One for the Road: Vroom By the Sea

by Kelly Amabile on

Australian travel writer Peter Moore, author of memorable titles such as No Shitting in the Toilet and The Full Montezuma has a new book out that was just released downunder: Following on the success of Vroom with a View, comes Vroom by the Sea: the sunny parts of Italy on a bright orange Vespa.

Tough gig, huh? Ride around coastal Italy on a sporty bike, whose color is described as “the same shade of Donatella Versace”, and write stories about travels through Sardinia, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast. All this while your wife is back at home, pregnant with your first child. Very lucky man indeed. It’s “another laugh-out-loud whilst grinding your teeth with jealousy travel memoir.”

If you’re in OZ this week, you can meet Moore and grab the book — Tonight he’ll be at Gleebooks in Sydney, tomorrow at the Malt Cafe in Beaumaris (Melbourne) and on Thursday, he’ll be at the famous Espy in St. Kilda in support of fellow travel writer Brian Thacker’s band, which will be playing that evening. He’ll also be making an appearance in Brisbane in December.

Globe Corner Adventure Travel Lecture Series

by Kelly Amabile on

The Globe Corner Bookstore has announced its latest lecture series lineup. The Adventure Travel Lecture Series includes three events, all beginning at 6 pm at The First Parish Church, at the corner of Church Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square. The first one is coming up soon after Thanksgiving, so here’s the scoop on the full set, in case you’ll be in the area at all over the next three months:

On Wednesday, November 28th, Peter Thomson, author of The Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal will speak about his and his brother’s extraordinary travels to Siberia. Then, on December 13th, Ferenc Mate will talk about A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream, his captivating story about pursuing a dream of living in Tuscany. Finally, on January 31, 2008, Helen Thayer will read from Walking the Gobi: A 1600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair. She’ll talk about her and her husband Bill’s adventures as the first man and woman to walk the entire length of almost 1,500 miles, east to west, of the Mongolian Gobi Desert.

A nice trifecta of engaging journeys have been chosen to be celebrated by the folks at Globe Corner — three very unique and different travel stories. And an interesting collection of books to check out, even if you can’t make any of the Boston-area events.

One for the Road: Hudson Valley Voyage

by Kelly Amabile on

I’m a little late getting this one up, since there is an event just a few hours away that I wanted to tell ya about. But first, the book: Hudson Valley Voyage: Through the Seasons, Through the Years, is a new photographic look at the region by Ted Spiegel.

Along with text by Reed Sparling, the photos take readers on a journey that explores the last 400 years of Hudson Valley history, capturing the region at every season. And besides just the pretty pictures and informative background, the book features a four-page map highlighting 90 historic and cultural sights — museums, battlefields, gardens and galleries that you can use to embark on your own tour of the region. Some of the photos are online, and this one of a Catskill swimming hole is calling my name — a perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day.

Ted will be at Oblong Book’s Rhinebeck store today at noon to sign copies of his new book.