(Since Robert Todd Felton’s computer decided it did not want to blog today—died on a train to New York– I’m filling in with more thoughts on Boston, the subject of our prize book. Felton will be back on Monday, and we will have the drawing for his travel book on Boston as scheduled, after midnight [...]
Transcendentalism is fascinating not just for the compelling figures and ideas that made up the movement but also for the glimpse it affords us into the nineteenth century New England from which it sprang. While Transcendentalist thinkers got their inspiration in German philosophy, English poetry, and Far Eastern spirituality, the central ideas of Transcendentalism are [...]
New Orleans’ French Quarter, known for jazz and Mardi Gras parades, inspires words as well as music. A walk along the balcony-hung streets can set the senses reeling. Narrow building fronts painted salmon, lime, rose, and aqua line up like sample chips in a paint store. The sharp spicy aroma of gumbo conjures crayfish and [...]
Books: Your choice from a bushel of books Destination: New Orleans New Orleans , more than just Mardi Gras, supports more than a dozen quirky independent bookstores, two major literary festivals, four publishers, a specialty tour of literary sites and a thriving literary colony. You cannot ask for a better destination for a traveling reader. [...]
Continue reading about New Orleans: William Faulkner to Richard Ford
Preparation for a road trip at our house includes a decision on what audio books to take along. This takes a bit of negotiating, since Mr. Traveler and I do not always agree on what makes a good read (or listen, in this case). He likes escape fiction–lots of action. I like more contemplative reads. [...]
Here we are in the brave post-modern, post-futurist world, and in this brave new world, we have options. Oh, boy, do we have options! No longer tied to the dog-eared paperback, or the family-favorite with scribblings in the margins from Great Aunts, we seek our literature with new forms of delivery. This rant, of course, [...]
Books: The Villa Ariadne, by Dilys Powell and The Cretan Runner by George Psychoundakis Destination: Crete, Greece The Island of Crete, the largest of the hundreds of islands that make up most of the watery nation of Greece, contains as much history, variety of scenery and adventures as many small countries. Two eras attracted our [...]
Book: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo Destination: Paris, France It is hard for me to believe that I have never been to Paris. And yet, every time we start planning a trip to Europe, Greece exerts its magnet pull and I go there instead of the usual places that Americans head for in [...]
