false 7 85 82 true 5824686 read 1 true 117203 currently-reading 2 true 117202 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31841558 Elizabeth's review of The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant

I liked this book a lot. Most of our books go to Powell's but we kept this one. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47526875 Alretha's review of The Kingdom Hall No More
by Daniel Chamberlayne

So many religions tell their followers that they are the only way. I grew up in the Bible Belt and went to a Southern Baptist church and they felt that way. I lived in a Catholic neighborhood and they felt that way. Apparently a lot of Muslims are taught this. I could go on.
It's nice to now know that they're all wrong. It's too bad that something that could be positive and wonderful has such a negative effect on individuals and our world. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77662896 to: Hiking the Southwest's Canyon Country (Paperback) by Sandra Hinchman
If you hike, backpack or car camp in the Four Corners region and want a guidebook you can't go wrong with this one. The author has been there, done that, and it shows. Her descriptions of roads, campsites, trails, ruins, and more will outline your trip without limiting it to a narrow agenda.
She writes about the rough, dusty backroads and the paved highways, the major attractions and the offbeat and wonderful.
I have two editions of this book and both are very good. I don't think you could go too far wrong by buying a used copy of an earlier edition if you're a penny-pincher. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77662288 to: 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, 3rd Edition (100 Hikes) by William L. Sullivan
So far, for me, this is the best hiking guide to Northwest Oregon (and SW Washington) that I know of. There are other good ones. Where Sullivan shines is that he keeps his books updated, and his directions to trailheads are precise and accurate. There's nothing like setting out in the wee hours for a hike only to spend an extra hour or two searching for the trailhead.
My only quibble is that the excellent schematic maps he draws are not printed north-up. I know why he does it as he does but it's confusing. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77661535 to: Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder (Paperback) by Paul T. Mason
I'm sorry that I found it of value to read this book, but I did. If you have someone in your life who confuses you, swings between the need for absolute control and all sweetness and light, between seeing you as wonderful and then beneath contempt, and more...then you might find this book of interest. You won't find any solace in reading this book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77660388 Honey in the Horn (Paperback) by H.L. Davis
bookshelves: currently-reading
This book, set in pioneer Oregon, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1935. It's not what I expected. I was thinking that I'd be reading of the gritty lives of hardscrabble men and women. Instead it's a sort of comic novel. That's fine with me. Some of the language and idioms are quite foreign to me and I've read quite a few books and stories from that era. We'll see how this goes. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77659727 to: Undaunted Courage (Paperback) by Stephen E. Ambrose
I'm not sure why I just got around to this book as this sort of thing is much to my liking. I enjoyed it very much. And that was is spite of the sad downward spiral of Meriwether Lewis.
It's probably beyond us today to comprehend the challenges met, the courage, ingenuity, and just plain toughness of these people. Reading some of the details of their lives brings home just a glimpse of what they endured, and of what they were fortunate enough to experience.
This book is beautifully written and perfectly organized. I can see why it won prizes. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73768461 Mike's review of The Last Blue Mountain (Essentials 2)
by Ralph Barker

I wish I'd gone there to get it. I ordered it from New Zealand through some used book dealer. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73768461 to: The Last Blue Mountain (Essentials 2) by Ralph Barker
This book was out of print for a long while. I stumbled across a copy when a friend loaned it to me. I wanted my own and found one in New Zealand. I enjoyed the second reading as much as I did the first.

This adventure falls under the heading of "glorious failure" but don't let that prevent you from reading. It's an excellent, well written, and very human tale. If you enjoy reading about mountaineering you'll likely treasure "The Last Blue Mountain". ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73752693 to: 1421: The Year China Discovered America (Paperback) by Gavin Menzies
A book that will revise our history books, especially the parts about Columbus, Magellen, and all the other European explorers of the 1400's and 1500's. Or will it?

I enjoyed the book, which tells us that the Chinese discovered and mapped much of the world in the 1420's and that Columbus, Magellen, and others had access to the charts that resulted from these explorations. But I decided to read some critiques of the book and found plenty. Many of the counter arguments were technical and way beyond my expertise but it's safe to say that the conclusions reached in this book are not written in stone. My guess is that the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes, as it usually does.

In any case, it is true that the Chinese were remarkable navigators at that time in history and were masters of the many of the oceans and seas of the world. Whether or not they reached North and South America seems to be in question. ]]>