Premise of the book: In 1973, fresh out of college and disillusioned with the world he found himself in, Peter Jenkins decided to walk across America. He took along a fifty-pound backpack and his best friend, an Alaskan malamute named Cooper. This book (it turns out) is just the first half of his travels - from New York to New Orleans, a journey which took two years.

Premise of the book: The subtitle really says it all. Jeffrey Masson has traveled extensively and lived in many different countries. But when it came time to settle down, he chose New Zealand as the ideal place to do so. In this book, he explains why, as well as giving insights into the culture of his chosen country.

General thoughts on the book:​ I'm sorry to say that I wasn't such a fan of this book. I'm especially sorry to say that because New Zealand is high on my wish list of future travel destinations, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. But Masson's voice just grated on me. He came across as rather too full of himself and his opinions, as if his view of looking at the world was the only one. And then he'd couch his opinion and try to be modest, but it still sounded like know-it-all bragging. He lost me by chapter two when he tried to explain why he chose New Zealand by saying what was wrong with all of the other countries he had ever lived in. I'm sure many other readers will have a much better reading experience with this book than I did. It just wasn't for me.

Premise of the book: Sara Wheeler has always been fascinated by Antarctica. She applied for the American National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists' and Writers' Program, which allowed her to visit Antarctica for several months. She traveled to many of the different scientific bases, as well as some of the historical sites of the exploration of Antarctica.

Premise of the book: Nicholas Jubber travels through Iran and Afghanistan, as well as some countries of Central Asia, in an effort to see what life is like there today. In looking at the present, however, he discovers how much the past Persian culture is still a part of everyday lives in these countries - especially (and surprisingly) the epic poem Shahnameh​ written in the eleventh century.

General thoughts on the book:​ It took me a little while to get into this book. To begin with, it seems like Jubber was just interested in the hidden drinking and parties of Iran. But once he began focusing on the Shahnameh and its echoes in modern Iranian culture, I was really drawn into the picture he was creating. This book turned out to be a fascinating look at Iran and Afghanistan, and I applaud his courage in the experiences he had to write it - traveling even into the center of the Taliban region of Afghanistan. If you're looking for insight into both the past and present of this area of the world, then you would find what you're looking for in this book.

Premise of the book: Orhan Pamuk has lived in Istanbul his whole life. In fact, he is now living in the family apartment building that he grew up in. In this book, he attempts to give the reader a picture of what life was like in Istanbul in the second half of the twentieth century, as well as how it is today.

General thoughts on the book:​ The writing in this book was exquisite. There are also tons of pictures scattered throughout the book that really enhance the reading experience. It's really more of a memoir than a travel narrative, so there weren't many facts I could pull out for the above list. But it puts you in the city and surrounds you with the atmosphere of Istanbul from the eyes of one of its sons.

Premise of the book: Robert Rodi visits Siena, Italy during the Palio season in 2003, and falls in love with the city, the people, and the culture. He visits Siena seven times (hence the title) over the next few years in an effort to become one of them. His efforts are always amusing and sometimes frustrating, since the Sienese are a very close-knit people.

General thoughts on the book: This was a really fun book. My only quibble is that I wish Rodi had gone into more of the history of Siena. Instead, he just focused on the Palio aspect of the culture, as well as his adventures there. He tells of those adventures in a very light-hearted, self-deprecating way that makes for a very enjoyable read.

Premise of the book: The title pretty much says it all. Bailey walks through Wales from south to north. He includes history lessons, local legends, and anecdotes from his travels. It was published in 1992, so some of the information might be out of date, but it still gives a comprehensive portrait of the country at the time.

Random Facts Learned By Reading This Book:​

General thoughts on the book: I love walking when travelling, so I loved Bailey's account of his journey. This book provides a good mix of history, facts, and stories from his adventure. I learned a lot about Wales. This is a fun way to "visit" a country and get an intimate picture of what life is like there.

Premise of the book: Andrea di Robilant found a sixteenth century travel narrative of a fourteenth century journey by the Zen brothers to the North Atlantic. The map included was one of the first and best to show that region in its time. But the veracity of the map and narrative have been questioned during the following centuries, and di Robilant sets out to discover the truth and explore the areas that the Zen brothers explored.

Random Facts Learned by Reading This Book:​

General thoughts on the book:​ This book was the perfect mix of history and travel narrative. It was informative and clearly written. And how often do you get to read a book about Greenland or the Faroe Islands? I really enjoyed this one!

I finished my first book for my Circumreading the World project already (mostly because I started before November. . .). One of the reasons I love travel narratives is that I get to learn about the places described. So rather than reviews, I'm going to post a list of fun facts that I learned from each book I read.

The premise of Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford is that he literally walked the path of the Amazon River, through Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. It took him 860 days and was a physically demanding and often dangerous journey. He was the first person to do so.

General thoughts on the book: Ed Stafford completed a remarkable feat. However, I think his book would have been better if it focused less on his day-to-day moods and more on the area he was traveling through.

I have given myself a bit of a reading project for November and December. Here is the thought process I took to get there:​

1. Travel narrative is one of my favorite genres.
2. I own a lot of them.
3. I really need to read more of the books I own.
4. I didn't get to take a vacation this year, so I should do some armchair traveling by reading.
5. I should read my way around the world!

So that's what I'm doing. I've sorted through my collection of travel narratives and narrowed down the choices to 12 books that roughly follow a path around the world. I'm starting in South America at the beginning of November, and I plan to be done by the end of December (or earlier, but I'm trying to make this a no-pressure sort of thing). I'll be sharing short reviews of each book that will mostly consist of fun facts that I learned about the location where the book takes place.

This Google Map shows all of the books I'm planning on reading. Just click on the colorful markers to see the title and cover.

Let the traveling begin!