“Sea Kayaking,” “Mountain Biking” and “Trekking”
(Outside Books; $21 each)
Outside Books is inaugurating a new adventure travel series with three titles: “Sea Kayaking” by Jonathan Hanson, “Mountain Biking” by Rob Story and “Trekking” by David Noland. “Sea Kayaking” includes stops around the world from Newfoundland in Canada and the Lofoten Islands in Norway to Madagascar and Palau in the Pacific. “Mountain Biking” winds its way from Hood River in Oregon and Moab in Utah (which the author calls “far and away the most famous mountain bike destination in the world”) to the Swiss Alps and the Andes. “Trekking” takes us to new heights, from Kilimanjaro and the high arid valley of Ladakh in India to Copper Canyon in Mexico and El Camino de Santiago in Spain. All three authors rate each expedition for difficulty (both physical and mental challenges are discussed), required skills, comfort level and cost. Specific routes are described in detail while tour operators, outfitters and local guides are also mentioned. Maps and statistics are included, as well as total travel time from destination to destination, whether by air, bus or vehicle. (ISBN 0-393-32070-7; ISBN 0-393-32071-5; ISBN 0-393-32072-3)
CULINARY TRAVEL
“On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town”
(Broadway Books; $24)
First there was Provence. Then Tuscany. And now Normandy. Could this often overlooked region of France be next on the list of must-see destinations for the discriminating traveler to the Continent? When Susan Loomis arrived in Paris some 20 years ago, she could not have imagined her future. All she had to her name was a student loan hanging over her head and a love of France and French cooking–a not very promising beginning. Today, she is the author of six cookbooks and lives with her husband and their two children in Louviers, France, where she owns and operates On Rue Tatin, a cooking school. “On Rue Tatin” recalls her remarkable transformation from greenhorn American on her own in the City of Light to confident chef and writer. The story begins at a French cooking school in Paris for English-speaking students–“boot camp for cooks,” she called it–where she honed her skills in the kitchen. She went on to assist best-selling cookbook author Patricia Wells and eventually converted a decrepit medieval convent to a sophisticated culinary center. The house, she writes, “was very human. The rooms were quite small, the staircases short, the floors old wood, worn in many places.” Despite all the obstacles–mastering the French language, becoming acclimated to the nuances of French culture, living initially in their beautiful rundown house without running water or electricity, dealing with a rudely obstinate priest determined to have things his way–she persevered. And when problems appeared insurmountable, she would rely on her considerable social skills to rise above the occasion. She had moved to France “on a wing and a prayer.” Somehow everything worked out, with the help of her husband, her friends and some good luck. But most of all, she turned to the familiar comforts of food to convert the stubborn, the skeptical and the suspicious. Food became her best friend, her most committed ally, in the many cultural challenges she had to face. Susan Loomis writes in a warm, humble style. So naturally you can’t help but root for her. This book is for anyone who loves cooking and France. And should you love both subjects, then you will be in paradise. Includes 50 regional recipes ranging from apples stuffed with goat cheese and leeks to guinea hen with cabbage. (ISBN 0-7679-0454-0)
GUIDEBOOKS
“Boston”
(DK; $19.95)
The newest title in DK’s lavishly illustrated Eyewitness Series, “Boston” is a gorgeous, entertaining and enlightening guide to the Massachusetts capital. All the most popular sites get the full DK treatment, including Fenway Park, Boston Common, Fanueil Hall, Old North Church, Harvard Yard, the Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, the North End and Back Bay. The historic section consists of a concise account of Boston’s historical highlights from the Pilgrims to Revolutionary Boston to the abolition movement to post-war politics and the triumphant rise of JFK. Also included are tips on where to stay, dine and shop. (ISBN 0-7894-6645-7)
“Tokyo Q: Annual Guide to the City 2001-2002”
(Stone Bridge Press; $9.95)
Based on the popular Web site (www.tokyoq.com), this small, witty, street smart guide to Tokyo offers insider tips by long-time residents of the Japanese city on what to see, eat and do. Among the many wonderful highlights in this tiny gem of a book you will find information on Tokyo’s little hotels, an entire section devoted to sake bars, Tokyo’s best brew pubs and wine bars, the hippest jazz and blues clubs and a description of Tokyo’s public baths, a Japanese institution. The attitude is hip and sophisticated without being arrogant or obnoxious. Just consider some of the things that make Tokyo unique: According to the book’s 32 contributors they range from something as simple as bowls of shaved ice flavored with strawberry syrup to immaculately dressed Japanese garbage collectors running between pick-up spots. “Tokyo Q” is certainly one of the funkiest, most idiosyncratic guides around. (ISBN 1-880656-54-X)
———-
Contact Resourceful Traveler in care of Toni Stroud at tstroud@tribune.com.
