| Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios by Holly FitzGeraldAn extended honeymoon traveling around the world is a dream that turns into a nightmare for Holly FitzGerald and her new husband when their plane crashes in a South American jungle in 1973. They survive, but are stuck in a remote town near a penal colony with no way out for months. Told they can easily float down the Madre de Dios river to civilization, they retrofit a raft and set out. All goes well...until a storm puts them off course, stalling the couple in swampy, piranha-infested waters. Peppered with hard-won insights about life and love, this harrowing survival tale is unputdownable. |
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Red Tape and White Knuckles : One Woman's Adventure Through Africa
by Lois Pryce
To most thirty-something women, walking across the street to get a skinny latte and the latest copy of heat in excruciating high heels is an all-terrain task in itself. But Lois Pryce isn't just any woman nine to five and post-work white wine spritzers have never been her thing. Unafraid of a challenge having already ridden her motorbike from Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America she decided she could never be one to settle for a last minute package holiday in Viva Espana. So, she began the kind of adventure most of us could only ever dream of.
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The frozen frontier : Polar bound through the Northwest Passage
by Jane Maufe
There are seven possible routes through the Northwest Passage, and Cowper had sailed through six of them singlehanded. This is the account of the sixth and most northerly from ocean to ocean through the McClure Strait, this time accompanied by Jane Maufe, his crew. The account of the voyage is written by Jane and she captures Cowper's steely determination, resourcefulness in the face of adversity and humility in the wake of great achievement. Theirs is an old-fashioned relationship, where each party expects to fulfil their stereotypical roles. But Jane is no push-over she can steer a watch, haul sails, and leap ashore slippery pontoons with heavy ropes like the best of them. As well as a captivating story of adventurous sailing it provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between two serious and dedicated sailors, alone together in some of the most isolated and forbidding desolate wastes on Earth.
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| Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, Love, and Survival by Jeffrey GettlemanBefore he was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jeffrey Gettleman was a 19-year-old who fell in love with Africa. In his adventure-laden (hanging out in war zones, being kidnapped, etc.) memoir, he explores his undying affection for this complex continent, documents his career (including local reporting in Florida and war reporting in various countries), and traces his relationship with a fellow student who becomes his coworker and wife (though there were most definitely bumps along the way). If you want to understand either Africa or journalism better, this engrossing book is a must-read. |
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One Year on a Bike : From Amsterdam to Singapore
by Martijn Doolaard
Martijn Doolaard traded in the convenience of a car and the distractions of daily life for a cross-continental cycling journey: a biped adventure from Amsterdam to Singapore. Leaving behind repetitive routines, One Year on a Bike indulges in slow travel, the subtlety of a gradually changing landscape, and the lessons learned through travelling. Venturing through Eastern European fields of yellow rapeseed to the intimate hosting culture in Iran, One Year on a Bike is a vivid chronicle of what can happen when the norm is pointedly replaced by exceptional self-discoveries and beautiful sceneries. Doolaard shares the gear and knowledge that made his trip possible
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In the Spirit of Capri
by Pamela Fiori
Jutting proudly out of the Mediterranean Sea, like a miracle of nature, Capri is one of the worlds chicest destinations the European pleasure island. It is a place where well-tanned Italians joyfully share the islands beauty with celebrities and emphatic island lovers: from limoncello, the native digestivo, to its eponymous Capri pants, to the bright turquoise jewelry and bejeweled sandals made famous by its glamorous denizens. In a colourful tribute to the isle adored by literary icons and the jet set alike, author Pamela Fiori explains with resonant texts and vibrant images the effortless charm of this fabled island.
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Living in Another Language
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| When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren CollinsAn American in London fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to Geneva, Switzerland. Once there, she decided to learn French; not only did she want to be able to buy things on her own, but she wanted to become closer to her new husband and, when the time came, not be "a Borat of a mother." Chronicling her amusing adventures overseas and her attempts to communicate in a new tongue, talented New Yorker writer Lauren Collins serves up a funny, romantic, intelligent memoir, which provides "a thoughtful, beautifully written meditation on the art of language and intimacy" (The New York Times). |
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| La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair With Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language by Dianne HalesAfter traveling in Italy, journalist Dianne Hales became "madly, gladly, giddily besotted" with the Italian language and used all sorts of language-learning methods, including visiting Italy for large chunks of time, to master la bella lingua. Visiting various places and interviewing locals and language experts, Hales learned as much as she could about the language (including some profanity!) and the culture that gave rise to it. For a more introspective, literary take on this topic, pick up Pulitzer Prize-winning Jhumpa Lahiri's concise In Other Words, which offers a look at her own love affair with Italian and includes a short story she first wrote in that language. |
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| All Strangers Are Kin: Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World by Zora O'NeillHaving studied Arabic as a college student, personable travel and food writer Zora O'Neill decided at age 39 to revisit the language, but this time, to focus on the colloquial instead of the formal version. Visiting Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Morocco, she studied and tested out her skills, but was hindered by different areas having different dialects. Nevertheless, she engaged with people she met -- eating, visiting, and sometimes staying with them -- as she pondered the complex language and the relationship between culture and communication. |
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Dreaming in Chinese : Mandarin lessons in life, love, and language
by Deborah Fallows
A linguist and author shares what she discovered about Mandarin, China's most common language, while living in Shanghai and Beijing, and describes how it provided a window into her understanding of the romance, protocol, humor, and relationships within modern China
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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