TRAVELS
& ADVENTURES
Oh, what a terrific category this is, chock full with great reads from your armchair to every place and time. The choices are so varied -- arctic treks, solo sailing voyages, outback homesteading, WWII partisan resistance exploits, and more. And, when the author (and/or editor) can really WRITE about their experience, it makes for a great journey.
Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi. It's a choice we've all had to face, haven't we? Go to college or spend the $$ on a tiny sailboat to sail around the world solo with minimal experience outside of the bay? But what starts as an incomprehensible choice becomes a gripping adventure as you read in journal format the days as they unfold. Have that nautical dictionary handy to get through all that jib-ho'ing.
The Outermost House by Henry Beston. A lyrical recounting of a year on a remote beach at Cape Cod. Treasured for both its fine writing and its lost locale, this is one to be read again and again.
The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson. Sue loves anything by Bill Bryson, a humorous, down-to-earth traveler whose skills at writing and observation are a treat. He's our favorite kind of travel writer, because he observes, but doesn't judge, and finds the absurd in everything including himself. Neither Here Nor There covers his European backpack travels, and what he does with a pair of boxer shorts shouldn't happen to anyone. He rejoins a traveling friend from this book in his subsequent book, A Walk in the Woods, and a more funny account of walking the Appalachian Trail has yet to be done. A hysterically funny guy who doesn't go for the jab at the expense of the "locals." Don't miss his compilation of articles to his newspaper in England in I'm a Stranger Here Myself, written once he resettled back in the U.S.
My Old Man and The Sea by David & Daniel Hays. A short lovely book, in journal format, of a father and son who make two great journeys simultaneously -- sailing around Cape Horn in the smallest boat yet, and coming to terms with their own off-again/on-again relationship. It's interesting to see the role reversal develop on the trip; and the loss of a main character (we can't spoil it here) towards the end of the trip hit us so HARD. A nice book.
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. This is proof positive that you don't have to venture far from your backyard to have adventures. Read this English country veterinarian's funny, touching, and always interesting accounts of being a Yorkshire vet before and after World War II. Read the whole series, in chronological order, to get the full flavor of what it was like to try to have a "normal" life during that time, and watch as the characters grow and endure.
The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald. Vintage homesteading writing with wry humor, as city folks try to do the country thing. Her little known sequel, Onions in the Stew, continues the story.
The Boat that Wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat. We admit that we have read everything by this Canadian author and have come to expect a good journey with him. This one is very humorous (as opposed to A Whale for The Killing, which is well done but definitely NOT funny), and we know that when we sit down with a Mowat book we'll have a real treat. Sue just finished Aftermath, of his trip back to Europe post World War II, and although he instructs, he never beats you over the head with it.
Hunting Mister Heartbreak by Jonathan Raban. We like this travel writer because he really settles in to a place, and mingles with the residents, as opposed to just touring. His pieces are a pleasure to read, and never what you expect. His book Coasting is another memorable one.
Paris Underground by Etta Shiber. Take two middle-aged ladies, one American and one French, add downed RAF flyers during World War II, and a good dose of resistance intrigue, and you get a good true story yarn of an unlikely pair of heroines.
Our Virgin Island by Robb White (later updated and reissued as Two on the Isle). A perennial favorite of ours, of a newlywed couple in the 1930's who take up sole residence on a small island in the Caribbean and scratch out a home and a life. Hysterically funny in parts, such as when the author's society mother-in-law comes to visit (and what a good sport she proves to be). We've tromped the island and house of this book (on Marina Cay in the British Virgin Islands) and it brings this wonderful story to life for us.