I am one of those people that, if I won the lottery, after the requisite responsible moves, I would spend the bulk of my time and money traveling. Even now, I have limited resources to travel, but I love to experience new places. Travel books are one of my favorite genres and I have to admit a certain affinity for Rick Steves. Also, if Bill Bryson writes a grocery list, I wanna read it. (The name of this blog was almost "Bill Bryson is God.") Coming out this week is IN MOTION: The Experience of Travel (Random House/Knopf) by Tony Hiss. From the book website:
"In this extraordinarily wide-ranging, insightful, and revelatory book, Tony Hiss—the much-praised author of The Experience of Place—delves into a unique and instantly recognizable (though previously undescribed) experience that can happen to us when we travel, a special understanding and ability that can leave us feeling exhilarated. He illustrates how throughout human history—from our ancestors walking upright for the first time to astronauts walking on the moon—we have repeatedly availed ourselves of this seemingly elusive quality, which he calls “Deep Travel.”
The sensation of Deep Travel can overtake us, Hiss says, whenever we tap into
a sophisticated, wide-awake awareness we all possess. With a wealth of
examples—from evocative accounts of his own journeys to celebrated travel writing across
the centuries—Hiss identifies and rescues this powerful capacity and sets out simple
techniques for accessing it no matter where we are."
a sophisticated, wide-awake awareness we all possess. With a wealth of
examples—from evocative accounts of his own journeys to celebrated travel writing across
the centuries—Hiss identifies and rescues this powerful capacity and sets out simple
techniques for accessing it no matter where we are."
So there you go...travel and self-help in the same book...who could ask for more?
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I usually try to give publicity to books that haven't already had a lot of advertising dollars thrown at them, but YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW (Penguin) by Heather Sellers sounds so compelling I had to include it today. Ms. Sellers has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition also known as "face blindness." Go to the book's website and read about Heather's life and childhood and you will immediately realize that Hollywood couldn't have made this up....
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Anyone around me knows I am a fierce protector of the virtue of the current occupant of the White House. He isn't perfect, I know, yet I feel for the most part he has done what he hired him to do. I have read both of Mr. Obama's books and feel like I know a lot about him. But this week comes YOUNG MR. OBAMA: Chicago and the Making of a Black President (Bloomsbury) by Edward McClelland. McClelland, a Chicago journalist, expounds on his thesis that "the rough-and-tumble reality of Chicago taught a brilliant but callow young African American politician the lessons that launched him on the road to history."
The late politician Tip O'Neil once famously said, "All politics is local." If that is true, this book should give insight to how Barack Obama became the leader of the free world.
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And, finally, with baseball season winding down, we have THE LAST BOY: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (HarperCollins) by Jane Leavy.From the book's website:
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I usually try to give publicity to books that haven't already had a lot of advertising dollars thrown at them, but YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW (Penguin) by Heather Sellers sounds so compelling I had to include it today. Ms. Sellers has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition also known as "face blindness." Go to the book's website and read about Heather's life and childhood and you will immediately realize that Hollywood couldn't have made this up....
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Anyone around me knows I am a fierce protector of the virtue of the current occupant of the White House. He isn't perfect, I know, yet I feel for the most part he has done what he hired him to do. I have read both of Mr. Obama's books and feel like I know a lot about him. But this week comes YOUNG MR. OBAMA: Chicago and the Making of a Black President (Bloomsbury) by Edward McClelland. McClelland, a Chicago journalist, expounds on his thesis that "the rough-and-tumble reality of Chicago taught a brilliant but callow young African American politician the lessons that launched him on the road to history."
The late politician Tip O'Neil once famously said, "All politics is local." If that is true, this book should give insight to how Barack Obama became the leader of the free world.
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And, finally, with baseball season winding down, we have THE LAST BOY: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (HarperCollins) by Jane Leavy.From the book's website:
"Drawing on more than five hundred interviews with friends and family,
teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of Mantle's life,
mining the mythology of The Mick for the true story of a luminous and
illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul."
teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of Mantle's life,
mining the mythology of The Mick for the true story of a luminous and
illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul."
It sure seems like there a lot of books about the New York Yankees and their players. I grew up with a mom that idolized Billy Martin so I guess I should just get over it.
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