Join award-winning podcaster Oliver Gee on this laugh-out-loud journey through the streets of Paris.He tells of how five years in France have taught him how to order cheese, make a Parisian person smile, and convince anyone you can fake French (even if, like Oliver, you speak the language like an Australian cow).A fresh voice on the Paris scene, he shares the soaring highs and crushing lows that come with following your dreams to the French capital.He also befriends the city's too-cool-for-school basketballers, chases runaway crocodiles, and goes on a mammoth honeymoon trip around France on his little red scooter.

     Feeling stuck and overwhelmed by society's pressures, how can we learn, in today's fast paced and results driven world, to truly dream beyond shadows? Having touched the hearts of readers across the globe, Dream Beyond Shadows has now been published in its second edition, to celebrate the raw and compelling art of storytelling inscribed in its pages. The book chronicles a turning point in the author's life, a moment when he decided to turn against the current of his life and move in the opposite direction of social expectations and his own conditioned fears.

    When she swaps life as she knows it for an uncertain future on a sailboat, she succumbs to seasickness and a growing desire to be alone.Guided by impulsiveness and the joys of an alternative lifestyle, she must navigate personal storms, trouble with US immigration, adverse weather conditions, and doubts about her newfound love.Does Liesbet find happiness? Will the dogs outlast the man? Or is this just another reality check on a dream to live at sea?

    Color is the thread that binds the vast country together, defining every aspect of life from religion and politics to food and dress. Organized by the five dominant colors royal blue, sandstone, marigold, ivory, and rose, this book explores how deeply color and pattern exist in a symbiotic relationship and are woven into every part of the culture. For instance, the fuchsia found in the draping fabric of a sari is matched by the vibrant chains of roses offered at temple, and the burnt orange spices in the marketplaces are reflected in the henna tattoos given to brides and wedding guests. While every color is imbued with meaning, it is often within the details of patterns that the full story comes to light.Photographer and writer Christine Chitnis spent over a decade traveling through, getting to know, and falling in love with the intricate patterns of everyday Rajasthani life. With history and culture-based essays woven throughout the more than 200 stunning photographs of architecture, markets, cuisine, art, textiles, and everyday goings-on, Patterns of India captures the beauty and essence of this unique part of the world.

    Drawing from anthropology, history, contemporary events, popular culture, and the author’s field experiences and travels, the essays draw connections between nature and culture, self and society, the local and the global, as well as the past and the present in order to arrive at a deeper, fuller, critical, yet hopeful view of a country that is larger than many imagine it to be.Published in 2020.

    It takes him to the sacred waters of the Ganges River, and ultimately on a 1000 km pilgrimage by foot across South India, following the echoes of a cryptic message.This story speaks directly from the author’s heart to an audience considering the idea of leaving everything they know behind to embrace life in its raw and untamed magnitude and search for understanding and meaning.

    David Giffels, a lifelong resident of the "bellwether" state, has spent a quarter century writing and thinking about what it means to live in what he calls "an all-American buffet, an uncannily complete everyplace." With Cleveland as the end of the North, Cincinnati as the beginning of the South, Youngstown as the end of the East, and Hicksville (yes, Hicksville) as the beginning of the Midwest, Ohio offers important insight into the state of the nation. As a historic 2020 presidential election approaches, Barnstorming Ohio is Giffels' account of a year on Ohio's roads, visiting people and places that offer valuable reflections of the national questions and concerns, as well as astounding electoral clairvoyance -- since 1896, Ohio has accurately chosen the winner in twenty-nine of thirty-one presidential elections, more than any other state. With lyricism and a native's keen eye, Barnstorming Ohio takes readers into the living room of a man whose life was upended just shy of retirement by General Motors' shutdown of its Lordstown assembly plant. It offers an exclusive view into the presidential campaign of Ohio Democratic hopeful Tim Ryan. It takes us into the sodden soybean fields of farmers struggling to outlast the dual punch of a protracted trade war and historic rainfall, and to an indie rock music festival in Dayton a week after a mass shooting there. We enter the otherworld of long-dormant shopping malls as Amazon transforms them into vast new fulfillment centers. On the lighter side, Giffels makes a "beer run" into Ohio's booming craft brewing industry and revisits the legend (and the bird-nest toupee) of Jim Traficant, a larger-than-life Ohio politician whom many have called the "proto-Trump." In a year when Americans are seeking answers, Barnstorming Ohio offers rare and carefully nuanced access to the people who have always held them.

    

    It’s different kind of trail. And it's a different kind of hike. And this is a different kind of book.Mary holds nothing back as she pours onto the page rich narrative of life experiences and her reflections on fear and overcoming fear. Up close and colorful, she recounts her solo-hike along the ADT from the Atlantic Ocean to Omaha, Nebraska.What makes this trail so different?The ADT is not all wilderness trail, though it does cross through some wilderness areas. There’s no long string of mountain ranges to follow like on the National Scenic Trails. A walk across the middle of the USA requires meeting people, interacting with strangers to find resources: campsites (sometimes in people’s yards), water (when natural sources contain possible chemical contamination), and other necessities of life.As on any long-section hike, there are challenges, new sights, and tons of beauty. One mile at a time, Mary discovers America and shines a mellow, engaging light on its real people and its delight-for-the-senses scenery.Sometimes Mary Feels AfraidMary reflects on fear, her own and others’ fears for her. She often challenges the fear—no matter whose it is.Mary may challenge you too: what you think about hiking and your assumptions and fear of other people, who may be different from you. She may even challenge you to think about faith and what that word means to you.So, come along with Mary for the hike through Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. Discover this trail across America, ponder your own thoughts on fear while reading hers, and, possibly, even consider your own faith, whatever it may be.

    Lotus In The Stone takes us on a journey to the dizzying array of deities, temples, festivals, rituals, art, architecture, applied sciences and living traditions of India, that is Bharat, bringing us to an understanding of the sublime, advanced society her culture nurtured. With her experiences and adventures in crisscrossing India for decades, the author shows us how ancient India's surviving heritage and living traditions are a testimony to her history, and the invisible threads and sacred geography that bind her people together.

    

    His journey weaves from fertile Mediterranean hills of the Galilee, down to the Bedouin of the sparse Naqab desert. He speaks with Palestinian hip-hop artists not sure if music can change their world, Israeli cycling activists who hope that bicycles can, and Palestinian cycle clubs determined to go on bike rides despite the military checkpoints that bar their way.Riding through stories of Israel and Occupation in Palestine, talking to people at the roadside, the bicycle becomes a medium for more than just travel in this complex land, cutting through tensions to find truth, and some hope. The book reads as a meditation on making change; how people keep their spirit in dark times and continue to believe a different world is possible.

    of A, taking in 50 incredible adventures!From the award-winning author of National Parks of the USA, Kate Siber, this stunning book showcases an amazing adventure activity to try in every single state. 50 Adventures in the 50 States features gripping outdoors activities, vividly illustrated and described alongside fascinating facts about the nature and geography of each activity location – the very best the U.S.A. has to offer budding young adventurers!Each adventure is illustrated with a beautiful, poster-worthy image, with pull-out facts about how the adventure activity is accomplished and key information about the area’s natural and cultural highlights.Activities range from the high-octane, such as wind surfing the Gulf Coast in Texas or canyoneering in Utah, to the magical and inspiring, such as soaking in natural hot springs in Idaho, stargazing from a train in Nevada and witnessing the synchronous firefly displays in Tennessee. Wonder at the beauty as you:Walk on an active glacier in AlaskaClimb the highest peak in the Northeast in New HampshireHorseback ride through ancient canyons with a Navajo guide in ArizonaSurf the iconic Venice Beach in CaliforniaThis book is to be pored over and treasured by aspiring adventurers – be they children or adults!The 50 States series of books for young explorers celebrates the USA and the wider world with key facts and fun activities about the people, history, and natural environments that make each location within them uniquely wonderful. Beautiful illustrations, maps, and infographics bring the places to colorful life.Also available from the series: 50 Trailblazers of the 50 States, Only in America, Only in America Activity Book, Only in California, Only in Texas, We Are the United States, 50 Maps of the World, 50 Maps of the World Activity Book, and The 50 States.

    In his latest entertaining and thought provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, is the enmity between these three “tiger” nations, and what prevents them from making peace. Currently China’s economic power continues to grow, Japan is becoming more militaristic, and Korea struggles to reconcile its westernized south with the dictatorial Communist north. Booth, long fascinated with the region, travels by car, ferry, train, and foot, experiencing the people and culture of these nations up close. No matter where he goes, the burden of history, and the memory of past atrocities, continues to overshadow present relationships. Ultimately, Booth seeks a way forward for these closely intertwined, neighboring nations.An enlightening, entertaining and sometimes sobering journey through China, Japan, and Korea, Three Tigers, One Mountain is an intimate and in-depth look at some of the world’s most powerful and important countries.

    "The music is amazing," they said. "And you get ten hours of sunshine every day." So I did, and this is the story of my three years in a poor yet incredibly rich West African country; a story of hope, warmth and positivity in the face of adversity.As a Toubab (Westerner) in Mali, I acquired many new skills: how to deal with persistent street sellers, how to use a 'long drop' toilet, surviving malaria and dysentery, enduring a climate constantly hotter than my own body, breaking down hours from anywhere, and making a 17-hour river journey on the roof of an oversized canoe. And all in the aid of ethnomusicology: the science of music in culture. My story closes amidst machine-gun fire, curfews and sudden farewells as the country spirals into chaos following a military coup; not the best weeks my life, but certainly among the most interesting.

    Cathay was in her mid-60s and entering a new phase of life. In phase one she had been single for 29 years. Phase two followed with 33 years of marriage. Now widowed, she was looking for direction for her next 30 years. That's when she felt called to hike the Camino de Santiago, the centuries old 483-mile trail across northern Spain.As Cathay began to physically prepare for such a feat by hiking and walking and leaving her sedentary life behind, she became aware that it would also be an inner healing - a rite of passage to the next phase of her life. With trepidation, some fear and a fervent commitment to make the hike as best she could, Cathay traveled alone to Spain and started walking. She kept walking day after day through tears, anger, laughter, sadness and great joy. Every day was a challenge, and she often questioned why she was on the Camino. Why not just go to a nice hotel and think through what to do the next 30 years?Her question was answered when a fellow sojourner said to her, "You're here [on the Camino] to learn to fall in love with yourself again."After 37 days she reached her destination. "Keep Walking" is her story of self-discovery, of transformation, and of renewal, all set in the magical, mystical field of the stars, the Camino de Santiago.

    Enjoy the music and antics of local festivals like La Bande de Pecheur (Gang of Fisherman), Feast of St. John, and the Blessing of the Fleet. Discover the wonder of troglodyte caves, wineries, and truffle farms in the Loire Valley. Then travel to Josiane’s family home, where you, too, can discover why food and family time are considered sacred in the Auvergne. And, all along the route, witness the impact WWI and WWII on the families profiled. Even seventy-five years later, the legacy of war remains—and yet, incredibly, the gift that each generation has handed down has been gratitude and a deep understanding of the importance of family.A compilation of personal stories, memorable moments, family secrets, and mouth-watering recipes, this French culinary travelogue is sure to find a prized place on the bookshelf of readers who love France—its food, its people, and its history.

    But there are many other hidden gems along its shores, including waterside parks, sandy beaches and poignant reminders of the days of steamships and sail.The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide provides suggestions for places to visit along the estuary, from its upper reaches in Warrington to where it meets the sea at New Brighton and the Sefton Coast. Along the way, the book calls in at Widnes, Runcorn, Ellesmere Port, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead, Liverpool and Formby Point, and includes an interesting mix of walks and cycling routes, ranging from a couple of hours to a full day out. Readers will also discover some less well-known sights, including lighthouses, a castle, medieval buildings, and a transporter bridge, one of only eight left in the world.For those interested in the history, environment and wildlife of the estuary, there is also an introduction to its nature reserves, geology, canals and bird life. Other topics include the development of the Port of Liverpool, including its famous Liver Birds, and how the estuary has been cleaned up in recent decades so that even salmon have returned. There are also tips on birdwatching and photography and on where to see seals and the Mersey’s little-known tidal bore.With stunning colour photographs, and available as an ebook too, The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide is a must-read for travellers to the area and local residents alike.

    That last element – the busking – was an afterthought, something to be phased out as he built a career in music.But the busking bug wouldn’t go away. Beyond the music and the collecting hat, perhaps fiddling through the streets of England could be a key to finding out who the English really are, how they view themselves and how they deal with change. Is there anything that ties together people across England’s many cultural divides, from neat Cotswold villages hugging village greens to former mining villages huddled beside abandoned pits, from multicultural city to Anglo-Saxon market town?Armed with a violin, a Northern sensibility and a love of life in all its troubling richness, Tom took an 18-month journey through England to find out.This isn’t really a book about busking, though. It’s about people, place, and that elusive beast – Englishness. On Tom’s street-level odyssey, the lines between friend and stranger blur, informality reigns, and chance encounters make a mockery of careful planning.As the seasons change and the tally of busking towns grows, the complex mosaic called England confronts its fly-on-the-wall observer with the challenge – define me if you dare.

    Their study of trees reveals a complex world in which the greatest threat to pangolins and imperiled species is Indian men and patriarchy. Tramping across North India, the women encounter men, man-made obstacles, and bureaucratic corruption, but forge ahead with satire and self-deprecating humour. Their many stories give us the voices of people and species oppressed or marginalised. Several anecdotes show daily battles against research methods and policies that bury lived life in dry data.Environmental research is more about lives and livelihoods than data, says Aditi Patil. She makes us feel the pulse of life hidden by statistics. Women farmers, forest dwellers, rustics, and researchers come exquisitely alive in this entertaining and persuasive book.Under the cover of irresistible humour, Patriarchy and the Pangolin ambushes the reader with unsettling questions about Indian society and the world of research. A bittersweet delight.—Jean Drèze