News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Follow somebody who picks destinations based on the number of letters in their name, Agatha Christie as she explores the Empire, a reporter investigating the complexities of religion in India, and plenty more interesting writers embarking on fascinating adventures in our new travel books.

Growing old outrageously : a memoir of travel, food and friendship / Hilary Linstead and Elisabeth Davies.
“Two old school friends reconnect unexpectedly after thirty-five years and discover that they both love travelling – and the more exotic and far-flung the location, the better!” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Europe in the looking glass / Robert Byron.
“Robert Byron is best known for The road to Oxiana, but Europe in the looking glass was written twelve years earlier. Byron and three friends set off in 1925 to travel across Europe from Hamburg to Athens. Byron’s skill as a travel writer evokes a picture of Europe in the 1920’s that was soon to be irrevocably changed by the First World War.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The elephant’s tale : London to Vladivostok on two wheels / Mike Hannan.
“With their children grown and flown, Mike and Jo Hannan discover that it’s never too late to live the dream and embark on an epic tour of Europe and beyond on a 1150cc BMW motorbike called ‘Elephant’. With a limited budget, and all the essentials packed, they hit the road. Journeying through sunshine and rain, over good roads and bad, they explore France, Spain, North Africa, Russia and other former Soviet countries, Mongolia and Korea, taking in all kinds of sights and meeting all kinds of people. Along the way they also learn the difference between a tourist and a voyageur, and come to understand the deep universal significance of their journey.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The grand tour / Agatha Christie ; edited by Mathew Prichard.
“In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10-month voyage around the British Empire as part of a trade mission to promote the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition. Leaving their two-year-old daughter behind with Agatha’s sister, Agatha and her husband set sail at the end of January and did not return until December.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

The ten-letter countries : more zany adventures of the alphabet traveller / David Jenkins.
“With a touch of Bill Bryson’s humour, this wacky, fun book takes readers on a fascinating journey to parts of the world that few people visit. The Ten-Letter Countries is a story of a unique blend of countries visited by David based solely on their spelling…. David Jenkins is The Alphabet Traveller. Having previously made an 85 000 mile journey to visit all countries in the world whose names are made up of four letters, David is now off to explore 12 countries which all have ten letters to their name. David Jenkins hitchhiked to France the day he left school and has trotted the globe ever since…” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Travels with Bertha : two years exploring Australia in a 1978 Ford stationwagon / Paul Martin.
“A book for anyone whose friends, loved ones, or themselves have travelled to Australia, and for those interested in the dark history, the colorful characters, or the startling beauty of this most fascinating continent.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Swirly World sails south / Andrew Fagan.
“In 2007, Kiwi musician and radio personality Andrew Fagan set sail in his tiny 5.4-metre plywood yacht to circumnavigate New Zealand. And just to make it more difficult, he included a leg to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands in the notorious Southern Ocean. All in all he sailed over 3000 miles (around 5000 km) in two months. Facing such potentially lethal conditions in such a tiny craft took careful planning mixed with extreme determination, serious fortitude and uncommon daring. In this account of his voyage, Fagan tells of having to avoid icebergs, sail through a force ten storm and visit sites of shipwrecks at Port Ross in the Auckland Island group. ‘With the genuine concern of a very fatigued person, I was sailing for my life and I knew it!’ ….” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

You can’t hide the sun : a journey through Israel and Palestine / John McCarthy.
“In captivity for many years, John McCarthy had only the Bible to read. While many of its stories are just that, stories — part-history, part-myth, evolved over many generations of oral story-telling — the accounts of conflict thousands of years ago made him realize that his own captivity was in some ways just another footnote in the endless saga of violent dispute over the Holy Land. This very small area has been fought over since the dawn of time, for trade, for politics, for God, as nations, empires and faiths have demanded the right to control Palestine. So what is it like for modern people to live in that hall of mirrors, with its myriad distorted visions? How do you keep a sense of perspective, a sense of self? To find out, John McCarthy travels through Palestine and meets the people who live there. And to do so, he uses a map, not of the current “Palestinian territory” but one that shows how Palestine looked before The Cataclysm.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

When Gods collide : an unbeliever’s pilgrimage along India’s Coromandel Coast / Kate James.

“Part detective story, part personal journey, Kate’s engrossing reportage explores India’s complex tapestry of religion and mysticism, assessing its Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and athiest heritage as she comes to terms with the faith she has rejected.” – (adapted from Syndetics summary)

Wild : from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail / Cheryl Strayed
“…..Strayed tells the story of her emotional devastation after the death of her mother and the weeks she spent hiking the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail. As her family, marriage, and sanity go to pieces, Strayed drifts into spontaneous encounters with other men, to the consternation of her confused husband, and eventually hits rock bottom while shooting up heroin with a new boyfriend. Convinced that nothing else can save her, she latches onto the unlikely idea of a long solo hike. Woefully unprepared (she fails to read about the trail, buy boots that fit, or pack practically), she relies on the kindness and assistance of those she meets along the way… Strayed labors along the demanding trail, documenting her bruises, blisters, and greater troubles….–Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” – (adapted from Booklist summary)