books
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Destination Heartland—A Guide to Discovering the Midwest’s Remarkable Past: Cynthia Clampitt
Published by 3 Fields Books, 2022, 272 pages “Why Midwestern history? Because I love American history, and the history of the Midwest is, to a greater extent than most people realize, a key element of that history. … [P]eople need… Continue reading
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Non-Stop Metropolis—A New York Atlas: Edited by Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Shapiro
Published by University of California Press, 2016, 224 pages Rebecca Solnit is no stranger to conveying urban environments through maps (see my review of her earlier atlas on New Orleans). But how do you convey the complexity of New York? Rebecca… Continue reading
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The Year of Living Danishly—Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country: Helen Russell
Published by Icon Books, 2015, 368 pages Helen Russell lived in London, working crazy hours with hardly any time off. When her partner is offered a job at Lego in Jutland, Denmark, they realize that it is going to be… Continue reading
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Dancing with Cuba—A Memoir of the Revolution: Alma Guillermoprieto
Published by Pantheon, 2004, 290 pages Alma Guillermoprieto is a Mexican journalist who started out wanting to be a dancer. As a young woman, she trained in New York and then spent six months in Cuba in 1970 teaching modern dance. This… Continue reading
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Tales of a Female Nomad—Living at Large in the World: Rita Golden Gelman
Published by Crown, 2001, 320 pages When her marriage starts to disintegrate, Rita Golden Gelman decides to go to Mexico on her own to take a break and think things through. Never having traveled on her own, she is nervous… Continue reading
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Wild by Nature—From Siberia to Australia: Sarah Maquis
Published by Thomas Dunne Books / Allen & Unwin, 2014, 272 pages I love the way Sarah Maquis begins this book: “Put on your shoes. We’re going walking.” And walk she does, equipped with a backpack and a cart, through… Continue reading
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Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? An Artistic Pairing of Two Iconic Cities: Diane Ratican
With illustrations by Nick Lu and Eric GiriatPublished by Illustre Books, 2014, 256 pages “When you fall in love with a city, it is forever.” This quote from Toni Morrison encapsulates the spirit of this delightful book. Diane Ratican has… Continue reading
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Patagonian Road—A Year Alone Through Latin America: Kate McCahill
Published by Santa Fe Writer’s Project, 2017, 350 pages Inspired by Paul Theroux’s travel book, The Old Patagonian Express, Kate McCahill decides to take a year off and travel through Latin America. Unlike Theroux, she is determined to spend time in… Continue reading
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Calabria—The Other Italy: Karen Haid
Published by Mill City Press, 2015, 280 pages Calabria is the toe in the boot of Italy. It’s the region that non-Calabrese Italians tend to look down on as crime-ridden and backward, something I found out for myself. When I… Continue reading
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The Summer Book: Tove Jansson
Published by Random House / Sort Of Books, 1975, 160 pages Tove Jansson is a Finnish writer best known for her children’s books about the Moomins. This is one of her few books for adults—a gentle, meditative narrative about the… Continue reading
Women's Travel Books 