Books 'N' More

Particular Places: A Traveler's Guide to the Best Ohio Road Trips (Orange Frazer Press, $xx.xx) shows that there is much more to the Buckeye State than cornfields and cows. In fact, according to author Jane Ware, what a person can see and do in Ohio is truly amazing. "For the traveler, traveling has become more rewarding than ever," said Ware. "In Particular Places, we looked for distinctive and locally particular places to stay, eat, and see, along with good characters to hear about and sometimes meet." Particular Places shows the best places to visit in 15 Ohio areas, including Marietta, Athens, Logan, Adams County, Yellow Springs, Lebanon, Granville, Mount Vernon, Coshocton, Amish Country, Maumee, Port Clinton, Sandusky, Lake Erie and the Lake Erie Islands. And what a person can see and do in these 15 places is astounding. According to the book, it's possible to eat raccoon and make your own golf club, to meet a horse rescuer and see the country's biggest horse-and-carriage parade, or to see a Stealth bomber and the world's only perambulator museum. You can even go to a washboard music festival, visit the world's only floating cranberry bog, or meet a baker who used to be a fashion model in Paris. Ware not only gives readers a list of maps, phone numbers, and driving directions to each place, but she also includes a mix of fun trivia facts and opinionated insight on each destination. "I'm thankful to these people, these events and phenomena," said Ware. "They are making Ohio a better place to travel."