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Armchair Travel February 2017
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| Grape, Olive, Pig: Deep Travels through Spain's Food Culture by Matt GouldingMarried to a Spanish woman, American foodie (and friend to Anthony Bourdain) Matt Goulding has lived in Spain for over six years and knows a lot about the country and its gastronomic offerings. In this excellent book, he serves up personal stories of his life and travels, short biographies of fascinating Spanish people, tips of what to eat and drink (hint: forget Sangria), lovingly describes sensuous meals (some at famed restaurants), and presents a celebration of the culture and cuisine of every region of Spain. With mouth-watering descriptions of tapas, acorn-fed pig, paella, and more, readers are advised to have a delicious snack available to go with this evocative travelogue. Interested in Japan? He gives it a similar (though less intimate) treatment in Rice, Noodle, Fish. |
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| The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas PrestonThough he's probably better known as the co-author of the suspenseful Pendergast novels, Douglas Preston also writes thrilling nonfiction. In his latest real-life adventure tale, he gives us a high-octane account of his travels in Honduras' Mosquitia area, where he's part of a team looking for evidence of the fabled Ciudad Blanca (The White City) aka The Lost City of the Monkey God -- but the group has to deal with unfriendly soldiers, parasites, jaguars, snakes, insects, and more. Fans of David Grann's Lost City of Z will surely want to check out Preston's compelling latest; those who'd like more on Mosquitia can pick up William Carlsen's fascinating Jungle of Stone, where he traces the footsteps of two 19th-century explorers, who were the first Euro-Americans to find evidence of the sophisticated Mayan civilization. |
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| The Marches: A Borderland Journey between England and Scotland by Rory StewartInsightful, lyrical author Rory Stewart has written about Iraq (Prince of Marshes) and Afghanistan (The Places In Between), but his latest journey is more intimate: it's the landscape of his homeland, on the border between England and Scotland, along Hadrian's Wall, and he's walking it with his 89-year-old Scottish father. Touching on his own familial history as well as the plants, animals, conflicts, people (from Romans to modern-day locals), and more that have shaped this stunning area, Stewart, who's also a Member of Parliament, provides a thoughtful book. For another richly detailed (though more wide-ranging) walk about Great Britain that engagingly mixes history and travel, pick up Max Adams' recent In the Land of Giants. |
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| A Space Traveler's Guide to the Solar System by Mark ThompsonIf you want to travel to a really out-of-this-world locale, why not go, well, out of this world? Though we can't hop on a rocket to Mars (yet), this inviting book by Mark Thompson, a celebrated astronomer and presenter of the BBC's Stargazing Live, lets readers imagine that they are taking a galactic tour. After flight planning, travelers will move through our solar system, exploring the sun, planets, moons and asteroid belts and learning how humans might survive, navigate, and get fuel on such a trip. Fans of The Martian (Andy Weir's novel and/or the movie version of it) who want a factual, more wide-ranging look at humans in space will find this fantastic journey entertaining and enlightening. |
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Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
by John Waters
Ready for a "rollicking, raunchy romp" (Library Journal)? Then you're ready for Carsick! Mixing in a bit of fiction before hitting the road for real (it begins with vividly imagined best-case and worst-case scenarios), 66-year-old filmmaker and cult legend John Waters -- who made Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, etc. -- traces his 2012 cross-country hitchhiking trip. With a motley group of unsuspecting drivers, including a gentle farmer (who thinks Waters is a hobo), an indie band (who tweet about the encounter), and the author's unexpected hero (who's a 20-year-old Republican politician!), he has a great time and makes it from his house in Baltimore to his apartment in San Francisco in one piece. If you'd like another witty book by a hitchhiker crossing an entire country and would like to visit Australia, pick up Tony Horwitz's One for the Road.
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| Champagne Baby: How One Parisian Learned to Love Wine -- and Life -- the American Way by Laure DugasThere are plenty of stories about Americans in Paris, but here's a delightful tale of a Parisian in America! In this charming version of the fish-out-of-water memoir, Laure Dugas -- a young French woman who has little interest in wine even though she hails from a family of winemakers -- is offered the chance to move to New York City to represent her uncle's company. She immediately accepts...even though she knows little English and little about wine. Learning as she goes, intrepid Laure gets acclimated (even working as a waitress for a month), explores Manhattan, travels across the United States for her job, misses her quintessentially French boyfriend, learns about herself, and develops a passion for the intricacies of wine. Open and enjoy -- santé! |
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Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country...
by David Rosenfelt
Woof! Traveling goes to the dogs in this funny, heartwarming book. As if moving from California to Maine wasn't ambitious enough, crime novelist David Rosenfelt and his wife also transported 25 dogs (it could have been more -- they once had over 40 rescue dogs!). With help from volunteers (including fans of the author's Andy Carpenter mysteries), the group set off in a convoy of three RVs to travel across the country in less than a week. Narrated in the author's amusing, self-deprecating style, this howlingly good memoir describes Rosenfelt's preparations for the trip, explains how he got involved with dog rescue, traces the trip itself, and showcases some of the wonderful canines that he has known and loved over the years.
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Father's Day: Across America with an Unusual Dad and His Extraordinary Son
by Buzz Bissinger
In Father's Day, Buzz Bissinger (author of Friday Night Lights) relates the joys and frustrations of traveling with his son Zach, who has mental challenges resulting from brain damage at birth (his twin brother, born three minutes earlier, suffered no ill effects). Now in his mid-20s, Zach works as a grocery bagger and has distinct intellectual limits (he reads, but doesn't always comprehend) as well as talents (his memory is amazing). Wishing he could relate to his son better, Buzz takes a father-son road trip with him (though no one except Buzz thinks it's a good idea). Not only describing the things they saw and did along the way, the book also offers Buzz's reflections on what he learned about himself -- and how he gained some insight into Zach as a distinct personality. "Gorgeous and brutally honest," says The New York Times.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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