Monday, March 30, 2020

By Debbie Rosenberg

Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order went into effect on March 25. Just a few days in, and I’m already feeling cooped up and bored. So, it’s time to travel (virtually of course)!

One of my favorite authors is Bill Bryson, anything by him is fun. I particularly enjoyed A Walk in the Woods, where Bill decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. He’s written about Australia in his book In a Sunburned Country, about England in both Notes from a Small Island and The Road to Little Dribbling. He’s also written about returning to America in I’m a Stranger Here Myself.

Frances Mayes has written several books about living in Italy. I suggest you start with Under the Tuscan Sun. For virtual trips to France, you can’t beat A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle or Paris to the Moon by Adam Gropnik. Maya Angelou wrote about moving to Ghana in All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. Kelly Corrigan wrote about moving to Australia in Glitter and Glue.

A few that I want to tackle during this quarantine are:

  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, the story of father-and-son summer road trip from Minnesota to California
  • West With the Night by Beryl Markham, a memoir of Beryl’s life as a female aviator transporting scientists and live cargo in Kenya in the 1920s & 30s
  • Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, chronicling Christopher McCandliss’ ill-fated hitchhiking trip to Alaska
  • Wild by Cheryl Strayed, an uber-famous memoir of redemption on the Pacific Crest Trail
  • Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd, the author and her daughter take an inspirational trip to Greece, Turkey and France 

All these titles are available as e-books and some as audiobooks in Wisconsin's Digital Library. Need help downloading? Find step-by-step instructions here. You’ll need your library account number and PIN, which usually is the last four digits of your phone number. If you don’t have a library card, you can apply for a temporary account online, here. 

Hint: If all of these are checked out, search Wisconsin’s Digital Library under Subjects, Nonfiction Travel for 900 titles, or just click here.

Debbie Rosenberg has worked in the FDL Public Library Reference department for 30 years.