The Tao of Travel

By Paul Theroux,

Book cover of The Tao of Travel: Enlightenments from Lives on the Road

Book description

Paul Theroux celebrates fifty years of wandering the globe by collecting the best writing on travel from the books that shaped him, as a reader and a traveler. Part philosophical guide, part miscellany, part reminiscence, The Tao of Travel enumerates “The Contents of Some Travelers’ Bags” and exposes “Writers Who…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Tao of Travel as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

For years, I’ve been rereading my favorite travel writers—not the guidebook purveyors but traveloguers such as Robert Macfarlane, Pico Iyer, Jan Morris, and Paul Theroux.

In 2023, I reread Theroux’s The Tao of Travel, a compendium of pithy quotes that spans the globe. Some consider Theroux curmudgeonly. I find him refreshingly honest. In The Tao of Travel, he shines a light on writers-on-the-road as diverse as Kerouac, Twain, Flaubert, Orwell, Marco Polo, and Garcia Marquez.

The Tao of Travel isn’t constrained by a linear narrative. You can open it at any page and instantly enjoy the banquet you encounter. No…

Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expat

By Wendy Lee Hermance,

Book cover of Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expat

Wendy Lee Hermance Author Of Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expat

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Why am I passionate about this?

Wendy Lee Hermance was heard on National Public Radio (NPR) stations with her Missouri Folklore series in the 1980s. She earned a journalism degree from Stephens College, served as Editor and Features Writer for Midwestern and Southern university and regional publications, then settled into writing real estate contracts. In 2012 she attended University of Sydney, earning a master’s degree by research thesis. Her books include Where I’m Going with this Poem, a memoir in poetry and prose. Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expat marks her return to feature writing as collections of narrative non-fiction stories.

Wendy's book list on why Portugal is weird

What is my book about?

Weird Foods of Portugal describes the author's first years trying to make sense of a strange new place and a home there for herself.

Witty, dreamlike, and at times jarring, the book sizzles with social commentary looking back at America and beautiful, finely drawn descriptions of Portugal and its people. Part dark-humor cautionary tale, part travel adventure, ultimately, Hermance's book of narrative non-fiction serves as affirmation for any who wish to make a similar move themselves.

Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expat

By Wendy Lee Hermance,

What is this book about?

"Wendy Lee Hermance describes Portugal´s colorful people and places - including taxi drivers and animals - with a poet´s empathy and dark humor. Part travel adventure, part cautionary tale, Weird Foods of Portugal is at it´s heart, affirmation for all who consider making such a move themselves."


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