Subpar Parks

Subpar Parks began as an Instagram account that pairs paintings of America's national parks with the most baffled one-star reviews visitors have posted about them. This book gathers the best of that account and adds plenty of new material, mixing illustration, short informative write-ups on each park and the complaints that make the whole thing so funny.

The joke works because the scenery is so spectacular and the grumbling so beside the point. Glacier National Park draws millions of people a year, yet one of them found it "Too cold for me!" Another looked out over Bryce Canyon and called it "Too spiky!" A visitor to the thermal pools at Yellowstone went home advising others to "boil some water at home" instead of paying to visit.

More than half the content is new. Readers get deeper looks at some of the best-known parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Acadia, along with anecdotes and tips from park rangers. Author Amber Share also writes about her own love of the outdoors and how she came to feel so connected to it.

The result is part comedy and part tribute to the parks. It suits anyone who likes time outside and wants something to read, and laugh at, once they are back indoors.