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Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

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Tags: italy overview eyewitness travel guide tuscany viareggio lucca travel florence eyewitness trips and journeys rome travel guide eyewitness travel guides italy

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        Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guides)Italy offers an extraordinary kaleidoscope of regions and experiences for all visitors. Packed with photographs, illustrations and maps the Eyewitness Travel to Italy has mapped out all of the remarkable flavors of Italy. Use this guide to help you decide where to stay, eat, relax, and shop. Every page in the Eyewitness Travel to Italy has pinpointed the highlights of each fascinating region.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #9550 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

DK visits Italy by John O. Treglia
DK travel guides (Eyewitness brand) are known for its unique photograpy and pictures. They are printed full-color and magazine-style and the sublime pictures get supreme treatment. The maps are not ideal, but they do the job for some one new to Italy and answers the question of what to see and where to go with a little history and background tossed in. The maps will get you from Florence’s Pitti Palace across the River Arno and to the Galleria to see Michelangelo’s David, but good luck finding that little bistro in the cobblestone alley. This is a guide for the county of Italy in general and its regions and may lack some depth in terms of detail but for the first and even second time visitor to Italy its great considering its relative small weight and size in your travel case or backpack. Don’t expect this guidebook to have that out-of-the-way gallery, or even the celebrated gelato shop directions. This little book covers the most important sites in any given city or region - with lush pictures that DK is known for and short blurbs to match. It also covers general information to the first time visitor covering money, agencies, other basic travel information which can be of great help to some one not famliar to Italy.

Okay but there are better by Melisa A. Mrazik
I have ordered the Eyewitness Travel books for the past 4 years for trips to Ireland, New Zealand, Russia and Greece and have been really satisfied with the illustrations and information presented. However, I’ve not been as impressed with this volume on Italy. A friend that is traveling with me purchased the Rick Steves’ Italy 2008 book and it has much better information and walking guides. Also, that book is lighter! Although it doesn’t have all of the glossy pictures of the Eyewitness Travel Italy book, the hints that are provided in Steves’ book are much more useful to take with you when you plan to travel across Italy.

Tons of Pictures and Detail by J. Smith
This is a great guide for finding out what you ‘need’ to see in Italy, and what would be ‘nice’ to see. Reason being, this guide leaves little to discovery and includes a picture of just about every major attraction in Italy. It is arranged nicely and includes the major regions. It isn’t big on detail or writing, but that isn’t why you purchase an ‘eyewitness’ guide! Reccomended as your first guide to consult if contemplating an Italy trip. If you need more detail, start looking at the guides specific to the regions that interest you (Frommer’s, Lonely Planet etc.)

Excellent For Armchair Traveling by teri775
The Eyewitenss Travel Guides are great if you want to learn more about another country and its culture.
I read the one on Great Britain and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one on “Italy,” seems to be just as good.
I have not used the Eyewitness Guides to plan a trip so I’m not sure how helpful they are for that.
The book is filled with maps, colorful photos and fascinating tidbits (historical and contemporary) of information.
Makes a good gift for those who love Italy and want to learn more about it.

Everything you need in one book by Sharebear79
A friend of mine recommended this book to me for our upcoming honeymoon to Italy. This book has been so helpful in planning every aspect of our honeymoon, from where to stay, to eat and to see. The street by street maps are going to be very useful when we get to Italy.

• Rick Steves’ Italy 2008 (Rick Steves)
• Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
• France (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
• Rome (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
• Rick Steves’ Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

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Tags: the world is flat refactoring skills analysis competitiveness outsourcing arbitrage pragmatic programmer programming professional employment

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        My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)You’ve already lost your job. You may still be drawing a paycheck, but the job you were hired to do no longer exists. Your company has changed, the technology has changed, the economy has changed, and the ways you can add value have changed. Have you adapted to these changes? Or are you at risk?

Architect your career

Economic downturn. Job cuts. Outsourcing. The ever-changing tech landscape. The threats abound. Chad Fowler is here to offer 52 ways to keep your job, despite the vagaries of the market.

• It’s all about making the right choices. Choosing which technologies to focus on and which business domains to master have at least as much impact on your success as your technical knowledge–don’t let those choices be accidental. Chad shows you all aspects of the decision-making process so you can ensure that you’re investing your time and energy in the right areas.
• It’s all about skills. You’ll develop a structured plan for keeping your skills up-to-date so that you can compete with both the growing stable of developers in so-called low-cost countries as well as your higher-priced local peers. You’ll learn how to shift your skillset up the value chain, from an offshore-ready commodity to one in high demand.
• It’s all about marketing. As with any product or service, if nobody knows what you’re selling, nobody will buy. Chad shows you how to create a plan for marketing yourself both inside your company and to the industry in general.

Like it or not, the IT career landscape has changed. This handbook will teach you what you need to do to avoid being left behind.

About the author Chad Fowler has been a software developer and manager for some of the world’s largest corporations. He recently lived and worked in India, setting up and leading an offshore software development center for a large multinational company.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #47055 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

A fresh look on things by Dejan Fajfar
This book has changed the way I look at my business. There is not much to say about this book. It is short enough to read it in one weekend a I would strongly advise you to do so.

Funny name, Serious Book by smcheril
“Pragmatic Bookshelf” has a solid reputation for publishing great books and this book is no exception. This one ranks right up there with books like “The Pragmatic Programmer” and “Code Complete”. With small bite sized chapters with specific and pointed advice, you won’t go wrong buying this book.

In the era of globalization — specifically with regard to software development, the book offers a complete list of techniques and approaches to not just survive but excel in the programming world. Having lived in India for a short while, he has some really astute observations about India including some great tips related to recruiting good programmers. There are a couple of chapters available for free off the publishers website. Read them and also take a look at the table of contents. Just the table of contents is probably worth the price of the book.

It is unfortunate that the title “My job went to India …” was chosen. Apparently, the author’s propensity for cuteness overcame his wisdom. Looking at the cover makes it seem like some kind of a trashy joke book and it’s possible that a lot of folks might have given it the go-by judging the book by its cover. The publishers might be doing the general public a great service by releasing a new edition with some updates and renaming it while not wearing their funny hats — maybe something like “The Relevant Programmer”.

Highly relevant practical advice by Damodar Chetty
Wonderful, easy to read, and well written to boot.

I was impressed with how well he walked the line regarding outsourcing - neither demonizing/denigrating the offshore programmer nor doing a Chicken Little impression of the “sky is falling”. This is by far one of the most balanced treatises on offshoring that I’ve read.

His assessment of the state of the industry, as well as the strengths/weaknesses of the offshore competition for an IT job is generally spot on.

E.g., he notes that an offshore “specialist” is simply someone who has never worked on anything else (say 5 years doing nothing but Java), and does not indicate how well that individual knows the subject matter; and that paradoxically offshoring actually ends up creating a lot more jobs onshore - esp. for a “higher bracket of developers”. He also notes the inability of most offshore developers to say “no” - the dreaded “just one more day” syndrome. Then there’s the small matter of time lost due to communication issues between geographically distributed teams. And, I’ve been asked to sit in as an “English-to-English” translator on numerous occasions.

In short, the phenomena he notes are all ones that I’ve observed in the past few years.

Not that I agree completely with his cultural understanding of India though. Its difficult to see a culture that’s literally thousands of years old and get a grasp of its underlying complexity in 18 months spent working primarily with IT workers. The professionals he works with are a product of a complex culture and its difficult to generalize based on such a specialized sample.

For instance, in the chapter on Mentoring he states that in the West “Everything is competition”. However, in his Introduction he talks about having to hire 25 people out of 30,000 applicants in India. Yes, you read that last number right. I’m not sure how he reconciles these two facts in his own mind - but let me assure you that there’s nothing quite like competing academically/professionally in India. (I’m constantly dismayed by the focus in our public schools here, on fostering a “everybody’s a winner” attitude in schools).

However, to his credit his missteps are rare.

Read as a workbook on how American developers should optimize their interactions with offshore teams, this book deserves 5 stars.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

This book’s other objective - on keeping your toolset sharp and ready does not fare quite so well.

My biggest issue is that there is not much by way of new advice. And unless you’re asleep at your career’s wheel, you’re already doing much of what he suggests. Don’t get me wrong - its not bad advice per se - though I did not agree with all the recommendations.

For e.g., he derides people from calling themselves specialists because they don’t understand how to make a JVM say uncle. But then he recommends that you don’t specialize in a technology stack such as J2EE, because it is not platform neutral. Specifically vis a vis J2EE and .NET, he says “master one and get good at the other”. Spoken like a true “manager”.

If you sit and think about the variety of software that comprises the J2EE pantheon in all its glory - I’d argue that you would find it difficult to be a specialist in every one of its areas, never mind also being “good at” the Microsoft stack. Not if you want to go home at the end of the day and have a life, that is.

I think I am pretty passionate about my career - but it does not define me, and it would be a great loss to me, if it did.

There are a few gems in here - like the Mind Reader chapter which talks about picking up ‘water cooler conversational cues’ from your coworkers about potential improvements and then making them happen in your down time, to seem like a miracle worker.

For the most part, the ideas end up being pretty much recycled from the grand old classic that is the “Pragmatic Programmer” by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas. That book is a must read - even though it is a bit dated in places today. In other words, this book is largely a retelling of that earlier work in a newer context.

This part of the book rated 3 stars.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The reason I highly recommend it, is that love it, hate it, or /dis/agree with it, you’ll come away the richer for forming your own opinions. These are a practitioner’s thoughts rather than a theoretical dissertation - and that is worth its weight in gold.

Solid Book by Maureen Brennan
As a North American software developer, I definitely got a lot out of this book. I don’t really fear my job being outsourced to India but I wanted to understand what the issues were with outsourcing and can IT shops in India deliver the same value at North American ones.
Outsourcing to India is just a part of this book and the general theme is how to stay more relevant to your organization when technology is constantly changing. There is a lot of useful advice about how to make yourself more valuable to your organization (and deliver more value to your organization).
[...]

Unimpressive, general career advice. by bongo
This book has a bunch of generic advice along the lines of keep up with things and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Not exactly a revelation here.
If you read the relevant blogs, web sites and talk to people in the industry you don’t need this book.

• The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
• Agile Web Development with Rails, 2nd Edition
• Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management (Pragmatic Programmers)
• Practices of an Agile Developer: Working in the Real World (Pragmatic Programmers)
• Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers’ Guide, Second Edition

City at the End of Time

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Tags: hugo award winner sci-fi future library nebula winner fantasy science fiction greg bear

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        City at the End of TimeMultiple Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, Greg Bear is one of science fiction’s most accomplished writers. Bold scientific speculation, riveting plots, and a fierce humanism reflected in characters who dare to dream of better worlds distinguish his work. Now Bear has written a mind-bendingly epic novel that may well be his masterpiece.

Do you dream of a city at the end of time?

In a time like the present, in a world that may or may not be our own, three young people–Ginny, Jack, and Daniel–dream of a doomed, decadent city of the distant future: the Kalpa. Ginny’s and Jack’s dreams overtake them without warning, leaving their bodies behind while carrying their consciousnesses forward, into the minds of two inhabitants of the Kalpa–a would-be warrior, Jebrassy, and an inquisitive explorer, Tiadba–who have been genetically retro-engineered to possess qualities of ancient humanity. As for Daniel: He dreams of an empty darkness–all that his future holds.

But more than dreams link Ginny, Jack, and Daniel. They are fate-shifters, born with the ability to skip like stones across the surface of the fifth dimension, inhabiting alternate versions of themselves. And each guards an object whose origin and purpose are unknown: gnarled, stony artifacts called sum-runners that persist unchanged through all versions of time.

Hunted by others with similar powers who seek the sum-runners on behalf of a terrifying, goddess-like entity known as the Chalk Princess, Ginny, Jack, and Daniel are drawn, despite themselves, into an all but hopeless mission to rescue the future–and complete the greatest achievement in human history.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #8364 in Book
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A lot more fantasy than expected by io loki
Interesting book and ideas, but too much on the fantasy side. If you like hard sci fi, this is not exactly what you’re looking for, especially since this book is on the longer side and a little pricey. However, still a very interesting book. I give it 3 stars because there is too much fantasy for my taste. For someone that DOES like fantasy, this would be a 4.

The End of Everything by Patrick Shepherd
In some ways, this book harks back to some works like Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker, dealing as it does with an incredibly vast sweep of time and across the bounds of the entire cosmos (and beyond). At the same time, embedded within it are some of the latest thoughts and theories about just what makes universe be what it is, from quantum entanglement, the many universes concept, to observer based determination of what the world is and will be.

It starts in the incredibly far future, and the described situation at this starting point is intriguing as we see what’s left of humanity (or human-like beings) confined to a small area and fighting a losing battle with Chaos. This early section may be the best part of this book, as everything is weird and new, and hints at the history and genesis of the current situation are dropped into the descriptions of this very odd environ, making for an absorbing interaction between reader and words.

Interspersed with this far-future world is the second major thread of this novel, as we return to the world of today and follow three very unique individuals as they try to figure out just where they fit in the world, why they are being hunted (and by what), what they can do with their special abilities, and just what the connection is between these people and those of the far future.

Up to this point, all very good. But as we proceed deeper into this work, problems appear. First is the language used to describe the Chaos. In the hands of someone like Delany or Zelazny, this could have been a treat, but Bear’s descriptions have two deadly faults: a lack of definition, a haziness, no scintillating concrete images that you can wrap your mind around; and constant use of the same words and language to describe this non-image - everything is dry, cracked, melted, crushed, twisted, crazed, dim, and dark. As this type of material occupies a large portion of the second half of the novel, it becomes a definite slog to continue reading these same non-descriptions of hazy somethings again and again.

The problem of lack of definition also applies to the major characters, as I found little to make these people stand out as living, breathing things, or why I should care about their ultimate fate. Part of this due to the fact that all of them are manipulated by various `higher powers’ to fix the paths and decisions they will make, and the basic motivations of these higher powers are themselves not well delineated till very near the end of the book.

Then there is the final resolution of the two major threads of this work. I found it to be totally predictable both in terms of the decisions of the major characters and the ultimate conclusion of the entire story arc, not good for a work whose major premise deals with choice, unpredictability, and the infinite possibilities of all possible universe world-lines.

This work needed some severe pruning of most of the descriptive sections, and deeper, more fleshed out looks at the internals of its characters. As it is, I found it hard to finish this work, and was left with quite a feeling of disappointment.

—Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Several hundred pages too long. by J. Canaan
I try to read every book written by Greg Bear and have been a fan for some time. However, this book just did not do it for me. It felt like I wasted several days waiting for something to happen that never does. It is about 250 pages too long. It will not stop me from continuing to read books by Mr. Bear, but I will not have the same expectations that I have had in the past.

AWESOME BOOK!!! But Not For Everyone by Frank Segler
I just finished reading Greg Bear’s “City At The End Of Time.” It was a real page turner for me. I can understand why others would see him dipping into fantasy and all these things, but I just don’t agree. Since no one really knows what happened BEFORE the universe came into being, any interpretation is as good as any other.

This book is for people who love sci-fi, and like it stuffed full of theoretical physics. I didn’t read a single thing which would fall outside of the realm of the theoretical possible (though extreme.)

Carries the concept of observer based reality to its extreme (or observer dependent realty.) I personally believe this to be a dead end in theoretical nuclear and astrophysics, because the conclusions it forces us to draw are so absurd and do not mesh with the intuitive. However it is fascinating to read a book written with this type of physics at its very core.

Thought experiments (the very creation of observer based physics), are a great tool for trying to understand astrophysics, but they are simple one of many tools. Just like mathematics is not a true representation of the world in reality, so too are thought experiments not a true representation of reality. They are merely echoes of the real, sometimes leading to new truths, sometimes misleading to absurd paths, like the many worlds theory, where every persons decision spins off a new universe ad infinitum. Sorry, just don’t buy it.

That is a basic premise of the book, one of temporal entropy. As you get deeper into the book, as time in the book moves forward so too the disentropic effects of time. Causality rum amok. That is where it becomes fantasy-like, but never leaves the grounds of todays current thinking about the far future and the heat death of the universe, when matter itself ceases to exist. It is of course a sci-fi writers wild extrapolation and interpretation of what that world might be like.

Some further thoughts:

Entangled matter, presumably once separated by vast distances now collapsed and as entanglement brought them together, they dance as if an aurora borealis in groups.

Chaography - A newly minted word, which seems to mean different things to different people judging my google results seems to mean something totally different here. Chaos theory seems to be a purely baryonic playground, therefore one must presume that its a concatenation of chaos (not chaos theory), and topography, in other words, as time winds down and decays, as the end state of a cold universe approaches, Chaography, as Greg uses it in his book, I THINK means a general description of the chaotic state and effects of a dead, or near dead, universe. But thats speculation - others may have their own opinions.

I personally believe (yes its a belief), that at some point during the end times decay, before, near, or at the point of absolute heat death, we will hit a ‘phase transition’, which will drop our entire universe into a lower energy density state, thereby creating another violent big bang whereever that phase transition is first realized.

His descriptions of a null-entropic landscape are fascinating to say the least. Kafkaesque in prime radiance

Greg borrows key words from Sanskrit, like the sleeping Brahma, Kalpa, and several others. I suppose it makes sense as the Indians have had the longest sense of ‘time’ as any other culture. Oh lots of Greek in there too, like Astyanax, Eidolon, Typhon,

Sections of the book jump back and forth between chapters titled 10 zeroes, and 14 zeroes. Isn’t that a fascinating comparison? That today our universe is of an age of 10 zeroes. But that beyond the heat death and presumably the end of the universe is just 14 zeroes. I really liked that perspective.

In short, I think this is Greg Bear’s best work. I hope others find it as unique and interesting as I have.

F. Segler

A Bit Zelazny-ish by David A. Lessnau
Greg Bear’s “City at the End of Time” is an interesting book (perhaps “weird” (in a good way) might be a better word). The way Bear writes in this novel and his cosmological (almost theistic) theme reminds me somewhat of Roger Zelazny’s old work. The only quibble I have with the book is that there’s a bit too much “slogging through the wilderness” type of activity in it. Of course, Bear needs that slogging time to finish up the linkage between his two groups of people in the present and the future. Overall, I rate this book at a Very Good four stars out of five.

• Marsbound
• The Last Theorem
• Incandescence
• Anathem
• Saturn’s Children

Into the Dreaming

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Tags: read read before consider succelerator evaluating moning karen marie moning novels unput downable historical romance fiction scotland moning favorite author vampire romance book highland romance turmolous love time travel roma fabulous too small fey love returns through the portal of time

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• amazon.com Sales Rank: #7695 in Book
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Great addition to the Highlander Series!! by J. Kasper
This is a novella from the Karen Moning books that feature characters from the MacKeltar storyline. All I can say is…READ THIS BOOK! It is a great mixture of magic, highlands, passion & humor. The characters are well developed and get you itching to read the rest of the MacKeltar books (#1 “Kiss of the Highlander” - (Drustans story),#2 “Dark Highlander” (drustans twin), #3 “Immortal Highlander” (Adam Black - side character interacting w/ MacKeltars), #4 “Spell of the Highlander” (part of MacKeltar clan), #5 “Highlander’s Touch” (seperate story linked w/ Adam Black), #6 “Into the Dreaming” - a novella that features the fairy queen mentioned in the other books. NOTE: This is my suggestion for the order to read them in. There is not real official order in which to read them. All I know is once you finish this book, you will be itching to read the rest. ENJOY!!!

She keeps me coming back for more… by K. S. Michaels
Wow…an excellent read with Jane Sillee & Aedan MacKinnon, a union of soul mates with her given only thirty days to make him remember their inseparable tie or lose him forever to Unseelie King as Vengeance. Sometimes a short, humorous, cleaver story of the best romance is all we have time for in this busy world. I, for one, inquired as to how any pages to expect when I purchased it…no surprise there. This is a well written story of a fantastic time and place. I highly recommend this and all Karen Marie Moning. I will, no doubt, read this one a dozen more times.

Into the Dreaming by J. Lester
I just can’t get enough of Karen’s books. She does a wonderful job. The only problem with this book is that I wish it would have been longer.

Its a sneak peek. by Sara Davis
Those of you unfamiliar with Karen Marie Moning may be disappointed and pout when you realize that this book is a bit of a novella. Personally, I am always sad when her books end because I have to wait for the next one. I don’t feel that this book is a disappointment at all. It is a gentle transition into the Fae series and without this little installment, how will you understand where the Seelie Queen is being held prisoner??? Read it and consider it a sneak peek or a bridge between those delicious McKeltars in Scotland and Mac in Ireland.

Not worth it by Gail
The book was so small it wasn’t worth the time it took to open it.

• To Tame a Highland Warrior (Highlander, Book 2)
• The Immortal Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 6)
• Darkfever (Fae)
• Bloodfever
• Spell of the Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 7)

Black Wave: A Family’s Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them

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Tags: human endurance action adventure ship crashes book club action and adventure summer read growing up travel memoirs boating sailing family life great summer read adventure family travel

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        Black Wave: A Family’s Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them“I told God that if he would let us survive this night, I would make it mean something worthwhile. And then, somehow, I felt calmer than I have ever felt. Unreasonably so. Irrationally so. I looked over the scene of our wrecked life and I smiled–a crazy smile for sure–and I looked through the dark at the mad beauty of it.”
–Jean Silverwood

An exhilarating true-life adventure of one family’s extraordinary sea voyage of self-discovery and survival, tragedy and triumph

Successful businessman John Silverwood and his wife, Jean, both experienced sailors, decided the time was right to give their four children a taste of thrilling life on the high seas. And indeed their journey aboard the fifty-five-foot catamaran Emerald Jane would have many extraordinary and profound moments, whether it was the peaceful late-night watches John enjoyed under the stunning celestial sky or the elation shared by the whole family at the sight of blissful pods of dolphin and migrating tortoises. John and Jean had hoped to use the trip as a teaching opportunity, with theEmerald Jane as a floating classroom in which to instruct their children in important lessons–not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life when stripped down to its essence, far from the trappings of civilization.

Yet rather than flourishing amid the new freedoms and responsibilities thrust upon them, the children were sometimes confused, frightened, resentful. The two oldest, fourteen-year-old Ben and twelve-year-old Amelia, missed their friends and the comfortable life left behind in San Diego, while the two youngest, Jack, seven, and Camille, three, picked up on the stressful currents running above and below the surface–for throughout the journey, the Silverwood family found its bonds tested as never before.

John and Jean, whose marriage had weathered its share of storms, would wonder again if they had taken on too much as the physical, emotional, and financial strains of caring for the expensive catamaran and their children brought old resentments to the surface.

John’s dream trip that began on Long Island Sound ended almost two years later as a nightmare in treacherous waters off a remote atoll in French Polynesia, where, in an explosion of awesome violence, the terrifying brunt of the ocean’s anger fell upon the Emerald Jane.

Gradually, in the crucible of the sea, a stronger, more closely knit unit was forged. The Silverwoods became a crew. Then they became a family again. But just as it seemed to them that they had mastered every challenge, their world was shattered in a split-second of unimaginable horror. Now their real challenge began, forcing them to fight for their very lives.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #13676 in Book
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Lessons learned at sea by Mary Longorio
John and Jean Silverwood decide to put their busy daily lives aside and take their four children on a round the world adventure at sea. The Silverwoods feel as though the fast pace of life in San Diego has pulled the family in too many directions. They purchase the Emerald Jane and set of on an once-in-a-lifetime adventure with Ben (14), Amelia (12), Jack (7), and Camille (3). Using the sea and new ports as a school and hoping to satiate John’s seemingly endless need for adrenalin, the Silverwoods also have to manage worries about pirates, unfriendly ports, balky generators and whatever the sea throws at them. The close quarters of the catamaran make clashes inevitable as Ben, missing his friends and diversions in California becomes sullen, Jean worries and John slips into old habits and the dream voyage threatens to become a battle of wills. However, the beauty of the sea, the sea life, new ports, discovering new friends and discovering new strengths within themselves, the Silverwoods keep on their journey until the unthinkable happens. The Emerald Jane hits a reef and the family`s survival depends on the lessons learned at sea.

This is an engrossing book that kept me hooked right till the end of the first portion. The portion about the Julia Ann and her crew and fate, not as interesting. I also had bit of a hard time with Jean’s excusing John’s behaviors (selfishness?) and putting herself down in comparison. That said, this is as much a tale of a family’s growth as a tale of a journey

A tremendous story, well told by Jerry D. Tiff
Couldn’t put this one down. It is written from two points of view, that bring the reader to the same conclusion. As a sailor, I find the narrative extremely interesting, and well written from an experienced wind sailor’s perspective. Not to give away the later part of the story, I found it chilling, and poignant. The government employees involved deserve kudos from the sailing community as a whole for the timely and courageous responses. This fine story gives an excellent insight into those of us who voyage in our own boats, or live aboard boats as our life style. I thoroughly recommend Black Wave to sailors and non-sailors alike.

I couldn’t put it down! by Michelle Enright
I have followed the adventure of the Silverwood Family through personally knowing them and reading in the San Diego Union & Readers Digest. When I heard their book had been published, I bought it immediately. Jean did a superb job in describing the details of the family and the whole voyage. I read it cover to cover without stopping.

Breathless Journey with Soul by Bookgiver
Even though it is apparent from the picture of the handsome, healthy Silverwoods on the back cover, that the family lives and through their harrowing shipwreak, the book is so riviting a read, that I couldn’t put it down until everyone was home safe in California. Jean’s interesting method of flashbacks and forwards, helped me to understand the state of mind of each of the family members which made for an uncomfortably but thrillingly close identification during the worst of the crisis. Her willingness to make her own and the family’s foibles visible to the reader made it easy to know and accept them as the vulnerable people they are in spite of their decision to undertake this adventure in the first place, which for most of us, is way out of our sphere of comfort. John’s impressionistic style and his research on their counterpart ship, many years earlier, punctuated their experience with a universality and timelessness that might otherwise not be noticed. It is always great to have a book that keeps you awake!

Dumb&Dumber by K. Halleck
I can’t believe all the great reviews on this…maybe these people read the book and it is different from the experience of listening to the CD. Jean and John not only put their own lives at risk but risked the lives of their three children (who had very little choice in the matter) to boot! I felt bad that the teenage son was unable to be with his friends at home in CA and instead was dragged around the world…exposed to violent seas and dangerous PIRATES all because his mom and dad apparently were bored with their lives (and marriage it seems) and needed to put some “zest” in it. I am sure they will make a movie out of it…but I will pass on it!

• Sail
• Audition: A Memoir
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
• Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes-and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communication, and Touching the Beyond
• The Beach House

Streetwise Manhattan Map - Laminated City Street Map of Manhattan, New York - with integrated subway lines and stations - bus map

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Tags: nyc map trips and journeys nyc maps streetwise nyc new york mass transit convenient travel map portable nyc travel map travel guide new york city street maps-grid

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        Streetwise Manhattan Map - Laminated City Street Map of Manhattan, New York - with integrated subway lines and stations - bus mapStreetwise Manhattan Map - Laminated City Street Map of Manhattan, New York - Folding pocket size NYC travel map with integrated subway lines & stations - bus map

This map covers the following areas:
Main Manhattan Map 1: 27,000
Manhattan Bus Map

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #6445 in Book
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Great Map! by Estefania Fernandez
This is a great map of the city, easy to carry around. It’s plastic, a big plus when it starts raining or if you spill anything on it. My only complain is that it does not include a Subway Map. It has Subway Routes in the map but with all the streets, etc it get a little difficult to make out.
Overall, great map. A must have for tourist or anyone new to the city.

A nice map of NYC by Almagirl
I purchased this map to use on a short trip to NYC. Although it is laminated and folds up to pocket size, there were better maps in the guide books I purchased. On the trip, I didn’t use it very much.

Adequate Map - light weight. by P. Newman
I rate this as number three of the four references I purchased to help me navigate NYC. It’s sturdy, compact, light weight and packs in all the information you might need to navigate Manhattan and hit the tourist spots.
This is the map to buy if you want to travel light in Manhattan.

Lame nyc map by R. Formica
don’t waste your money. just because its laminated doesn’t make it a good map. Not all streets are on it and sections of manhattan are missing. I wouldn’t count on this map to help you out if you don’t know the area and have things memorized before you get here. WE got lost on more than one occasion trying to use this thing.
Get the NFT black book of nyc instead. It has all you need and is small enough to fit into your purse or pocket.

The Best Maps in the World!!! by NancyAnne Canaletich
I use these maps on every trip I go on! They are so accurate and easy to use. The map is durable for every type of weather and small enough to stick in a small bag. There is a streetwise map for every major city we have gone to and we love them! It’s a great “memory keeper” as well.

• Streetwise Transitwise Map - Laminated New York Metropolitan Commuter Rail Map - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise)
• The Best Things to Do in New York City: 1001 Ideas
• New York (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
• Not for Tourists 2008 Guide to New York City (Not for Tourists: New York City)
• Frommer’s New York City 2008 (Frommer’s Complete)

Gulliver’s Travels (Penguin Classics)

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Tags: 18th century britlit historical dimensions and perspectives magic carpet ride politics british trips and journeys jonathan swift fiction gulliver yahoo humanity novel dangerous books action literature classics adventure penguin classics satire classic literature

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        Gulliver’s Travels (Penguin Classics)Shipwrecked castaway Lemuel Gulliver’s encounters with the petty, diminutive Lilliputians, the crude giants of Brobdingnag, the abstracted scientists of Laputa, the philosophical Houyhnhnms, and the brutish Yahoos give him new, bitter insights into human behavior. Swift’s fantastic and subversive book remains supremely relevant in our own age of distortion, hypocrisy, and irony.

Edited with an Introduction by Robert DeMaria, Jr.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #9016 in Book
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1. Items eligible for this promotion will vary over time. Items placed in the Shopping Cart overnight may not be eligible for promotion at time of checkout.
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3. Applies only to products sold by Amazon.com. Items offered by other merchants on the Amazon.com Web site (e.g. Land’s End, Target, etc.) do not qualify. Does not apply to any products purchased in Amazon.com’s other sites, including Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, or Amazon.co.jp, or in Marketplace, zShops, or Auctions.
4. Unless the offer message indicates otherwise, the promotional offer applies to the lowest priced qualifying item(s).
5. Applies only when all qualifying and free products in the promotion are purchased in one order.
6. Applies only to complete orders shipping to a single address that meet all other promotional requirements.
7. Offer good while supplies last.
8. No substitutions or rain checks.
9. Shipping and handling charges apply to all products, including bonus items.
10. Offer may not be combined with other offers, including promotional certificates.
11. Void where prohibited.

Misanthropic and proud of it by reenum
Swift’s masterwork has lost none of its bite. His acerbic misanthropy is on full display here.

As the book progresses, Swift’s contempt for humanity grows. This is partly what made the book so compelling for me. Gulliver is only truly happy when he is among the Houyhnhnms, the horse people in the final part of the book. He develops such a dislike for humans that he finds it hard to re-acclimate upon returning to his family in England. What is compelling is that Swift was so obviously misanthropic, yet was able to get away with it. It really speaks to his skill as a novelist. In the hands of a lesser writer, this book would have come out horribly wrong.

Swift’s descriptions of the different worlds are something to behold. As the reader, I could clearly picture each place in my mind. Swift gives the reader just enough to vividly imagine the world Gulliver is in at that time. Swift has the idea that the reader can do some of the work on his own, which is sadly not something authors ascribe to these days. This is partly the reason why this book is such a classic.

A wonderful commentary on the follies and shortcomings of humanity.

amazingly good read by K. Josic
It took me a while to get to this book - it kept being recommended
by friends, but I was a bit put off by the effort I thought I would have to
put into reading a book written 300 years ago. Well, I was really suprised -
“Gulliver’s Travels” is easier to reads, and is certainly written
much better, than most modern novels. Swift certainly didn’t
have too high an opinion about humanity, but rarely was
he heavy handed. Thus he is entertaining even when he is
preachy.

I agree that the book was so popular because it succeeded on
so many different levels. It must have been outstanding political
satire in its time (the full effect has, not surprisingly, diminished
over time). However, it also reads well as a parody of travel
literature, a fairy tale, or speculative fiction.

NOT Bringing Home the Bacon! by First Things First
Our hero Gulliver and his wife could use some counseling. It seems that every time he plops down on the sofa with his better-half and children, Gulliver gets restless and needs to go have another adventure. (Did they have sofas back then? If not, how did people crash out in front of their TV sets?) And he lives in idyllic old England, go figure!

Each time he does this (gets the traveling jones) he hops aboard some ship, tantamount to suicide in those days, eats salted meat and spoiled porridge for a few weeks, months or years, (unless there is a Chili’s or Olive Garden nearby along the way–but he always seems to forget his coupons,) generally shipwrecks and sooner or later encounters some bizarre form of intelligent life in whatever fairyland he has found for himself this time, in whatever chapter of the book he happens to be sojourning in at this particular intersection of the time-space continuum.

Usually he is held captive, and then embosomed or exploited by whoever the freaks of nature are this time around, invariably escapes and by a series of miracles eventually finds his way home again, only to discover the same boring wife and children at the hearth waiting patiently despite the years that have passed without so much as a text message.

Along the way we are treated to Swift’s amazing writing, great humor, wit and stellar imagination. Highly recommended, but it takes a bit of work to get through the whole thing.

a fantastic book by M. H. Levenson
This was excellent. I didn’t think I’d ever want to read Gulliver’s Travels, the eighteenth century English satire by Jonathan Swift. But I couldn’t put the book down. Now it was much a satire on the then current English royal system but what he writes can really almost be a satire on any political system. You can transpose it to be a satire on any American President.

The Greatest Book! by Mr B
Gulliver’s travel is a great book about adventure. He was washed off his ship to shore. Next thing he knows he’s tied down to the ground.

I liked this book because it was full of adventure where he met many tiny people that he did not know.

I also liked it because there were two tribes that he made friends with, which is very exciting.

Finally, I liked the book because the people in both tribes were enemies and fought a lot of the time which was really cool. They stopped fighting when Gulliver arrived because he pulled all the boats of the other tribe to the land of Liliput.

I recommend this book for all ages especially those people who love adventure.

(Review by Tristan)

• Robinson Crusoe (Penguin Classics)
• The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics)
• Robinson Crusoe (Modern Library Classics)
• Frankenstein (Penguin Classics)
• Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics)

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

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Tags: advertising client service leadership marketing branding innovation customer orientation corporate culture hospitality customer experience service management

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        Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in BusinessBook Description
In October 1985, at age 27, Danny Meyer, with a good idea and scant experience, opened what would become one of New York City’s most revered restaurants–Union Square Cafe. Little more than twenty years later, Danny is the CEO of one of the world’s most dynamic restaurant organizations, which includes 11 unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How has he done it? How has he consistently beaten the odds and set the competitive bar in one of the toughest trades around?

In this landmark book, Danny shares the lessons he’s learned while developing the winning recipe for doing the business he calls “enlightened hospitality.” This innovative philosophy emphasizes putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way: The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors. This way of prioritizing stands the more traditional business models on their heads, but Danny considers it the foundation of every success that he and his restaurants have achieved.

Full of behind-the-scenes history on the creation of Danny’s most famous restaurants and the anecdotes, advice, and lessons he has accumulated on his long and ecstatic journey to the top of the American restaurant scene, Setting the Table is a treasure trove of innovative insights that are applicable to any business or organization.

Is the customer always right? According to Danny Meyer, one of America’s leading restauranteurs, the answer is no–but “they must always feel heard.” Named one of the most influential New Yorkers of 2006 by New York magazine, Meyer, the founder and co-owner of 11 of Manhattan’s most influential restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Tabla, The Modern, Blue Smoke, and Shake Shack, has penned Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality, a business book that reads like food lit and equal part personal memoir. Amazon.com senior editor Brad Thomas Parsons took some time from his daily long-distance day-dreaming of Shake Shack and caught up with the ever-gracious Danny Meyer over e-mail to ask about his new book, the Food Network, his favorite cookbooks, insider tips on dining out, and much more.

Read our Amazon.com interview with Danny Meyer

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More from Danny Meyer

Union Square Cafe Cookbook

Setting the Table [Audio CD]

Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe

        Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in BusinessBook Description
In October 1985, at age 27, Danny Meyer, with a good idea and scant experience, opened what would become one of New York City’s most revered restaurants–Union Square Cafe. Little more than twenty years later, Danny is the CEO of one of the world’s most dynamic restaurant organizations, which includes 11 unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How has he done it? How has he consistently beaten the odds and set the competitive bar in one of the toughest trades around?

In this landmark book, Danny shares the lessons he’s learned while developing the winning recipe for doing the business he calls “enlightened hospitality.” This innovative philosophy emphasizes putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way: The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors. This way of prioritizing stands the more traditional business models on their heads, but Danny considers it the foundation of every success that he and his restaurants have achieved.

Full of behind-the-scenes history on the creation of Danny’s most famous restaurants and the anecdotes, advice, and lessons he has accumulated on his long and ecstatic journey to the top of the American restaurant scene, Setting the Table is a treasure trove of innovative insights that are applicable to any business or organization.

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Service with a Smile: Dishing with Danny Meyer

Is the customer always right? According to Danny Meyer, one of America’s leading restauranteurs, the answer is no–but “they must always feel heard.” Named one of the most influential New Yorkers of 2006 by New York magazine, Meyer, the founder and co-owner of 11 of Manhattan’s most influential restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Tabla, The Modern, Blue Smoke, and Shake Shack, has penned Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality, a business book that reads like food lit and equal part personal memoir. Amazon.com senior editor Brad Thomas Parsons took some time from his daily long-distance day-dreaming of Shake Shack and caught up with the ever-gracious Danny Meyer over e-mail to ask about his new book, the Food Network, his favorite cookbooks, insider tips on dining out, and much more.

Read our Amazon.com interview with Danny Meyer

---

More from Danny Meyer

Union Square Cafe Cookbook

Setting the Table [Audio CD]

Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe

At age twenty-seven, Danny Meyer launched his groundbreaking Union Square Cafe—the first of his innovative and revered New York City institutions. Twenty-three years later, he is CEO of one of the world’s most dynamic restaurant organizations. Now Danny shares the groundbreaking business philosophy that serves as the foundation for every success he has achieved: “the virtuous cycle of enlightened hospitality.” By putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way—applying it first and foremost to his employees, and then to guests, community, suppliers, and investors—Danny has consistently beaten the odds while setting the competitive bar in one of the toughest trades around.

A landmark, bestselling business book and a fascinating behind-the-scenes history of the creation of Danny’s most famous eating establishments, Setting the Table is a treasure trove of valuable, innovative insights applicable to any business or organization.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #10829 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Wonderful Insights on the Hospitality Business by Schu80
This is one of the best books I have ever read on the hospitality business. Given that it is the industry that I am in, I probably found it more entertaining and insightful than many may who are NOT in the industry. Either way, a great read.

Beginning restaurateurs, this you must read by Umberto J. Fontana
The restaurant business begins with a vision well founded on food knowledge. Having had great and many good meals helps. But the lessons of this book are many: the best is his order of priorities….first the employees, then the customers, then the suppliers and last the investors. Brilliant.

An Advertising Book in Disguise by Robert Solomon
I was about to leave for vacation, and was looking for a beach read. Danny Meyer had been generous enough to supply an endorsement for my book, The Art of Client Service, so the least I could do was buy his book.

I am very glad I did.

Setting the Table certainly is a book on how to provide superior hospitality to customers, but it’s more than that: it’s the best book I’ve read on what it means to provide service to clients in ANY business. Its candor, humility, and generosity of spirit are reflected in all the lessons Danny learned, applied, and now recounts as he grew to be a leader.

My only quibble, and it is a small one, is that the book lacks an index. I assume this was a conscious decision on Danny’s part, possibly because he does not view Setting the Table as a “how to” guide. But the reality is, the book is loaded with practical advice on how to build and sustain enduring client relationships. An index would help readers refer to lessons that inspired or motivated them.

My one regret is that I failed to include Setting the Table in my book’s annotated bibliography of the 20 titles advertising people should read. I will, however, add it to the Art of Client Service website. And most important of all, I will recommend the book to all my advertising industry colleagues.

THE book for anyone dealing with customers by wine Girl
One of the best business books I’ve ever read. Danny really “gets it” as far as treating his employees and customers like family and VERY important people. THIS is why he is so successful with the top restaurants in NYC. A MUST read for anyone in sales or who deals with customers and employees on a daily basis

Hospitality defined! by Juan
A great book that describes how to create customers for life, with “enlightened hospitality”, creating an outstanding customer experience, based on a dialog with the customer. As he puts it “picking up the rocks” (to find the info) and “connecting the dots”, a process that could and should be copied for every business.

His passion for food comes across the written page, its contagious.
I’m not a wine drinker but his passion made me want to give it a try.

I never been to one of his restaurants but I now see a trip to New York to visit his restaurants.

Highly recommended not only for restaurateurs, but for every business that has contact with customers.

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• Remarkable Service: A Guide to Winning and Keeping Customers for Servers, Managers, and Restaurant Owners
• Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
• At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room
• The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York’s Acclaimed Restaurant

Fodor’s Italy 2008 (Fodor’s Gold Guides)

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        Fodor’s Italy 2008 (Fodor’s Gold Guides)

Hike among olive groves clinging to a rugged coastline, go to the source for the world’s best pasta or spend the night in a grotto overlooking the Adriatic. Whatever you choose to do, planning a trip to Italy has never been this much fun, or this easy!

LOOK INSIDE FOR AN INNOVATIVE, NEW TRAVEL GUIDE!

Comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy to use, Fodor’s Italy 2008 remains the best resource for organizing your trip to Italia. Our 2008 edition also flaunts exclusive, new features including indispensable, customized tools for planning your trip, in addition to rich photography that illustrates the distinctive culture of the country. Plus, not only will you read the expert advice of our professional travel writers, but you’ll also review recommendations from everyday travelers like yourself, in our new “Word of Mouth” features throughout the book. Fodor’s Italy 2008 is designed so that you spend less time researching and more time relishing what lies ahead on your dream vacation.

Plan a perfect vacation, with these new features:

Experience Italy like a local:
Fodor’s Italy 2008 now features insights from prominent locals to give you an authentic taste of the country! From one of Florence’s most distinguished restaurateurs explaining the elements of a perfect Tuscan meal to the director of the American Academy in Rome identifying her favorite works in the Vatican Museums.

“Word of Mouth” from Fodors.com:
Read what fellow travelers are saying about their favorite places to explore and unwind, featured throughout the book. Then, when you return from your trip, share your opinions onFodors.com and they may get published in our 2009 edition!

Make the most of your trip:
Tip boxes throughout help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls. “Eating Well” boxes in every chapter identify the pleasures of regional Italian cuisine. And the is brand new edition provides cultural background on Palladian villas, Mt. Etna, wine in the Piedmont Region, and even an emperor cheat sheet.

PhotosandMaps:
Photographs, drawings, and interactive maps illustrate Italy’s most popular attractions, from Venice’s Grand Canal to Rome’s Forum. Pullout map and color insert included.

Always Up-to-date:
Fodor’s Italy guide is updated EVERY year–it’s the most accurate book available!

Visit Fodors.com for travel bargains, information on local festivals, maps, vacation planning tips, more reviews and much more!

And, to view more insider secrets, visit “Travel Talk” and “Rants and Raves” at Fodors.com/forums for more recommendations from travelers like yourself.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #18589 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Great Italy Book by Debbie L. Ealer
I just got this last night and let me say, I cant put it down. It has so much info. If you like wine tasting , try these areas,,or hiking,try this region. It has lots of tips and is well written and going to be a great help when I make it to Italy. If you are looking for a good book to help narrow down areas you want to see like I was,this is the book for you.
Enjoy and Ciao!

The Best of the Best by Nick Overstrand
The Fodor’s guide is the best guide to Italy out of all the other major travel guide brands. I looked at all of the books and eventually chose this one.

Just as a background, I will be going to Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome) on an educational trip in 2009.

This guide will give an overview of each area (eateries, places to see, things to do, hotels) but then gives a detailed list of everything. Maps are provided for easy locating.

There is also a giant tear-out map which is also a plus.

This book was considered alongside Lonely Planet, Frommers, and Rick Steve.

I will definitely get the 2009!

2 weeks in ITALY by Rosalie Bracciale
This book is an excellent tool if you are going to Italy…visited 10 cities and several side excursions..used the book for EVERYTHING I needed to know where ever I was!! Certainly worth the price…don’t leave home without it!!

• Fodor’s France 2008 (Fodor’s Gold Guides)
• Frommer’s Italy 2008 (Frommer’s Complete)
• Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
• Rick Steves’ Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary
• Rick Steves’ Italy 2008 (Rick Steves)

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

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Tags: javier retirement fun things vagabonding escape surrender freedom travel book the practical nomad discovery geography travel guide voyaging vagabond overseas travel expat global nomad nomadology 4 hour work week expatriate

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        Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World TravelVagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Rolf Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Potts gives the necessary information on:

• financing your travel time
• determining your destination
• adjusting to life on the road
• working and volunteering overseas
• handling travel adversity
• re-assimilating back into ordinary life

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit. Visit the vagabonding community’s hub at www.vagabonding.net.

        Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World TravelVagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Rolf Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Potts gives the necessary information on:

• financing your travel time
• determining your destination
• adjusting to life on the road
• working and volunteering overseas
• handling travel adversity
• re-assimilating back into ordinary life

Not just a plan of action, vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the