In this edition of our monthly thematic roundup of BookLife titles, we feature tales of travel and world cuisine. Want to see your book featured? Check out the Indie Spotlight calendar at booklife.com/indiespotlight.
Adventures in Eating
Munch! Crunch! Bugs for Lunch!
Gloria G. Adams
ISBN 978-1-73676-883-9
Author statement: “In this book about entomophagy—the practice of eating insects—readers travel around the world to learn how eating bugs relates to nutrition and climate change, how some insects are cooked and how they taste, and take a peek at newer bug-based products being developed for human consumption. The United Nations is looking at the possibility of entomophagy as part of the solution to the looming potential problem of overpopulation and lack of food. While many Western cultures have not bought into the increasing availabitlity of insect-based food products, 80% of the world already includes insects in their diets. I wrote this book to raise awareness of this possibility and to educate kids who may be dealing with food shortages as they grow into adulthood in the not-too-distant future.”
A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen: Homestead Kitchen Skills and Real Food Recipes for Resilient Health
Kate Downham
ISBN 978-0-648-46616-1
Author statement: “I created this book to share a seasonal and local approach to cooking, while also teaching old-fashioned kitchen skills. The book is divided into seasonal chapters, each of which include recipes. The off-grid approach is firstly about cooking great food without using a bunch of kitchen gadgets—all that is needed are basic pots and pans, knives, and a stove of some sort—and also about creating practical meals that work with the homestead lifestyle.”
500 Ways to Eat Like a Local
Jon Douglas
ASIN B0CMJRPGKP
Author statement: “This book is a traveler’s guide to the regional foods of the United States, dishes that are only found in certain parts of the country or are connected to a particular place through their history. Learn the intriguing stories behind specialties like the Philly cheesesteak, the Chicago-style hot dog, and Nashville hot chicken, as well as hyperlocal delicacies such as the Juicy Lucy burger, Hangtown fry, and shoofly pie. I love to seek out local foods when I travel. A guide to finding regional dishes didn’t exist, so I wrote one! This book is not just a travel guide, though; it also tells the stories of these foods as well as the regions they come from, which is really the story of how, through immigration and ingenuity, America came to be such a culinary melting pot.”
Family Expeditions
Part-Time Nomads
Anne M. Breedlove
ISBN 978-1-63132-203-7
Author statement: “Part-Time Nomads is part memoir, part travelogue, and 100% ode to taking on challenges no matter your age or life situation. The book focuses on our evolution from weekend cyclists to fully loaded, self-contained international bicycle travelers. Averaging eight miles an hour, we braved rain, snow, and junk food and learned hard lessons about bad maps, road-hogging motor homes, and the unpredictable road ahead. Animating these stories is the incredible rush of getting places under our own steam, being self-reliant, and relearning that Jim and I worked pretty damned well as a team, reigniting a passion not only for cycling, but also for each other.”
Passports and Pacifiers: Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time
Kaitlyn Jain
ASIN B08SLSJMTR
Author statement: “Traveling with toddlers means that anything that can go wrong will. Follow a young, naïve baby-wearing family as they travel around the world. From Italy to the Azores, Belize to Scandinavia, the Jains manage to find (and yes, enjoy!) affordable trips around the globe. I started writing Passports and Pacifiers during a trip to Scandinavia with our four kids under eight. One night, with a kid refusing to sleep in our single hotel room and after another had thrown up in the car, I knew I had to write it down. Although so many things went wrong, it was one of the most memorable and fun weeks of my life.”
Solo Journeys
Perseverance: Journey to Alaska
Steven Harrison
ASIN B0CW19V3MT
Author statement: “Have you ever wondered what would happen if you walked out the front door and disappeared from your current life? Just grabbed the keys and went—no destination, no objective. Just up and left, never looking back. What would you do with your new life? Could you make it with the clothes on your back and a couple thousand dollars in your savings account? Move across the country to a small town where nobody knows you and start over? Would you be willing to risk everything, knowing you had only three months’ savings? Come on a ride with me to Alaska. I did this and more on a bicycle. Join me as we follow my map and embark on this adventure together.”
Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike
Julie Gianelloni Connor
ISBN 978-1-951331-01-6
Author statement: “Savoring the Camino de Santiago is both a memoir and a practical guide for those thinking about journeying on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route that stretches from France through northwest Spain. Often as I walked along the French route of the Camino I’d think to myself, ‘I wish someone had told me about X.’ Many Xs built up over
the 41 days it took to reach Santiago de Compostela, from how fabulous Roncesvalles is, to how miserable and dangerous some shale slopes are, to how judgmental some fellow pilgrims can be. Once I got back home, I decided to write up everything I wanted others to know while they were considering whether to travel the Camino.”
