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Armchair TravelAugust 2014 |
"The loneliness of the expatriate is of an odd and complicated kind, for it is inseparable from the feeling of being free, of having escaped."
~ from Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon |
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and... by Martin DugardWhat is the source of the Nile River? That was the question that Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke set out to answer during their 1857-58 expedition to Africa. What they discovered there led them to two different theories, creating a rift between the explorers and dividing Victorian England. Using this contentious trip as a starting point and referencing many others, veteran author Martin Dugard analyzes seven character traits shared by successful explorers: curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly says "Dugard’s infusions of insight and enthusiasm carry the reader and drive his points home." |
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On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads
by Tim Cope
Before preparing to ride 6,000 miles on horseback across the Eurasian Steppe, Australian Tim Cope's only previous experience riding a horse had occurred at the age of seven, lasted ten minutes, and resulted in a broken arm. Not letting that stop him from following the historic path of Genghis Khan, he heads to Mongolia, the homeland of the legendary empire builder, buys horses, and sets out. Though he'd thought the journey from there through Kazakhstan, Russia, Crimea, the Ukraine, and Hungary would take 18 months, it actually takes three long years. Along the way, he faces dire threats, including from horse thieves and wolves, deals with bureaucracy, acquires a faithful dog, and meets incredible people, especially the many families who provide him hospitality. If you'd enjoy "an exciting, detailed account of man versus adversity" (Kirkus Reviews), check out this book.
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| Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John WatersReady 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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Families Moving to a New Country
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| Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom by Yangzom BrauenSometimes when families move from one country to another, it's to save their lives. Part of this multi-generational tale takes place during the winter of 1959, when the Chinese persecution of Tibetans worsened. Kunsang, a Buddhist nun, and her husband, a Buddhist monk, fled Tibet just as the Dalai Lama had, hoping to make it to India. Their six-year-old and four-year-old daughters went with them on the dangerous journey through the snow-covered Himalayan mountains and on to a refugee camp. Kunsang and one daughter, Sonam, survived, and Sonam eventually met and married Martin Brauen, a Swiss student of Buddhism, and moved to Switzerland, where author Yangzom was born. In this "absorbing, multilayered account" (Kirkus Reviews) of her family, Brauen paints a vivid portrait of her family's many journeys and details cross-cultural influences in the modern history of Tibet. |
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Living in a foreign language : a memoir of food, wine, and love in Italy
by Michael Tucker
The veteran actor recalls how he and his wife, actress Jill Eikenberry, purchased a small cottage in rural Umbria and found a home in the heart of Italy, sharing the couple's efforts to understand the nuances of Italian culture, build a new life for themselves now that their children are grown, and enjoy good food, wine, and the joys of the Italian countryside.
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| Running Away to Home: Our Family's Journey to Croatia... by Jennifer WilsonUnhappy with what their young family's life had become ("We worked. We drove the kids around. We shopped."), Iowa travel writer Jennifer Wilson and her architect husband consider moving to Mrkopalj, her ancestral Croatian mountain village, for a year. She's looking for home, but what she discovers on a fact-finding trip -- lots of alcohol and wild boars -- doesn't endear the town to her. Still, her family makes the move, and they experience a simpler, more primitive life, living according to local customs while reconnecting with extended family and each other. This lighthearted yet meditative look at one family's life-changing experience provides armchair travelers with a "fun-filled, revealing peek into the Croatian countryside" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Carrollton Public Library at 972-466-4800
1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton, Texas 75006
4220 North Josey Lane, Carrollton Texas 75010
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