Travel & Adventure from the 2015 Winter Newsletter

Ferlinghetti’s rich life of world travel provides us the window through which to see this seminal poet, artist, and cultural icon. Peppered with sketches, poems, political commentary, and stream of consciousness observations, his journals span continents and decades, from Cuba in the 1960s to France, Italy, and Latin America at the turn of the century. Adventurous and thoughtful, damning and full of delight, this collection is essentially Ferlinghetti’s long-awaited memoir.  —Melinda

My family is from Alabama, and I have a deep love of the South, so I am thrilled that noted travel writer Paul Theroux has turned his eye to the Deep South for his first American travelogue. Exploring back roads and meeting residents from all walks of life, Theroux paints a warm, vivid portrait of the Southern states that revels in the good without shying away from the bad.  —Flannery

Most famous for his long free solos (climbing with nothing more than shoes and chalk), Alex Honnold takes us on his adventures around the world in his memoir Alone on the Wall. Giving us an inside look at a person operating in such a different plane, on a level of adrenaline that would give most of us a heart attack, Honnold leaves the reader gripping the pages of the book as he describes being alone 2,000 feet off the ground—and off course. His excitement and passion for climbing and exploring will leave you itching to get outside after reading this book.  —Centa

I love transit maps. There’s something about the idea of a map within a map, a secret system of passageways that open up whole worlds for those initiated in their ways, that captures my imagination. This fascinating book compiles transit maps, both current and historical, from all over the world, allowing us to see how the systems have changed and grown. This is a unique book that illuminates the history of public transit.  —Flannery

In the first book by the Economist’s veteran Asia correspondent, Dominic Ziegler, the longtime journalist weaves two tales: one, the story of the greatest leader ever born in northern Asia, Temujin (or as he was later dubbed, Ghengis Khan); the other, of Ziegler’s own arduous journey down northern Asia’s Amur River. Ziegler’s ornate words build like the strokes of a paintbrush and draw the reader into a world mostly unknown to Westerners.  —Aric

As a history lover and a fan of the macabre, this book is incredibly exciting for me. It combines beautiful antique maps with the great disasters and mysteries of the human race. Places where the ground burns with fire constantly to those where bats black out the sky to the most popular suicide location in the world. This beautiful tome makes history so enticing.  —Ivy

Rice Noodle Fish is a visual and literary treat that will leave you hungry and planning a trip to Japan. Much more than a look at the country’s cuisine, it is also about the history and culture of Japan, and about the people the author meets on his travels—including chefs with fire in their eyes and tea masters of Kyoto. Readers will be impressed by the literary quality of his narrative and the copious amount of pictures, tips and bits of information sprinkled throughout the book.   —Ashley