West South Central Books

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table

Sara Roahen

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $14.61

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Celebrating New Orleans' food culture, one specialty at a time.

A cocktail is more than a segue to dinner when it's a Sazerac, an anise-laced drink of rye whiskey and bitters indigenous to New Orleans. For Wisconsin native Sara Roahen, a Sazerac is also a fine accompaniment to raw oysters, a looking glass into the cocktail culture of her own family—and one more way to gain a foothold in her beloved adopted city.

Roahen's stories of personal discovery introduce readers to New Orleans' well-known signatures—gumbo, po-boys, red beans and rice—and its lesser-known gems: the pho of its Vietnamese immigrants, the braciolone of its Sicilians, and the ya-ka-mein of its street culture. By eating and cooking her way through a place as unique and unexpected as its infamous turducken, Roahen finds a home. And then Katrina. With humor, poignancy, and hope, she conjures up a city that reveled in its food traditions before the storm—and in many ways has been saved by them since.

Frommer's New Orleans 2008 (Frommer's Complete)

Mary Herczog

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

New Orleans Guide 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This guide provides a variety of interesting facts about New Orleans, its culture and history, as well as information for selecting activities, restaurants, tours, and other in and about New Orleans. Very helpful as a pre-trip planner, and its maps assist getting about while there. It also gives a brief section about Katrina's impact.

Don't go to NOLA without it!! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book for a recent trip to New Orleans and found it a valuable resource, both for myself as a somewhat frequent visitor to the city and for my boyfriend, who was experiencing this wonderful place for the first time. We were guided to some absolute restaurant gems, both inside and outside of the Quarter, and to some fabulous music venues. We also spent our days on the recommended walking tours (the book pays for itself in walking tours alone--you will see and learn about a great deal of history and beautiful architecture at your own pace without being stuck in a group). The post-Katrina information was helpful and up-to-date, especially considering that so many businesses and services are still in a state of transition. The Frommer's guide enhanced our New Orleans experience immeasurably, and I would recommend it to anyone planning a trip to the Big Easy.

Editorial Review:

Frommer's New Orleans 2008 is a fully updated edition. Our author, a New Orleans resident, has chronicled the city's post-Katrina devastation and resurrection, with full information on what neighborhoods have rebounded and what establishments are open for business. With complete coverage of area hotels and transportation options, this book has everything you need to plan a trip to this slowly rebuilding city. Our author helps you find the best places now to hear jazz, blues, and zydeco, and detailed neighborhood maps help travelers find their way across town.

Insiders' Guide to Austin, 5th (Insiders' Guide Series)

Hilary Hylton, Cam Rossie

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Insiders' Guide Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $6.88

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A must for both tourists and residents 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (8/06)

I've lived in Austin for over 16 years and was very interested in knowing what others say about it as well as what suggestions they might have. Needless to say, I found out much more than I anticipated and am grateful to have this wonderful reference book in my library now.

The authors condense much information into a concise, readable publication that could easily be carried in purse while trekking the area. It's also a great reference guide to have not only for out-of-town visitors, but for residents also.

The beginning of the book gives a quick overview while touching on politics and history. The remainder of the book covers hotels/motels, B and Bs, restaurants, night life, music scene, shopping as well as attractions, annual events, arts, recreation, and sports. For those wanting to move to Austin the authors address relocation as well as the senior scene, health care, education, schools and places of worship.

As I perused "Insiders' Guide® to Austin" I spent more time than I anticipated - in fact hours more, and not only that, this is a book that I will keep in my vehicle because not only does it give detailed information it also has pertinent maps that are easy to follow. Also, the restaurant guide is very in depth and I found many that we frequent and highly recommend, however, there are many others that I put on our "must try" list. The other section that was of particular interest to me was "kidstuff." I wish I had this book when our grandchildren were younger and came to visit. I often struggled trying to find fun activities for them to attend.

Whether you are a resident of the Austin area, or anticipating a visit or relocation, "Insiders' Guide® to Austin" is a must have. It has everything in it that you need to know, and more.

Frommer's San Antonio & Austin (Frommer's Complete)

David Baird

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great guide to San Antonio 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I took this guide on a first time visit to San Antonio and found it invaluable. Not only was it up to date with info on the latest hotels, attractions, and restaurants, but it contains lots of asides containing interesting information on the different sites that added to our enjoyment at visiting these sites. A first rate job!

Editorial Review:

A complete guide to two of Texas's most diverse and exciting cities

• Shows visitors how to have a great time in San Antonio, a multicultural city with a rich history (the Alamo) and lots of contemporary attractions (including over forty golf courses)
• Reveals San Antonio's most memorable experiences--from a stroll along the San Antonio River to a mariachi mass at Mission San Jose--and offers intriguing side trips to the Texas Hill Country
• Takes visitors to the best of Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World," with more than 200 music clubs
• Explains how to make an Austin visit unforgettable, from visiting the state capital and LBJ Library to listening to blues at Antone's, hiking and biking in city parks, and watching the bats at Congress Avenue Bridge

Southwest USA & Las Vegas (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Subjects -> Travel -> United States -> Regions -> West -> Pacific

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Useful and filled with Pictures! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

The Southwest USA & Las Vegas travel guide is chock full of informative information, culture, and pictures in a streamline 300 page volume. Although personally, I think Las Vegas should be its own volume, I found the information about the Southwest quite helpful. I particularly appreciated the cultural information included and the fact that website addresses for most sites were included with the information blurb. This is a useful travel companion for those intending to see the four corners area and beyond!

A great start to planing a trip around the Southwest 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

If you are planning to se the wonderful sights of the southwest this is an excellent book. It covers all of the national parks in Arizona and New Mexico as well as Las Vegas. If you are going to just Las Vegas or just the Grand Canyon I would recommend getting the more specific books than these but if you are looking for a regional book it cannot be beat. Highly recommend.

Editorial Review:

Covers: the Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona, Phoenix, Southern Arizona, Las Vegas, Southern Utah, the Four Corners, Santa Fe, Northern New Mexico, Albuquerque, and Southern New Mexico.

Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide

Robin Goldstein

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Reference
Subjects -> Travel -> Reference & Tips -> Food & Lodging -> Dining
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Fearless Critic is the definitive restaurant guide to the Houston area. Acclaimed critic Robin Goldstein has teamed with a secret panel of brutally honest undercover chefs to create a 528-page blockbuster of a book, fiercely independent, relentlessly opinionated, and exhaustively comprehensive. The critics dine incognito, accepting no free meals and no ads from restaurants. Prepare to be shocked by the results: this is a new breed of food writing.

The book includes more than 400 cheeky reviews, rigorous letter grades from A+ to D- (with no grade inflation), and helpful cross-referenced lists that cover every corner of Houston's vast dining scene, from the power steakhouses to the Tamale Man. It's an essential reference for anyone who eats out in the Houston area, from River Oaks to the Woodlands, Downtown to Chinatown.

Previous praise for Robin Goldstein's restaurant guides: "Pulls no punches...even icons get goosed" -Austin American-Statesman

"Talent for turning out zingers" -Boston Globe

"Scathing and scintillating" -New Haven Register

"Written with panache...compelling" -Jane and Michael Stern, columnists, Gourmet Magazine

The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine

John D. Folse

List Price: $64.95 By: Chef John Folse & Company Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $63.95

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Subjects -> Reference -> Encyclopedias -> Cooking

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Chef Folse's seventh cookbook is the authoritative collection on Louisiana's culture and cuisine. The book features more than 850 full-color pages, dynamic historical Louisiana photographs and more than 700 recipes. You will not only find step-by-step directions to preparing everything from a roux to a cochon de lait, but you will also learn about the history behind these recipes. Cajun and Creole cuisine was influenced by seven nations that settled Louisiana, from the Native Americans to the Italian immigrants of the 1800s. Learn about the significant contributions each culture made-okra seeds carried here by African slaves, classic French recipes recalled by the Creoles, the sausage-making skills of the Germans and more. Relive the adventure and romance that shaped Louisiana, and recreate the recipes enjoyed in Cajun cabins, plantation kitchens and New Orleans restaurants. Chef Folse has hand picked the recipes for each chapter to ensure the very best of seafood, game, meat, poultry, vegetables, salads, appetizers, drinks and desserts are represented. From the traditional to the truly unique, you will develop a new understanding and love of Cajun and Creole cuisine. The Encyclopedia would make a perfect gift or simply a treasured addition to your own cookbook library.

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Antonio and Austin: Includes the Hill Country (60 Hikes within 60 Miles)

Tom Taylor, Johnny Molloy

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Menasha Ridge Press Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $9.96

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Hiking in Austin 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This is a good basic book for finding the public hiking trails that are on the beaten path. It is very useful to find what is publically available. It isn't for finding those paths that are hard to find.

I do recommend it.

More Austin than San Antonio 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book, very descriptive but there are more Austin trails than SA trails. Some of the trails in this book have become our faves and we would never have found them without the book.

Editorial Review:

This practical guide takes readers to the best trails found in the Texas Hill Country, all within easy reach of San Antonio and Austin. Destinations include secluded, low-traffic areas for quiet hikes as well more popular and heavily used paths. The former LBJ Ranch, the Guadalupe River, the Highland Lakes Chain, and the Lost Pines area are a few of the spectacular treks featured.

Hiking Big Bend National Park, 2nd (Regional Hiking Series)

Laurence Parent

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent, handy useful resource! 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

My husband & I just returned from a fantastic trip to Big Bend National Park. We used this excellent, handy, easy-to-use book as our primary resource for deciding what hikes we were capable of taking in the park. The book proved very useful in showing numerous shorter, easier hikes that older people like us with foot and back problems could take as well as longer, harder trails for those who want them and are able. It also gave very interesting, accurate, readable, and useful descriptions of such matters as how to drive to the trailhead and whether parking is available there, some things (mainly scenery & geological features) one is likely to see on the trail, trail length, elevation gain, trail traffic etc., to allow use to decide which trails would most interest us. Further, it contains some useful black and white photos. And it provides some information about neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park which we also at least drove through. Thanks in large part to this book, we were able to enjoy some the best hiking of our lives despite our current physical limitations. I only wish we had visited the park a decade ago or more when we could have done some of the more strenuous trails described as well. I would recommend this book for virtually anyone planning a visit to Big Bend.

Editorial Review:

Fully updated and revised, this comprehensive guide features forty-seven trails in Big Bend National Park.

Weird Texas (Weird)

Wesley Treat, Heather Shades, Rob Riggs

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Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Curiosities & Wonders
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> Mythology -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Reference & Tips -> Guidebooks

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Fun But Lacking 3 out of 5 stars.
13 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This was a fun read and had a lot of info in the Personalized Properties and Roadside Oddities chapters that was new to me.
The Local Legends and Ancient Mysteries sections were very thorough for what was covered but did not make an effort to cover a lot of other interesting forlklore or sites in Texas.
Portions of the Unexplained Phenomena and Bizarre Beasts are previously published verbatim by Rob Riggs in his book 'In the Big Thicket'. I was hoping he had contributed something new for these sections since I have already purchased his book, but was, however, disappointed. The Haunted Places section was sadly lacking. The places that were covered were entertaining, but some of Texas' well known haunted locations (for example: La Bahia Blanca)were totally overlooked and I can only assume poor research caused this absence.
Worth the price, but don't expect a whole lot if you have already researched the areas of knowledge covered in the book.

Fun, but needs more info 3 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This was a fun read but sorely lacking in details. With the words "travel guide" on the cover, I expected to be able to find where these places were. At best, they gave us vague details or just a city name. This book was more ghost stories and Texas tales than travel guide.