Beach bag: guidebooks for savoring paradise.

"Sojourn: to stay temporarily." In this new department, BIBR will review travel guides and other books about travel, as well as occasionally offer features on destinations. Publishers and authors are invited to submit books for consideration.

Bermuda Guide (4th Edition) by Ron Charles Open Road Pub., June 2003 $14.95, ISBN 1-892-97593-9

This guide is highly recommended. It is packed with solid information about Bermuda from someone who really seems to know the island. It gives good detail on what to do there for long or short vacations. It also has a good section on water sports.

Lonely Planet Bermuda (2nd Edition) by Glenda Bendure, Ned Friary Publisher. Lonely Planet, October 2000 $14.99, ISBN 1-964-50137-5

This is a thorough guide to the basic elements of what you will need to make your trip easier. From what documents you'll need to help you sail through customs to where to take your laundry. The maps and guides in this book help you to better navigate yourself once you're there. In fact, there's so much to see in Bermuda you will need all the help you can get.

Maverick's Guide to Bermuda (Maverick Guide Series) by Catherine Harriott, Pelican Publishing Co., May 2000 $17.95, ISBN 1-565-54690-3

I really liked this guide; it was highly informative, easy to read, and has a lot of useful maps. There is also a wonderful section on the business traveler--which companies are on the island, what business tools you will need to conduct business there and what you need to know about the customs and business etiquette of Bermuda.

Frommer's: Bermuda 2004 Frommer's, August 2003 $16.99, ISBN 0-764-53733-4

The Frommer's Guide, which has been updated as of August 2003, has done a good job on keeping up with the new attractions and events in Bermuda.

Fodor's Pocket Bermuda Fodor's Travel Publishing, December 2001 $9.95, ISBN 0-676-90120-4

This guide to Bermuda comes in a handy pocket size (5.91 by 4.16 inches) and is one of the more inexpensive guides. It gives you all of the necessary information that you will need while visiting the island, in addition to a brief history of how the 22-mile island came to be. It gives suggestions on historical tours and street fairs.

Insider's Guide to Bermuda by James Ziral and Liz Jones (2nd edition) Globe Pequot, December 1999 $25.00, ISBN 1-573-80108-9

This is a great guide that gives you an insider's view from an African perspective. The book is written in a native Bermudian tone, which helps to give you a feel of how Bermudians talk and socialize.

For the Bermuda Chair Traveler

Being that everyone may not be fortunate enough to have three weeks of vacation time to travel around the world, we have included a few books that will help you to feel as is you were actually walking through the pink sand beaches in Bermuda.

Picturesque Bermuda Volumes I & II by Roland Skinner See his work at www.bermudaphotographers.com.

One of the moat celebrated Pnotographers in Bermuda has captured the essence of each element in Bermuda and made it breathtakingly colorful and full of light and texture. One of the most captivating sections of these books is the series of nature photos. Bermuda is known for exhilarating flowers. These books capture colors I have only seen in my dreams.

Bermuda: A World Apart by Roger A. Labrucherie Imagenes Press, September 1996 $37.50, ISBN 0-939-8232-2

These collections of extraordinary images also capture the beauty of Bermuda with an emphasis on small and obscure things that make it unique and fascinating. The photographer discovers pockets of paradise, Which can only be found by talking the time to comb through the beautiful island one step at a time. There are also great aerial shots of the island with some additional historical information on how Bermuda has preserved its land for hundreds of years.