Frommer's 500 Extraordinary Islands Book Review and Giveaway

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BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Wandering Educators is giving away two copies of Frommer’s 500 Extraordinary Islands, courtesy of Frommer's. Please see the end of this article for details. 

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One of the most respected names in the Travel Guide Book business is Frommer's. Started by Arthur Frommer, the Frommer's brand now encompasses over 320 travel guide books and a variety of online travel services.

I've got a great Frommer's Book to review today - and we've got a giveaway, too! Just in time for our Ireland and Scotland Trip, this book is all about islands.

Frommer's 500 Extraordinary Islands is, first and foremost, a read to get you traveling. There's no way you could delve into this guide and NOT GO somewhere. It's that enticing!

Written by Julie Duchaine, Holly Hughes, Alexis Lipsitz Flippin, and Sylvie Murphy, this first edition is destined to become a regularly updated classic.

The book is divided into thirteen areas of interest. Let's explore!

Beachcomber Islands explores aquatic playgrounds, including Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas. The subcategories just make me happy - Life's a Beach, Unvarnished and Unspoiled, Sailing Along, Diving's the Thing, Storied Sand and Surf, and Archipelagos and Atolls. Whether you're headed to Fraser Island (Australia) or Koh Phuket (Thailand), you'll find enough details to whet your whistle.

The Garden Islands explores Beautiful Bounty, Blooming Wonders, Wet and Wild, Manicured Gardens, and Lush Life. Kiawa, Bora Bora, and Martinique all make this list.

Wildlife Islands is extremely interesting to me, ever since I saw photos of lemurs on Madagascar, when I was small. Why don't they live anywhere else? Yes - this is a great chapter! From Unique Species, Birding Meccas, Sea Life, Run Wild/Run Free, to Island Reserves, this chapter explores Komodos, marsupials, and even kiwi. Very cool.

Other chapters focus on Island Escapes, Treasure Islands, Pleasure Islands, Leisure Islands, Islands of History (thought it would rhyme, didn't you?), Islands of Mystery (here we go), Island Cities, City Islands, Island Nations, and the Ends of the Earth. Truly, no great island has been left unexplored in this book.

Although each section for each island is relatively small, you can certainly learn enough about a place to want to learn more (or not).

So for our upcoming trip to two islands (Ireland and Scotland), I have learned about Achill Island, Inishmore, and the Skelligs (Ireland), and for Scotland (one of my very favorite places in the world), Iona, Arran, Gigha, Great Cumbrae, Islay, Skye, Orkney, and Staffa. YES. We'll see if we get to any of these extraordinary islands on our trip - but for now, I'm still dreaming of them.

The authors have done a fantastic job condensing a huge number of islands in this world to an eminently readable tome - one which I've truly enjoyed exploring. Why be landlocked when there are so many islands to explore?!

Win a copy for yourself and see how fun exploring 500 of the world's most extraordinary islands can be. 

Just leave a comment on this article by midnight April 20, 2010, and interact with WanderingEducators via Twitter or Facebook for additional chances to win.

Note: must have a valid U.S. Mailing address to win.

Disclaimer: Our friends at Frommer's sent us a review copy, as well as two copies to give away to our readers. THANK YOU FROMMER'S!