Fermor primarily made his name with two companion books, which chronicled his walk across Europe as a teenager in 1933 and 1934. A third volume, did not see publication during his lifetime. Now, his literary executors have prepared the manuscripts he intended to use for the third volume—and thus the trilogy is complete. The notably handsome and inexhaustibly curious Englishman walks, on this final portion of his trek, through Bulgaria and Romania. Being on foot, he naturally experiences the landscape and the locals on an especially intimate level. As history has spilled heavily over these two countries since the time of the Ottoman Turks, history is woven into Fermor's enlightening account. People, customs, and geography are what good travel writers seek and share, Fermor foremost among them. (Booklist *Starred Review)
Curiosity. Hope. Passion. Courage. Independence. Self-discipline. Perseverance. Dugard identifies these as the qualities that successful explorers display over the course of their journeys and from which the rest of us can learn. As the foundation for his argument, the author uses the 1857–58 expedition of Richard Francis Burton (1821–90) and John Hanning Speke (1827–64) to find the source of the Nile River, noting the difficulties they experienced in traveling into Africa, the clash of their personalities, and the fallout from their conflicting conclusions regarding the river's source. Dugard arranges his chapters by the traits listed and investigates related psychological/behavioral research then meanders on a far-ranging journey through time and other explorers who have displayed similar attributes. (Library Journal Reviews)
This travel memoir charts the author's own South Pacific voyage, replicating (to a degree) Stevenson's, In the South Seas. The trip was partly therapeutic—Troost, a recovering alcoholic, has a big problem with continents ("Bad things happened to me on large land masses. Terrible things")—and going somewhere small and isolated seemed just the thing to ease a troubled spirit. But there was also an educational component. Troost was trying to experience the voyage in two ways: as a modern-day adventure, but also as a way to explore an episode of Stevenson's life, to get to know this man and writer he'd neglected for far too long. Like Bill Bryson, Troost deftly combines humor, commentary, and education. Troost is a very funny guy, but he also has a lot of serious things to talk about. (Booklist *Starred Review*)
The World's Best Brunches, where to find them and how to make them. A term originally coined for Saturday night carousers who couldn't wake up for breakfast, brunch has evolved into a sunny, social meal beloved the world over. And so...here is The World's Best Brunches, a collection of mid-morning meals accompanied by the origin of each dish, the best place to sample a bite, and an easy-to-prepare recipe for cooking it at home. Includes a collection of 100 authentic recipes with simple, clear instructions for perfect preparation. A glossary of exotic ingredients with easy-to-find alternatives. With a foreword and recipe by top Australian chef Bill Granger. (Publisher Summary)
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