Good alternative to Apple-produced books?

Thanks so much for your replies! You hit the nail on the head - the finishing process causes reduced saturation and contrast, so the pictures look a bit flat. I recently made a book with stunning pictures from an Africal safari. The pictures in the book just didn't have the "pop" that individual prints on glossy paper have.

FYI:  I found a couple of other labs that offer semi-gloss paper, and will see how these work out:

picaboo.com and nationsphotolab.com