Traveling with Scott Haas isn't much fun.
343386
I just finished this book and came away with only two things.  First; Why did I buy this book in the first place and Second; Traveling with Scott Haas must be about as much fun as contracting the black plague.  He has all of the warmth of a block of ice.  He looks at the people of the world as if they were a nusance.  His writing style is about as entertaining as reading the telephone book.  I love travel books, but this isn't one that is even close in that genre.  It is a book about a sorry excuse for a human being who can not seem to find what life is all about.  If your looking for a great book on travel, put down this book and buy something that's really good.
2222401
Published in 1960, "Dance With the Dead" is the 21st book in the Shell Scott series by Richard Prather, one of the best-selling detective series of all time.  In all, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 Shell Scott books published.  Scott is a Los Angeles area private eye, somewhat of a goofy, screwball, campy version of Mike Hammer.

I listened to the audio version of this book and found the narration disappointing.  The narrator seemed to read in a goofy manner and was especially annoying when he used a falsetto voice to make women's parts of the conversation.  Generally, as one listens to an audiobook, one tends to get used to the narrator's voice even if it is not how you would have imagined the character to sound, but no so here.

The story concerns a friend of Scott's, who happens to run a men's magazine featuring monthly centerfolds.  That friend, a playboy in his own right, is murdered within hours of getting married in Hawaii, and Scott takes it upon himself to chase down the killer with his only clue being that the woman his friend married was one of the twelve centerfolds and a photo from his friend's camera displays some freckles on the wife's derriere.  Of course, Scott is now stuck with tracking down the twelve centerfolds and determining which one had the freckles and this involves countless drinks and innuendo.  Meanwhile, a bunch of hoods, including one named Biff Baff and one named Slobbers O'Brien are chasing Scott down and generally beating on him.  The goings-on here are sort of an Austin Powers meets Phillip Marlowe kind of affair.

The book is filled with wisecracks and double entenderes and is quite juvenile in places, particularly with Scott at one point falling out of a treehouse in nothing but a grass skirt and getting chased by the police.  It all culminates in a party in Medina (which has to be Pasadena) where all twelve centerfolds are to pose for a photo wearing a sweater and matching heels and nothing else.  Yes, as he salivates over the possibilities, Scott realizes this is his chance to figure out who the bride was.

All in all, it was not terrible, but perhaps too over-the-top campy for my taste.
4629429
The best thing about this latest entry in the 'Booked for Travel' mystery series is the travelogue of New England destinations in autumn.  The mystery was less compelling and the plot took longer to develop than in earlier books, and I was disturbed by the dynamic between travel agent Lynne and her spunky 82-year-old mother trying to open a New Hampshire bed and breakfast.  Frankly, I found Lynne to be much snottier in this book than in previous entries, particularly toward her mother -- she spends more time being irritated by and avoiding her than trying to be helpful.  And the same irritation is clearly passed on to her daughter Jenna, who is a bit of an annoying character.  Toll is a good writer, but I thought this was the weakest effort in this series.
3145688
Dow is a part time death row appeal lawyer who also teaches law. A big chunk of the book introduces us to what appears to be a stream of thought he feels as he goes around trying to keep murderers from being executed.

It could be a result of his writing, but the guy isn't very likeable. Kid wants to go to a halloween party, and dad/author promised to take him? Sitting around waiting for an execution is more important, not even a call for the kid. Ditto for wife's stuff. Dow is so liberal he thinks it makes him a good guy to give bums money to hang around under bridges. A lawyer leaves at the end of the workday instead of spinning his wheels all night like Dow? Fire him for not making the gesture to show everyone he cares too much.

The writing itself is so out there, it is like listening to guy smoking pot and drinking red bull for the first time in college. Just painful to read after a while. So jumpy and spacey at the same time.

The author also keeps claiming he used to be in favor of death, but he does not list a single real reason why. That may be fair, though, since the reasons he lists for being against it are nothing more than you would hear from a college freshman trying to repeat something their prof said in class. Just nothing there.

Dow is very judgemental of death case trial defense lawyers. Not everyone can be the best, but I think he may be grossly overstating how bad many of them are. There is also an attempt to claim that a female judge on one of his cases tried to get him in the sack. That storyline had my BS sensor triggered some.

One place Dow is most focused, and the reason to read the book, is his descriptions of the clients/murderers. These are weird, bad, evil, stupid, mind game playing people. The author does show us that. He tells us that, too, a little. But mostly he shows it.
3456242
I am an avid Cyclist.aldo planning a trip across US next year. I liked the few stories she told about people she met. I liked some of her advice. I didn't like the flow. It had a start stop back and forth flow. Also it seemed that she was riding across the u.s. to make money rather than to experience the ride. I know what it's like to ride over a hundred miles day in and day out and can guarantee you she had very little time to visit with anyone other than a cafe or restaurant and a bed to go to sleep. So this confused me a bit. She could have had a much richer experience and written a much richer but if he hadn't taken time. She seemed to be in a hurry and this was reflected in what she wrote.
2428850
This guy is interesting and aggravating at the same you.  You could use you time in worse ways than watching this.
1841480
Detour was a disappointing read.

When I initially skimmed the book, I thought that it would be about her cross-country journey where she got to meet many people who are bipolar, who, too, contributed their stories for her book. It was none of that. She probably got five mediocre interviews out of her journey, where she failed to ask the right questions. A majority of the book was mainly about her going on this trip to meet her "herd". She reiterated in countless ways she was going to find people to interview, on a journey to interview bipolar people, trying to find successful bipolar people, circles, circles, circles. In the end, she failed.

What also disgusted me was her judgmental approach and condescending manner. She went to group therapy while on her trip to try to find a subject to interview, and ended up belittling everyone at the session.

Her language and thought processes are too childish for my taste, as well.

This book is just not at all what's it's claiming to be, and not worth the money. If you want a good personal experience about bipolar disorder, I would highly recommend Terri Cheney's "Manic" or Mayra Hornbacher's "Madness".
2970267
I'm writing this review at the airport, waiting for my next flight. This is the 4th trip I have taken with this bag and am more and more unhappy every trip.

Pros:
Packs great: you can put A LOT in it
Stores well: it folds down compactly for storage

Cons:
VERY uncomfortable: regardless of configuration, most of the weight is on the shoulders. The joke with my husband now is, every time we travel, he knows that I'm going to make him carry my bag through the airport. He hates this bag too because of the horrible weight distribution. BTW, my husband is a personal trainer and very fit. Our complaint is not about the weight, but it's poor distribution.
3079238
This book is an easy read, and funny in many places.  But the author's high income level (especially in these tight economic times) can make the lifestyle portrayed in the book seem distinctly foreign to those who lead more modest lives.  How many families can afford a nanny, or a $600 stroller? How many people could afford to take several vacations - including world-spanning vacations - when they are out of work and supporting a family of six?

Mr. Marsh appears to be so accustomed to the privileges his income level allows (CEO of a major advertising firm), that while he mouths the platitudes, he simply has no idea of how most of the non-privileged people in the world live.  This is less distinct at the beginning of the book, but becomes more and more evident the further one reads.  At one point, he reports being astounded at the discomfort and inconveniences suffered by having to fly tourist-class, rather than first-class, and completely misses the point that many people can no longer afford to fly at all, even if both parents are working full-time and somehow manage to actually get vacation at the same time!

Perhaps it's because a lot has to be left out in a short book, or perhaps it's because I'm female and tend to notice these things, but it seemed that even after he left his job, Mr. Marsh spent a lot of time *on vacation from his family*, and spent a lot of (supposedly scarce) money on just himself and his own wants.  His wife continued to perform most of the work around the house, which he finds somewhat humorous.  By the end of the book, I simply found the man to be incredibly selfish.  I no longer cared whether he accomplished his goals, but wondered what his wife's goals might have been, and what he'd done to help her accomplish them.

So in sum, I would have to say that the beginning of the book is funny, and by the end I simply disliked the author.
2172706
I am not a fan of Shawns'. Professionally or personally, I consider him one of the biggest phonies in our profession today, hiding behind a mask of religion to cover his shame, using it as an excuse to continue peddling his hatred and clear jealously of Bret Hart, instead of swallowing his pride and apologising. He claims Bret can't let it go, what do you think hes' doing in this book? Opening the wounds and digging it into Bret in much the same way Flair did just to gain the attention of the media and assist the company in gaining much needed publicity since Wrestling vanished from the mainstream. YOU let it go Michaels.

Now, whilst I'm not a fan of Micheals, that cannot prevent me from being as objective as I can of him, hes' one of the greatest wrestlers in the industry, and this book explores the roots of who he is, and what he became, referencing his run with the Rockers, going solo, training with supersock Jose Luthario, and finally culminating in his four world title reigns over the course of several years.

For a guy who never drew for the company in 1996, even less than Bret actually did, Shawn makes up for it with some of the greatest technical wrestling encounters and grudge battles ever witnessed on screen, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Vader, you name it, Shawn has been there against all of them. Few can attest to such a list of credible opponents and matches, but a lot of what he claims were the results of battles with personal demons are ludicrous, Shawn was, and still is, a selfish individual who puts his own characters' heat above everyone that could benefit from it, jobbing cleanly only as of lately to veterans like Chris Benoit, but refusing to help put over future stars like Shelton Benjamen, and quickly dicarding a heel turn immediatly after being squashed by Hogan.

Heartbreak and Triumph is just another ghost written peice of WWE history...not actual history, and Shawn is just another sorry excuse for a human being in a long list of succesful political masters of the ring, in 1996, Shawn was above even the currently hated Triple H.
2230215
There is a strong balance that must be achieved when writing a book regarding messaging.  The reader must consider the fact that the author Zach Friend was a major player in the downfall of the message in his local town of Santa Cruz, California.  For which he uses as an example.  He not only played a role in the way the message was crafted for a major sector of the town but now is in a elected position in a neighboring town.  He has not taken a stand on much of anything in his current position even though he is in the position to express the message he believes could fix the issues.  Basically, we found the book fairly uninteresting with no new ideas but more importantly found Mr. Friends ability to play a roll in bad messaging, get elected in another town and than write about how the messaging needs to change pompous at best.
4468694
the book was interesting but the man himself has some serious issues.  He is paranoid as all get out and that is obvious on his website that he is the admin on. He and a couple of other members ban members who are interested and open to the theory of Flat earth, but they ask questions the "wrong way" or don't have the terminology correct because they are new to it.  His 2 favorite members regularly bash new members and ask irrelevant questions.  That's no way to bring light to the ideas he purports.  It makes me think his agenda is not to enlighten.  But whatever the agenda just be aware of the bipolar nature of the forum he administrates.  IFERS.
Such a paranoid person should not be trusted.
1324939
As other reviewers have pointed out, if you follow the suggested itineraries, you will spend most of your time driving around in the car.  You also won't have time to appreciate the places you do choose to visit since you will need to be rushing off to the next place.

Additionally, the book is almost impossible to browse.  Maybe a paper copy would be easier.  The sections are divided strangely, not just in geographic order but some sort of thematic order which makes it very challenging to read about the attractions.  Too bad because even travel guides with unrealistic itineraries should be interesting.  This wasn't and I admit to spending very little time looking through it and am about to delete it from the kindle.
4657440
I read everything Mr. Theroux writes. I suppose that makes me a fan. However, I found this book to be a bit dreary -- of course the action does take place in a crummy side-street hotel. The denizens of this hotel and of this book are rather seedy. The narrator, I hope this doesn't reflect on the author's state of mind, is a bit down at the heels himself. Paul Theroux is a very talented and highly descriptive writer, of course. One thing I really did like about the book is the sense of a collection of stories rather than the tiresome -- here's the story, straight out of creative writing class. If you have an interest, as I do, in travel fiction, please read the book. I have been reading this author long enough to appreciate anything he publishes.
2194700
I bought this book because I had seen (and suffered through) Steves' amateurish and infantile videos on visiting Germany. I was curious to see if his books were as bad as his videos. The verdict: they are equally as bad. The problem is, Steves isn't an innate or talented traveler, though he apparently has performed a miracle and makes money fooling others that he *is* a great traveler. The Arthur Frommer Guides are much better than these Steves offerings.
Problems abound. Steves concentrates most of his time on two cities: Berlin and Munich. He hasn't a clue on how to locate a low-cost Pension and opts for dingy tents on the outskirts of town. His suggestions on eating are obtuse. Snacking in Germany is a cinch: go to a bakery in the morning, buy your rolls, cheese and coffee and be on your way. His suggestions of hanging around railway stations and saving a few pennies are insulting and poorly rendered.
Similarly wretched is his advice on getting about the country. Forget the railway, you can rent an econo car for about $150 a week. Yes, gas is expensive, but driving is the only way to see these three beautiful countries. Another weakness is Steves' summation of Austria, which basically consists of 10 pages divided between Vienna and Salzburg. If that's all there is to see in Austria, then we're all in trouble. Truly, this is a terrible book written in plodding, patronizing style, guaranteed to set your nerves a-jangle.
2588251
Paris is one of my favorite cities. It's not quite as cool as London, but it's a beautiful city. Too bad the Globe Trekker host was a miserable sociopath. My first complaint was that there were no subtitles. I guess they assumed that everyone who watched this video speaks French. My second complaint was that part of the video was in a cooking class. Why? If I wanted to learn how to cook, I'd watch Rachael Ray. This video was supposed to be about famous attractions in Paris.

I initially liked the trip to the African market, as well as the interview with that guy from Ghana. However, Justine referred to something in the market as a snail penis. She obviously didn't care that young children with an interest in geography may be watching this. Later on, she tacitly referred to the dog excrement on the sidewalk. She even went as far as saying that a fountain looked like it was ejaculating. I was thinking to myself, what is this woman's problem? Justine also said that French people were snobs. Based on her interactions in this video, it seemed like people hated her as much as she hated them.

The Louvre is a nice museum. It's not quite as nice as the British Museum, but it's ornate. Eurodisney was ok, not great. There was a beautiful park that she rushed through. It seemed like Justine wasn't too enthusiastic about visiting Paris. I gave this DVD a 2 because it simply contained too many interesting sites to warrant a 1, but this video would've been so much better if Justine wasn't the host.
4788713
I started off really liking this book but around the halfway point I started to lose interest. He complains too much.
The adventure and the companion start off as a great story but when he complains about people in Galtinburg are all pear shaped, complains about the state of TN, tries to get out of the South as quick as possible, complains about PA, complains about acid rain, complains about the parks dept, complains about maps- it becomes too much. Generally, I read to escape the issue of the day. I can watch the news to feel bad about the world.