Armchair Travel
August 2016
My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I’ll not be knowing,
Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take,
No matter where it’s going.”
~ from Edna St. Vincent Millay's Travel
Fodor's Colorado
by Whitney Bryen

A bevy of local writers have traveled throughout Colorado to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare travelers for a journey of stunning variety. Original.
The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain
by Bill Bryson

Great news, Bill Bryson fans: his first travelogue in many years is finally here! In this delightful sequel to Notes From a Small Island, Bryson once again travels across Great Britain. But both Britain and Bryson have changed in the 20 years between books; he's older and more well-traveled, but feels like he understands his adopted country about as much as he did when he first arrived, and Britain...well, you'll need to read the book and see! With wry musings and observations, Bryson once again proves to be a persnickety but charming guide. For a similar U.K. tour but by a native Englishman who's lived in New Zealand for years, try Joe Bennett's Mustn't Grumble. 
The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between
by Hisham Matar

Having left Libya when he was an eight-year-old boy, London-based writer Hisham Matar finally returns, hoping to learn his father's fate. Matar's family fled their homeland when Muammar Qaddafi took control in 1978; they moved first to Kenya, then Egypt, as Qaddafi's government hunted dissidents and their families, kidnapping or murdering them. Matar's father took cloak-and-dagger precautions, but in 1990, he was kidnapped in Cairo and sent to the worst prison in Libya. Riveting, powerful, and personal, The Return is a must-read for anyone interested in Libya or lyrically told family stories; for another look at the effect of political upheaval on ordinary people, pick up Janine di Giovanni's The Morning They Came For Us. 
Berlitz cruising & cruise ships 2016
by Douglas Ward

A best-selling reference counsels prospective vacationers on how to select and make the most of a cruise, and provides unbiased reviews and international grades for nearly 300 cruises. Original.
The ultimate bicycle owner's manual : the universal guide to bikes, riding, and everything for beginner and seasoned cyclists
by Eben Weiss

"Everything you need to know to purchase, maintain, and ride a bike for recreation, commuting, competition, travel, and beyond! From the bike world's most beloved and trusted advocate. Eben Weiss, aka Bike Snob, is the voice of cyclists everywhere. Through his popular blog he has been informing, entertaining, and critiquing the bike-riding community since 2007. With his latest book, The Ultimate Bicycle Owner's Manual, Weiss makes his vast experience and practical advice available to bike "newbies" and veterans alike. Chapters cover Obtaining a Bike, Understanding Your Bike, Maintaining Your Bike, Operating Your Bike, Off-Road Riding, Coexisting with Drivers, Competitive Cycling, Bike Travel, Cycling with Kids, and What the Future Holds for Bikes in ourCommunities. Weiss's humorous, down-to-earth style takes all the mystery and intimidation out of cycling and will inspire even the most hesitant couch potato to get out and ride! Eben Weiss is the blogger behind bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com and the author ofBike Snob, Bike Snob Abroad, and The Enlightened Cyclist. He also writes for Bicycling magazine and lives in New York"
Focus on: Trains
Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia
by David Greene

David Greene, a co-host of NPR's Morning Edition, spent several years based in Russia, and in Midnight in Siberia, he describes his eye-opening travels along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Traveling third class from Moscow to Vladivostok, he meets ordinary but fascinating people -- from singing babushkas to entrepreneurial teens -- and shares food and time with them. Using this trip as a lens, he also focuses on the challenges faced by 21st-century Russia. For another entertaining look at this vast, storied place, try Ian Frazier's acclaimed Travels in Siberia.
Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo
by Tim Parks

Is touring Italy via its trains wonderful, terrible, or both? Find out in this humorous, eye-opening travelogue by English ex-pat Tim Parks, who has lived in Italy since 1981. Riding all over the country, from top to toe and many places in between, he uses Italy's trains to examine Italian life, past and present. Describing the memorable people he encounters (many of whom hate the train system), he offers a historical look at the railroads (he rides in cars from pre-World War II and modern high-speed ones) and thoughtfully yet entertainingly ponders Italian society at large. Having raised a family in Italy and written three previous Italian travel books (including the bestselling Italian Neighbors), Parks is an excellent and wryly insightful guide to his adopted country.
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar
by Paul Theroux

In the 1970s, author Paul Theroux took a railroad trip through Eastern Europe, Asia, India, China, Japan, and Siberia, and wrote about his adventures in The Great Railway Bazaar, a book that became a modern travel classic. More than 30 years later, he revisited the past and recreated his journey, which revealed the dramatic changes that had occurred since the writing of his original travelogue. Publishers Weekly says, "no matter where his journey takes him, Theroux always sends back dazzling postcards." Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is a must-read for fans of Theroux, travel, and trains.
Train: Riding the Rails that Created the Modern World -- From the Trans-Siberian...
by Tom Zoellner

Do you love trains or wonder what the world would be like without them? Then climb on board the Train express! Combining fascinating social history and a sparkling travelogue with lyrical language, author (and train buff) Tom Zoellner engagingly chronicles the innovation and sociological impact of railway technologies that have changed and continue to change the world. Lucky him, he also travels to such far-flung locales as India, Britain, Russia, China, Peru, Spain, and the United States, soaking up local culture and riding an assortment of trains, from old stalwarts to modern bullet trains. All aboard!
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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