Travel Itch: 100 Places Every Woman Should Go

Every few months I get the urge to travel to someplace, anyplace, where I've never been before. This leads me to dreaming up places I'd like to visit in the U.S. and around the world and so I'll hop on kayak.com to find out how out of reach they are in terms of plane ticket prices. These days, unfortunately, they are all out of reach, but that doesn't keep me from adding to my proverbial bucket list! I checked out 100 Places Every Woman Should Go by Stephanie Elizondo Griest the other day and have really enjoyed flipping around finding all sorts of ideas for fresh places to at least dream about visiting. Griest has divided her recommended locations into sections under broad titles like Places of Adventure, Places of Inspiration and Enlightenment and Just-Go-There Places. From pearl diving sites, famed chocolate sites, canyoneering sites and eminent ice cream parlor sites to out of the way cities and intriguing countries, any woman can find something to spark her travel imagination in this book. I appreciate the diversity of locations included and the well-written descriptions of what makes each special. I definitely want to pack my bag and book my plane ticket to head off to a few of these destinations now:

1. Morocco (okay, I've always wanted to travel here, but...)
Geist writes, "Travel books invariably describe Morocco as a 'full-throttle' assault on the senses,' and there really is no better way to put it. In Marrakesh, Jemaa El-Fna: bus station by day, thriving souk by night. In its labyrinth, you'll spy men walking barefoot through fire while artists blow glass, dentists yank teeth, herbalists scribble prescriptive potions, and acrobats turn flips. Dance with transvestites to the sounds of reed flutes and wooden drums before haggling with vendors over their piles of bangles, silverware, pottery, and Persian rugs..." (242). Sounds fun to me!!!! I can't resist suggesting another book while I'm on the subject of Morocco: Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood by Fatima Mernissi about the beauty of Morocco and her family growing up in the 1940's in Fez. I read it in undergrad in a class on Africa and fell in love with Morocco.

2. Any of the locations mentioned in the Surf Sites section (okay, I've always wanted to learn to surf)
I'm from East Tennessee; we know about mountains, bluegrass and TN football, not rash guards or board shorts! I have a feeling that could all change for me at Surfer Girls in Hawaii, Maui which apparently "offers both overnight surf camp and surf classes taught by women, for women (and girls)" (53). Sweet! Closer to home at Surf Diva in La Jolla California I could apparently take a 2 day or 5 day surf clinic for beginners. Maybe I will realize my dream yet!

3. Any of locations mentioned in the Bountiful Gardens section (no caveat here)
"What is travelling all about, if not stopping to smell the roses?" (224). Kew Gardens, in southwest London, Sissinghurst Garden, in Kent, Kyoto, Japan, and Suzhou in China, are all mentioned here. I love a nice long stroll through a rambling garden. I think I would much prefer to visit one of these well manicured landscapes than to actually ever create one of my own.

Extreme Birds- Dominic Couzens

I checked this new book in at the branch a few months ago and immediately put myself on the hold list for it. The vast diversity of birds in the world has always been interesting to me. Several years ago when I was living in Knoxville my husband and I had a second floor apartment and a balcony that was on level with the telephone wires and tree tops. I started taking note of the different varieties of birds in the yard and have been keeping an eye on our feathered friends wherever I go now. Extreme Birds: The World's Most Extraordinary and Bizarre Birds by Dominic Couzens highlights the crazy abilities and features of birds. Birds who are the strongest, fastest, have the largest beaks and the sexiest tails....this book gives superlatives to 150 standout members of the bird world. It may sound a little boring, but check it out from your library and I guarantee you'll be drawn in by the fascinating facts in this book!

Cat Poems- Dave Crawley

Have a cat that you love in your life? Then you're not too old for Dave Crawley's Cat Poems. Suggested for children in grades K-4th, this is a heartwarming read for cat lovers of any age. Crawley has a drawing and poem for each type of behavior that either endears you to your cat or makes you want to lock it in the bathroom. From poems about how a cat wakes you up and snuggles with you in the morning to when a cat has more energy than a three year-old hyped up on sugar, you'll find the perfect poem and playful illustrations that will make you want to buy a copy of the book for yourself.

I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames- Jeni Decker

I finished I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames last week. Jeni Decker has two sons, both on the autism spectrum. This book is more a compilation of short vinegettes than a long narrative with traditional chapters, so it's a fast read. Decker describes life with her sons, the abuse she takes, the quirks they have and how difficult it can be to raise two autistic boys. The love that she has for these two coupled with her understanding that their autism is not masking their true selves but they are who they are overcomes the more crass descriptions of life with her boys. This isn't the Parenthood version of raising an autistic boy, and like Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Decker's irreverent sensibilities may turn some off to the book. What I liked is that she's brutally honest about her sons and her life, but she loves with her whole heart and holds nothing back when describing her life.

Girls in White Dresses- Jennifer Close

Do you ever start a book and just a few chapters in realize you've made a huge mistake? The book is boring, or fluffy or just doesn't fit your mood? I completely made this mistake with Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. I like a light read as much as the next person, but so far this audiobook has been total fluff read by a girl who does different airhead voices for each of the female characters. Now that I'm on the third cd though, I know there's no turning back. I have to finish the thing. So far the book has been about young women in their twenties flailing around after college. They go to bars, get engaged, break off their engagements and gossip about people. Total chick-lit, yes, but there's been no "lit" in this book yet. I was lured in by the book jacket, but I've been deceived! Oh well, I can't stop now. Must.....press.....on.....

Bringing Up Bebe- Pamela Druckerman

I was skimming through our new acquisitions in the library catalog today and came across a few books I'm very excited about getting my hands on. One is Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman. My brief stint serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines opened my eyes to how indulgent American parents can be. Seeing 5 year-olds who were fully responsible for washing their own clothes and helping with chores around the house and working in a high school in which there is no janitorial staff, all of the students are responsible for getting to class early and staying late in order to sweep and clean their classrooms, made me realize how we may have missed the mark here in the U.S. Teaching such well behaved and creative students showed me that it's not an abundance of toys, lessons or ball practices that make a difference in a child's life, it's how he or she is loved and how they are taught at home that produces strong character and productive adults. I appreciated Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother because of Amy Chua's refusal to accept less than the best from her children, and I hope that Druckerman's book lends equal insight into an alternative way to raising children. I don't have any children yet, so I'm taking all the advice I can get! Below is a link to the Publisher's Weekly review. The book is due out in February.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59420-333-6

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible- Paula Deen with Melissa Clark

This afternoon I sat down with Paula Deen's most recent cookbook, Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. Though Paula is known for the large quantities of butter she uses in her recipes, I found a wide variety of recipes in this book which of course included all of the southern staples from fried okra and potato salad to Texas-style chili to coconut cake. Each recipe includes a few lines of introduction about the significance of the recipe and a tip about how to best prepare it. The same down-home conversational tone which Paula Deen fans love is used throughout the cookbook and while a little syrupy for my taste, "y'all" might love it. If you're looking to pick up some southern cooking basics, this would be a great place to start, and if you're looking to expand your repertoire, you're sure to find a new something buttered, covered or fried in this cookbook. I photocopied a few recipes to try when I get time.