What’s New

11/08/11: Guest post at Archaeology Travel, Those Sexy Etruscans, a review of D. H. Lawrence’s book about visiting Etrusca.

9/6/11 25- Free-Book Giveaway Announced

I TRAVEL THE INTERNET

9/7/11 Girls Getaway, Travel Like a Lady in Brittany

9/7/11 Your Life Is a Trip, Sisters Road Trip

9/5/11 BBC World Book Club Interviews Hisham Matar (In The Country of Men) and uses one of MY questions. It is the very last one, but if you liked this book, you’ll love listening to the author.

8/19/11 Mara Purl, whom I interviewed about her book What the Heart Knows, turned the tables and interviewed me on her blog. It is a beautiful interview, quite flattering.

Machu Picchu Celebrates

7/18/11 The Peruvian government celebrated a little early, but Machu Picchu was officially set on its path to fame 100 years ago, on 7/18.

12/2/2011 Why I Write, my guest post at Freelancedom.

WRITERS WE LIKE HAVE NEW BOOKS

10/17/2010 Jane Eppinga, whom I interviewed when her walking guide to Tombstone and Bisbee came out, has a new book that features her collection of antique postcards of Tombstone. Can’t ever get too much Tombstone!

Also in Arizona, Brenda Novak, originally an Arizona gal, wrote the thriller, White Heat, that I reviewed,in September and October came out with two new books, Body Heat and Killer Heat. Both are set in Southern Arizona.

(See note on Elyssa East below)

A TOP POST AT GirlsGetaway.com

10/14/2010 I am very proud that I won $50 because my post on Food and Wine in New Orleans was one of the five most popular posts at the one-year-old web site, Girls Getaway. It’s a fun site, packed with useful reasons to get a group together and go.

NEW PAPERBACK

10/11/2010 If you did not get around to acquiring a copy of Dog Town, when we talked about it back in February, you might like to check out the new paperback. Actually, it is even better, because it includes pictures of the paintings referred to in the book. That was one of the frustrations for me in reading the book–not being able to see the paintings that were discussed.

Feeling a little nostalgic here, because DogTown in Massachusetts was the very first stop on the Great American Road Trip.

CONTESTS

10/10/2010 Winners of the Bella Italia Contest

Richard Mussler-Wright chose Dream of Italy newsletter

Kelly Borsheim has chosen the book, 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go by Susan Van Allen. (from Traveler’s Tales)

Susan Reiners chose 30 Day in Italy (from Traveler’s Tales)

Edie Jarolim (the guest blogger who wrote about dogs and romance in Umbria) chose The Last Judgment

Libbie Griffin will be reading Traveler’s Tales Italy (from Traveler’s Tales)

Jeanne Dee will receive Traveler’s Tales Tuscany (from Traveler’s Tales)

Kristen Gough chooses the 2nd copy of The Last Judgment

Brette Sember gets the classic Old Calabria by Norman Douglas.

THOREAU HOUSE THROUGH

9/25/2010

I wrote in February about Thoreau House, and a news release informs me that the restoration of his birthplace is now complete. You can read all about it in this newspaper article explaining Thoreau House, which is quite different than most historic house restorations. If you are a Thoreau fan, you’ll want to join their Facebook page.

MORE CONTESTS

7/9/2010 Book Giveaway featuring Lunatic Express given away by Regal Literary Agency. Deadline July 25. Other books in same giveaway:

Signed copies of The RZA’s The Tao of Wu
Very rare signed copies of John Twelve Hawks’ Fourth Realm Trilogy (The Traveler, The Dark River, and The Golden City)
Gregory David Roberts’ Shantaram
Dallas Hudgens’ Season of Gene

Bastille Day Giveaway at A Traveler’s Library. Short fuse. Comment through July 14 to win.

A KINDRED SOUL

6/17/2010 The blog Travel Babel gives readers up-to-date-news and winter sports suggestions. Based in Colorado, but roaming the world. Author Claire Walter‘s current post lists travel literature that has fueled her travels and gives a nice tip of the hat to A Traveler’s Library.

COPYING FROM THE LIBRARY?

6/16/2010 A new plug in will tell you where to go if you copy something from A Traveler’s Library. I mean that in the nicest way. Copies will automatically have a message added with a link back to the Library, and information about Creative Commons license.

ADVENTURES FOR BOOMERS

6/15/2010 My Itchy Travel Feet, the blog of Donna L Hull, has my review of Riding the HulaHula to the Artic, a book of adventures for “seasoned travelers.”

TIPS FOR TRIP PLANNING

6/8/2010 Jessie Voigts as Wandering Educators has a great idea. She asked several travel writers to contribute tips to help her plan her next trip. A couple of mine are included.

REVIEWS of TWO NEW GUIDEBOOKS

6/7/2010. Going to Vietnam or Argentina? Check out my guidebook reviews at Indie Travel PodCast.

ONE OF TOP 45 TRAVEL BLOGS

6/2/2010. According to the Travel Insurance site, A Traveler’s Library ranks among the top 45 “Blogs that Offer First Class Advice.” “All kinds of great travel related advice and tips,” they say. Hmmm–makes you wonder if they know we’re talking about books and movies here.

A TRAVELER’S LIBRARY GETS KUDOS

5/25/2010. Our little blog gets a nice pat on the back today over at the blog of Connie Ong. And (sigh) I don’t suppose anyone will believe it, but all winners in our contests are chosen by Random.org, so it was totally random when Connie won the first Grand Prize in the Great Travel Liberature Giveaway. (6/25;Connie’s Blog has been deactivated–we hope only temporarily)

TOP 100 TRAVEL BLOGS

5/2010 The May ratings came out and I’ve held my own at #88 in the top 100 travel blogs. I’m sure you’ll help me move up in the next round.

CONTEST ROLLS ON

5/15/2010 . Have used Random.org to select first five winners in May Book Giveaway. Have had to re-draw on all but one, because people did not respond to e-mail. Odd? They don’t want to win? (and I’m careful not to sound like spam in the subject line “YOU’RE A WINNER!” doesn’t get through spam filters. Six more prizes plus four grand prizes to go.

TWITTER ADDITION TO COMMENT FIELDS

4/30/2010 Now you can add your Twitter handle to your name on comments so that people can follow you on Twitter. Also, if you broadcast your comments on Twitter we both get more exposure. Win, win ,win with Comment Luv and Twitter Link.

NEW BADGES

4/23/2010 Look above the new Twit Business Card on the right, and see another new addition, a blue circle badge that says My Blog is Carbon Neutral. The story is interesting, and I tell it in an addition to my Earth Day Post. If you are a blogger, you can find out how you, too, can plant a tree in a California forest.

The second badge I added asks you to review this blog at Alexa, the web site rating system. It is a rectangular shape at the very bottom of the first column to the right. My rating is pretty good, I think, but of course I’d like to improve it, and perhaps if you review me and give me a few stars, it will help. I learned from Alex that most of my readers are women between 36 and 54, with a college education. Is that true?

NEW POST AT TAHOMA BLOG

4/21/10 Charnell Havens and I share all our biographer’s secrets and give a behind the scenes look at how research happens on Tahoma blog. The blog accompanies the book Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist, coming in spring of 2011. Latest entry–finding prison records.

TRAVEL LIT GIVEAWAY COMING IN MAY!!

4/19/10 Your reward for reading the NEWS page is that you will get the news before everybody else. For example, A Traveler’s Library will be giving away a month’s worth of books in the Great Travel Literature Giveaway in May. Subscribers get extra chances to win.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY at Wandering Educators.
4/8/10 My latest column is up at Wandering Educators. Bonus: a picture of me with authors Margaret Randall and Adele Barker.

BOOKS COMING AND GOING

3/15/10 Keep an eye on the page called “My Books” for a preview of coming attractions. I list new books as they come in, and try to keep you up to date on my reading, in case you need ideas.

UPDATE: PAGE HAS BEEN REMOVED

NEW INFO –ABOUT PAGES

3/15/10 I have recently updated both the About Me and the About the Library pages. I have added a link for advertisers and publishers to special information they may want in deciding to send me a book or buy an ad.