Travel Books

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Bill Bryson

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Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hiking & Camping -> Excursion Guides -> General
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hiking & Camping -> Instructional
Subjects -> Travel -> Reference & Tips -> Essays & Travelogues

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Probably Bryson's Best Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book as a replacement for a lost borrowed book. I had started reading it in Phoenix when I lost it. But the few pages I read there prompted me to buy this book from Amazon when I returned home. (And yes, I did return the new book to the lender.)

Very interesting book - some off color language scattered throughout though. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Overall this was a very interesting book that I enjoyed reading. Off color language scattered throughout book though. Too bad that was not left out.

Editorial Review:

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

Laurence Gonzales

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> General
Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Family Health
Subjects -> Science -> History & Philosophy -> History of Science

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 140 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Unique among survival books...stunning...enthralling. Deep Survival makes compelling, and chilling, reading."—Penelope Purdy, Denver Post

After her plane crashes, a seventeen-year-old girl spends eleven days walking through the Peruvian jungle. Against all odds, with no food, shelter, or equipment, she gets out. A better-equipped group of adult survivors of the same crash sits down and dies. What makes the difference?

Examining such stories of miraculous endurance and tragic death—how people get into trouble and how they get out again (or not)—Deep Survival takes us from the tops of snowy mountains and the depths of oceans to the workings of the brain that control our behavior. Through close analysis of case studies, Laurence Gonzales describes the "stages of survival" and reveals the essence of a survivor—truths that apply not only to surviving in the wild but also to surviving life-threatening illness, relationships, the death of a loved one, running a business during uncertain times, even war.

Fascinating for any reader, and absolutely essential for anyone who takes a hike in the woods, this book will change the way we understand ourselves and the great outdoors.

Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development (3rd Edition)

Lester Rowntree, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, William Wyckoff

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> Globalization
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An excellent textbook for an introductory geography class 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent textbook for an introductory geography class. The first chapter is a general introduction with an explanation of some of the terms and vocabulary used. The second chapter covers world physical geography. The rest of the chapters each covers a different region of the world. Each chapter is divided into five sections: environment, population and settlement, culture, geopolitics, and economic and social development. This book describes the details of the different regions of the world and gives us a good idea of what life is like in these different regions. And, it ties what we learn about the different regions to the overall theme of diversity and globalization. The accompanying maps and photographs are beautiful.

Editorial Review:

Diversity Amid Globalization is an exciting contemporary approach to World Regional Geography that explicitly acknowledges the geographic changes that accompany today's rapid rate of globalization. The book's unique approach gives readers access to the latest ideas, concepts and theories in geography while concurrently developing a strong foundation in the fundamentals of world regions. This book covers discussions of environmental geography, population and settlement, cultural coherence and diversity, geopolitical framework, and economic and social development. For anyone interested in world regional geography.

The Great Railway Bazaar

Paul Theroux

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Literary
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> ( T ) -> Theroux, Paul
Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A peerless and unforgettable travel narrative 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This fabulous account of getting on the train in London (the decrepit Orient Express) and riding trains across Asia as far east as Japan, then looping back to Europe on the Trans-Siberian, is not a bit dated, even though it was first published in 1975. Theroux is sometimes cross and prickly, but he doesn't miss a thing, and he ventures into places (and eats things) that most people never would. Because he is also a novelist, he's deft at limning the appearances and characters of the people he meets, and these people, who are variously vain, odd, smelly, crazy, foolish, bigoted, or just eccentric, give this travelogue--and indeed all of Theroux's travel narratives--the quality of a Dickens novel. I've read and enjoyed several of his other rail narratives, including "The Old Patagonian Express" (Central and South America) , "Kingdom by the Sea" (United Kingdom), and "Dark Star Safari" (Africa). I'd start with this one, though, with its wonderful section on Vietnam in the last year of the war and its melancholy voyage across Leonid Brezhnev's sclerotic Soviet Union. As with all good books, it will transport you to places you did not know existed, even in this era of Google Earth. As for those who don't care for Theroux's sometimes cranky persona, well, there are always the twittering ecstasies of Peter Mayle ("A Year in Provence," etc.) or--worse--Frances Mayes ("Under the Tuscan Sun," etc.). Theroux's sojourns will never inspire busloads of tourists or the astronomical appreciation of the local real estate.

Editorial Review:

First published more than thirty years ago, Paul Theroux's strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of travel literature. Here Theroux recounts his early adventures on an unusual grand continental tour. Asia's fabled trains -- the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express -- are the stars of a journey that takes him on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.

The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World

Lonely Planet Publications

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Subjects -> Travel -> Guidebook Series -> Lonely Planet

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An ok book 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just received my book and as many reviews state, yes it has wonderful pictures but as far as detail for a travel book, not something that you would want to use as a referance book. It's better for the coffee table than for anything else. I would recommend this for someone who does not travel as it is essentially useless to someone who goes out into the world and sees it for themselvs. I have been to 16 countries and will be going to 7 more and the only thing that I liked about it is the pictures and how it describes American cities as dangerous. As many travel agencies and airlined caution, you are now entering the United States of America.

Editorial Review:

The world is a breathtakingly big place, and in this big book we have undertaken the big task of detailing as much of it as we can - every single country, many of the larger dependencies and other, smaller destinations. With the traveler's experience at its heart, this book shows a slice of life in every corner of the globe, and all points in between, engaging the reader's senses in an adventure which conjures up the sights, smells, tastes, sounds and feel of our amazing world.

Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains

Jon Krakauer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

No matter what the actual temperature may be, several pages into Eiger Dreams you will begin to shiver. Halfway through you will acquire a new appreciation for your fingers, toes, and the fact that you still have a nose. And by the end of this collection, you'll define some commonly used phrases in an entirely different way. The understated "catch some air" and the whimsical "log some flight time" are climbers' euphemisms for falling, while "crater" refers to what happens when you log some flight time all the way to the ground. "Summiting," the term for reaching the top of a mountain, seems almost colorless in comparison. The various heroes, risk-takers, incompetents, and individualists Krakauer captures are more than colorful, whether they summit or not. The author is more interested in exploring the addiction of risk--the intensity of effort--than mere triumph. There's the mythical minimalist climber, John Gill, whose fame "rests entirely on assents less than thirty feet high," and the Burgess brothers--freewheeling, free-floating English twins who seem to make all the right decisions when it counts, and hence most often fail to reach the top. Of course, they are alive. Over these and other talented climbers hangs a malignant, endlessly creative nature--its foehn winds can make people crazy and its avalanches do far worse. Eiger Dreams is an adrenaline fest for the weary, an overdue examination of a stylish, brave subculture. As one of the heroes Krakauer outlines says of his occupation, "It's sort of like having fun, only different."

Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa

Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Eighteen countries. Five shock absorbers.
Two bikers. One amazing adventure...

After their fantastic trip round the world in 2004, fellow actors and bike fanatics Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman couldn't shake the travel bug. Inspired by their UNICEF visits to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth.

And so they set off on their 15,000-mile journey with two new BMWs loaded up for the trip. Their route took them from John O'Groats at the northernmost tip of Scotland to Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of South Africa.

Along the way they rode some of the toughest terrain in the world -- and met some of the friendliest people. They rode their bikes right up to the pyramids in Egypt and visited Luke Skywalker's house in Tunisia. They met people who had triumphed over terrifying experiences -- former childhood soldiers in Uganda and children living amidst the minefields of Ethiopia. They had a close encounter with a family of gorillas in Rwanda and were nearly trampled by a herd of elephants in Botswana.

Riding through spectacular scenery, often in extreme temperatures, Ewan and Charley faced their hardest challenges yet. With their trademark humor and honesty they tell their story -- the drama, the dangers and sheer exhilaration of riding together again, through a continent filled with magic and wonder.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival

Joe Simpson

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Subjects -> Sports -> Biographies -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Mountaineering -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Mountaineering -> Mountain Climbing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 150 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Concise and yet packed with detail, Touching the Void, Joe Simpson's harrowing account of near-death in the Peruvian Andes, is a compact tour de force that wrestles with issues of bravery, friendship, physical endurance, the code of the mountains, and the will to live. Simpson dedicates the book to his climbing partner, Simon Yates, and to "those friends who have gone to the mountains and have not returned." What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher, readers learn of the mountain's awesome power, the beautiful--and sometimes deadly--sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe: the second half of Touching the Void sees Simpson at his darkest moment. With a smashed, useless leg, he and his partner must struggle down a near-vertical face--and that's only the beginning of their troubles.

The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)

Dan White

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

a great read 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

this book got me going immediately. Even if you dont love the author (I dont) he is still hilarious at times and the story is also very moving. If you have never thought of hiking the PCT, it doesn't matter, this is a great tale and well told. I wish I had another one just like it (by which I mean as good).

surprisingly great! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My husband brought this home and I was nonplussed about reading it. Thankfully, I did open it and was hooked after the first few pages. Dan White's humor was terrific and addictive, and the narrative was very compelling. As a backpacker and also as an avid fiction reader, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Editorial Review:

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, a distance of 2,650 grueling, sun-scorched, bear-infested miles. When Dan White and his girlfriend announced their intention to hike it, Dan's parents—among others—thought they were nuts. How could two people who'd never even shared an apartment together survive six months in the desert with little more than a two-person tent and some trail mix? But when these addled adventurers, dubbed "the Lois and Clark Expedition" by their benevolent trail-guru, set out for the American wilderness, the hardships of the trail—and one delicious-looking cactus—test the limits of love and sanity.

Savages

Joe Kane

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Another good one by Joe Kane 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Have you read Kane's Running the Amazon? Here's another good one. It even won the Bay Area Book Reviewers Assoc Award in 1995. Kane travels to Ecuador to live for a while with the Huaorani tribal people as their Stone Age culture bumps against the 20th Century.
The Huaorani eventually befriended Kane, but at the beginning, it was just as likely that they might murder him, as they had fairly recently killed a missionary and several others they considered enemies. Something about Kane made them feel comfortable - lucky for him.
Kane intersperses magical vignettes of tribal life with historical and sociological information in a way that makes his book imminently readable by ordinary readers like me as well as my scholars and sociologists.
It's a good one.

Editorial Review:

In this impressive, funny and moving work, Joe Kane tells the story of the Huaorani, a tribe living in the deepest part of the Amazonian rain forest in Ecuador. The Huaorani have only in the last generation been exposed to such items as the wristwatch. But the modern world is reaching them quickly; for better or worse--usually worse--they live astride some of Ecuador's richest oilfields. Oil production in the Amazon has opened the forest to colonization and industrialization, often with alarming results: about 17 million gallons, of raw crude, more than in the Valdez spill in Alaska, were spilled from a Amazon pipeline between 1972 and 1989. Kane, who lived with the Huaorani for months, immaculately reports on the tribes' connections with the old world and its battles with the new one.