Tuesday, December 16, 2014
[Book Review] Six Months Off by Lamar Alexander
Marilyn reviews SIX MONTHS OFF: AN AMERICAN FAMILY’S AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE by Lamar Alexander (Morrow, 1988)
How does a father and former governor of Tennessee reconnect with his family, who had been living in a governor's mansion which occasionally has tourists roaming through it? The solution: take time off.
While he was governor of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, father of four children, had drifted away from his family’s lives. Now, with the end of his second term in sight, he noticed at the dinner table that three of his children had their chairs slightly turned toward their mother. From this setting begins Alexander’s idea of taking six months off, chronicled in his book, Six Months off: An American Family’s Australian Adventure.
"It just came up one night at supper. I remember that the sun was still hot through the big windows, even though it was six o’clock so it must have been midsummer, and it must have been 1985.
We were sitting at our places around the breakfast-room in the Mansion. I was at the head. Honey commanded the other end, guarding the only exit to the television set. The children sat two on each side..."
The family conversation turned from the children not eating their food to getting away for six months in a foreign country; one of several countries named was Australia.
The idea intrigued Lamar and his wife, Honey. Both agreed they needed a rest and started making plans. They found out that other families were thinking of doing the same thing. Lamar and Honey also wanted to take time away to transition from a governor’s family to a normal family.
According to Alexander, the landscape of Australia is a contrast of breathtaking wildernesses to modern coastal cities. With most of the population living near the seacoast, he reveals that some Australians rarely visit the interior of their country. But the book is more than a tour of Australia; it’s about a family getting to know one another, a father involving himself in his children’s lives, and Lamar Alexander’s observations of the similarities and differences between Australians and Americans.
Six Months Off is a humorous book that had this reviewer chuckling throughout the pages.
Labels: Memoir, Nonfiction, Reviews by Marilyn Umfress, Staff book reviews, Travel Writing
Thursday, May 08, 2014
[Book Review] National Geographic Traveler: Panama by Christopher P. Baker
Marilyn reviews NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER: PANAMA by Christopher P. Baker (National Geographic, 2011)
In National Geographic Traveler: Panama author Christopher P. Baker introduces the country with an informative History and Culture section. The book contains stunning photography by Gilles Mingasson. This is a delightful read for the armchair traveler, an informative book for students, and an excellent travel guide for tourists.
This opening passage from the book is a sample of what’s in store for readers planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Panama or an imaginary visit through it's distinct regions:
“Grandiose, dramatic, spanning an entire continent: The Panama Canal is synonymous with the county it bisects. But the canal’s importance should not overshadow the country’s other treasures. Wildlife wonders, pristine beaches, and the modern delights of Panama City await visitors to Panama.”The book tours the unique provinces of Panama. Baker describes the accommodations in each community or town as a self-guided tour. Vividly described are the animals, communities, climate, and plants. Festivals and locales are described along with tourism tips. The author and other members of the National Geographic Society not only comment on sights but safety as well. The last section of the book is a travel wise section with information on planning a trip, hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and emergencies.
I enjoyed my armchair visit to Panama, our 2014 Memphis in May honored country. The amazing photographs in this book allowed this armchair traveler to imagine walking through the streets, absorbing the sounds of Panama. The other books in The National Geographic Traveler series are recommended.
For anyone interested in Panama or information about the history of Memphis in May, please visit the Memphis and Shelby County Room on the fourth floor of the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library or call 415-2742.
Marilyn, Central Library
Labels: Nonfiction, Reviews by Marilyn Umfress, Travel Writing
Monday, April 02, 2007
[Book Review] A YEAR IN THE WORLD by Frances Mayes
Nonfiction/Travel WritingJane Carter reviews A YEAR IN THE WORLD: JOURNEYS OF A PASSIONATE TRAVELLER by Frances Mayes (Broadway Books, 2006)
Frances Mayes, the popular author of Under the Tuscan Sun, once again writes with lyrical passion of her travels to twelve new places across Western Europe and Africa.
Actually, this narrative spans a five year period, in which Mayes and her husband sample everyday life through each region’s cuisine, gardens, and culture. Imagine being able to savor Naple’s pizza, Sicily’s seafood, Crete’s lamb, and Scotland’s shortbread, with a few recipes thrown in. You travel with the couple on the Aegean Sea, hike to archaeological sites, scour museums, and live among the inhabitants of every region, soaking up literary, architectural, and social history. This book is definitely for everyone, but particularly for armchair travelers who love to be transported and immersed with beautiful prose to exotic and unknown regions of the world.
Jane Carter, Collection Development
Read Doris Dixon's review of A YEAR IN THE WORLD
Labels: Nonfiction, Reviews by Jane Carter, Travel Writing
