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Armchair Travel April 2018
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| Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian CastnerWhat it's about: Combining history with travelogue, acclaimed writer Brian Castner engagingly describes his 1,124 mile-canoe trip across Canada, following in the wake of Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie, who, in 1789, set out to find the fabled Northwest Passage.
Is it for you? Yes, if you like books with a thoughtful guide who combines fascinating history and modern-day adventure. |
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The unceasing storm : memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
by Katherine Luo ; foreword by Madeleine Thien ; translated from the Chinese by Joe Mo, Lucy Y.S. Mo, Yvonne So [and six others].
What it's about: The author writes about her experiences and the personal struggles she faced in China during China's Cultural Revolution after moving there in 1955 to study drama and opera.
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| The Monk of Mokha by Dave EggersStarring: Mokhtar Alkhanshali, who grew up in San Francisco's notorious Tenderloin district, lived with his grandparents in Yemen for a while as a teen, and then moved back to the U.S. and made a career in his twenties importing Yemeni coffee. Then, a 2015 civil war left Mokhtar stranded in Yemen, trying to get home via any path he could.
For fans of: Dave Eggers, of course, but also coffee lovers and fans of Ian Purkayastha's Truffle Boy, another fascinating book about a globe-trotting, gourmet food-importing son of an immigrant. |
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The stowaway : a young man's extraordinary adventure to Antarctica
by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
What it's about: Documents the true story of a scrappy teenager from New York's Lower East Side who stowed away on the Roaring Twenties' most remarkable feat of science and daring: an expedition to Antarctica.
Is it for you: This coming-of-age story about a strong-willed boy with an insatiable appetite for adventure is evocative of the Hardy Boys and will appeal to both adult and young adult readers.
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Political tribes : group instinct and the fate of nations
by Amy Chua
What it's about: The Yale Law School professor and best-selling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother outlines bold recommendations for reversing America's foreign policy failures and overcoming destructive political tribalism at home.
Is it for you: This book will likely find readers familiar with Chua's previous work, but those seeking thoughtful sociopolitical analysis of nationalism and identity will need to look elsewhere.
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| On Trails: An Exploration by Robert MoorWhat it's about: While thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, journalist Robert Moor pondered the history and purpose of trails, planting the seed for this fascinating, elegantly written examination of why we walk where we do.
Why you might like it: Letting his curiosity lead him around the world (from Maine to Morocco and beyond), Moor talks to historians, Native Americans, scientists, and others while quoting everyone from Wendell Berry to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Fans of Robert Macfarlane will especially enjoy this wide-ranging (literarily and figuratively) debut. |
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The hidden life of trees : what they feel, how they communicate : discoveries from a secret world
by Peter Wohlleben
What it's about: Draws on up-to-date research and engaging forester stories to reveal how trees nurture each other and communicate, outlining the life cycles of "tree families" that support mutual growth, share nutrients and contribute to a resilient ecosystem.
Why you might like it: Those with some background in biology or ecology will be best positioned to glean insight here, but even general readers will gain a rich appreciation of a forest's dynamism.
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The invention of nature : Alexander von Humboldt's new world
by Andrea Wulf
What it's about: A portrait of the lesser-known German naturalist reveals his ongoing influence on humanity's relationship with the natural world today, discussing such topics as his views on climate change, conservation and nature as a resource for all life.
Why you might like it: Humboldt, Wulf convincingly argues in this enthralling, elucidating biography, was a genuine visionary, whose insights we need now more than ever.
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Behave : the biology of humans at our best and worst
by Robert M Sapolsky
What it's about: A professor of biology and neurology at Stanford reveals what makes humans do the things they do, delving into environmental stimuli, things that trigger the nervous system, hormonal responses and how they work in conjunction with evolutionary and cultural factors.
Why you might like it: Sapolsky's big ideas deserve a wide audience and will likely shape thinking for some time. A tour-de-force survey of what is known about why we behave the way we do, for students of human interaction in any discipline.
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