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Armchair Travel August 2023
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| Walking With Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain by Andrew McCarthyWhat it is: An intimate, amusing memoir chronicling the ups and downs (both literal and figurative) of actor Andrew McCarthy and his 19-year-old son Sam as they walked Spain's 500-mile Camino de Santiago in 2021.
Don't miss: The historical details, the musings on fatherhood, and the descriptions of the people and places they see.
Read this next: Andrew McCarthy's earlier books, or try Calvin Hennick's Once More to the Rodeo for another thoughtful look at fatherhood, though it's centered around a road trip with a five-year-old. |
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| Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the... by Melissa L. SevignyBranching out: In 1938, two women botanists, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, left the classroom to survey and catalog the plant life of the Grand Canyon...by taking a treacherous trip down the Colorado River.
Don't miss: Details on the many barriers they faced, the plants they found, and the history of the area, as well as maps and photos.
Reviewers say: "A beautiful tribute" (Kirkus Reviews); "[Melissa] Sevigny recreates their expedition in novelistic detail" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Oh My Mother! A Memoir in Nine Adventures by Connie WangWhat it is: A collection of nine candid travel essays that covers trips taken over the course of several years by journalist Connie Wang and her mother.
Places include: China (twice), Disney World, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Versailles, Amsterdam, time share resorts, and a United States road trip.
Why you might like it: Something of a dual memoir (Wang's mom had input and edit power), this "creative and entertaining" (Kirkus Reviews) travelogue offers an intriguing look at various locales through the lens of one mother-daughter relationship. |
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Focus on: Traveling Celebrities
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| Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavishWhat happens: Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, stars of the Outlander TV series, explore their Scottish homeland, visiting places like Glencoe, Inverness, and Culloden, using a camper van, boats, bicycles, and more.
Media buzz: Clanlands covers travels in the first season of the fun documentary TV series Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham.
Be on the lookout for: The soon-to-be-released book sequel, Clanlands in New Zealand, as well as the second season of the TV show. |
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| From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi LockeWhat it is: A poignant, heartfelt memoir by actress Tembi Locke, who fell in love with Saro, an Italian professional chef.
What happened: Saro's family wasn't sure about him marrying a Black American, but as he battled and then succumbed to cancer, Tembi grew closer to them, later spending summers in Sicily with the couple's adopted daughter.
Media buzz: An eight-part Netflix series starring Zoe Saldaña came out last year. Locke and her sister, bestselling crime writer Attica Locke, created, wrote, and produced the show. |
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| Greenlights by Matthew McConaugheyAlright, Alright, Alright: Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey serves up a candid, conversational memoir.
Why you might like it: While full of stories, advice, and insights, Greenlights is also something of a travelogue, chronicling growing up in Texas, a school year in Australia, life in Hollywood, a trip down the Amazon, visiting Africa, a road trip across America, and more.
Also available in eBook & Audiobook on Libby |
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| The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice MillardDid you know? In addition to being a war hero and president of the U.S., Teddy Roosevelt was an explorer who co-led a 1913-14 expedition to map a nearly 1,000-mile tributary of the Amazon.
What happened: After losing the election that would have made him president for the third time, Teddy set out with his son Kermit and Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon on a trip full of trials and danger.
Read this next: If you like this "marvelously atmospheric" (Booklist) account, try Larry Rohter's biography of Rondon, Into the Amazon. |
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| Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant... by Nick OffermanWhat it is: Actor Nick Offerman's memoir covering three trips he took and his thoughts on nature, history, politics, and more.
The trips: A hiking trip to Glacier National Park with two friends, musician Jeff Tweedy and novelist George Saunders; an extended visit to England, where he spent time with farmer and writer James Rebanks; and in 2020, as the pandemic was starting, a road trip around part of the U.S. in an Airstream trailer with his wife, actress Megan Mullally. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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