WANDERLUSTB O L D , A D V E N T U R O U S B O O K S

R I C K G A R S O N

T H A T W I L L F E E D Y O U R H U N G E R F O R

“The Unbearable Lightness ofBeing,” by Milan Kundera

“A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for herand his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and herhumbly faithful lover—these are the two couples whose story is

told in this masterful novel. In a world in which lives are shapedby irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which

everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose itssubstance, its weight. Hence, we feel “the unbearable lightness

of being” not only as the consequence of our pristine actions butalso in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.”

“The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho"The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of itsreaders

forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world, TheAlchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.

Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusianshepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as

extravagant as any ever found.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only afew stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning

to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following ourdreams.”

“The Turk Who Loved Apples,” by Matt Gross“While writing his celebrated Frugal Traveler “The Turk Who Loved

Apples,” by Matt Grosscolumn for the New York Times, Matt Gross beganto feel hemmed in by its focus on what he thought of as “traveling on the

cheap at all costs.” When his editor offered him the opportunity to dosomething less structured, the Getting Lost series was born, and Gross

began a more immersive form of travel that allowed him to “lose his wayall over the globe”—from developing-world megalopolises to venerableEuropean capitals, from American sprawl to Asian archipelagos. And

that’s what the never-before-published material in The Turk Who LovedApples is all about: breaking free of the constraints of modern travel and

letting the place itself guide you. It’s a variety of travel you’ll love toexperience vicariously through Matt Gross—and maybe even be inspired to

try for yourself.”

“Love With a Chance of Drowning,” by TorreDeRoche

“City girl Love with a Chance of DrowningTorre DeRoche isn’tlooking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar

sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man whounexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He’s just

about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on hissmall sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However,

lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams,she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she wavesgood-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that’s

as exhilarating as it is terrifying.”

“Vagabonding,” by Rolf Potts“There’s nothing like vagabonding: taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience

the world on your own terms. In this one-of-a-kind handbook, veterantravel writer Rolf Potts explains how anyone armed with an independent

spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. Nowcompletely revised and updated, Vagabonding is an accessible and

inspiring guide to

• financing your travel time• determining your destination• adjusting to life on the road

• working and volunteering overseas• handling travel adversity

• re-assimilating back into ordinary life ”

“The Art of Travel,” by Alain de Botton“Any Baedeker will tell us where we ought to travel, but only Alainde Botton will tell us how and why. With the same intelligence andinsouciant charm he brought to How Proust Can Save Your Life, de

Botton considers the pleasures of anticipation; the allure of theexotic, and the value of noticing everything from a seascape inBarbados to the takeoffs at Heathrow. Even as de Botton takesthe reader along on his own peregrinations, he also cites suchdistinguished fellow-travelers as Baudelaire, Wordsworth, Van

Gogh, the biologist Alexander von Humboldt, and the 18th-centuryeccentric Xavier de Maistre, who cataloged the wonders of hisbedroom. The Art of Travel is a wise and utterly original book.

Don’t leave home without it.”

“A Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost,” byRachel Friedman

“Rachel Friedman has always been the consummate good girlwho does well in school and plays it safe, so the college grad

surprises no one more than herself when, on a whim (and in aneffort to escape impending life decisions), she buys a ticket to

Ireland, a place she has never visited. There she forms anunlikely bond with a free-spirited Australian girl, a born

adventurer who spurs Rachel on to a yearlong odyssey thattakes her to three continents, fills her life with newfound

friends, and gives birth to a previously unrealized passion foradventure.”

“Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed“At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything.In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and herown marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothingmore to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life.

With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, shewould hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail

from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon toWashington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense

and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfullycaptures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging

ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened,strengthened, and ultimately healed her.”

“The Blue Sky,” by Galsan Tschinag“In the Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia, the nomadic Tuvan

people’s ancient way of life is colliding with the relentless influence ofthe modern world. For a young shepherd boy, the confrontation comes

in stages. First, his older siblings leave to attend a distant boardingschool. Then, his beloved grandmother dies, taking with her a profoundlink to the tribe’s traditions and their connection to the land. But thecruelest blow is struck when his dog — “all that was left to me” — diesafter eating poison the boy’s father set out to protect the herd fromwolves. In despair, he begs the Heavenly Blue Sky for answers but ismet with only the mute wind. Tschinag, the first and only member ofthe Tuvan to use a written language to tell stories, weaves a lyrical

account of his people and their traditions.”

“Life of Pi,” by Yann Marte“The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal

behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his familyemigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along

with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi findshimself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, awounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the

tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allowhim to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they

finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, neverto be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse tobelieve his story and press him to tell them “the truth.” After hours of

coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much moreconventional–but is it more true?”

R I CKGARSON .ORGP L E A S E V I S I T :

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?