One for the Road: Mediterranean Summer

by Kelly Amabile on

After four years of intense internships at restaurants in Provence and Italy, American chef David Shalleck was debating a return to the US when an interesting opportunity presented itself. A wealthy Italian couple challenged him to serve as chef aboard their yacht for five months, using only local ingredients from port cities and never once repeating a meal for the couple and their guests on board.

The result, no surprise here, is Shalleck’s new book, Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France’s Cote d’Azur and Italy’s Costa Bella. Accompanied with a super sleek interactive website and a foreword by Mario Batali, this book is sure to be a hit with fans of fine dining and European elegance. Readers can live vicariously through Shalleck as he whips up gourmet meals from the galley of a luxury yacht on his regatta through the Riviera. With stops in Amalfi, Sardinia, Corsica and Saint-Tropez, Shalleck captures the culture of world-class Mediterranean dining in this culinary adventure.

The book officially hits stores on May 22.


One for the Road: The Fragile Edge

by Kelly Amabile on

Conservationist Julia Whitty has a new book out this week about her travels beneath the surface in French Polynesia. The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific chronicles the author’s dives in the waters off Rangiroa, Tuvalu, and Mo’orea. The environmentalist shares scientific insight and personal perspective about sea life and the magnificent coral reefs. She also includes colorful stories about the people she encounters during her dive expeditions, creating a tale that weaves between the human and natural worlds.

Whitty writes for The Blue Marble Blog at Mother Jones and wrote the May/June cover story as well. She has also written for Harper’s and produced documentaries about the oceans for PBS, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel, among others. She previously wrote A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She’ll be appearing this evening at Olsson’s Arlington/Courthouse location in Virginia.

One for the Road: Essential Visual History of the World

by Kelly Amabile on

While yesterday’s new release would probably be much too heavy to carry around in your backpack , another visual history book just out this week is made specifically for those on the go.

National Geographic’s Essential Visual History of the World may sound big — over 500 pages and 1,500 images — but in fact, this new mini-volume will fit snugly in the palm of your hand.

It’s divided into eight chronological chapters that seem to make it a perfect companion to take along on any history museum visit: Prehistory, First Empires, Ancient World, Middle Ages, Early Modern History, Modern History, The World Wars and the Interwar Period, and Contemporary World.

There are helpful timelines and color-coded reference aids that should speed up finding facts in a hurry. Kids, impress your friends on that next museum field trip. Adults, use this to cheat while watching Jeopardy.

It’s basically a condensed version of the super-sized original Visual History released in 2005. How nice of the Nat Geo folks to produce something smaller, which could be especially handy for all you traveling history buffs. Unless of course you already know all the essentials?

One for the Road: The Spirit of Berlin

by Kelly Amabile on

We’re looking at new May releases all this week at One for the Road, and I’m guessing this one weighs more than any other we will mention. So this is really one for the road that you should actually leave at home.

The design team at Cologne-based TASCHEN has just released a hefty photo montage of Germany’s capital city. The Spirit of Berlin: A Photographic History Into the City’s History is just that — a collection of almost 700 images from 1860 to present day that captures the soul of Berlin, a city that has survived devastating destruction and now thrives as a center of European business and culture.

The 672 page book (!!) is an impressive compilation of images that visually tells the story of Berlin and its inhabitants. Author Hans Christian Adam viewed over 10,000 images — including maps, portraits and aerial photos — while assembling this comprehensive pictorial history. Pick up a copy to see which ones made the cut in this tribute tome to a grand city.

One for the Road: Way Off the Road with Bill Geist

by Kelly Amabile on

Some folks will do just about anything to get their books into the hands of the masses. Veteran CBS news correspondent Bill Geist pushed the boundaries of bookselling this weekend as he carted copies of his new memoir around Times Square in a wheelbarrow. Yesterday on CBS Sunday Morning, he explained other outlandish tactics he’s considering in his quest to sell, sell, sell.

If his book is as funny as his reporting has been all these years, then it’s sure to be an enjoyable and humorous read. Geist says you should buy it simply for the “inspirational tale” about a headless chicken. What more sell do you need than that?

Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America is a look back at some of the quirkiest people and wackiest places that Geist encountered in his 20 years as a reporter for CBS. One recent review praises the book as an entertaining collection of travel commentary.

You can catch Geist and his wheelbarrow at these upcoming events across the country, including an appearance at one of Bryant Park’s Word for Word author events on May 30.