MBR: The Travel Shelf

The Travel Shelf

A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants
Jaed Coffin
DaCapo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780306815263, $16.00 www.dacapopress.com

This blend of memoir, cultural observation and travelogue follows the
journey of a half-Thai American man who left his privileged New
England college to become an ordained Buddhist monk in his mother's
native Thai village. His spiritual and social journey comes to life in
this account of a young man caught between two cultures and very
different worlds. To call it a 'memoir' is too simple: to limit it to
travel sections of libraries is too confined. It's an involving gem of
a read.

A Woman's World Again
Marybeth Bond, Editor
Travelers' Tales
835 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
1932361529, $17.95 www.travelerstales.com

In the 1990s the stories of women travelers A WOMAN'S WORLD won a
Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Best Travel Book award: twelve years
later here are over thirty new journeys exploring women's identity,
issues, and travel experiences from Tanzania and Mexico to India,
Paris and Brazil. A WOMAN'S WORLD AGAIN is adventure travel at it
best: both travel collections and women's issues holdings will find it
a popular pick.

Alpine Sierra Trailblazer
Jerry Sprout & Janine Sprout
Trailblazer Travel Books
89 Lower Manzanita, Markleeville, California 96120
9780978637101, $17.95 www.trailblazertravelbooks.com

Authors Jerry Sprout and Janine Sprout have explored the Sierra Nevada
for more than twenty years; Alpine Sierra Trailblazer: Where to Hike,
Ski, Bike, Fish, Drive from Tahoe to Yosemite is the culmination of
their combined experience. Written for families and veteran hikers
alike, Alpine Sierra Trailblazer covers 88 different trailheads
suitable for assorted levels of experience, 51 cross country ski and
snowshoeing spots, 72 places ideal for fishing in lakes and rivers or
creeks, 6 driving tours, 148 black-and-white photographs, 7 maps, and
much more. Organized primarily by site - each ideal location to visit
is listed successively, along with notes about its highlights and
extensive directions - Alpine Sierra Trailblazer is an excellent
supplementary resource for anyone seeking to see Sierra Nevada's
natural beauty and wonders for themselves.

The Traveler's Web
Randolph Hock
CyberAge Books
c/o Information Today, Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055
9780910965750, $19.95, www.infotoday.com 1-800-300-9868

Any traveler knows the internet is packed with important destination
resources; but the trick is wading through the Web to locate the best
information - and that's where THE TRAVELER'S WEB: AN EXTREME SEARCHER
GUIDE comes in. Chapters provide both general and country-specific
guides to travel by plane, train, ferry or foot, and offer special
sections for seniors, handicapped and special needs travelers.
Explanations of different kinds of reservation sites and processes
offers clear definitions of opportunities around the world.

Bad Karma
Tamara Sheward
Academy Chicago Publishers
363 West Erie Street, Chicago, IL 60610
9780897335652, $17.95 www.academychicago.com 1-800-248-7323

The next best thing to traveling is to read a well crafted travelogue
-- plus you don't have to experience the dubious joys of crowded
flights, strange foods, sanitation challenges, and personal encounters
with 'swindlers, sleaze balls and sanctimonious hippies' yourself. In
the case of "Bad Karma: Confessions Of A Reckless Traveller In
Southeast Asia", Tamara Sheward has done it for you! With the humorous
flair of a Maureen Dowd and the articulate storytelling skills of a
Studs Terkel, Tamar Sheward is an experienced world traveler whose
trek through Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and
Cambodia with her friend Elissa are recounted with a 'you are there'
intimacy that is particularly vivid, energetic, witty, occasionally
bizarre, and always entertaining. A highly recommended addition to
community library Travel & Travelog collections, "Bad Karma" is
especially appropriate and appealing for those who prefer to do their
roaming of the world as an armchair traveler in the comfort of their
own home.

Time Out: Chicago
Time Out New York
475 Tenth Avenue, 12th floor, New York, NY 10018
Publishers Group West (distributor)
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.timeoutnewyork.com
9781904978572, $19.95 www.pgw.com 1-800-788-3123

Chicago is a terrific place to visit whether for business or for
pleasure, for a weekend or a week. For those who live in or around the
Windy City, it's possible to spend every day of the year exploring its
sights and cultural resources. But whether a casual traveler or a
interested resident, taking full advantage of what Chicago has to
offer will require an expert travel guide and resource manual -- and
that's where "Time Out: Chicago" truly comes into its own. This 336-
page compilation of information begins with a succinct overview of the
city's history, architecture, politics, music, and sports. Then it
goes on to feature places to go, things to do, sights to see, events
to participate in, that will keep the vacationer or resident happily
occupied with experience the very best that the city has to offer from
fine dining, to memorable accommodations, diverse recreations, and so
much more. Enhanced with photographs, maps, and recommendations for
day trips out of town, "Time Out Chicago" is comprehensive, portable,
'user friendly', and an ideal trip planning resource. Also very highly
recommended as a companion guide is "Time Out Chicago: Eating &
Drinking" (9780979398438, $9.99) which focuses specifically on 1500 of
the city's best restaurants and bars.

Safari Guide Kenya
Dave Richards and Val Richards
New Holland Publishers
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781845375584, $19.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

Printed on high-quality paper and featuring full-color photography,
Safari Guide Kenya is a part of the "Globetrotter" travel guide
series, written especially for travelers looking to make the most of a
Kenyan safari. Chapters cover recommended parks to visit, walks and
hikes to take, and safety tips, providing detailed maps, a gallery of
animal illustrations, checklists for game viewing and bird watching,
travel tips, and more. An easy-to-use index rounds out this solid
supplement for any Kenyan visitor with a yearning to see the rugged
beauty of nature firsthand.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
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