons between them. This is one of the best books of the year. Fantastic!



5. Take a deep breath... say goodbye to family and friends for few hours or days... pick up the book... you won't stop reading if you're interested in outdoors. I started listening to the book on a Friday and couldn't stop until I finished it on the weekend. The book goes from one disaster to another...by the time you come to grips with one, another disaster is waiting. I agree with author's conclusion that knowing when you're pushing the envelope and when you're risking life is the difference. I recalled and relived two incidents in my outdoor life when I was close to making bad decisions.. both times trying to take short cuts in wilderness... Fortunately I backtracked and survived.
   
   I read it just to enjoy the book itself.. not necessarily correlate lessons to another area f life.

5 comments about Trailer Life RV Parks, Campgrounds and Services Directory 2010 (Trailer Life Directory : Campgrounds, Rv Parks & Services).

1. We buy this directory every year since we travel quite a bit. My wife (the navigator) prefers this directory over the Woodall's (both are produced by the same parent company) mostly because of the better layout. The stick-on state index tabs are tedious to put on but are helpful in quickly finding the state you are looking for. I wish the state locator maps were printed at the beginning of the state listings but all the maps are located toward the front of the book. I can understand why: they are in color and on a better grade paper. Just a little inconvenient to flip back and forth. Campground data provided is nearly always accurate. The Woodall's book has led us to a couple of dumpy campgrounds that weren't even listed in the Trailer Life directory. Seems like the TL Directory may have better reviewers.



2. I have used this book for a number of years and it is very helpful. For those of us who do not plan extended stops, or travel around, it is nice to know where to find campgrounds and what is available. Of a particular help is one that took me a while to realize and that is the amount of available rv's sites compared to the amount of open sites. Many times rv's don't seem to be all that welcome in places thar are mostly permanent residents. So as you look at the campground information and it says, for example, 250 sites--50 available, it will be full or permanent residents. Don't get me wrong, that is fine if it is what you prefer. I, however, prefer to stay with rv's who are doing similar to what I am. I have found them to be much friendlier and helpful. This is no big revelation to many but it has been my observation over the past 10 years.



3. Use both Woodalls & Trailer Life. It is good to see what each has to say before deciding on park.



4. It's better than nothing... This book is NOT a quick reference guide. It takes a lot of time to pour over the material. There's a lot of flipping back and forth over the material. Better use of tables, etc would be better.



5. Title should be changed to "RV Parks & Services" as this book is heavily slanted towards RV long term parks and NOT campgrounds. So, if you are a short term "camper", with or without an RV, you will spend a lot of time sifting through information that has absolutely little, if any, interest to you. As far as usefulness to long term RV "parkers" the internet, in my opinion, holds a much more useful and searchable database.

5 comments about Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.

1. If Krakauer's intention was to kill all of our romantic ideas about mountain climbing with this book, he undoubtedly succeeded. Whatever idealistic notions of bravery, athleticism, adventure, and brotherhood I had about this "sport", are now gone forever.
   
   What Krakauer delivers instead is a very tough picture of people who are ready to risk their lives and lives of those around them (guides, Sherpas, rescue workers) for the purpose of satisfying some masochistic macho aspirations of theirs or, even worse, to get some cheap fame. I now know that there is no sportsmanship or athleticism or fitness about these trips to the top of Everest. People kill their brain cells, they freeze off their body parts, they lose eye sight, they die, all for the privilege of standing on the top of the world for a few seconds. I never understood this achievement before, I understand it even less now, knowing the costs of it. Even more, what kind of an achievement it is, if everything is done for you - Sherpas build your camps, make your food, carry your baggage (including laptops, TVs, gourmet foods, and magazines), fix ropes for you to hang on, even haul you to the top if needed?
   
   But enough of ranting, time to talk about the book itself. I think Krakauer is a great non-fiction writer who manages to suck you into any story. Same goes for "Into Thin Air." It is a compelling book, more interesting in the latter part than in the beginning (once you pass 150-page mark, the book is virtually unputdownable). I personally would have preferred him to talk more about the trip and its difficulties rather than recounting everyone's back stories, but in the end, I have to admit, it adds certain relatability to the narrative. I also was afraid that he would spend a lot of time assigning blame to various players (including himself), but was pleased to see that he had learned from his "Outsider" article and came to the right conclusion that the Everest disaster was nobody's fault.
   
   Overall, a very interesting and in many ways eye-opening story, which in spite of being beyond my scope of interest, managed to hold my attention.



2. The pervasive biting cold that comes with extreme mountaineering cannot be escaped as the reader -- even knowing the tragic outcome -- greedily turns page after page to find out what happens next.
   
   Jon Krakauer's account of lives lost on the flanks of Mount Everest (which stands 29,028 feet high -- a number permanently etched into the reader's cortex) is no enticing travel brochure. Nearly every chapter is filled with some description of blood, vomit, pain, blindness, cold, frostbite. And there are new ailments specific to high-altitude life for the reader to absorb, ailments that deprive the brain of oxygen so severely that lucid thoughts and solid decisions become the exception rather than the norm.
   
   The description of Krakauer's time spent on the summit are particularly affecting. He does not write of glory or grandeur. He briefly mentions the peak (prayer flags, the Tibetan landscape below) and his actions (four snapshots of fellow climbers). And that's about it. This is not a book about being at the top of the world. This is a book about getting there. And even more importantly, about getting back.



3. Firstly I'd like to put forth my mountaineering credentials: They are absolutely non existent. Beyond knowing that mountain climbing involves ... well climbing mountains and vague ideas of ice axes, crampons and the like I've never climbed something higher than incidental slopes while bushwalking. But let me just say that while this book is largely uncluttered by technical jargon and stops well short of expanding upon the minutia of what happened on Mt Everest in 1996 this book is one heck of a read. Literally I devoured the thing. And then turned around and practically re-read it twice within the span of one week.
   
   Now the prose isn't going to win a Pulitzer. That isn't a criticism by the way, just a statement of fact. But what Mr Krakauer has managed to achieve here is to impart the feel of things, that indefinable X factor, and managed to convey it to the mountaineering layman such as myself. The author explains enough of the technical aspects to let the newcomer understand some of the pitfalls of such high altitude escapades and his personal knowledge and involvement in the events at hand allows him to impart real tension and first person drama to proceedings. Of course, I suppose some will find this very aspect somewhat damaging to the project - after all after such an event a person is going to have some issues trying to lay forth with the clearest account, but it's my gut instinct that unless you are after a dry-as-a-desert report style tome then this is pretty much your book for getting a handle on the low down of what went down during a harrowing few days at the top of the world.
   
   Topped off with some colour plates (at least in my edition) this book captured my imagination mainly due to the subject matter at hand but also the authors brisk style and his on-hand observations of the issues that affected both the ascent and the descent and the fact that the author is himself a climber means he doesn't fall into the trap of armchair moralising about in some sort of detached way. While he offers theories and suppositions he usually points out areas where he is using conjecture and all up... oh I'm sick of typing - just buy the book and enjoy a great yarn that never lets you forget that these were real people fighting for their lives.
   
   
   P.S - this is a product where you can sort of tell its quality by the level of criticism levelled at it. Go and read some of the one star reviews and they'll almost certainly make you want to buy this such are their pithy nature.



4. Krakauer's account of this tragic episode is very personal and compelling. I found the book hard to put down and was gripped by the human element that slowly and inescapably evolved into disaster. It's a book that you will think of long afterward and wonder about the "what-ifs." It's on my top ten list - I give it 5 stars.



5. I was looking forward to reading Into Thin Air, I love mountaineering and Mt. Everest, and the life & death struggles that come with it, and nothing like sad tragedy to make me feel...alive and thankful.
   I read this book in 2 days, but went from enthralled with the mountain drama to disappointed with Mr. Krakauer's growingly evident biases.
   
   I wish he could have been more objective, and less self-serving.
   Once I sensed his own selfishness coming through the accounts of this journey, the book and his writing turned me off, completely.

5 comments about the Next EXIT (2010 edition) (Next Exit: The Most Complete Interstate Highway Guide Ever Printed).

1. THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR TRAVELERS LIKE MYSELF. I RARELY GET OUT ON THE ROAD AND IT MAKES IT SO MUCH EASIER TO FIND THE CORRECT TURN OFFS AND OTHER INFORMATION I NEED. I BOUGHT TWO COPIES SO ONE IS LEFT IN MY TRUCK..



2. Has very concise, accurate information that we use in deciding our stops as we travel.



3. This is a great book to have while traveling with our large travel trailer, we can look ahead and see which exit has my favorite kind of gas or restarant and has when it is in RED type we know we should have room to fit the travel trailer. This saves a huge amount of stress.



4. We have a travel trailer and "The Next Exit" is great for finding places to eat and fuel stops that can handle the length of our rig. Keeps us from waisting our time or getting in somewhere and not being able to get out. Only problem is it is only interstates but it's still a very useful tool. We get a new one every year even though it is probably not required.



5. This is such a time saver. When you have a large RV that is difficult to manuver, this guide is a necessity. I am so happy that they came out with this new, updated edition. We love this Guide and use it on every trip, even in the car.

5 comments about SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition: For Any Climate, in Any Situation.

1. This book has a ton of great info, a lot of which I personally learned in the Army. There is so much that I didn't know or was no too familiar with also. If you do a lot of camping or backpacking, this book would come in handy. Just make sure you actually try and practice what you read. You don't want your first time to be the time that your life depends on your skill.



2. The book was bigger than I thought from other reviews, but it's still a good piece of gear.



3. Needs glossy pictures of some things like plants, traps, and shelters. A sketch doesn't quite cut it when you're learnign about something completely new like making a snare/trap... I'd like to see some photographs of how they end up looking.



4. this is the best book ever. I had the old colon's gem pocket version but this one is better.
   the pocket one has it's place, But i highly recommend this book.



5. Hey!
   
   This is the book to read if you want to know how to survive high-risk, difficult situations. Chances may be good you never have to use the information in here, but it certainly can't hurt, and in the current economy, the information may come in handy in a non-survival situation.
   
   I've read a lot of Survival Handbooks, and I like the variety of information in them, but this one is the one that I really had to have. The information goes a little deeper, and it all is laid out in a attention grabbing way. This one also hase the broadest range of subjects, attempting to cover more survival situations than most books. And it does a pretty decent job of covering them, too. However, John "Lofty" Wiseman hasn't been in the SAS for a very long time, so the modern methods they use aren't going to be in here. But it is a great reference to use on survival methods, and I intend to learn the skills they mention.
   
   Hope that helps all you potential customers, and happy reading!
   
   Luv ya,
   Tashi :)