Castle of Erice, Sicily, Photograph by John Keahey

Sicily Week at A Traveler’s Library

Destination: Sicily

Book: Seeking Sicily (NEW November 2011) by John Keahey

John Keahey‘s effort to understand Sicily starts with a book, (But of course!) and continues with repeated travels and extended stays in Sicily. His wander lust, he tells us, was born even earlier, in a Carnegie Library. Clearly we are going to like this guy!

He says in Seeking Sicily, that he wanted to read native Sicilian writers, and started with Giovanni Vergas’ Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories, which descries rural life in 19th century Sicily. Luigi Pirandello, writing in the 19th and 20th century, added more understanding.

Photo by John Keahey

Then came the most important Sicilian writer, Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989). The main base of Keahey’s operations and home of his favorite literary key to Sicily is Racalmuto.  This small town was birthplace and home base for Sciascia. Like many western Sicilians, Sciascia had Arab root. He once told a journalist that his family name was originally XaXa, “an Arab word meaning a soft material or netting.” Keahey visits the Fondazione Leonardo Sciascia, Sciascia’s grave, and his country home.

Keahey thinks Sciascia was a cynic until Sciascia scholar (and the author’s grand daughter) corrects him. “Oh, no, no, no,” she says with finality. “He was skeptical! Cynical has another meaning in Italian. To say someone is cynical is to say he has no principles!”

Sciascia, who frequently went against the popular trends of the day, says in one of his books, “Skepticism isn’t an acceptance of defeat,” but a margin of safety, of elasticity.”

And what does this have to do with Sicily? Plenty, it turns out. I helps explain the rise of the Mafia, the resistance to thinking of themselves as Italian, the surprising influence of the Arabs and why Sicily is painted as “irrational.”

Keahey explains the sculpture on the street of Racalmuto (pictured above) by saying,  ”Sciascia, in bronze, ‘walking’ along Racalmuto’s main street, a regular practice of his. He always had a cigarette in his right hand, but the sculptor removed it ‘to protect the eyes of young children who may bump into it.’

From his reading and his travels, Keahey provides us with important clues to Sicilian personality and culture.

1. Sicily has almost never experienced self-rule, being the target of Carthagenians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Spainards, French, and Italians.
2. As residents of a perpetual colony, the people turned inward, trusting only family–not authority.
3. Sicilians are not Italians. The author says, “Sicilians might be viewed in America and elsewhere as ‘Italians,’ but in their hearts and souls they are Sicilians.”
4. The people of Sicily perceive their location as north of Africa rather than south of Italy.
5. The original power of the Mafia grew out of close association with the authorities, and their more recent power came most notably from the Americans after the Allied invasion of World War II. (And we’ll be talking more about the Mafia this coming Friday. Their story is told by a famous travel writer.)

Seeking Sicily starts in Palermo at the ruins of  Palazzo Lampedusa, palatial home of  yet another author, Guiseppi di Lampedusa (1897- ). Travel note: the palazzo was bombed in World War II and after standing in ruins for many years, is currently under partial restoration. Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard is characterized as “a must read for anyone who wants insight into Sicilians and how they became who they are, separate both culturally and emotionally from the rest of Italy.”  (Stay tuned. On Wednesday this week we’ll talk about the 196 3 movie, The Leopard, starring Bert Lancaster.)

Painted Cart, Photo by John Keahey

But fear not, this book is not all academic analysis and literary review.As we accompany the author of Seeking Sicily, he experiences the grinding heat of summer, the joys of natural landscape and ancient ruins, and the rought-edged gray look of Palermo (suggesting a Norman heritage rather than a Roman one).  He meets one of the few remaining cart painters, who decorates two-wheeled carts with vividly colored scenes, as seen above. Of this picture, he says, “A chance encounter with the real thing, on a Sunday morning drive, in the area of Partinico along SS113, perhaps 20 kilometers southwest of Palermo.”

Keahey even devotes a chapter to food and recipes.

In each place we learn more about Sicilian culture. In addition to the books and authors mentioned in the text, the author provides a lengthy biography and a detailed index, making it easy to find everything in you want to know about Sicily.

Perhaps I’m an easy sell, because I’ve always been fascinated by Sicily–particularly by the outstanding Greek ruins–but this book has me definitely yearning to book passage sooner rather than later.

Although I have never been to Sicily, I did go to Italy. If you’re looking for reading other than Sicily, I listed these suggestions for Italian reading a while back. The Browser.com interviewed one of “my ” Italian authors, Tim Parks, who picks Italian novels, one of which is Sicilian.

You have four chances to win a copy of Seeking Sicily (which was given to me by the publisher). Be sure to check the rules, and remember that if you already have a subscription, you need to tell me in the comments that you want that extra entry every day for your reward. You have from now until 3:00 a.m. MST Wednesday, January 25 to enter today’s contest.

Disclaimers: the links to book titles are a convenient way for you to shop at Amazon. Just know that if you use them, even though they don’t cost extra, A Traveler’s Library will earn a few cents on each purchase, and we thank you! The video book trailer is the publisher’s creation and comes from You Tube. All photos used here are used with the consent of John Keahey. They are his property.

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

A Trick of Light (audio book) by Louise Penny. (Mystery set in and near Montreal Canada)

Our Daily Bread, by Lauren B. Davis (Dark novel based on a true life story of hill people in Nova Scotia, although it could be elsewhere)

Culture Smart: China (Perfect for you or someone you know who is traveling to China)

On the Road to Babadag: Travels in the Other Europe by Andrezej Stasiuk (Fascinating non-fiction travels to places you probably have not  been.)

The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush by Howard Blum (Historical novel, Alaska)

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Now take a look at my 3rd entry in Venice Week, the Thursday Travel Photo.

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

I don’t usually reprint PR releases. As a matter of fact I NEVER have. But this one is so right-down-our-alley, that I decided to share the entire thing  with you. The first paragraph refers to Amazon’s plans to make e-books available for no charge to Prime customers.  If you don’t know about Amazon Prime Membership maybe you should take a look.  Although I like to support Indie bookstores and specialty websites like Longitude Books or Interlink, I have  an Amazon Prime membership because it saves me money and gets me fast delivery on books that I need in a hurry for reviews at A Traveler’s Library. I’ve mentioned some of the tips below previously at A Traveler’s Library, but several are new. I hope you’ll find these helpful when you’re ready to buy travel literature for your own traveler’s library. Here’s the money-saving expert, Andrea Woroch.

Talk of Amazon.com’s Netflix-like e-book library adds fuel to the fire of the ongoing print vs. digital book war. In response to the great migration toward digital literature, print booksellers are simply trying to maintain their toehold in the market. As a result, the two formats are waging a fierce price battle — a battle that bodes well for reading fans.

Regardless of which side you’re on, there are several ways to save on both print and electronic books. Consider these seven resources before adding to your bookshelf or e-reader homepage.

1. Amazon.com, of Course
The retail giant’s prices are often outstanding. For example, a paperback copy of “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett, is presently priced at just $8.80 and the Kindle edition is available at 60-percent off the list price, at $9.99.

2. Barnes & Noble Marketplace
It’s sometimes a gamble buying from a Barnes & Noble reseller as you can’t always be sure what you’ll get, but the prices are stellar. New and used versions of “The Help” are presently available starting at $6.75, or 57-percent off the face value. Register for a Barnes & Noble free express shipping membership and buy a minimum $25 worth of books to save even more.

3. FetchBook.info
This free website allows you to search by title, author or ISBN for the cheapest price on any book. In just six seconds, FetchBook.info found a copy of “The Help” priced at just $4 via eBay, a savings of 75 percent. If you’re looking for a rare, out-of-print or international book, check out BookFinder.com.

4. Go Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg was launched in 1971 by e-books inventor Michael Hart as a way of providing free digital access to the classics. Today, readers can download over 36,000 free e-books to PCs, Kindles, Androids, iOS or other portable devices.

5. Knowledge for Rent
If you’re a compulsive reader but not much of a collector, renting via BooksFree.com is a good option. Pay $9.99 per month and receive two books at a time with free shipping both ways.

6. Swap or Trade
If your one of those people with a stack of books in every room, consider swapping or trading for unread books on websites like BooksfreeSwap or Chango Books. Each site offers free membership and the cost of doing business is limited to postage, paid for by the book recipient.

7. Read and Return a la Paradies
The Paradies Shops offers a unique program to book buyers on the go, allowing readers to return books at any shop location and receive 50% of the purchase price back. With over 500 shops in more than 70 airports and hotels across the U.S., this program is tailored to travelers who need to feed their reading addicition without taking up valuable luggage space.

8. This Place Called the Library
This may come as a shock to some readers, but there are these places called libraries that allow you to borrow books and return them after reading. The selection and value of most libraries is tough to beat, plus the facility itself provides an excellent getaway when you’re in need of some “me” time.

P.S. When Andrea found out I was using her advice, she added this info that she just discovered: 11,000 public libraries announced that they will be adding e-book editions of books for kindles to their electronic collections. This is such a nice treat for any one who owns a Kindle–what a great way to take advantage of a huge collection of eBooks without the price tag.

In return, I told her about the Sony Reader Store having a page that will direct you to your public library, so you can find out if the book you want is available for free.  The Sony Store also has a link to Google free e-books. But remember, if you want to encourage authors–once in a while you need to BUY a book.

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Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Vera Marie back again: Mind you, I am deeply conflicted about discounters like Amazon.  My own book, Quincy Tahoma, the Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist is NOT sold by discounters. You can find it on Amazon, but only being sold at full price through Amazon affiliate book sellers. (You can also buy it right here–see right hand column– and get an autographed copy). On the other hand, like anybody else, I look for bargains–particularly since I’m reading two to three books a week.  Please discuss. AND which of the sources that Andrea Woroch names have YOU used to find a travel book? 

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Choosing a book

Perhaps you have been wondering where all those books are that I’ve been reviewing since our last Giveaway? Travel Memoir, travel guides, travel literature, fiction with a sense of place, travel non-fiction, travel adventure–in short, all those things we call travel books.

The usual.  They’re stacked in a box that is threatening to trip Ken when he comes in the office.

This will be the largest number of books given away yet.  I think there are 25 books (but since that’s more than fingers and toes, I may be off a couple). I’m offering some packages. And the best news is YOU GET TO CHOOSE which book you want if your name is drawn.

Rules are here, and you will have a better chance of winning, if you check the rules. For this contest only ONE book or book package per winner. Once you’ve won, you’ve won. That’s it.

In addition to comments, don’t forget that Tweets (with @pen4hire in them) and Google+ comments count, as do new e-mail subscriptions to A Traveler’s Library. (Be sure to check the rules if you are a current subscriber, as you can enter too. Just tell me in a comment that you want to be entered automatically in EVERY drawing.) You may comment on several posts in one day–but only one comment PER post will count toward the contest.

I will notify winner and give him or her a chance to choose. Then I will move to the next round and notify that winner. It is a bit complicated, so it will take a bit of time, but you can help by replying quickly when notified.

Note: I would link all these books back to my reviews, but then Google would think I’d created a link farm and that’s a very bad thing. So if you want to refresh your memory, use the search box over in the right hand column.

Ready?

Fiction:

• The Last Time I Saw Paris
• Contact Creede (Historical Colorado)
• The Floor of Heaven (Historical Alaska)
• Our Daily Bread (Nova Scotia) [not reviewed--a dark novel of a hill family that could be Appalachia as well as Nova Scotia]
• The School of Night (England-historical mystery) [not reviewed]
• The Tapestry Shop (Robin Hoods’ England) [Not reviewed]
• Shadow of the Sword (the Crusades)
• The Bird Sisters (Wisconsin)
• Chronicle in Stone (Albania)
• The Civilized World (Africa)
• A Trick of the Light (Montreal–Audio Book)

Non-Fiction

• One Day I Will Write About This Place (Africa)
• Paris Was Ours (essays)
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu (Peru)
• Gib’s Odyssey (The Intracoastal Waterway, Eastern U.S.)
• How to Cook a Crocodile (Gabon, Africa–includes recipes, but nor for croc)
• The Caliph’s House (Casablanca Morocco)
• Culture Smart: China [reveiwed at Indie Travel Podcast]
• The Sinner’s Grand Tour (review copy–humor) [ not reviewed]
• On the Road to Babadag (Balkans)
• Bread of Angels (Syria)
• Egypt package: [#2 and #3 reviewed at Indie Travel Podcast]

1. A Traveller’s History of Egypt
2. Egypt: Cadogan Guide
3. Cairo: Cadogan Guide

• Cemetery Package:

1. Ghosts in the Cemetery: Volumes I and II (Photo Essay book)

So if you have the great good fortune to be the next person to be drawn–which book will you choose?

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Ken in Rome

Has it been five years since we were in Italy? Unbelievable! But Italy stays with you once you have traveled there.

Here’s another of my round-up posts (read: she’s traveling and not blogging every day).

Italian scene in Le Marche

Author Interview with Susan Van Allen who wrote 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go (Obviously ALL of Italy).

I learned more about some destinations in Italy that I had not heard of, and much about the Venus/Mary connections. But most important, I learned that Italian guys don’t pinch so much any more. (So it wasn’t just because I was getting old!) And of course Susan gave us some great tips on books about Italy.

Irreverent Curiosity by David Farley (Calcata) and a bonus–interview with David in which he recommends his own favorite Italy books.

In Irreverent Curiosity, Farley goes on a quest for a very unusual relic. I said: If this book were only about one of the thousands of bits and pieces of holy personages that populate Catholic churches (bones, skin, organs), particularly in Italy, I would lose interest fast.  But cleverly, Farley mixes religious history with present day culture, and even the clash of various national cultures together with a crystal clear picture of an idyllic medieval village in Italy.

Naples ’44 by Norman Lewis, (Naples) one of my very favorite travel writers.

Before reading this book, I had NO IDEA how the people of Naples suffered during World War II, and how tragi-comic the miscommunications between troops could be. I wrote:

Sometimes I thought of Naples ’44 as the true forerunner of Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 or M.A.S.H, except that Naples ’44 is not fiction.  Lewis lived through this. The people of Naples lived through it, amazingly.

Italy Out of Hand: A Capricious Tour (Most of Italy) by Barbara Hodgson is a beautiful book, sensuous to hold, but so much more. Okay, the most fascinating thing? Why the Duke’s portrait was always painted in profile. In May of 2009 I kicked off a whole week in Italy with this book, (which the dog liked too, but you’ll have to read about that on the original post) and I said:

Author Barbara Hodgson dwells on details–some serious, some quite mad–just like the country.  Her attention to detail is such that even the books typeface brings up a little story about a long-forgotten Italian.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Michelangelo (Rome and Florence)–This is a very short piece that covers two books and a video and my sad travel tale. Speaking of Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, I said:

The book’s 384 pages may have more details about, say, the mixing of colors, than some readers can tolerate, but I loved every fussy, gossipy moment of it.

Italian Street Scene

A Season with Verona , Italian Neighbors and Italian Education(Verona)  by Tim Parks.

Before I went to Italy, I was happy to find these books by Tim Parks about life in present day Italy.

 Adding books like these to my travel library lifts the curtain that separates cultures, and helps me understand the real world beyond the familiar tourist grounds of hotels and restaurants and museums.

Venice Gondola Traffic Jam

Acqua Alta and other mysteries (Venice)  by Donna Leon. When I wrote that paean to Donna Leon in 2009, she had written 16 mysteries. Now she has produced 4 more plus Brunetti’s Cookbook and several other unrelated books. Her books taught me a lot about present day Venice.

Leon (and Brunetti) also led me to hidden treasures of Venice, and explained the little cultural secrets that sometimes elude a tourist. I went on a Comissario Brunetti alert, recognizing street and plaza names and remembering the crime that took place in a particular canal.

Of course, I have written other things about Italy, books and movies and travel experiences, but these are the best of the books, I believe. A little something from Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice,Verona and the rest of Italy for you to browse on while I am elsewhere.

What’s your latest recommendation for movies and books from Italy?

Instead of overloading you with links to Amazon in this post, I’m hoping if you are interested in a particular book, you’ll go to the article and click on the title OR you can go to that Amazon search box on the far right and find anything you want. It helps pay the rent on my blog site. Thanks!

You’ll find disclaimers on each blog post, but the pictures here belong to me, with the exception of the book covers and the picture of Naples, which is form Flickr with Creative Commons license.

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Destination: Middle East

Book: Dining with Al Qaeda (2010)by Hugh Pope

Every Monday for a while now, I’ve been writing about books that might shed some light on the current internal struggles of countries in the Middle East (as well as Iraq and Afghanistan as the center of international warfare) for those of us who  plan to travel there in the future.

Some of the books I have covered are directly about the politics of the situation, like In the Country of Men, and some are poetic, like The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and some are strictly travel books. I think it takes an understanding of both politics and poetry–literature and news reports–for us in the West to build an understanding of the largely Islamic countries of the Middle East and the Arab Spring.

Bin Laden on Video, 2004

In Dining with Al Quaeda, published in 2010, Hugh Pope provides a must-read  journalist’s memoir of 30 years of travel through many of the countries still on the front pages today. Much of what he writes seems incredibly timely today. Just as In the Country of Men made its way to A Traveler’s Library as the Libyan revolt was heating up, Dining with Al-Qaeda came my way during the reporting of the death of Osama bin Laden.

This book educated me more deeply about more different cultures in the mid-East than anything else that I have read.  I have seen it compared to Thomas Friedman’s From Beirut to Jerusalem (1990-revised for Kindle edition in 2010), which broke ground in explaining the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, through the lens of an American very aware of American public opinion. I agree. I still recommend From Beirut to Jerusalem to anyone traveling to Israel, and wrote briefly about it some time back.

Both Friedman and Pope were employed by first-rate American newspapers and news organizations. They are both masterful reporters and enticing writers.

However, Friedman approached his reporting from the background of an American Jew, skeptical of Israel’s political actions, and Pope, born of British parents and educated in England, approaches the Middle East with a deep-seated love of all things Arabic.

Pope owns up to his prejudices (pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel for instance) and admits when reality does not quite match his infatuated romantic vision of Arab culture and behavior.  Since he studied the Arab language and culture at Oxford, he can more easily converse with people in various countries. Because of a childhood spent partly in the Middle East, he also can get along in Farsi.

Although I was afraid that I would be turned off by his one-sided viewpoint, he demonstrates that he is an even-handed reporter, and I found myself trusting his account of the countries he covered during his 30 years in the area as an eager seeker of adventure but a reluctant war correspondent. Lebanon during the Israeli-Lebanese war, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Afghanistan, Palestine and Israel.

His discoveries continually surprise, not only the reader, but the author as well. “Ultimate, I learned, every country in the region viewed itself as a kind of island uniquely connected to the West, not the East. Politically, the “Middle East” barely existed.”

Wall Street Journal

I learned as much about how the Wall Street Journal curates the news and treats its writers as I did about the Middle East. Pope wanted to let Americans know that the Iraqi people were not going to unanimously welcome American troops. Pope’s “fixer” in Iraq before the American forces arrive says, “Here in Iraq freedom means the freedom to kill” and he goes on to say that because the American blockade cost his family medicine his brother needed, he would kill the first person out of the tank when they arrived. But because it sounds too much like propaganda, the quote could not go in the story. “I understood that , too. I was up to my eyeballs in Iraqi propaganda and I didn’t want to scare the readers into thinking I couldn’t be trusted….Reality was a broad spectrum and the common zone between the diametrically different Iraqi and U.S. worldviews overlapped only a short handspan in the middle,” Pope says.

I want to read it again. That is how valuable I believe this book is. Pope now lives in Turkey, and with his wife wrote a history of Turkey, Turkey Unveiled. See his pick of five best books on Turkish politics at The Browser.

Thanks to the generous photographers who share their pictures on Flickr. Please click on each picture to learn more about it and the photographer. Have you noticed — you can rate (up to 5 stars) any post on A Traveler’s Library? AND you can rate comments on posts, too (thumbs up/down).

And if you have not yet replied to the poll from Friday–it is right below this post and I’d like your opinion. (If you are not reading this on the website, you’ll need to click over to comment or take the poll).

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Holly Tucker

Books: Recommendations by Holly Tucker

Whenever I interview an author, I ask for his or her favorite books to influence travel.  Here are suggestions from Holly Tucker, author of Blood Work for books about India to add to the travel library.

She said, “I’m fascinated anything to do with India.”

“My interest in India probably has more to do with the fact that my best friend grew up in Mumbai.  Her birthday is November 1 and mine is November 3, the same year. I still marvel at how two little girls could have been born nearly half a planet away and still became such close friends.  I’ve had a chance to travel twice to India with her family.  The second time was for a wedding in Bangalore. Books, both fiction and nonfiction, help me understand more about what I experienced there and, always, make me hopeful that there will be a third trip…if not more!”

The most recent books for travelers to India that she has read are

Dreaming in Hindi by Catherine Russell Rich

The Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa (which is an amazing, but devastating read)

and Jumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake.

Read an interview with Holly Tucker about her book , Blood Work: A Tale of Medince and Murder in the Scientific Revolution.

Here at A Traveler’s Library, we have discussed many other books set in India.

The Writerly Life by R.K.Narayan, ed. by S. Krishnan

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson

6 Favorites of Shelley Seale, plus her own The Weight of Silence

City of Djinns by William Dalrymple

Do you have other books about India that you would add to the list for travel libraries?

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

The blog Freelancedom is running a series entitled Why I Write.  I talked about my reasons for writing in a post that went up this week. You may have guessed that it is not to get rich and famous. But my answer may surprise you.

Hint: Questions

Oh, you don’t want to hear about me?  You want to know if you won a prize? OKAY,  to end the suspense…. The winner of the 2-night stay at a Cambria Suites, plus $100 credit at the cafe goes to food blogger extraordinare, Stephanie Stiavetti.  You can see her writing at several places, but take a look at her main home on the Web, The Culinary Life. Steph says that depending on when she can travel to take advantage of her prize, she may book a hotel in Denver as her getaway. Congratulations, Steph!!

Books Books Books

Now for the books–which have not been shipped out yet, but soon, I promise…Ten readers of A Traveler’s Library are expanding their own travel library with these literary gems that we classify as travel literature.

• Casey Barber of Good.Food. Stories won the book Come Again No More. Being a New Yawker, she needs a book about the West, doncha think?
• Casey also won A Week at the Airport, which she says may stimulate her to actually GO somewhere instead of just “living vicariously from the rest of the group.”
• Rosemary Carstens, who freelances writing about art and puts out a great literary, art and food newsletter, Feast, won Cemetery of Dreams.
• Connie Ong, who also goes as Anjuli, was a very lucky lady.  She won the memoir Crossing the Heart of Africa, and also Mike Gerrard’s book of travel essays, Snakes Alive.
• Over the Top, about misadventures on a long trek around the Alps, goes to Leigh McAdam who says she is a trekker and mountain hiker herself. Check her out at Hike.Bike. Travel.
• Jackie Smith, who blogs about travel at Travel ‘n Write and seems ALWAYS to be on the move, won a copy of The Leisure Seekers, about an elderly couple on their last RV trip across America on Rt. 66.
• I gave two books away on the Grand Canyon guest post by Jessie Voigts (with pictures from my own Colorado River trip). Fittingly, another Arizona tourism icon, Tombstone Postcards is the subject of the book won by Laura Baran.
• Debbie Beardsley, known as the European Travelista, won Under the Huang Jiao Tree, about a New Zealander teaching in China. (Okay, maybe Debbie needs a change of scenery from Europe.)
• Richard Mussler-Wright, prolific commenter at A Traveler’s Library, loves to read–everything. I’m sure he’ll be delighted with the book he won, War on the Margins.
• Bethany Salvon, another travel blogger, Beers and Beans, was lucky enough to get the beautiful book set in Oregon and Illinois, called The Crying Tree.
• And the final winner, Deb Christensen won The Year of the Hare, that wonderful book from Finland. It is amazing how these things turn out to be so fitting. (Do you think that random.org  has ESP instead of just mathematical formulas?) Anyhow, Deb tells me that her grandmother’s family is from Finland, and she herself visited there when she was in college and wants to go back. After reading this book, she will definitely want to head for Finland.

Photographer, John Althouse Cohen, who took that lovely “Questions” picture has a nifty blog, too. Turns out I’ve used another of his photos, too. Troy Holden took the picture of the bookstore shelves. Both photos are used under Creative Commons license, and came from Flickr.com.

And HUGE thanks to Cambria Suites for making the Grand Prize available. We appreciate your interest in literary travelers, and are looking forward to our next stay at a Cambria Suites.

All but one of the books mentioned here have been reviewed at A Traveler’s Library. Too many to link them all, but if you are curious, and I hope you are, you can find them by using the search bar at the top right.

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

AND, this is embarrassing, but the most perfect gift for travelers who read somehow got left off the list. So here it is:

Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers
by Nancy Pearl

In case you are not one of those glued to NPR when Nancy Pearl talks about books…in case you don’t yet own your own Nancy Pearl action figure…read my review of Book Lust To Go. And then put it on the gift list for every traveler who reads.

A Moveable Feast

1. A MOVEABLE FEAST:Life-Changing Food Adventures Around the World, edited by Don George, published by Lonely Planet (2010)

SPECIAL DEAL:  Readers of A Traveler’s Library: Enter the code TRAVLIB  in the on-line order form, Lonely Planet will give a 20% discount on any book. Through 1/15/11.

Lonely Planet publishes lots more than guidebooks.  I make a bee-line for the  travel literature section of Lonely Planet pictorials and gifts. That’s where you’ll find Moveable Feast, jam-packed ( pun intended) with beautifully written food/travel essays from top travel writers like Jan Morris, Simon Winchester or Anthony Bourdain. What could be better for the travel reader in your life? (And no, I have no idea why they are using Ernest Hemingway’s title.) $14.99 before your A Traveler’s Library discount.

Atlantic Luggage from CSN

2. ATLANTIC  LUGGAGE

Until I discovered CSN, I didn’t realize I could shop in a virtual department store. You can furnish your home, clothe your kids and pick up your travel needs at CSN, which includes 200 stores. At the luggage store , I selected this Atlantic 22″ roll-aboard Ultra Light suitcase. The purchase process was painless, and carrying the 6-pound-suitcase is painless, too. Because it is an economy version of TravelPro, I knew the quality would be good. I particularly like the big pockets on the outside. Somebody you know needs this. $73.99 at CSN.

Scottish Travel Wrap

3. SCOTTISH CASHMERE TRAVEL WRAP

From The Travel Wrap Company

I can SO see myself curled up with a travel literature book, wrapped in my wrap, aptly named “Plain Gorgeous.” This gift, I will admit is a big splurge. But there are times when we just want to splurge on a gift for somebody your traveling mom or  girlfriend. It subs for that missing airline pillow and blanket, and so does much more.

Price: £194 adult/£140 children. In the U.S., subtract £17.50 per item VAT.  I figured a woman’s wrap, with shipping, would cost about $292.00 for U.S. buyers.  To see the price on an item, you have to click on the specific item/color you are interested in.

4. MUSEYON GUIDES provides guidebooks for travelers for the literate. Or as they say, “A curated guide to your obsessions.”  That means music, cities, movies, art, for instance. Follow their link for a classy blog about cultural travel.

SPECIAL DEAL: For  A Traveler’s Library readers only: A SECRET STORE.  When you follow the link to the secret store at Museyon Guides, you will get a 20% discount on EVERY book they sell. And get this–even if it has already been discounted, you’ll get another 20% off!!

I took Museyon’s Film + Travel guides for a test drive.  The books come in  travel-handy, 5 x 8 soft cover editions–one each for ; North and South America; Europe; and one for  (big breath) Asia, Oceania and Africa.  The guides are written by experts or as one editor says “by pedants for dilettantes.” (LOVE IT!) My only complaint is that they don’t cover a lot of territory. One hopes that there will be future editions.  But if tracking down movie scenes (a la Movie Walks in Paris) is not your thing, Museyon guides offers other books. The Movie +Travel Guides are currently on sale at Museyon for $11.95 (BEFORE your 20% discount).

Jotter SS Satin Black BallPoint Pen

5. JOTTER “MAD MEN” PEN

The man in your life can create million dollar advertising campaigns, write heartbreaking brush-off letters, and make a list of the liquor  needed for the office bar, with the OFFICIAL Mad Men Pen, The Jotter SS Ball Point. Mad Men, the T.V. show, deftly recreates the early 1960′s.  The traveler you are shopping for needs a pen to make notes in her or his travel journal, write postcards, and fill in the custom forms.

Great stocking stuffer. I found them on line for as little as $9.99.

6. VINNI BAG

This product is a real find! Although I don’t generally haul wine around in my suitcase, I do have a dog-loving friend who once wrote about wrapping her wine in her bras. I have another friend who has been known to travel with an extra suitcase full of only bubblewrap for safely packing African crafts. I will fill the Vinni Bag with Christmas ornaments the next time I travel, or olive oil from Greece. The video explains everything to you. A Green Note: If you send it back, they will recycle the material into garden hoses! Now can’t you think of several travelers who would love this gift?

$28.00 for one, $25 each for more than one at the Vinni Bag website.

Diaper Buds

7. DIAPER BUDS

Know a mother who is juggling baby and travel? As anybody who has ever carted an infant over the river and through the woods knows, diapers can be a problem. Problem solved with diaper buds. A tiny little package gives you two full sized diapers. Tuck it away and you’re ready to go.

(Unless you follow the diaper-free baby philosophy of a friend of mine, that is.)

They have a special trial deal on their website offering  a trial “bud” for $1.00. Regular prices are $5.99 for a small pack (8 or 9 in pack depending on diaper size) or $17.99 for a large pack of 24 to30.(Diaper sizes 1-5)

Interlink Books

8. INTERLINK PUBLISHING

SPECIAL DEAL: Interlink Publishing is offering a discount coupon code to A Traveler’s Library readers. 20% off any book you order from their web site.

This may be my favorite place for literary travel books. The beautiful books they publish are carefully selected for smart, discerning readers. Their tag line says it all “Changing the Way People Think About the World.”  I have reviewed  Italian Art for Travelers and A Traveler’s History of Italy.  Check Interlink’s Gift Suggestion Page. And go here for CHILDREN’S Books, including young adult that span the world. Prices vary, and you get a discount of 20% just for reading A Traveler’s Library.

Yak Pak Psychedelia

9. YAK PAK

Special Deal for readers of A Traveler’s Library. YakPak has offered to give one of you a student backpacks–and you get to choose a pattern (from those available).*See rules below.

Specially for pre-teens and teens.

Last January, a lucky reader here won a Yak Pak tote bag.  I was so impressed, that when they offered to let me test one of their backpacks, I jumped at the chance.  They chose the pattern (they have just short of a jillion stylish patterns) and I got one called “Black Psychedelia.” It’s a genuine back-to-the-sixties purple and yellow and orange and green and red tie-dye. The teenagers in the family think it is tres cool, and I got comments when I carried it through the airport.

The material of Yak Paks–in small purses up to carry-on suitcases–is the most amazing stuff.  It is so strong that I can’t imagine it ever tearing, and it doesn’t even scuff. This student backpack has a big interior and one small exterior pocket, and it holds a lot of stuff– including my netbook–with ease. But check the variety of choices at their website. This one costs $25 at the YakPak site.

10. WRAPPING – NOT PAPER

Let’s have an eco-friendly Christmas. Can we do without the mounds of throw-away paper and ribbon and all that frou-frou? In the US alone, an additional 5 million (an equivalent to 25% more garbage) tons of waste is generated during the winter holidays.

Bobo Everyday Wrap

No-paper wrapping , the Bobo Wrap. Wrap in a scarf that is a 2nd present. The one shown is $9.95 but they have much more expensive ones, too.

Lyzi Wrap Rip-Stop Nylon

Lyzi Wrap–stretchy fabric, bags made from old plastic banners, all kinds of fun stuff and all containers will be reusable. $6-$9 for Lyzi Wraps.

Disclaimer: Although I selected all of these products BEFORE the companies provided samples, in addition to offering my readers a discount, Publishers Lonely Planet and Museyon gave me review copies of their books. CSN stores gave me a gift certificate to purchase anything I wished in their store. Vinni Bags sent me a sample bag so I could see how it works. YakPak sent me a student backpack to review.

*For the Yak Pak Giveaway

• I’ll pick a comment at random, from those comments that tell me which gift on the list you are most likely to buy.For extra chances, tweet about this post (using @pen4hire in the tweet) or Subscribe by e-mail.
• Starting now.
• Ending December 15. (Must have U.S. mailing address)

Also see

• 2009 Gifts for Travelers
• Passports With Purpose
• Gifts Under $20 (2009)

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Book Cover

Destination: Everywhere or the Armchair

Book: Book Lust To Go by Nancy Pearl NEW September, 2010

Nancy Pearl travels the world from her easy chair. The prototypical armchair traveler, a former librarian and bookseller who suggests books and interviews authors on radio and TV, attracts crowds of fans.

Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers,  is the third of Nancy Pearl’s books that suggest random books for people to read. This time she talks about travel literature.

When I say “random”, I mean a mix of genres, and also a mix of new and old.  She explains that she does not shy away from suggesting out of print books and is quite happy that it is now easier to get them over the Internet.

She has arranged the entries in Book Lust to Go alphabetically by title of section. The titles relate to a state, city or region, but also sometimes to an activity or type of travel. And if you are looking for books about the country of Colombia, you had better look in the index, because alphabetically it shows up as “Hail, Colombia.” She gets a bit, well, “creative” with those titles. Most of her titles at least are alliterative, so they will show up close to where you expect them, but not New Zealand, that comes under K for Kiwi.  I was relieved to be informed that unlike the review copy I was looking at, the final version of the book has an index by place name.

Readers of A Traveler’s Library should feel a companionship with Pearl, even though she says in her introduction that she herself is NOT a traveler. Rather she likes to travel in her mind with a travel book. She says, “I adore books–whether fiction or non-fiction–that give me a sense of being in another place and time.” Well I can certainly relate to that–can’t you?

It was fun to find that she admires some of the books that we have talked about here–The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Jennifer Steil (Yemen); The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim (Korea); Nine Lives by Dan Baum (New Orleans); and February by Lisa Moore (Newfoundland) caught my eye.  When you read Book Lust To Go, you probably will notice some other books we have in common. She admits that had she realized when she wrote her first, or even second Book Lust book, that a series was in the works, she might have saved up some of the travel books for this volume. I will admit I skimmed pretty quickly, because let’s face it, this is the kind of book you put in your traveler’s library to refer to. You couldn’t absorb all of that content at once!

You probably will also notice a lot of books that are your own personal favorites that she left out.  If you want to tell her about them, she gives her e-mail address in the book, and you can find her at her Nancy Pearl blog and on Facebook.

This may become my second favorite place to look for books about travel. My first favorite? The comment section of A Traveler’s Library, of course. And where do you find the perfect travel book?  Please share….

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.