|
Armchair TravelAugust 2015
|
"I had known long before I rode a covered wagon to Oregon that naïveté was the mother of adventure. I just didn’t understand how much of that I really had." ~ from Rinker Buck's The Oregon Trail
|
|
| The Oregon Trail: An American Journey by Rinker BuckRoad trip, old-school style! Though the Oregon Trail fell out of favor with travelers after the transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869, it's still possible to travel the trail from Missouri to Oregon (though some parts are now paved roads). Over 100 years after the last known crossing, journalist Rinker Buck, his brother, and his brother's Jack Russell terrier set out in a covered wagon pulled by mules. Along with riveting details about their four-month, 2,000-mile trip (Terrible thunderstorms! Broken wagon wheels! Helpful strangers!), Buck describes the rich history of the trail and the pioneers who made the journey before him. Reviewers love this book -- Kirkus Reviews calls it "frankly hilarious, historically elucidating, emotionally touching, and deeply informative." |
|
| Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America by Joseph Kim with Stephan TaltyIt's no secret that living in North Korea isn't as awesome as its Supreme Leader would have us believe. Providing a searing, matter-of-fact look at life there, Under the Same Sky tells how Joseph Kim's family, like many others, was devastated by the 1990s famine: his father died, his mother sold his sister, and he became a starving street child. Trying to survive, he fought, gambled, stole, and was eventually placed in a brutal detention center. Later, his escape to China by walking over a frozen river and subsequent aid by missionaries eventually led him to the United States. There have been several fascinating books about North Korea in the last few years; some to check out are Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy, Suki Kim's Without You, There Is No Us, and Blaine Harden's Escape from Camp 14. |
|
| Pirate Hunters: The Search for the Golden Fleece by Robert KursonAhoy, there! Looking for adventure and swashbuckling tales of derring-do? Interested in pirates and the modern mateys who seek long-lost ships and loot buried under ocean waves? If the answer's yes, then take the gripping Pirate Hunters prisoner (for a week or so, anyway) and learn about dedicated treasure hunters John Mattera and John Chatterton as well as legendary, technology-eschewing hunter Tracy Bowden. Robert Kurson (author of Shadow Divers, which also features Chatterton) compellingly traces the men's high-stakes quest to find the Golden Fleece, "the greatest pirate ship that had ever sailed," which belonged to notorious English sea captain-turned-pirate Joseph Bannister. For another thrilling read about Caribbean pirates, try Stephan Talty's Empire of Blue Water. |
|
| Driving Hungry: A Memoir by Layne MoslerTaxi Gourmet blogger Layne Mosler takes the idea of catching a cab to dinner to a charming new level. After a disappointing evening in Buenos Aires, she hailed a cab and asked the driver to take her to his favorite restaurant ...where she had one of the best steaks of her life. Building on this idea, she began asking cabbies everywhere she went where they liked to eat. Moving to New York City (where her quest did not go well at first), she attended taxi school and began driving a cab herself. Heading to Berlin, she continued to drive and eat -- and eventually met the cabdriver of her dreams. Not just for foodies, this honest and lively literary ride around three vibrant cities will appeal to readers who've wondered what the taxi-driving life is like. |
|
|
Abroad at Home : The Best International Travel in North America
by National Geographic Travel Team
Take a trip around the globe without ever leaving North America. Ideal for those who don't want to spend the time or money to travel the world, this book presents a potpourri of international experiences in the United States and Canada. Discover the villages, neighborhoods, and regions that cover the breadth of North America's great global diversity including Chinatowns and Little Italies, of course, but also Polish, German, French, Russian, and Japanese enclaves. You'll learn the inside scoop on where to find the best Chinese pot stickers or Peruvian causas; where to kick up your heels to polka; and how to celebrate Japanese new year or Mexican flag day.Abroad at Home provides in-depth travel guidance to help you feel international in your own backyard.
|
|
|
The Mystical Backpacker : How to Discover your Destiny in the Modern World
by Hannah Papp
One part memoir, one part guidebook, The Mystical Backpacker invites readers to explore their own inner terrain as they learn how to create their own unique version of a modern day walk-about or vision quest. Tired of living a life crafted in response to expectations, Hannah Papp quit her job, bought a EuroRail ticket and a map, notified her landlady, and left town. Embarking on a 3-month long journey across Europe with no plan and no direction, Hannah stumbled into becoming a modern day Mystical Backpacker. Along the way her discoveries and the teachers she encountered allowed her to go on a deeper journey into the self and the spirit--finally exposing the real self she had long been lacking. The Mystical Backpacker teaches readers to identify the signs along the road that lead them to their teachers and shows readers how to reorient their own life map toward fulfilling their true destiny. Ultimately, The Mystical Backpacker offers a solution, a way to break free and find your inner self's rhythms and needs. It's time you hit the road and become a mystical backpacker.
|
|
Known for his eclectic interests, depth of research, evocative descriptions of landscapes and ideas, and sometimes outrageous humor, Bill Bryson is a hugely popular author, whether his focus is on people and places, history, language, or the nature of the universe. Though Bryson has written other types of books in recent years, he earned his early reputation as a travel writer with his irresistible enthusiasm and ability to be both participant and observer. Those who've never read Bryson but are intrigued by the upcoming movie A Walk in the Woods (based on his book of the same name) can start with any of his travel books (for one that really showcases his talents, try In a Sunburned Country). But if you're eagerly anticipating his first travel book in 15 years, The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island, which is due in early 2016, try one of the humorous books below while you wait.
|
|
|
A Voyage Long and Strange : Rediscovering the New World
by Tony Horwitz
Conveys the results of the author's spirited investigation into lesser-known aspects of the period between Columbus's voyage and the founding of Jamestown, in an accessible account that covers such topics as the conquistadors, the explorers, and slavery.
|
|
|
Packing for Mars : The Curious Science of Life in the Void
by Mary Roach
The author of Stiff and Bonk describes the weirdness of space exploration and answers questions about the long-term effects of zero gravity on the human body and what happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk.
|
|
| In Search of King Solomon's Mines: A Modern Adventurer's Quest for... by Tahir ShahAfter having bought, as a souvenir, a map supposedly showing the route to the hidden treasures of King Solomon, Tahir Shah decided to go to Ethiopia to try and find the legendary mines. A Christian taxi driver becomes Shah's guide, translator, and companion as the search for King Solomon's long-lost loot takes them to legal and illegal gold mines throughout rural Ethiopia. They sleep in brothels, join camel caravans, and meet extraordinary people, such as the man who feeds hyenas so that they won't carry off village children. Bill Bryson fans, especially those also interested in African culture or biblical history, won't want to miss this "suspenseful, hilarious, and rollicking" (Library Journal) book. |
|
|
Dark Star Safari : Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
by Paul Theroux
In his first travelogue in eight years, the renowned travel writer takes readers into the heart of Africa by bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, military convoy, train, and ferry boat, revealing the dangers and sheer joy of traveling across the unpredictable continent.
|
|
One's You May Have Missed!
|
|
|
Mr. Selden's Map of China : Decoding the Secrets of a Vanished Cartographer
by Timothy Brook
Investigating the discovery of an extraordinary map of China in Oxford's Bodleian Library that was delivered in 1659 by Mr. Selden. The author travels halfway around the world to reveal unexpected historical connections that offer insight into the power and meaning a single map can hold.
|
|
|
Middle Passages : African American Journeys to Africa, 1787-2005
by James T. Campbell
A three-century history of African-American journeys back to Africa from an America where the profiled travelers or their ancestors were slaves traces the experiences of such people as W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the founders of Liberia.
|
|
|
The New Arabs : How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East
by Juan Ricardo Cole
The Middle-East expert and author of Napoleon's Egypt illuminates the role of today's Arab youth to reveal their motivations and growing influence on world politics, sharing the stories of activists in the "Arab Spring" while outlining the historical sources of dramatic regional changes.
|
|
|
City of Lies : Love, Sex, Death, and the Search for Truth in Tehran
by Ramita Navai
Rich, absorbing, and exotic, City of Lies travels up and down Vali Asr Street, Tehran's pulsing thoroughfare, from the lavish shopping malls of Tajrish through the smog that lingers over the alleyways and bazaars of the city's southern districts. Ramita Navai gives voice to ordinary Iranians forced to live extraordinary lives: the porn star, the aging socialite, the assassin and enemy of the state who ends up working for the Republic, the dutiful housewife who files for divorce, and the old-time thug running a gambling den.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
|
|
|