In any event, the book has little to offer to be considered what it says it is...a big book...
Actually, it isn't... It's a list...
A list that starts out and goes from one to one to one...with no rhyme nor reason, unless you assume the author typed in trivia and started typing them into his...list...
At a minimum I expected to have the book categorized into a topical breakdown for the cost... Not only would it be helpful to then use it as a book, it would allow individuals to actually find that trivia after the book is placed on the shelf...It would have also prevented the duplications and errors, hopefully.
Here's the first two..."After four nominations, Morgan Freeman won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 2004's Million Dollar Baby." "Jockeys carrying their saddle are weighed at the beginning and end of every horse race." You can quickly see that each item of trivia is unique and it would be impossible to actually "use" the book for any real future purpose. No way you should buy this book at the asking or at any price...
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If you are actually traveling to visit castles, this book might be of use to you. As an e-book it can be taken with you... For those who want to visit by reading about the castles, I found it lacking.
To me a travel book means pictures. Although there were some in this book, many were taken from the Internet Wikimedia...meaning you can get them, as well as information, there at no cost.
If you don't have the capability to do your own research on the Internet, you might want to ask for a sample of the book before you buy. The book is well written; however, I didn't take the time to see whether the material was also merely captured from the Internet.
For the price, I expected many more descriptive pictures of the interior as well as exterior shots. Sorry, check out other reviews on this one...
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You know the old joke about being invited to homes of friends so that you can view hours and hours of pictures they took while on vacation?
Well, I had some similar thoughts about this book...and the fact that over and over the author talks about taking pictures...but rarely included any?!!! Many places visited are mentioned with no accompanying picture...
This book is interesting to read, since it is more or less a diary (travel memoir) of one of the travelers so that it presents a more personal perspective of the trip. On the other hand, if I'm going to read a travel book and a sentence like, "We spent quite some time photographing the elegantly beautiful Bridge of Sighs. We shot our digital pictures from the Bridge of Straw..." Over and over, knowing they took digital pictures that do not appear in the book...well I felt cheated, especially at the price being charged... As you know, many authors are providing complete novels for less than a dollar!
If you don't mind being told, rather than shown what was visited...check it out but I can't recommend...
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However, I must add a caveat that I do not feel was adequately explained... Specifically, clinical depression is a "blanket definition" for what has become a problem for many, many people in the United States. What that means is, that what has or could help somebody, as described in this book, may be possible. For many it will not meet their needs. I found nothing new or different in this book...
Without going into a lot of detail, I was diagnosed as clinically depressed nearly 20 years ago. My reason for getting that diagnosis was job burnout. My mental ability to function at the level that was being required of my body was so changed that my mind was permanently altered. I am no longer able to react to strong emotions of any kind without some type of altered state of depression. I recognize this and have quite successfully adjusted to it. But, if something distresses me, I lose the ability to respond...neutrally...
I believe that a book such as this should include some type of recognition that what has happened to one person who is "depressed" does not mean that what they experienced is the same as others who have also experienced depression, for any of the multiple reasons that can lead to this disease.
This book may be of value to you...but do spend time looking through the potential books that are available. For me, the damage had already been done on the job...what I had to do was adjust to a totally different set of parameters than are covered in this book...
I therefore cannot recommend it without suggesting that you get a sample and see if it relates to your own issues that led to your specific reason for being diagnosed as depressed... If not, hone in on what specifically are issues for you and then look for books that speak directly to your illness. This is not intended to be critical of this particular book...rather to clarify that a book like this, even well written, will not necessarily help all individuals seeking self-help...
GABixlerReviews
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