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Armchair Travel February 2021 |
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| The Moth and the Mountainby Ed CaesarWhat it's about: Despite little experience with flying or climbing, troubled Great War veteran Maurice Wilson piloted a plane from England to India in 1933, walked across Tibet, and attempted to ascend Mt. Everest solo (which ultimately proved fatal).
Why you might like it: Using letters, diary entries, and more, this well-researched portrait of a little-known adventurer includes maps and illustrations and sympathetically examines Wilson's life and ill-fated trip.
Read this next: For another gripping book about mountaineers of the past, try Scott Ellsworth's The World Beneath Their Feet. |
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| The Greatest Beer Run Everby John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. MolloyThe challenge: In a New York City neighborhood bar in 1967, U.S. Marine Corps veteran-turned-merchant mariner John "Chick" Donohue agreed to sneak into Vietnam, track down local friends at war, and share beers from home.
What happened: He did it! But witnessing shocking events like the Tet offensive changed him, and his thoughts about the war.
Reviewers say: "fascinating, vividly narrated" (Publishers Weekly); "an irreverent yet thoughtful macho adventure" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Unsolacedby Gretel EhrlichWhat it is: This poetic memoir details Gretel Ehrlich's meditative observations about her ranch in Wyoming and the places she's visited, including California, Greenland, Japan, Sweden, and Zimbabwe.
What's inside: Ehrlich thoughtfully contemplates ranch life, grief and loss, animals and nature, climate change, and more.
Reviewers say: "Erlich’s memories, rendered in rich, lyrical language, make for a moving ode to a changing planet" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| How to Be a Familyby Dan KoisWhat it's about: A dad humorously details the year his stressed Northern Virginia family gave up regular life for three months each in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and small-town Kansas.
The family: Journalist and podcast host Dan, lawyer Alia, and their daughters, 11-year-old Lyra and nine-year-old Harper. |
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| A Year in Provence by Peter MayleWhat it is: A classic travelogue first published in 1989 by English writer Peter Mayle, who vividly describes his and his wife's experiences after they moved into a 200-year-old French farmhouse with a vineyard.
What's inside: In chapters named after the months of the year, Mayle offers humorous and keen observations on expatriate life, locals, and the culture of Provence as well as mouthwatering descriptions of food.
Read this next: Other books by Mayle; Dirt by Bill Buford; and L'Appart by David Lebovitz. |
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My Penguin Yearby Lindsay McCraeWhat happened: Along with the two other members of his team, award-winning photographer Lindsay McCrae spent 337 days in Antarctica documenting a colony of emperor penguins, all while dealing with his own isolation and missing his pregnant wife back home.
Don't miss: The pages and pages of awe-inspiring color photos.
Did you know? McCrae's immersive time with the penguins came as part of his work with BBC's Dynasties nature series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Siouxland Libraries
200 North Dakota Avenue
P.O. Box 7403
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57117
605-367-8700www.siouxlandlib.org |
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