Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Books by Theme: Traveling With Friends

Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it
one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
 ~ Eleanor Roosevelt


Lost Girls book cover Jennifer Baggett Holly Corbett Amanda Pressner
by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner

If you're a 20-something working and living in New York City, you're living the dream -- right? Not if you're Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, or Amanda Pressner. The trio of friends -- wondering if the paths they were on were the right ones -- left their apartments, jobs, and boyfriends behind to embark on a year-long adventure around the world, visiting four continents and more than ten countries, including Peru, Kenya, Vietnam, India, and Australia. Though there are difficulties (could you hang out with your two besties for a year without getting on each other's nerves a bit?), there are also a lot of amazing experiences, such as traveling down the Amazon and volunteering at a girls' orphanage in Kenya.


Walk in the woods by Bill Bryson book cover
by Bill Bryson

Bestselling American travel writer Bill Bryson thought hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) with his friend and former college roommate would be a great idea. After all, he'd been living in England for 20 years, so it'd be nice to reconnect with his native land and an old buddy...but he had no idea what he was getting himself into. The two out-of-shape 40-somethings set off from Georgia in March with plans to walk the entire 2,100 miles to Maine before winter -- but they only made it to Tennessee before they realized that their original plan might be too ambitious. Combined with the pair's amusing adventures and encounters with other hikers are descriptions of nature and a history of the storied AT. 


undress me in the temple of heaven book cover Susan Jane Gilman
by Susan Jane Gilman

Some ideas that seem great at 4 a.m. in a pancake house after a night of drinking turn into a nightmare once implemented. For example, in 1986, two soon-to-be Brown University grads who hadn't traveled very much decided to explore the world...starting in newly opened communist China! Just a few months later, Susan Jane Gilman and Claire Van Houten (a pseudonym) were in Mao country armed with the collected works of Nietzsche, an astrology book, and their wits. Before long, they're losing their wits and facing culture shock, illness, military police, and a severe strain on their friendship.

Friends like these by Danny Wallace book cover nonfiction
by Danny Wallace

British humorist and TV host Danny Wallace had a bit of a crisis as his 30th birthday approached. He realized that he'd become something of an adult (i.e. he ate healthily and had throw pillows on his couch) -- and was shocked by the idea. At the same time, Danny's parents sent him a box of his childhood things, including an old address book. The aging Danny then had a brilliantly quirky idea: he'd track down long-ago childhood friends, no matter where on earth they were, and hang out with them. Though this isn't your traditional travelogue, armchair travelers -- especially those approaching a milestone birthday, such as 30 or 40 -- will enjoy this trip around the world and into the 1980s (like, totally!).

1 comment:

Gerbera Daisy Diaries said...

I loved a Walk in the Woods.
And didn't Gilman write girl in a white puffy dress? heard good things about that too.

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