One for the Road: Dispatches From Up South

by Kelly Amabile on

Now that Memorial Day and Book Expo are behind us, One for the Road can get back down to business, offering up a daily dose of fresh book ideas for Gadling’s lit-minded travelers. Let’s get started with the latest from funnyman Roy Blount Jr. His first collection of essays in more than a decade, Long Time Leaving: Dispatches from Up South, is a quizzical look at where Blount grew up (the South), from where he now lives (the North.) About half the pieces that appear in the book are from his Oxford American column “Gone Off Up North”.

Although he touches on issues of race and politics throughout the book, the New York Times says Blount is at his best when chewing chili dogs or contemplating soybean crops. Smart and funny seems to be the general consensus on this one, regardless of where you’re from or who you vote for. And if you like Blount’s distinctive and well-known NPR voice, you may want to consider the audio version of this sly and witty tour through the South. He’ll be making several appearances in Alabama, Mississippi and New York during June and July.

One for the Road: Soaring with Fidel

by Kelly Amabile on

I’m always so fascinated to learn about the reasons why people embark on certain journeys. For me, travel is very often a whim — I simply set out for a particular destination when the spirits move me. But some folks have very specific whims that they follow — clearly defined goals or agendas that mark their course.

Today’s One for the Road pick is a perfect example of this. Soaring with Fidel is the story of David Gessner’s 7,000-mile journey from Cape Cod to Cuba, as he followed the osprey migration. Gessner has studied ospreys for years and in 2004 he decided to set out and follow the birds during their annual migration across two continents.

Now don’t be scared off if birds are not your thing — Gessner begins by telling readers that “this is not a bird book” and goes on to emphasize how embarking on this odyssey led him to discover the “joy in reducing life to one thing.” His book is all about the migration and the characters he encounters along the way, but it also makes some deeper commentary on happiness and the small delights that come with following what you love.
The guy’s got a sense of humor too, so I’m guessing this could be a really enjoyable read. On his website OspreyWorld, Gessner writes: “This site is about the book but it is also about ospreys and how you can find inner peace and be happy (and thin and famous) by following ospreys…..”

Gessner is also editor of the literary journal Ecotone, which emphasizes the deep importance of place in contemporary writing. He will be appearing tomorrow, May 21, in New York City at Chelsea’s Half King at 7 pm as part of their ongoing reading series and has a bunch of other events slated for the summer.

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 (04/10/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

It’s time to throw our first travel-inspired cookbook into the mix, which is an appropriate word for this selection — The Ethnic Cookbook: Bringing the French Melting Pot Into Your Kitchen is not your ordinary French cookbook. This recent release is a unique celebration of the diverse culinary offerings that centuries of immigrants have bestowed upon Paris. The authors selected over 100 recipes from the menus of international restaurants throughout the city, highlighting the best in taste from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon and Syria. Each regional section contains adapted recipes and stories about the chefs, shops and markets influencing the ethnic Parisian food scene.

If you’re a Slashfoodie, then you may already own a copy of this colorful cookbook, since our sister site gave away a few copies at the end of March. But any cookbook that creatively combines cuisine from such a variety of places surely deserves a mention for our traveling crew too. (We just don’t have any to give away…sorry!)

So now it’s time to get tasting. If you feel like taking a stab at recreating some of these dishes yourself, go get yourself a copy, or, even better, if you’re in NYC, stop by Labyrinth Books on April 15 at 2:30 pm to meet the authors, Charlotte Puckette and Olivia Kiang-Snaije. I wonder if they’ll have any samples to munch on?