Armchair Travel

By the Grace of the Sea

Pat Henry
Call number: 910.41 HENRY

A middle-aged woman single-handedly sailing around the world. She runs out of money, has engine & boat problems, becomes a professional artist, and makes many friends along the way.

— Vicky, Technical Services Department

Tales of a Female Nomad

Rita Golden Gelman
Call number: 910.4 GELMAN

If Rita's name sounds familiar to you, you may have read one of her many charming children's books. This memoir, however, is a far cry from any children's book — the story of a woman in mid-life, who embraces life's challenges in a wholly adult world.

Gelman travels to Mexico in the mid 1980s for what she thinks will be an 8-week trip while her husband sorts out “issues” from their marriage. The trip begins a new life for her, as divorce and self-searching lead her to discover the “Female Nomad” within. The years that follow take her to many regions of the world, not as a tourist, but as a traveler who integrates herself deeply in each new culture and wrestles with issues of cultural values, family crises, and defining community. She is thrown from a highly materialistic life to one with few possessions, but rich in relationships. The book doesn't describe place as much as people, but it's a trip the reader will never forget!

— Naomi,Goldendale Community Library

Plundering Paradise: the Hand of Man on the Galapagos Islands

Michael D'Orso
Call number: 304.28 DORSO

Briefly - each chapter of the book is dedicated to the story of various residents of the islands. Included in the stories are descriptions of the people, history, topography, climate and local places. D'Orso does an excellent job connecting his readers to the place - in this case visiting the Galapagos Islands, as more than a tourist.

— Michele, Vancouver Mall Community Library

The Art of Pilgrimage: the Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred

Phil Cousineau
Call number: 291.351 COUSINE

A marvelous book about how travel to any place near or far can change your life. Cousineau insists that any place on the planet can be inspiring, awesome, beautiful, moving, breath-giving. By the end of the book you believe it too.

—Mario, Stevenson Community Library

Neither East Nor West: One Woman's Journey Through the Islamic Republic of Iran

Christiane Bird
Call number: 955.054 BIRD

Christiane was sheltered with kindness, but never without her raincoat. Here is a single woman's adventures in modern Iran, both urban and off-the-beaten path.

— Linda, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services

Hawk's Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone

Gary Ferguson
Call number: 917.8752 FERGUSO

A brief book of outdoor adventure, from the long hike over mountains to a ranger patrol cabin, to stories swapped with visitors on horseback, this book captures a summer in a place the farthest from a road of any in the lower 48 states.

— Linda, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

Peter Hessler
Call number: 915.138 HESSLER, CASSETTE 915.138 HESSLER

About a man teaching English for two years in China through Peace Corp. It's extremely well written incorporating a lot of humor and personality. An easy read.

— Sarah, Vancouver Community Library, Circulation Department

The Road to Somewhere; travels with a young boy through an old world

James Dodson
Call number: 910.4 DODSON

The author and his ten-year-old son spend a summer traveling through several countries, letting the adventure unfold as it will.

— Lorraine, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services

Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica

Sara Wheeler
Call number: 919.8904 WHEELER

Journalist Wheeler had the rare opportunity to spend 7 months in Antarctica as a member of the American National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists' and Writers' Program. In addition to chronicling her own encounters with the people living in Antarctic and the place, Wheeler enlightens and entertains with vivid stories about the heroes of polar exploration and the geography of the land.

— Sue, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Dayton Duncan
Call number: 978 DUNCAN

The wondrous adventures of Lewis & Clark and the Corp of Discovery are described in this companion volume to Burn's PBS documentary on Lewis & Clark. This book includes historic and current photographs, drawings, maps and excerpts from diaries of the amazing journey.

— Sue, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services

Along the Pacific Crest Trail

Bart Smith
Call number: 917.9 SMITH

Karen and Dan's hike along the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail is told by narrative about the places they visited and excerpts from Dan's diary. Information on the history and natural science of sections of the trail is included. Features beautiful photographs of the spectacular scenery by photographer Bart Smith.

— Sue, Vancouver Community Library, District Information Services