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Armchair Travel October 2021 |
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| Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard... by Siân EvansWhat it is: an engaging look at the golden age of transatlantic ocean travel via the stories of women, both employees and passengers, who found unprecedented freedoms onboard.
Don't miss: stories about famous people such as Josephine Baker and Martha Gellhorn; details about the ocean liners used as World War I hospital ships.
For fans of: Erik Larson's Dead Wake; Hugh Brewster's Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage; well-researched social histories centered on women; or amusing tales of ocean travel. |
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| Travels With George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel PhilbrickDid you know? After George Washington became president, he visited each of the 13 former colonies between 1789 and 1791 to try to unite the brand-new country.
What's inside: a thoughtful examination of the first U.S. president and the country's early years, plus an intimate look at award-winning author Nathanial Philbrick's own 2018 journey (with wife and dog) retracing the route of Washington's long-ago carriage wheels.
Reviewers say: "Both a lighthearted travelogue and a timely exploration of Washington’s historical legacy" (Wall Street Journal). |
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| Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the... by Anthony DoerrImagine... moving to a foreign country for a year, with six-month-old twin boys in tow. That's just what author Anthony Doerr and his wife did in 2004 after he won the prestigious Rome Prize.
Why you might like it: In this amusing memoir, first-time parent Doerr writes eloquently of children, sleepless nights, intriguing Romans, the funeral of Pope John Paul II, and the multitude of things to see and do.
Author buzz: Doerr's the author of the mega-bestselling 2014 book All the Light We Cannot See; his newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, just came out to stellar reviews. |
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| Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa JamesWhat it's about: Bestselling romance writer Eloisa James (aka Mary Bly, Shakespearean scholar) moved her family of four to Paris for a year after her beloved mother's death and her own battle with cancer.
What's inside: James' familial anecdotes together with memories of her mother (author Carol Bly) and worries about her aging father (poet Robert Bly) make this charming look at Paris also a loving look at family.
Read this next: Readers interested in a young male novelist's very different view of the famed city can check out Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin. |
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| On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul TherouxWhat happened: Erudite 70-something author Paul Theroux drove the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border alone. Crossing back and forth, he visited Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and other areas, where he met locals, witnessed the monarch butterfly migration, visited historic locations, taught writing, and learned about drug cartels.
Author buzz: Theroux's written acclaimed travelogues and fiction, including books that've been made in movies like The Mosquito Coast. His latest novel, Under the Wave at Waimea, came out in April.
Read this next: For a penetrating look at both U.S. borders, try Stephanie Elizondo Griest's travel narrative All the Agents and Saints. |
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| The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts by Colson WhiteheadWhat's inside: vibrant essays that incorporate memories, anecdotes, vignettes, and lyrical meditations to offer an intimate portrait of life in New York City.
The opening line: "I'm here because I was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else, but I don't know about you."
Author buzz: Colson Whitehead has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, for The Underground Railroad and for The Nickel Boys. His latest acclaimed novel, Harlem Shuffle, was released in September. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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