Book Review - The Secret Life of Hidden Places

When I picked up this book, I thought it would be more like a travelogue and offer some unique places to visit. However, I would definitely not consider this a travel guide even though it's been listed in the travel section. Some of the places, like the Winchester Mystery House (https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/) you can visit because they are open to the public and this book offers an interesting overview of the house, Mrs Sarah Winchester, and her obsession with her home.

There are lots of interesting places described in good detail in this book such as The Krazy Kat Klub Speakeasy in Washington DC, The Sleeping Beauty Apartment in Paris, France (a time capsule apartment that had been untouched for 70 years), Labryinths, and much more.

Title: The Secret Life of Hidden Places: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them
Author: Stefan Bachman, April Genevieve Tucholke
ISBN: 978-1-5235-1698-8

This article may contain photos and links that take you to third-party Affiliate sites. If you purchase any item on those sites may contribute a small monetary amount back to our website without any cost to you.

Book Review - The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2025

Our family visits Walt Disney World several times a year, but it's been while since we've gone to the other coast to Disneyland. So I went ahead and bought this book to see what has changed (a lot!) so we can plan a visit.

The goal of this book is to save families money and time at one of the most popular (and crowded) amusement parks in America. This book has over 400 pages of very useful information. Every restaurant, ride, activity, hotels, and more are discussed in detail throughout as well as when to go, how to maximize your number of days, where and how to get discounts, etc.

Another thing I love about these guides are the ratings provided for each ride and activity with regard to preschool child, grade school child, teens, young adults, over 30 adults, and seniors and then whether the ride is seasonal and/or has Lightning Lane options.

There's a small section on Universal Studios Hollywood in case you plan to add that to your trip.

The back of the book features pull-out maps to take with you (for those who don't enjoy relying on the park apps).

Notice - there is currently a 25% off coupon on this book for a limited time!

Title: The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2025
Author: Seth Kubersky, Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa
ISBN: 978-1-62809-155-7

Clicking the photo above will take you to a Affiliate link.

Book Review - Moon Death Valley National Park

Browsing through the library for places to visit in the future, I found this book on Death Valley National Park which is on my bucket list of places to visit. It's not really a place to visit during the summer break due to the super high temperatures (and a lot of local businesses actually close for parts of the summer due to the heat).

You know I love the Moon Travel Guides for their full-color maps and highlights in addition to the tips and beautiful photographs. This book is divided into sections - Death Valley National Park itself, Furnace Creek and the Amargosa Range, Stovepipe Wells and the Nevada Triangle, Scotty's Castle and the Eureka Valley, Panamint Springs and the Saline Valley and more. Within each section is a detailed map, highlights, where to go, when to go, visiting in a single day, accommodations, recreation, etc.

What's really valuable is knowing where you will need a high-clearance vehicle or a 4WD vehicle because some of the roads and trails are not appropriate for normal passenger cars or even RV's or trailers.

The first 20 or so pages highlight the top 6 experiences followed up a very useful chart of In-Park lodging options.

Title: Moon Death Valley National Park: Hiking, Scenic Drives, Desert Springs
Author: Jenna Blough
ISBN: 978-8-88647-040-6

Clicking the photo above will take you to a Affiliate link.