It’s been said that just the act of planning a trip can improve your mental health. Whether you’re looking for specific guides, tales of adventure, ideas for your next trip or just gorgeous books for armchair travel, the library has great new titles from which to choose. “Check out” some of my favorites from our New Non-Fiction shelf!
Travel Tales
Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer. If you enjoy history, you will want to read this harrowing tale of 16th century Dutch polar explorer William Barents and his crew’s survival.
Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother’s) Lifetime by Maggie Downs. When the writer’s mother is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Downs decides to embark on an international journey visiting all the places her mother could not visit herself.
The Gran Tour: Travels with my Elders by Ben Aitken. I love anything British and this entertains as much as Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island. In this tale, the thirty-something author signs up for a senior’s guided bus tour with his grandmother and her friends. One trip turns into six with life lessons and lots of lager included.
Michigan Travel
Points North: Discover Hidden Campgrounds, Natural Wonders and Waterways of the Upper Peninsula by Mikel B. Classen. Winner of the 2020 State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan. Like a good friend telling you all about the cool places they’ve visited, this book features an essay-style approach to over 40 unique places in the UP. I especially enjoyed the photographs included and learning more about Drummond Island, since I plan to spend a few days there in June!
Best Tent Camping: Michigan: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization by Matt Forster. This updated edition is a must-have guide for everyone from first-time tent campers to seasoned pros looking for a new adventure!
Michigan Day Trips by Theme by Kathryn Houghton and Mike Link (out mid- summer, link coming soon). I’m always wondering what great things are hiding in plain sight near cities I’ve been living in or visiting for years. This book comes to the rescue! Another updated edition on this list, it is organized by theme and features over 300 festivals, museums, and other unique attractions to explore.
Off the Beaten Path Michigan: Discover Your Fun by Jim DuFresne (out mid-summer, link coming soon). Similar to the previous title, this updated edition helps travelers find places other than the “been there, done that” variety. The author has written numerous Michigan travel books and knows the state well!
Themed Travel
Inspired Traveller’s Guide: Literary Places by Sarah Baxter. Written by a travel journalist, this unique book includes beautiful hand-drawn artwork. Readers are taken along on a journey that features the history, culture, and authors who were inspired by literary places such as Yorkshire Moors (Wuthering Heights) and Cartegena (Love in the Time of Cholera).
Scotland: An Outlander Tour by Ali Wood. Of interest to fans and non-fans alike of the Outlander book and television series by author Diana Gabaldon, this travel guide features historical information on the show’s filming locations as well as a day-by-day travel plan for visiting them.
Gorgeous and Informative
Beautiful Ontario by J.A. Kraulis. Travel from your couch to our nearby neighbor, Ontario, Canada, in this gorgeous “coffee table book” of nature photography!
Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Road Trips by The National Geographic Society. This updated edition is a big, heavy book full of beautifully presented, themed drives and travel experiences that covers the globe. Grab your favorite cup of brew and settle into a comfy chair to enjoy chapters featuring nature’s beauty, exciting urban drives, history, and my favorite of the bunch— Gourmet Road Trips. No chain restaurants on vacation is my rule!
Lonely Planet’s Where to Go When: Europe by Sarah Baxter and Paul Bloomfield. This travel guide is definitely not one to tuck into your pocket or backpack. Instead, it is one large enough in size to inspire and excite you if Europe is on your “to-do” list! Divided by months, this book offers stunning photos along with a fun decision making chart to help you narrow down the many choices Europe has to offer in events, food, sight-seeing, and more!
Have fun with these new titles, library friends. I felt better just poring over them in order to share with you in this post. Imagine what they can do for you!
Kris is a Youth Services Assistant along with wearing many other hats at the library, one of which is curating the travel section! She loves reading nonfiction and discovering new places near and far!
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