"I could spend my life arriving each evening in a new city."
~ Bill Bryson, American author
by Tim Cahill
Vintage Departures, 1998
Outside magazine founding editor Tim Cahill offers a collection of travel essays that chronicle trips to such places as Mongolia, Yellowstone National Park, and Peru, where, on a serious note, he looks into a murder. To get a sense of Cahill's style, you just need to look at the titles of his books, such as Lost in My Own Backyard and A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg. While perhaps a bit more daring than Bryson in the adventures he embarks on, Cahill brings humor along with cogent and often personal commentary to his extensive travel writing; Bryson readers will certainly appreciate this as well as Cahill's companionable manner.
by Pete McCarthy
St. Martin's Press, 2003
Though his family lived in England, Pete McCarthy's heart belonged to his mother's Irish homeland, thanks in part to youthful summers spent at his uncle's idyllic farm in Cork. McCarthy's Bar chronicles the comedian/writer/BBC host's amusing Irish adventures as he searched for his green roots in the Emerald Isle's countryside and, of course, her pubs (after all, one should "never pass a bar that has your name on it"). Fans of Bill Bryon's Notes on a Small Island may be particularly interested in this funny, authentic look at England's neighbor. For more McCarthy, check out The Road to McCarthy, which finds him traveling around the globe looking for other McCarthys.
by Calvin Trillin
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1999
In Travels with Alice, a lighthearted collection of essays first published in 1989, noted author and columnist Calvin Trillin recounts trips with his wife and two daughters. The family eats well (though they are more than familiar with Paris's fast-food restaurants) and enjoy amusing adventures in Europe and the Caribbean. Bryson fans might enjoy reading Trillin's work--although travel is not his specialty, he does go in search of interesting food and adventures, and his extremely humorous, conversational accounts resonate with insights into people and places.
by Mark Twain
North Books, 2003
Books by Theme was inspired by both Melissa at One Librarians Book Reviews's feature Listless Monday and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature. Be sure to check out their lists!
1 comment:
I love Bryson, and really appreciated this list, as I had no idea where to find something similar. All of these sound good and have found a place on my wish list. Thanks for sharing them!
Post a Comment