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Armchair Travel December 2018
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| We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by José Andrés with Richard WolffeWhat happened: Four days after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, acclaimed Spanish American chef José Andrés went to there to feed the hungry, fighting red tape and a broken system to do so.
Why you should read it: It offers a moving, eye-opening look at a part of the United States that's often forgotten and a portrait of a tourist destination in crisis.
Author buzz: Andrés is a James Beard Award winner, a Michelin-starred chef, and founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit fighting hunger. |
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To Shake the Sleeping Self : A Journey From Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest For a Life With No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins"From travel writer and Instagram phenomenon Jedidiah Jenkins, a long-awaited memoir of adventure, failure, and lessons learned while bicycling the 10,000 miles from Oregon to Patagonia. On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being sucked into a life he didn't choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent the next sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and profound reflections on life soon attracted hundreds of thousands of followers and got him featured by National Geographic and The Paris Review. In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates the adventure that started it all: the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world, and the internal journey that prompted it--the question of what it means to be an adult; his struggle to reconcile his sexual identity with his conservative Christian upbringing; and his belief in travel as a way to "wake us up" to our lives back home. As he writes in his inspiring search for wonder and a life he could believe in, 'It's not about the bike. It's about getting out of your routine--and that could look like anything'"
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See You Again in Pyongyang: A Journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea
by Travis Jeppesen
What it is: an intriguing look at North Korea by writer and artist Travis Jeppesen, who was the first American allowed to study there, taking part in a month-long language program. Commenting on history, art, tourist attractions, popular culture, the constant surveillance, and more, Jeppesen provides a new look at this headline-making, closed-off land.
Try this next: journalist Suki Kim's Without You, There Is No Us (about her short stint teaching the sons of the country's elite), or a North Korean defector memoir, like Hyeonseo Lee's The Girl with Seven Names.
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My Twenty-Five Years in Provence: Reflections on Then and Now
by Peter Mayle
What it is: the final charming travelogue by beloved British purveyor of Provençal life Peter Mayle, who died earlier this year.
For fans of: Provence, Peter Mayle's earlier atmospheric books, "ex-pats in foreign lands" stories, and travelogues overflowing with cafes and mouthwatering meals.
Try this next: David McAninch's Duck Season, about his family's year in Gascony, or if you like mystery novels, grab Martin Walker's evocative Bruno, Chief of Police novels, set in a French village.
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Love and Marriage...and Travel
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| When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren CollinsWhat happened: Lauren Collins, an American New Yorker writer living in London, fell in love and married a Frenchman, moving to Geneva, Switzerland to be with him.
What it is: a funny, full-bodied, and romantic chronicle of her amusing adventures in a new land and her attempts to communicate in a new tongue.
Reviewers say: This is "a thoughtful, beautifully written meditation on the art of language and intimacy" (The New York Times). |
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| Ruthless River: Love & Survival by Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios by Holly FitzGeraldWhat happened: A dream honeymoon traveling around the world turned into a nightmare for Holly FitzGerald and her new husband when their plane crashed in a South American jungle in 1973. They survived, and retrofitted a raft in order to float down the Madre de Dios river to civilization, but a storm put them off course, stalling them in swampy, piranha-infested waters.
Why you might like it: Peppered with hard-won insights about life and love, this harrowing survival tale is unputdownable. |
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| Eve of a Hundred Midnights: The Star-Crossed Love Story of Two World War II... by Bill LascherWhat it is: a swiftly paced dual biography inspired by the writings and photographs of American journalists Mel and Annalee Jacoby.
What happened: The couple married shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor and worked in China until just before the Japanese invasion (getting out in the nick of time), then moved from location to location chronicling the events of World War II.
Read it for: a timeless love story full of danger as well as fascinating depictions of the Pacific theater during the war. |
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| My Berlin Kitchen: Adventures in Love & Life by Luisa WeissStarring: Chef Luisa Weiss, who was born in 1977 West Berlin to an American father and an Italian mother who soon divorced, making her a frequent international flyer at a young age.
What happened: After years of living in cities around the world, Weiss left behind a stable job and her boyfriend to move back home to Berlin...where she reconnected with the man who later became her husband.
Author buzz: Still living in Germany, Weiss writes the award-winning blog The Wednesday Chef. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library 660 West Fifth Street Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 336-703-2665www.forsythlibrary.org |
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