Book Lust To Go by Nancy Pearl

Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers

Nancy Pearl is back! In case her name doesn’t ring a bell, she’s probably just about the coolest librarian you can imagine. If you tell her you want something adventurous, she won’t simply hand you a Jon Kraukeur book, she’ll ask you to be more specific. She could probably ask you half a dozen questions and then suggest the perfect title for you. She did this for the world when she wrote Book Lust a few years ago. In it, she compiled lists of authors and book titles (often with a synopsis) that have connections to other books. So if you wanted Irish Fiction, the category would give you a large list of fiction titles, some well known and others long out of print.  Similarly, she classified hundreds of books under different categories, some general(cold war spy novels) or more specific (novels written by physicians).


In her third book, Book Lust To Go, she tackles travel. To me, it’s the best of the series. These aren't Lonely Planet guides:  you aren't going to learn language or customs or cheap places to stay.  Instead, it collects a list of titles based on the destination.  You want books set in Finland? There’s a section for that, and it includes fiction and nonfiction from the region, as well as history books that may be useful. She covers the world with books; even the most obscure countries and cities have titles listed. Being able to see a grouping of several genres in one geographical category makes this the ultimate resource if you are studying a particular area or doing a regional reading challenge.

Besides travel to real cities, states, and countries, she includes sections on imaginary travel destinations. Also listed are groupings of books based on sailing, walking, rowing, travel by plane, etc. The book is complete and thorough:  this just released new collection is up to date. Books that were released as recently as a few months ago are listed in their appropriate region.  It's hard to hide my enthusiasm for this title, it's just that good, especially for those of us who are curious about the world around us...

Special thanks to Haley Stocking of Sasquatch Books for the Advance Review Copy.

This title is on sale now.