I am all about the travel books lately. Maybe it is because we are having a mainly having a stay at home summer. Here is a little of what I read this past month.
What would you say to your 80 year old self? This was a quote from the book "Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World". I keep asking myself the same question lately. Am I playing things too safe? What is holding me back? Am I passing on an opportunity to grow? I imagine my 80 year old self as very wise.
The book is about three almost thirty year old girls who set off on around the world trip. These girls left their high stress jobs in New York City and started an adventure. Each one of them had to make adjustments to attitudes about travel. These girls are really brave. I really admire them. This also a great story about friendship. They were quite honest how 60,000 miles tested their friendship. They just didn't travel for the sake of travel. They also sought out a volunteer opportunity in Kenya. Each of them took on different roles on their trip such as planner and mediator. This true story makes me want to get out there and explore the world. Their journey was amazing with destinations like Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Kenya, India, Laos. I like this quote, "What if taking the journey is the highest act of faith.?" This book is similar to the book " The Good Girls Guide to Getting Lost," by Rachel Friedman (my review). They also broach the subject of why so few young Americans travel and if they do they are women. The Good Girls Guide to Getting Lost also noted this as well. It is a common expectation in other countries that kids will take a gap year. The Lost Girls have their own website Lost Girls World.
I also read another true story called The Big Year - A tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmasick. The book is about 3 men who would try to set a North American recording for seeing the species of birds in a single year or 365 days. The lengths these guys will go to see birds is incredible. I had no idea people did this. It is really a fascinating read. I found out about this book from Almost Unschoolers. It really inspired me to start birdwatching more. Chuckles has been keeping our bird feeder full. You never know what we will see.
Chuckles and I did a read aloud this summer and it was Mr Popper's Penguins. Our review is here. Unfortunately we didn't finish the book in time to see the movie. I look forward to watching this when it comes out on DVD. This was a great read aloud for summer. I had never read this before. It is a classic and we both enjoyed it.
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