This blog post was updated on October 30, 2018.
Travel and culture books make great holiday gifts, especially for those globally minded people on your list.
Who wouldn’t appreciate a good book to help pass the time on the plane (or train, or automobile) or to read curled up next to the fire in anticipation of his or her next adventure. Here are some suggestions for recently books published in the last two years that are sure to please.
In Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France (Bloomsbury, 2009) Michael Steinberger examines the state of French food today, and connects it to the politics of globalization.
In addition to discussing how the famed Michelin Guide has actually hindered innovation in French cuisine, he writes on how the declining state of the French economy has also taken its toll on the restaurant industry. A fascinating read written in a witty and engaging style, Steinberger’s book is a great gift idea for foodies or anyone interested in French culture and politics of globalization.
Lynne Sharon Schwartz’s memoir Not Now, Voyager chronicles the author’s self-discovery through travel. From Miami Beach to Jamaica to Montreal, Schwartz introduces the reader to her travel philosophies and experiences. A great read for women traveler’s or anyone who has traveled with family (and survived to tell about it!).
Art book lovers will surely enjoy any one of Taschen’s thousands of travel books and calendars. Taschen’s Berlin (Taschen, 2010) and Taschen’s Paris (2008) are beautiful hardcover tomes full of Dr. Angelika Taschen’s personal favorites- shops, boutique hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, you name it- in each city. Not only is each book laid out in a very artful fashion, the photographs make you feel like you’re traveling along with the author and her recommendations are accurate and insightful. A great gift idea for people on your list who have traveled to either one of these European cities or who are planning trips there in the near future.
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