A Journey Through 20th-Centry Architecture
Geoffrey Goddard
Fans of mid-century modern ranch houses, googie-style buildings, and the neon of 50s diners will adore this book. This selection of architectural masterpieces roams the globe, though there is an emphasis on California. Buildings like the Chrysler Building are given the same loving …
A Pretty Cool Tour of America’s Fantasy Getaways
Margaret & Corey Bienert
What says romance more than a heart shaped tub in your room? Well, probably lots. But if a champagne glass hot tub, jungle themed room, or a night in an old plane is your idea of a good …
Stefan Bachmann and April Genevieve Tucholke
Similar to the Atlas Obscura books, The Secret Life of Hidden Places is an overview of mysterious places around the world. While some listed have been lost to time, or destroyed, there are a surprising number you can still visit. From speakeasys to grottoes, …
Carl Hoffman
The story of the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, fell off the front pages decades ago. But at the time it was the finest of tabloid grist. The young, wealthy art collector had ventured into the jungles of Papua New Guinea to …
Photography by Marc Appleton
Lotusland is a magical and rare place located in Santa Barbara, CA. This sprawling botanical garden was founded by former opera singer, and many times divorced socialite, Madame Ganna Walksa. Deciding six husbands was enough, she turned her attention full time to creating her amazing gardens. …
A
Guide to the World’s 500 Most Colorful Places
Taylor Fuller
If a colorful punch in the eye is a top priority when you travel, this collection of rainbow-hued locations is for you! They run the gamut of natural locations, including multi-colored lakes, rivers and mountains, to towns with colorful …
A Food Adventurer’s Guide
Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras
Fans of the website Atlas Obscura, a guide to the world’s many bizarre and hidden wonders, will love this huge collection of food novelties. While in theory, you can eat or drink everything in this collection, many are definitely unappealing. …
Debra Bokur
The first in an excellent new series, Bokur hits all the right buttons. Her mystery is set on the island of Maui and revolves around Police Chief Walter Alaka’i and his niece, Detective Kali Māhoe. The plot is tight and fast moving – a surfer who dies mysteriously, …
The Funnies/Worst Place on Earth
Wendy E. Simmons
Simmons’ title really does sum it up. A life-long travel addict, her ten day guided trip to North Korea is more than deserving of a book. Simmons chronicles as much of her “holiday” as she could remember (once she was out of …
Iago Corazza and Greta Ropa
The “last men” of Papua New Guinea is a phenomenal collection of photos. Corazza and his wife Ropa travel deep into some of the most remote places in the world to meet tribes living in stone age conditions. The photo are breathtaking. At first, the …
…Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are small, self-proclaimed entities that claim to be independent sovereign states but which are not acknowledged as such by any recognized sovereign state, or by any supranational organization. – Wikipedia
Alastair Bonnett
At first glance, Bonnett’s book may look like another interesting guide to off-the-beaten-track places. Unruly Places goes a step further. Divided into eight categories, Bonnett looks at truly unique geographical places and concepts. Lost Spaces include cities that have been …
Molly Oldfield
In many ways, this is an excellent and intriguing book. Oldfield managed to gain access to sixty museums and was allowed to view objects never seen by the public. Each entry covers one of these objects. They range from the sad – Anne Frank’s friendship book, and sketches …
John Timpson
Any of my fellow Anglophiles will love this collection of country churches, collected by former BBC news reporter John Timpson. Each church is featured with a short description of the most unique features and a photo or two. The tidbits of fascinating history Timpson ferreted out are not …
Bernhard Edmaier
Edmaier’s aerial photos of volcanoes, both active and dormant, around the world are works of art. Some are so alien, so intensely colored and strangely shaped, that they can’t be of this planet. Some are brooding dead hunks of rock, other fiery pits and still others glowing pools …
Japanese Detail: Architecture by Sadao Hibi & The Art of Japanese Architecture by David and Machiko Young
Both of these architecture books are unique to the standard Japanese architecture books I’ve looked through in the past. Generally, the standards fall into the categories of brief overviews of large buildings, cities …
