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Armchair Travel August 2023
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Into the great emptiness : peril and survival on the Greenland ice cap
by David Roberts
"The riveting story of one of the greatest but least-known sagas in the history of exploration from David Roberts, the "dean of adventure writing." By 1930, no place in the world was less well explored than Greenland. The native Inuit had occupied the relatively accessible west coast for centuries. The east coast, however, was another story. In August 1930, Henry George Watkins (nicknamed Gino), a 23-year-old explorer, led thirteen scientists and explorers on an ambitious journey to the east coast of Greenland and its vast and forbidding interior. Their mission: chart and survey the region and establish a permanent meteorological base 8,000 feet high on the ice cap. That plan turned into an epic survival ordeal when August Courtauld, manning the station solo through the winter, became entombed by drifting snow. David Roberts, "veteran mountain climber and chronicler of adventures" (Washington Post), draws on firsthand accounts and rich archival materials to tell the story of this daring expedition and ofthe ingenious young explorer at its helm"
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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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Ghost Towns of Ontario's Cottage Country
by Andrew Hind
From the northern shores of Georgian Bay to the eastern reaches of the Kawarthas, Ontario’s cottage country is littered with vanished villages, including settlement-era farm communities, railway whistle-stops, and logging hamlets. Within these pages, readers will venture into Ontario’s past to learn how these communities lived and died and to meet the people who invested their hopes and dreams in them. Dozens of photographs, many historical and never before published, bring these ghost towns back to life.
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| Graveyard of the Pacific: Shipwreck and Survival on America's Deadliest Waterway by Randall SullivanThe graveyard: the Columbia River Bar, the treacherous miles-long and miles-wide area where the Columbia River enters the Pacific Ocean in a fury, fed by Rocky Mountain water runoff.
What happens: Nearly 70-year-old writer Randall Sullivan and his friend Ray, who's the same age, cross the area in a Hobie trimaran, which is essentially a sailing kayak built for two.
Is it for you? This "strikingly rendered tale" (Kirkus Reviews) is "a thrill ride" (Publishers Weekly) combining history, the voyage, and the author's reflections on his and Ray's lives, both of whom grew up amid violence. |
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Return : a journey back to living wild
by Lynx Vilden
An internationally acclaimed eco-warrior and environmental activist, providing a glimpse into her extraordinary world, chronicles her journey to reconnect with the earth to empower us to renew our bonds with the earth and awaken our wildest, most primal selves.
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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.
Reviewers say: "both calming and laugh, laugh, laugh-out-loud funny" (Washington Post); "entertaining and full of good lessons" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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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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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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