europe

Last Look at Eden (incl. 2 bonus tracks)
$18.98
This is Europe's best CD since the band got back together in 2003. On their previous release, Secret Society, the band had tried too hard to modernize their style. On Last Look at Eden, however, they went back to their melodic rock roots. As a result, this CD comes across as similar to their earlier releases, Wings of Tomorrow (1985) and Prisoners in Paradise (1991), although with an updated sound. Most of the songs are fairly hard, with an occasional power ballad, and a blues-based closing track. The arrangements favor dense instrumentation, with layers of guitar and keyboard. Some of the tracks feature orchestrations, but these actually work well. To-date, this CD has been released overseas and is available only as an import. It deserves a North American release.

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2009
$21.95
Rick Steves clearly understands what's important to Americans looking for the European experience. This book is current and helpful.

Europe (Shoestring)
$27.99
A great book overall. My only gripe is that the book doesn't offer enough sample itineraries. It offers a few in the beginning of the book that are good, but it would be nice if it offered a nice "tour" of each country in each of the chapters.

Europe: A History
$25.95
If you enjoy reading abbreviated encyclopedia versions of important subject matter then this book will delight you to no end; it is chock full of information unburdened by any required heavy lifting, i.e., knowledgeable exposition or rigorous thought in analyzing Western thought and tradition. In fact the author himself states that "The academic apparatus has been kept to a minimum (in favor, one may assume, of more pedestrian accounts). There are no notes relating to facts and statements that can be found in any of the established works of reference. Among the latter, special mention must be made of my twenty-nine volumes of The Encyclopedia Britannica...." So, if this is to your liking, then, by all means, buy it and read it; if nothing else, Davies' Europe is a respectable reference work, which may at least serve to whet one's appetite for more in-depth reading and investigation in area or specialized studies.