Salt & Silver by Johannes Riffelmacher and Thomas Kosikowski

Title: Salt & Silver: Latin America

Author: Johannes Riffelmacher and Thomas Kosikowski

Genre: Travel, Cooking, Sport

Salt & Silver chronicles the adventures of two surfers, Johannes and Thomas, as they surf, eat, and travel through Latin America and beyond. At each stop they make, the duo shares delicious recipes, stories, and prime surf spots that inspire a sense of wanderlust in the reader. Salt & Silver gives an interesting look at how daily life and cooking vary from region to region, and might just inspire the reader to try something new!

- Jamie

Check out Salt & Silver: Latin America @ the library.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

It first resembles some sort of reality television show: 7 people living in a house on a beautiful 

island off the coast of Spain for two weeks. But it turns out that we're really being invited along on a family vacation of sorts. Seven very different people come together for a chance to relax, swim, and eat glorious food and we soon realize that each has their own hopes, fears, and issues.

Jim: father of the Post family is "a cool 60" years old and finds himself faced with the void of retirement forced upon him once it came to light that he had an affair with a 23-year-old intern (sorry, editorial assistant) at work.

Franny: matriarch, freelance food writer and woman coming to terms with herself due to the shock of her husband's infidelity this trip also marks their 35th wedding anniversary.

Sylvia: their 18-year-old daughter who has just graduated high school and is hoping to lose her virginity before learning for Brown in the fall.

Bobby: the Post's oldest child. Struggling Miami real estate agent and ambivalent gym rat.

Carmen: Bobby's long-time athletic trainer girlfriend who Franny and Jim have always felt was "too old" for their son.

Charles: Franny's best friend for almost 40 years and artist.

Lawrence: Charles' husband and accountant for movie productions. Wants more than anything to adopt a baby and become a father with Charles.

Throw all of these people and their separate and shared histories together and you've got...an interesting two weeks ahead. Break-ups, blowups, possible adoptions--all bubbling under the surface of this seemingly ideal vacation. Straub's characters are fully formed and the reader gobbles up page after page trying to see what will happen next. Will Bobby dump Carmen? Will Franny just divorce Jim already? This seemingly light-hearted beach novel packs a realistic punch for readers. Be sure to check out a copy of The Vacationers today.

Next: A Novel by James Hynes

Kevin Quinn is suffering a midlife crisis. Unhappy with his job, his girlfriend and his life in general, he has decided to interview for a new job. Telling no one of his plans, he takes a one day trip, leaving Ann Arbor, Michigan, early in the morning for an afternoon job interview in Austin, Texas. During this long day, Kevin has basically three things on his mind—the many possibilities of a terrorist attack, pursuing any beautiful woman who crosses his path, and the random events of his life that led him to take this chance at radical change. Once in Austin, Kevin has many hours to wait until his afternoon interview. He wiles away the time by stalking (rather innocently) several women who attract his attention, eventually meeting one, a doctor, who generously helps him when he trips and falls while pursuing her. Despite his shallow and self-absorbed pre-occupation with his own wants and needs, Kevin is a likeable guy. The examination of his life is filled with honest criticism as well as funny and to-the-point observations about American culture. Despite his somewhat risky behavior during his day in Austin, Kevin manages to arrive for his appointment clean, composed and on time. But he is not prepared for what happens while he waits for his interview. Events take an unexpected turn and the NEXT part of his life does not turn out as expected.

Check out Next @ the library! 

Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel the world thanks to a benevolent benefactor who wants nothing more than your company, and for you to experience new things? Comedian Chelsea Handler might be a friend you want to make. In Uganda Be Kidding Me Chelsea shares her adventures on an African Safari, European ski trip, state-side ski trip among other stories. She always takes along with her family and friends to both be there for her, and to have the experience whether they want to or not.

Fans familiar with Chelsea's brand of comedy will not be disappointed in the things she does, forces others to do, and in all honesty her generosity. This is a fun fast read that might just have you booking your next trip somewhere a bit more exotic. Adding a bit of extra fun are travel tips as only Chelsea Handler give. This may not be the travelogue you are used to, but you will be laughing.

Check out Uganda Be Kidding Me @ the library!

On Persephone's Island by Mary Simeti

Here is a book for those who loved Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mays.  Mary Simeti went to Sicily in 1962 to do volunteer work, fell in love, married a Sicilian and remained in Sicily, running his farm on the island. This beautifully written book covers the year 1983, the rhythm of the farm work, the work and customs of the Sicilian people, and the history and mythology of the island.  Check out On Persephone's Island @ the library!

To Timbuktu by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg

Casey and Steven met while studying abroad in Morocco during their junior year in college, and fell in love. Their life back in the states is spent on opposite coasts, and after college that the two decide to travel together. Their adventure starts off in China teaching English as a second language. After six months, they travel a bit, before settling in Mali, where they spend a year doing research and painting. Casey uses words to tell their story, while Steven illustrates it, giving two distinctive points of view, and making it an appealing read. Not just for young adults, To Timbuktu is for anyone who is wondering what to do next in their life, as well of those who like to travel off the beaten path.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

When Conor Grennan spent three months volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal, a country ravaged by civil war, the last thing he expected was to discover that the children were not orphans at all, but victims of child traffickers.  This is the astonishing story of Connor's trek through Nepal on a quest to find the families of those children.  Read this incredible journey of love, commitment, and devotion, and you'll recommend Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal to everyone you know!