Take Ten: Oh, the Place You'll Go

To start your weekend, why not check out one of these 10 titles of worldwide travel and self-discovery compiled by Cassie for her midterm book talk in GSLIS 763.  Thanks for sharing Cassie.  There are some great books here.

As spring is trying to get going here in IL (it is still losing the battle at the moment), some armchair travel may help make the waiting go faster.  For more armchair travel titles, I would also suggest that you check out Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers by Nancy Pearl.

For other 10 book lists compiled by me or my students, click here.

Have a nice weekend.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! 

Tales of Worldwide Travel and Journeys of Self-Discovery 

 

 In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson provides an amusing, conversational blend of cultural history and travelogue in this exploration of Australia, seamlessly mixing facts and trivia with his own delightful observations. 

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman 

When successful children’s writer Rita Golden Gelman underwent a painful divorce, she decided to pursue a latent interest in travel and adopted a nomadic lifestyle, owning only what she could carry. Along the way, Gelman develops a greater appreciation for other cultures as she makes colorful friends in this engrossing and adventurous memoir. 

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson 

A Gypsy’s prophecy – that Rose Mae’s abusive husband will kill her unless she kills him first – sets her on a cross-country journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and family reconciliation. Jackson’s moving prose oozes with Southern charm and good humor. 

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen 

Rhoda Janzen returns to the Mennonite family she left behind after a series of personal tragedies. With honesty and self-deprecating humor, Janzen reflects on her family and how she managed to get back on her feet. 

Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor 

Sue Monk Kidd and her grown daughter Ann come to terms with their changing roles in life when they take a trip to Greece to celebrate Sue’s 50th birthday.  The ladies draw strength from the Grecian sights and rediscover their bond. 

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver 

In turns heartbreaking and uplifting, Kingsolver’s plucky heroine Taylor Greer leaves dead-end Kentucky behind for the West. When her car breaks down and she is saddled with an abandoned child, Taylor takes on motherhood, discovering that love can emerge and thrive from the places where suffering and rage once reigned. 

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen 

This quirky novel is accented by illustrations and footnotes from 12-year-old narrator and prodigy, T.S. Spivet. When he travels to Washington, D. C. to accept an award, he meets a colorful cast of characters. Entries from his mother’s journal reveal the parallels between T.S.’s life and his scientist grandmother. 

McCarthy’s Bar: A Journey of Discovery in Ireland by Pete McCarthy 

Pete McCarthy strikes the right note between moving and humorous as he visits western Ireland, meeting numerous colorful characters along the way. Amidst the hilarity are astute observations of Irish social change. 

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez 

When Deborah Rodriguez joins a humanitarian aid effort in Afghanistan, she bonds with the Afghan women and opens a beauty school. The strength she draws from her pupils allows her to come to terms with her own brutal past.  

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian 

Ella and John Robina are octogenarians in failing health looking for one final adventure as they pack up their RV and head to Disneyland.  Told with great sensitivity and good humor, this is a touching tale of living life on one’s own terms.