Outdoors & Nature Books - Page 11

A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium

Joe Parkin

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Subjects -> Sports -> Individual Sports -> Cycling -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Real World Professional Cycling 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you want insight into day in day out real world professional cycling. It took real guts for a kid just out of high school to leave home, head off Belgium to become a professional cyclist. Joe Parkin did that and now has written I great book about his experiences. Not everyone can be a Lance Armstrong, Bernard Hinault or Greg LeMond but the thrill of striving to competitive at almost that level, while knowing you never will, is the real courage of professional riders like Joe. Joe started his pro career in the country of the greatest cyclist of the 20th Century Eddie Merckx riding Kermis races.The highlight of Joe's European pro career was helping his teammate Luc Roosen win the Tour de Suisse (Tour of Switzerland). His descriptions of riding in those Swiss mountain stages were agonizing read. By the way Joe Parkin can write. I thoroughly enjoyed this book both as a great read and for its insight into a sport I am learning to love.

Editorial Review:

In this brutally frank book, Joe Parkin puts readers in the whirlwind of the extreme world of professional bicycling, starting with his first visit to his team doctor, where, strapped to a metal table and monitored by humming electrodes, his future as a professional racer is coldly determined. Parkin pulls no punches, celebrating the glory of bike racing at its best, but also exploring the harsh reality of the life behind it. The author covers it all from an insider's perspective: the drugs, the payoffs, the races bought and paid for, the misery of training, the physical agony of racing, the battles with team owners for contracts and money, the endless promises, and the betrayals by enemies, teammates, and friends. Set in Belgium, the epicenter of all that's daunting and dazzling about the sport,A Dog in a Hat is one American's story of his love affair with professional cycling.

We Might As Well Win: On the Road to Success with the Mastermind Behind a Record-Setting Eight Tour de France Victories

Johan Bruyneel, Bill Strickland

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Subjects -> Sports -> Miscellaneous -> Sports Psychology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

On the tour and inside the mind of Johan Bruyneel, the winningest team leader in cycling history and the mastermind behind the success of the world's most celebrated champion, Lance Armstrong

Johan Bruyneel knows what it takes to win. In 1998, this calculating Belgian and former professional cyclist looked a struggling rider and cancer survivor in the eye and said, "Look, if we're going to ride the Tour, we might as well win." In that powerful phrase a dynasty was born. With Bruyneel as his team director, Lance Armstrong seized a record seven straight Tour de France victories. In the meantime, Bruyneel innovated the sport of cycling and went on to prove he could win without his superstar -- in 2007 he took the Tour de France title with a young new team and a lot of nerve, sealing his place in sports history forever.

We Might as Well Win takes readers behind the scenes of this amazing nine-year journey through the Alps and the Pyrenees, revealing a radical recipe for winning that readers can adapt from the bike to the boardroom to life. We witness Bruyneel's near-death crash and comeback as a rider. We are privy to the many ways he and Armstrong outsmarted their opponents. We listen in on the team's race radios to hear the secret strategies that inspire greatness from a disparate team. We learn how to make sure "not winning" isn't the same as "losing" as Bruyneel struggles to prove himself -- post-Armstrong -- with new riders, new strategies, and skeptics around every corner.

Whether mounting a difficult climb, or managing a team of thirty riders and forty support staff from a miniature car hurtling along narrow European roads, or looking a future legend in the eye and willing him to believe, Bruyneel is, and has always been, the consummate winner. Readers will relish this inside tour.

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming (Vintage)

Bjorn Lomborg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Skeptical" is a good title word 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bjorn Lomborg is an intelligent man. He does get a lot of things right. But be wary of his fact-twisting and deception with numbers. Many of the quotes used are taken completely out of context. For more information, check out this link:
http://www.lomborg-errors.dk/coolit.htm

Editorial Review:

A startling book that reshapes the debate about global warming and offers a moderate approach to meeting its challenges.

Bjorn Lomborg argues that many of the elaborate and expensive actions now being considered—the Kyoto Protocol, for example—have a staggering potential cost of hundreds of billions of dollars, but, ultimately, will have little impact on the world's temperature. He suggests that rather than institutionalizing these programs to “cool” the earth's temperature 100 years from now, we should focus our resources on some of the world's most pressing immediate concerns, such as: fighting malaria and HIV/AIDS, and maintaining a safe, fresh water supply. And he considers why and how this debate has developed an atmosphere in which dissenters are immediately demonized.

The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Eastern and Central North America (Backyard Birdsong Guides)

Donald Kroodsma

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Backyard Birdsong Guide:Eastern and Central North America 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic guide! We use it with our grandchildren and let them use the binoculars to see if they can find any of the birds they saw in the book. Hearing the bird calls and reading about their habitats really encourages adults and children alike an interesting way of developing a love of nature. I would highly recommend this guide to anyone who wants to learn more about birds of their region or has children or grandchildren who could benefit from this knowledge.

Editorial Review:

Building on the tremendous success of Bird Songs (250,000 copies sold), The Backyard Birdsong Guides are regional, interactive handbooks of birds and their songs for beginning bird-watchers. With a touch-button electronic module housing common vocalizations of 75 species from across Eastern and Central North America, this volume offers a truly sensory way to identify and get to know local birds. Crisply detailed and scientifically accurate illustrations accompany each entry, and up-to-date range maps from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology provide clear geographical reference points. Complete with an introduction to birdsong that will inspire readers to look out their kitchen windows and venture out in the field, this unique book provides an exciting entryway into the subtle art of birding.

A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides (R))

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Up to the usual Peterson Field Guides standards 4 out of 5 stars.
12 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Although this book is well written and organized, I have one minor complaint...

If you are going to depend on a book to decide whether or not you can eat something without poisoning yourself, the pictures next to the plant descriptions ought to be in color rather than black and white sketches.

Would be good if not for the printing error 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is an awesome book, but there was obviously a printing error in the copy I bought. An entire chunk of pages has been repeated and a whole 'nother chunk is missing.

My only other complaint is that it'd be nice if these field guides had color photos all the way through. I know that makes the book more expensive but it also makes it more *useful*. Black-and-white drawings only convey so much.

Editorial Review:

More than 370 edible wild plants, plus 37 poisonous look-alikes, are described here, with 400 drawings and 78 color photographs showing precisely how to recognize each species. Also included are habitat descriptions, lists of plants by season, and preparation instructions for 22 different food uses.

The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living

William H. Kemp

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

As oil prices continue to rise, many people are starting to think about how to unhook from the electricity grid. The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses completely on off-grid, sustainable living and rural energy independence.

Author/engineer William H. Kemp, who is a leading expert in small- and mid-scale renewable energy technologies, designed and built his own off-grid home. The result is a house that has all the standard “middle-class” creature comforts while using less than five times the total fossil-fuel energy of the average North American house.

The Renewable Energy Handbook focuses on the unique requirements of off-grid living and contains chapters on energy conservation; heating and cooling; backup power; domestic water heating; wireless communications; photovoltaic, wind, and microhydro energy generation; battery selection; and inverters.

Since its release in 2003, The Renewable Energy Handbook has been a top-selling technology book and is recognized as the best book in its field.

The book is augmented with hundreds of illustrations, line drawings, photographs, and appendices.

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 216 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

James Howard Kunstler's The Long Emergency was an underground hit, going into nine printings of the hardcover edition. His shocking vision for our post-oil future caught the attention of environmentalists and business leaders and was the subject of much debate, stimulating discussion about our dependence on fossil fuels. Now in paperback, with a new afterword, The Long Emergency is set to reach an even larger audience.

The last two hundred years have seen the greatest explosion of progress and wealth in the history of mankind, much of it based on the exploitation of cheap, nonrenewable fossil-fuel energy. But the oil age is at an end. Life as we know it is about to change radically, and much sooner than we think. The Long Emergency tells us just what to expect after we pass the point of global peak oil production and the honeymoon of affordable energy is over, preparing us for economic, political, and social changes of an unimaginable scale. Riveting and authoritative, The Long Emergency is a devastating indictment that brings new urgency and accessibility to the critical issues that will shape our future, and that we can no longer afford to ignore.

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

Toby Hemenway

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Permaculture is a verbal marriage of “permanent” and “agriculture.” Australian Bill Mollison pioneered its development. Key features include:

use of compatible perennials;

non-invasive planting techniques;

emphasis on biodiversity;

specifically adaptable to local climate, landscape, and soil conditions;

highly productive output of edibles.
Now, picture your backyard as one incredibly lush garden, filled with edible flowers, bursting with fruit and berries, and carpeted with scented herbs and tangy salad greens. The visual impact is of Monet’s palette, a wash of color, texture, and hue. But this is no still life. The flowers nurture endangered pollinators. Bright-featured songbirds feed on abundant berries and gather twigs for their nests.
The plants themselves are grouped in natural communities, where each species plays a role in building soil, deterring pests, storing nutrients, and luring beneficial insects. And finally, you--good ol’ homo sapiens--are an integral part of the scene. Your garden tools are resting against a nearby tree, and have a slight patina of rust, because this garden requires so little maintenance. You recline into a hammock to admire your work. You have created a garden paradise.
This is no dream, but rather an ecological garden, which takes the principles of permaculture and applies them on a home-scale. There is nothing technical, intrusive, secretive, or expensive about this form of gardening. All that is required is some botanical knowledge (which is in this book) and a mindset that defines a backyard paradise as something other than a carpet of grass fed by MiracleGro.

Hidden Messages in Water 2008 Calendar

Masaru Emoto

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> New Age -> Divination -> Crystals
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> New Age -> Mental & Spiritual Healing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 178 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Hidden Messages in Water 2008 calendar presents the revolutionary work of renowned scientist Masaru Emoto, who discovered that molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. Using high-speed photography, Dr. Emoto shows that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete patterns with dull colors. The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the world around us. Since humans and the earth are composed mostly of water, Emoto's message is one of personal health, global environmental renewal, and a practical plan for peace that starts with each one of us. Sample Caption: "Crystals emerge for only twenty or thirty seconds as the temperature rises and the ice starts to melt. The truths of the cosmos take shape and become visible, if only for a few moments. This short window of time gives us a glimpse into a world that is indeed magical..."

One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (Annivers

Sam Keith, Richard Proenneke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 105 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Journey 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

One Man's Wilderness; ..... Well written, entertaining , I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure in beautiful Alaskan Wilderness .....

Preserving Alaska's Wonders 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Preserving Alaska's Natural Wonder

Based on the 1960's journals kept faithfully by Dick Proenneck, an archetype of the Sierra Club's advocate, this book presents an amazing story with glorious color photographs. "I don't think a man knows what he can do until he is challenged," p. 211) concludes the man who hewed out a log cabin single handedly in the wilderness. This is a succinct statement of Proenneck's motivating philosophy of personal achievement. Readers follow his non-boastful narrative of trial and error during a remarkable 18-month sojourn in wild Alaska. His survival odyssey (physical and emotional) presents him as the quintessential Mountain Man.

Satisfied to rely on Nature to supply his basic needs (and more contemporary items being flown in at irregular intervals by a cheerful bush pilot, faithful Babe, Proennecke realizes his dreams of carving out a pioneer life in the wilderness near Twin Lakes. Several chapters are quite long but fall into natural, timely categories. I am always interested in How-to descriptions involving caareful planning and manual labor, so I found the BIRTH OF A CABIN chapter fascinating. Even many of his actual tools were made by his own hands, as he started from scratch; his rustic creation is now part of a State Park which tourists may admire 40 years later. The cabin, fireplace and chimney, and cache-on-stilts all bear testimony to his skill and craftsman dedication--proving that a determined man can carve out a hearth after his own heart.

A conscientious chronicler of his own activities (and thoughts) Dick used both his still and movie cameras to capture the cabin in various stages of completion, as well and the flora and fauna of the relatively unspoiled Alaska. With tongue-in-cheek humor he shares his attempts (successful and otherwise) to peacefully interact with the curious or persistent creatures who tried to share his digs and provisions. He seems to feel that critters are a lot like some people-- drawing stoic or amusing conclusions about his attempts to coexist. His gripes with the callousness of humans (seasonal hunters, flown in to bag moose, caribou and Dall sheep) indicate his deep awareness of the fragility of an environment and man's duty to preserve it intact as much as possible--not only out of respect for the animals that inhabit the area, but for future generations of tourists and residents. When he was flown out after his 18-month odyssey he realized that many of the smaller creatures would suffer Hand-Out withdrawal, now that Dick's Welfare was about to dry up. Hats off to a pioneering environmentalist who made us all Aware of Alaska's potential.

Sept. 2, 2008

Editorial Review:

To live in a pristine land . . . roam the wilderness . . . build a home. . . . Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.