| In the Land of Giants: A Journey Through the Dark Ages by Max AdamsCombining travelogue and history with his thoughts on the way the past and present connect, archaeologist Max Adams shines a bright light on both the British dark ages and current times. In In the Land of Giants , which is based on ten walks Adams took over 18 months, he explores Britain's (and, to a lesser extent, Ireland's) early medieval past, providing narratives about his adventures as he camped, visited with locals, explored paths through hills and fields, and saw the remnants of forts, crypts, churches, causeways, memorials, and more. If you enjoy this fascinating book and want another amble in Britain, pick up Simon Armitage's Walking Home: A Poet's Journey. |
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| Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin DickeyColin Dickey, who grew up in California near the infamous Winchester Mystery House, isn't afraid to take on America's ghosts. In this spellbinding, intelligent examination, he takes readers on an offbeat road trip through some of the continental United States' most haunted places. Dickey, who believes that "if you want to understand a place, ignore the boasting monuments and landmarks, and go straight to the haunted houses," visited hotels, houses, prisons, plantations, bars, brothels, and more, and interviewed psychics, ghost hunters, and historians to better understand what our haunted places say about us. Thoughtfully digging into a little-understood area, Dickey compares ghost tales with the known facts and examines what the differences between the two means. "A lively assemblage and smart analysis," says The New York Times. |
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| In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine by Tim JudahThough you might not want to travel to Ukraine right now, you can discover Europe's second largest country via British journalist Tim Judah's excellent new book. Traveling across the divided country, including the war-torn eastern part, he interviews Ukrainian people on both sides of the current conflict with Russia-supported separatists, talking with teachers, government officials, poets, historians, retirees, grieving mothers of fallen soldiers, and others. Combining travelogue and interviews with history, reportage, and an astute analysis of recent political events, he provides a well-rounded book that's a must read for anyone interested in Ukraine or Russia. |
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America's Most Haunted Hotels: Checking in With Uninvited Guests
by Jamie Davis Whitmer
Join Jamie Davis Whitmer, author of Haunted Asylums, Prisons, and Sanatoriums, as she explores nine of the most haunted hotels across America. From the Myrtles Plantation in Louisana to the Palmer House in Minnesota, these hotels are discussed in stunning detail, covering everything from the building’s history and legends to first-hand accounts of paranormal activity that happened there. You’ll also find photos, travel information, and everything else you need to plan your own visit to these haunted locations.
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Remembering Florida Springs
by Tim Hollis
Discover the mermaids, alligators, underwater mountains, and glass bottom and submarine boats of one of Florida’s most fascinating natural wonders! In this visual tour of the state’s five largest springs, collector-extraordinaire Tim Hollis brings together postcards, advertisements, brochures, roadside signs, flyers, and souvenirs from the early days of these popular roadside attractions.
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On Thin Ice: An Epic Final Quest Into the Melting Arctic
by Eric Larsen
On Thin Ice is a true account of Eric Larsen's life and expeditions, focusing on his most recent expedition to the North Pole, complete with full-color images, an overview map with GPS points and journal entries designed as pull-quotes. The running narrative intertwines with the journal entries and images to convey a gripping story from polar bear attacks to starvation with an overarching theme of global warming.
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Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Three of today's leading astrophysicists offer a guided tour of the cosmos, discussing the latest discoveries in the field, explaining why Pluto lost its planet status and covering everything you need to know about planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, wormholes and time travel.
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Where to Go When: The World's Best Destinations
by Craig Doyle
Organized by month of the year, a handbook for the savvy traveler offers helpful advice for anyone planning any kind of vacation that describes the best time to go to each destination.
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Saint-Germain-Des-Pres: Paris's Rebel Quarter
by John Baxter
The best-selling author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World presents a debut installment in a series of narrative portraits of Paris' great communities, celebrating Saint-Germain-des-PrTs as a center of artistic, intellectual and revolutionary activity and culture.
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Backroads of Paradise: A Journey to Rediscover Old Florida
by Cathy Salustri
For readers of back-road travelogs, particularly those interested in the lesser-known parts of a well-known tourist state, this book provides a perspective different from the theme park and beach images most commonly associated with Florida.
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Black Square: Adventures in Post-Soviet Ukraine
by Sophie Pinkham
An expert in Slavic culture and literature describes the flourishing youth culture in the tragically corrupt Ukraine after the fall of the USSR, a movement whose members bore witness to protesters shot on Kiev¡s main square and Crimea annexed by Russia.
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Focus on: The Middle East
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| Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary MahoneyIf you're a woman who wants to row down the Egyptian Nile alone, you might want to bring your own boat. That's what author Rosemary Mahoney found out in 1998 when, due to her sex and lack of a husband, she had trouble buying one. Thankfully, she finally obtained a fisherman's skiff and was soon on her way down the famous river, stopping at various points along the way and dealing with the heat, worries about crocodiles, and cultural differences. Excerpts from the 1849 Egyptian Nile travel diaries of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert add a historical touch to Mahoney's beautifully written, eye-opening modern adventure. |
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| The Ministry of Guidance Invites You To Not Stay: An American Family in Iran by Hooman MajdAfter 50-year-old Iranian-American journalist Hooman Majd married and had a son with his American wife, Karri, the family moved to Tehran for a year...at a time when relations between the U.S. and Iran were tense, to say the least. But the couple wanted Majd -- who'd left the country of his birth as a child -- to get reacquainted with his homeland, and they wanted to introduce their son to the Iranian part of his heritage. Though they dealt with the unfamiliar (Iranian security, fasting during Ramadan, and Karri wearing a headscarf), they also found some things were familiar (parties, Facebook, and organic food). Offering an intimate insight into a country and its people, Majd's third book is also his most personal. |
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| Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East by Gerard RussellThough Islam is the most common religion practiced in the Middle East, there are dozens of others that most Westerners know very little about. In this enlightening book, a curious former British diplomat who lived in the area for over a decade provides an accessible introduction to many of the minor religions that have survived for hundreds of years but are now in danger of becoming extinct. Traveling around the Middle East, Gerard Russell learns about and meets Yazidis, Zoroastrians, Copts, Druze, Samaritans, Kalasha, Mandaeans, Manicheans, and others, and engagingly shares what he learns with readers. "Fascinating and gracefully written," says Library Journal. |
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| House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony ShadidWhen two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Anthony Shadid visited the abandoned house his great-grandfather had built in southern Lebanon, he decided to restore the nearly 100-year-old two-story abode. In his great-grandfather's day, Christians (like his relatives) and Muslims resided peacefully together -- but for years, the town had been affected by often-violent conflicts, including 18 years of Israeli occupation. In this thoughtful, evocative memoir, he explores renovation projects, identity, family, war, change, and the meaning of home. Just before the 2012 publication of this National Book Award finalist, the amazingly talented Shadid died from an asthma attack while reporting in Syria. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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