Outros livros que poderiam interessá-lo

• 

  The Passenger: California

  Passenger The

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The best new writing, photography, art, and reportage from and about California—in the “rich and engrossing” series for travelers and armchair travelers (Times Literary Supplement). 
   
  From the Gold Rush to Hollywood’s golden age to the rise of Silicon Valley, California has long stood as the brightest symbol of the American dream. In recent years, however, the country’s mainstream media has been declaring with increasing frequency—and thinly veiled schadenfreude—the “end of California as we know it.” 
   
  The pessimists point to rising inequality, racial tensions, and the impact of climate change as evidence that the Californian dream has been shattered. Between extreme heat, months-long droughts, devastating wildfires, and rising sea levels, looking at California is like watching the trailer for what awaits the world if we don’t act to reduce global warming. Faced with these pressures, more and more Californians are leaving the state, leading to an unprecedented decline in population that could change the cultural and political balance of power in the country at large. 
   
  That said, demographic decline and climate disasters don’t tell the whole story of one of the most dynamic and diverse states in the Union—one that continues to drive technological and political innovation and define the evolution of work, food, entertainment, and social relations. This volume offers a fascinating picture of California in all its complexity and contradictions—an attempt to understand the laboratory where much of the world’s future continues to be written—with pieces including: 
   
  Growing Uncertainty in the Central Valley by Anna Wiener • How Does It Feel to Be a Solution? by Vanessa Hua • The Burning of Paradise by Mark Arax • Plus: direct democracy and unsustainable development, the rise of the “land back” movement, the cultural renaissance of Los Angeles in defiance of rampant gentrification, and much more . . .  
   
  “The Passenger readers will find none of the typical travel guide sections on where to eat or what sights to see. Consider the books, rather, more like a literary vacation.” —Publishers Weekly

  Ver livro

• 

  The Travel Bog Diaries - One...

  Liz Deacle

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Meet Liz. Mother of two teenage kids and wife of Brian. 
  Faced with midlife & realising that unless she gets her skates on, she'll never get to live out her fantasy of travelling the world with her family (and be like that woman from Eat, Pray Love), Liz plans a year-long globetrotting trip. 
  Annoyingly, things don't quite go as expected. 
  This is probably because Liz is slightly deluded & chooses to ignore the fact that her husband has acid reflux & can't eat anything foreign, & her teenage children would rather scroll funny Snapchat videos than look at old things in Europe. 
  From an ill-fated yoga class in India, ancient ruin humiliation in Italy, to getting sloshed at a charity festival in rural England, Liz’s endless mishaps and hysterical far-flung flops make for an unforgettable experience that no family could ever forget. 
  Even if they wanted to. 
  Armed with humour, optimism, this feel-good hilarious pee-your-pants, laugh-out-loud memoir will have you changing your life and racing to book your next adventure. 
  Prepare to laugh, cry & curl your toes. 
  Clench those buttocks, fellow traveller. We're off on a (real) family vacation...! 
  What readers are saying:  
  "…brilliantly entertaining writing…read it all in one sitting..." 
  "... Bridget Jones crossed with Eat, Pray, Love...a wickedly funny delight!..." 
  “…I snorted with laughter, Liz is genuinely hilarious…” 
  “…everything you could want in a travel memoir & more…” 
  “…inspiring, funny, cringe-worthy & heartwarming, often all at the same time. Fabulous…” 
  “…I laughed out loud throughout…British humour at it's best!'” 
  "...Relatable, hilarious, funny stories: everything from being a wife, mother to family travel...LOVED IT!"

  Ver livro

• 

  Smelling the Breezes - A Journey...

  Ralph Izzard, Molly Izzard

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Smelling the Breezes is an inspiring family adventure, a three-hundred-mile walk down the spine of the Lebanon with four children, two donkeys and Elias, the family's gardener, nursemaid and friend. The journey took them over towering passes, through immense gorges and into the lives of mountain villages and highland herdsmen. The presence of four small but redoubtable blonde children proved a passport at every door, whatever the politics, religion or ethnicity of the household. Smelling the Breezes is a magnificent portrait of Lebanon in all its rich complexity and easy charm: broken castles, hashish smugglers, clan feuds, festivals, forgotten temples, secretive headquarters and hospitable sheikhs.

  Ver livro

• 

  On the Narrow Road to the Deep...

  Lesley Chan Downer

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  After eight years working in Japan, immersing herself in its language and literature, Lesley Chan Downer set off in the footsteps of Matsuo Basho, Japan's most cherished poet, to explore the country's remote northern provinces. Basho's pilgrimage to find the landscapes that had inspired the great medieval poets gave birth to Japan's most famous travel book, rich in strange imagery and sometimes comic encounters along the road. In this intriguing cross-threading of journeys, perceptions and exquisite haiku, Lesley creates her own funny, loving and honest portrayal of contemporary Japan. As she walks, she finds at one and the same time a drab, post-industrial landscape of concrete and cables, but also a land still full of the old enchantments. Nights in thatched highland villages and saké-drenched poetry sessions encourage her to see for herself if any of the legendary hermit-priests still survive in the sacred mountains of the north.

  Ver livro

• 

  The Song Dynasty - Economic and...

  Jun Liu

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The Song Dynasty (960–1279) emerged from the remnants of the fragmented Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, establishing a centralized government that would shape China for centuries. Unlike previous dynasties that relied heavily on military conquest, the Song prioritized administration, economic growth, and cultural development, laying the foundation for one of the most prosperous eras in Chinese history. 
  The dynasty is traditionally divided into two periods: the Northern Song (960–1127) and the Southern Song (1127–1279). The Northern Song was founded by Emperor Taizu, who implemented policies to weaken the power of military governors and strengthen civilian rule. This shift reduced the influence of warlords, allowing for a stable bureaucratic system. However, external threats, particularly from the Khitan Liao and later the Jurchen Jin, forced the court to focus on diplomacy and financial strategies rather than military expansion. Eventually, the Jin conquest of the north in 1127 led to the retreat of the Song court to the south, marking the beginning of the Southern Song period. Despite losing control over key northern territories, the Southern Song maintained a flourishing economy, driven by trade, technological advancements, and agricultural productivity. 
  The Song Dynasty’s political structure was characterized by a well-organized bureaucracy based on merit rather than aristocratic privilege. The expansion of the civil service examination system ensured that government officials were selected through rigorous academic testing rather than birthright. This system, rooted in Confucian ideals, emphasized knowledge of classical texts and governance principles, creating a scholar-official class that played a crucial role in state affairs. While this meritocratic system promoted stability, it also created a conservative bureaucracy resistant to radical reforms.

  Ver livro

• 

  Travellers Gazette Box Set - A...

  Mr Punch

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  We follow in the footsteps of the intrepid British traveller and explore the world both At Home and Abroad, told entirely in the words of those who were there. 
    
  The TRAVELLER at HOME Gazette 
  A fascinating ramble through the towns and villages of the British Isles during the last 400 years in the company of Jane Austen, William Cobbett, Daniel Defoe, James Lees Milne, Sir Walter Scott, Virginia Woolf and many more. 
    
  The TRAVELLER ABROAD Gazette 
  We explore the far-flung shores of the world alongside some of Britain’s finest Chroniclers. Join Charles Darwin, Kenneth Williams, Fanny Trollope, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Mungo Park, Horace Walpole, Wilfred Thesiger, James Boswell, Nancy Mitford and many others on your journey. 
    
  Performed by an outstanding company of award-winning actors including Dame Eileen Atkins, Cheryl Campbell, Nigel Davenport, Alex Jennings, Richard Johnson OBE, Hugh Laurie CBE, Michael Maloney, Geoffrey Palmer OBE, Michael Pennington, Prunella Scales CBE, Samuel West & John Wood CBE with a full supporting cast. 
      
  Also available as part of The Gazettes Box Set, a six-volume edition (Military, Sport & Travel) creating a vivid portrait of British life through the centuries. 
    
  It is a highly enjoyable collection. Some pieces are just dazzling. Independent on Sunday 
    
  An extraordinary series... deserves a medal. The readers are all excellent and many of them distinguished. The Spectator 
    
  From the same stable that produced The Chronicle, my favourite audio this year, I've just listened equally spellbound to a compilation of travellers' tales at home. The Guardian

  Ver livro