I was ready to dismiss this book as useless. And then it became useful. And that means that, for you, it may be useless or it may be useful. Let me explain.

This is not a book that should be read through from start to finish. Rather, it is a reference book – referencing interesting travel locations you may want to visit. However, as I am wont to do, I started out with the idea of reading from start to finish. I've done this before with books really intended to be sampled and, while not the best way to experience them, I felt it gave me enough of a flavor to understand the true value of the book. In short order I learned, in this instance, such an approach was not going to work.

I tried for a while longer, for I am the type who does not like to start a book and then not finish. (Two exceptions: Ulysses, which I swear I will go back and tackle again, and Gravity's Rainbow, which I swear I will NOT go back and try again. Check out my review if you want more on that subject.) But it was not working. Part of the reason was that, as I mentioned, this is not a book that should be read through; rather, it should be referenced for particular needs. But I also found the writing to be boring. I mean, you're writing about some of the best places in the world, and the writing just lies there reporting facts and doing nothing more.

So, I then took the "use it as a reference book" approach. I looked up some things I knew about. I looked at roller coasters and was underwhelmed by what I saw. I dipped my toe into sections such as "Thrill-Seeking Adventures" and "And Everything Else..." and still saw nothing to make me care. I then looked in the index under Arizona (where I've lived all my life) and found nothing that interested me – nothing that even made me say "yes, someone would find this valuable."

Ready to write it off as a loss.

Then, last week, we started planning a trip to Seattle. So, I grabbed the book and looked in the index under Washington. Within I found reference to the Hotel Murano in Tacoma which is near the Museum of Glass. I had discovered a glass museum. And, I learned that the hotel was its own collection of glass art. And, suddenly, the book had provided value.

So, my recommendation is a hearty, solid, resounding...I haven't got a clue if this will work for you. In my case, after many strikes, there was a solid home run.

Your mileage may vary. ( )