Easy to read, but wow: talk about flat. Character development is almost non-existent. This is summer- beach reading at its trashiest. Inhabitants of the vaguely-described Key West village are too perfect, even with their authored "flaws". I would love to have friends like the men in the story: all handsome, womanizing ne'er-do-wells with hair that never musses on the windy boats Woods writes about. Fact-giving scenes are interspersed with sex-scenes that read as if the Publisher wrote "Put sex here, here and here" on the manuscript.

The Choke of the title is both the name of the hero's boat and his life-long demon; the expected pay-off of the title dribbles air like a forgotten balloon with a slow leak. So why was I satisfied when I finished the story? Maybe it was the goofy- cop pairing, reminiscent of so many TV detective shows. Maybe it's because the so-obvious plot twists actually twisted back in the latter part of the book, relieving my fear that I knew the answer at page 75. Maybe it's because I read it on the beach in hot sunshine, with the waves rolling ashore, while on vacation. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of the great unwashed, after all.

I really enjoyed CHOKE a lot. This is the first Woods novel I've read, and I plan to read more after this. The dialogue seemed a bit unnatural at times, but usually sounded realistic. The characters were good, and the twists were satisfying. I liked that the chapters were quick and cliff-hanging, keeping me turning pages. A fun book to read.

In the novel CHOKE, Woods displays the main character, Chuck Parish, desperate and eager for a new job. Little does Chuck know that he will soon be mixed up in the biggest scandal of his life. Parish soon finds it extremely difficult trying to prove his innocence to the police and at the same time trying to figure out who the real culprit of the crime is. Woods defines the word page-turner in this excellent novel that will leave the reader guessing until the end. CHOKE is a great and easy read that will intrigue and leave the reader spellbound by the time he or she is finished. These are just a few of the many reasons that I give this book all of the five stars and highly recomend it.

Finding out what it was like in Grandma's girlhood is quite interesting. Valerie McNamara is a real grandma who was born in 1935. Each book in the "In Grandma's Day" series focuses on a different aspect of life. Having fun was a whole lot simpler then. Tom Mix was the popular movie hero. Listening to radio shows at night was an activity shared by all family members. Trading cards was popular. Not the sports cards popular today but cats, dogs, gardens, and rather sexy ones of "Petty's girls" were popular. A wonderful way to make history come alive.

As general reading this book is OK but I felt that it really missed the mark in its attempt to be a guide to Oregon. There seem to be a lot of holes in it. Also items that are listed in the index are not where they are supposed to be.

This guide offers Moon's usual comprehensive treatment of local histories and sightseeing details. Despite some awkward English, it is generally reliable and reasonably complete.

After some perusing it becomes clear what is a major interest, even passion, of the authors and apparently a subject of extensive research by them - food. In every town, ample attention is given to restaurants, listing appetizers, main courses, desserts, even ingredients. . . three pages on Bend are devoted to eating, as are 11 pages in the Portland section. There are also two pages of reviews of golf courses that are replacing mountain meadows in the Bend area.

Unfortunately, the space devoted to food reduces what can be covered regarding another Moon staple - nature. In the Bend area, there's no detail on where to go hiking in the Three Sisters Wilderness. On Crater Lake, there's no park map and only two of a dozen trails are described.

The detail on what to see in many localities makes this book a worthwhile purchase for anybody planning a visit. But if you are as into nature as many readers of Moon guidebooks, expect to supplement the book with National Forest maps and a good local hiking guide.

[Bad info] for snorkelers, and the site information is flimsy. But Lonely Planet just published a new edition of this book. ...It's MUCH better than this sorry, 10-year-old book, and the pictures are incredible!

This does suck for snorkelers. But Lonely Planet just put out a new edition of this guide. I bought if off their website, www...(sorry Amazon!). It's MUCH better than this tired old book, and the photos are incredible!

The title is misleading, therefore only 1 star. There is only one paragraph devoted to snorkeling. It is, however a great 4 star diving guide. Great marine life pictures.