One for the Road: More Words of Worldly Wisdom

by Kelly Amabile on

‘Tis the season of giving, and since I still have a plethora of interesting links to share, here’s another round of travel-related reading possibilities. These lit-minded travel topics have been gathered from the usual suspects, as well as some less traditional and slightly obscure sources. Have at it if any of these tickle your fancy:

A sleuth-fiction travel guide to a world of crime from the folks at New York magazine. This collection of tales stretches from Havana to the Gaza Strip.

Duke University Press plugs its 2005 book about tourism in Bulgaria, in response to today’s NYT article about the country’s ski resorts. A more recent travel title from this press is Femininity in Flight, about sexism that early “stewardesses” faced.

The Island Studies Journal offers up loads of academic content related to land surrounded by water. Bookforum links to a piece on Second Home Tourism in Small Island Communities, and reviews of various island literature, like Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals and Fantasies of Conquest.

The Center for Faulkner Studies announces the acquisition of records relating to the foreign travels of the renowned writer. The collection includes letters and photographs from his 1950’s trips to Japan, Greece, Italy, France and Venezuela.

World Hum recently suggested 12 books to read before traveling to China, and three picks about Antarctica.

And finally, Rick Steves has recently shared insider info about his company. If you follow news from the travel publishing industry closely, you may be interested to read his take on running a travel business and the future of the guidebook.

One for the Road: Journey Overload

by Kelly Amabile on

My December 1st gift to you, dear readers, is a plethora of journey-related reading to welcome the new month. Instead of suggesting just one book today, I’ll start off the month with a whole bunch. So many of the links I come across on a daily basis simply disappear into the web’s oblivion…but not these special gems. In an attempt to connect wanderers with words, here is a collection of links that can take you places:

First up, a variety of travel-minded Lit Lists: a collection of books that celebrate the the spirit of Scotland, and five best books about journeys of discovery, and exploration.

A pseudo Seuss book, There’s a Map on My Lap, is mentioned at a wonderful new blog I discovered called Cartophila. (I can’t quite recall how I arrived at the URL, but no maps were used :)

And also for the kiddies: Wind the World Over, a unique book about two siblings who travel the world learning about how different cultures use wind as a resource.

The Written Nerd reviews Gentleman of the Road, and shares this favorite snippit from the book, which I love as well: “All adventure happens in that damned and magical space, wherever it may be found or chanced upon, which least resembles one’s home.”

And a bonus for future travels: from Bozeman to Milan, more bookstores to get lost in. Happy reading…wherever you are!

Why the Finnish are such smarty-pants

by Jerry Guo on

Why is it that some relatively minor country always wins out over Japan or Germany or the UK (the US doesn’t have a chance) for having the brightest kids in the world? This year, it’s Finland. Hong Kong came in second. Both economies barely make a dent when it comes to global superpowers, yet they’ve managed to churn out quite a number of smarty-pants.

For Finland, the clue lies in an educational system where there’s no such thing as tuition and high school students receive freebies like meals and books. Still, it’s a bit surprising that not more Asian countries are topping this list, considering how hard students are pushed there. For instance, it’s not unusual for kids in China to begin studying for the college entrance exam in 7th grade. And that’s if the kid’s somewhat of a beach bum.

The list was based on testing high schoolers in each of the countries. What that made me think about was exactly how much fun and leisure time students from these countries have? Is it just me or does it seem that the Fins still manage to throw some good parties? Kind of interesting they’re so smart without seeming like bookworms.

One for the Road: London – A Life in Maps

by Kelly Amabile on

Let’s close out the month with one final map book selection. London: A Life in Maps, similar to yesterday’s book, is the result of a collaboration between an independent scholar and a major research library. In this case, Peter Whitfield teamed up with the British Library to produce this history of the city through the plans and maps that have represented and shaped it — over 200 maps spanning the last 500 years. The book was released earlier this year, in conjunction with an exhibit at the British Library.

A recent New York Times article highlighted this book, as well as additional cartographic titles that have been published lately. As the author notes in his piece: “Unlike calendars and telephone books, maps combine form, function and fantasy, a potent blend that might explain a recent surge in books on cartography and the continuing effort to humanize the contours of the earth.” We’ve mentioned several of these map books already — a plethora of grids and lines that have directed (or misdirected) explorers, city dwellers and nomads through the years.

Bibles and Luxury don’t go together: Goldfish do

by Jamie Rhein on

Over at one of our sister sites, Luxist, Deidre Wollard writes about Bible and hotel statistics that show a trend. I’m not sure exactly what one can say about this trend, like what’s really behind it, but the news is interesting.

If you are one to stay in a luxury hotel and want to find a religious uplift, you won’t find it in a drawer in your room. Luxury hotels are not stocking Bibles in a bedside table like they used to. They say it’s in the line of being environmentally friendly. (?!) If you have a flash of needing a bit of inspiration, you can get it from the front desk. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, the desk has you covered–all you have to do is ask the receptionist.

If you’re not staying at a luxury hotel. Let’s say you’ve just rolled into a Sleep Inn for the night (I just picked a name). You’re more likely to find a Bible in a drawer there than you would have a few years ago. According to the ABC News article where Deidre culled her info, Bibles in drawers have gone up from 79% in 1988 to 95% in non-luxury hotels, inns and motels.

Some luxury hotels, along with religious texts, will provide live gold fish in a fishbowl if asked. At Kimpton hotels, not too many people ask for a Bible. But when it comes to a goldfish, 15% of the guests want Goldie swimming in their room.