The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World by Jessica Nabongo (TLC Book Tour)

 

How many countries have you visited?

Unlike author Jessica Nabongo, I am a sad traveler that has only visited three countries, all in North America.  I hope to travel more in the future as the kids grow up.

The Catch Me If You Can is an intriguing memoir of Jessica Nabongo.  Nabongo was taking the corporate world by storm when she realized she wanted more out of life.  She moved to Japan to teach English and from then on, the trajectory of her life was changed.  She started a blog called The Catch Me If You Can that focused on her travels and her photography.  By 2017 she had a goal of visiting every country in the world and she did it.  She has visited 195 countries and 10 territories. 

I found this memoir to be fascinating.  I loved Nabongo’s beautiful pictures, but I also loved the narrative about her travels.  I like how she just went to countries and then organically found cool things to do.  I’ve always wanted to visit many of these countries and Nabongo made me feel like I could do it.  I loved her descriptions of the pyramids, “No matter how many pictures you’ve seen of the pyramids, nothing can prepare you for seeing them up close.”  I also like that she gave facts, history, and dimensions on them. For each country she had fascinating items to share about the country and its people.  I also enjoyed the bucket list at the end for the reader for cool things to visit in each country.

I was scared for Nabongo to visit North Korea, but she said she was never afraid of traveling there.   “What I found most fascinating about North Korea was just how normal it felt.”  I thought that was fascinating.  Overall, that is what Nabongo realized as she traveled around the world, that people are people.  They are “more similar than we are different,” and that “most people are good.”  I thought it was very inspirational and very positive.  I greatly enjoyed this book. 

Book Source:  A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group / National Geographic as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

100 Great American Parks by Stephanie Pearson (TLC Book Tours)

 

What is your favorite American Park?

I think my favorites so far have been the Grand Canyon National Park and Custer State Park. 

The new National Geographic book, 100 Great American Parks by Stephanie Pearson, has everything you’ve come to expect in a National Geographic book.  It has awe inspiring beautiful pictures of the parks.  There are 100 parks in this book including all 63 national parks.  The foreword is by Garth Brooks discussing his travels as a touring musician and is very inspiring.  The introduction is full of interesting facts including that Boston Common was the first park in the United States in 1634 put in place as a space to graze cows.  Until 1817, a tree was used in the center for public hanging.  It has seen a lot of change over time.  Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world.  The U.S. Park Service was established in 1916 to manage 420 units across 85 million acres.

The book is split into five parts.  It starts with “The West and the Pacific” and has a wonderful section about the Grand Canyon National Park describing it with both words and fantastic pictures.  The White Sands National Park pictures brought back some happy memories of a trip there in college. Part two is “Off the Mainland.”  The stunning pictures really made me want to visit Alaska and Hawaii even more.  Part three is “the East and mid-Atlantic.”  It gave me a new idea to try to look for the “Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park” while we are in Maryland next month.  It made me excited about some places already on our list for our trip such as George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Part four is “the south.  I found out that Arkansas had the first National River, the Buffalo National River.  It looks beautiful. Part five is “the Midwest & Plains.”  My only complaint is this section is very scant.  As a lifetime Midwesterner, there are a lot more beautiful parks here than represented.  The only park from Michigan was Isle Royale National Park and the only park from Wisconsin was the Apostle Island National Lakeshore.  Meanwhile western states like California had ten parks included. 

The last section of the book is a great list on how to protect our parks.

What new park would I like to visit are reading this book?  I would say the Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska.

Favorite Quote:

“We all need a space to feel free.”

Overall, 100 Great American Parks is a beautiful coffee table book to remember great places you’ve explored, plan ahead for new places to visit, or to “travel” from your own home through the wonderful pictures.

Book Source:  A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

50 States, 500 Campgrounds by Joe Yogerst (TLC Book Tours)

Do you like to camp?  If so, do you tent camp, or camp in a cabin or camper?  We used to tent camp, but now we camp in our pop-up camper.  I also tent camp or in cabins  with Scouts.   I liked this statistic at the start of this book, “According to the data portal Statista, more than 40 million Americans camp each year, and they spend about $3 billion per annum buying camping equipment. And that’s just tent campers.  Millions more experience the great outdoors staying in cabins and glamping, and more than eight million American households own RVs.”  Wow!!

 This book takes into account that there are many different ways to camp from rustic to glamping, family adventures to romantic.  I also like that it starts with a section on responsible camping covering many of the items we cover in Girl and Boy Scouts (such as Leave No Trace).  They are important items for keeping our parks nice for everyone.  I noticed last year that with more campers, there seemed to be a lot more people that didn’t know about responsible camping. 

 The sections are split up by state in alphabetical order.  There are highlights about the state include how many national and state parks there are. Each park is listed as well as a symbol for what type of camping, address, when it’s open, rates, amenities, and where there are ADA sites.    It’s fun looking through all of the different types of campgrounds around the United States.  It is giving me ideas for future camping trips.

 I looked around to see if any campgrounds I’ve been too were included.  The only ones I could find that I’ve camped at were Indiana Dunes State Park, Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground (Michigan), Peninsula State Park (Wisconsin), and Devil’s Lake State Park (Wisconsin).  I’m kind of curious how the campgrounds were chosen.  Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground was pretty good but plagued by the fact that the RV dump station was right next to the pool.  PU!!  We did have the most beautiful campsite ever with our tent right on the straits of Mackinac.  It was awe inspiring opening up our tent each morning.  The way the Wisconsin State Campgrounds were listed was atrange.  The title was the area of the parks instead of the actual park name.  Nicolet Bay is a section within the Peninsula State Park campground.  The Quartzite campground is a section of Devil’s Lake State Park.  I would have titled the section Devil’s Lake State Park and state that you like a certain section of the campground best and why.

 Do you have any favorite places to camp?

 Overall, 50 States, 500 Campgrounds is a fun book to use to think about planning a camping trip to someplace new.

 Book Source:  A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

100 Counties, 5000 Ideas by National Geographic (TLC Book Tours)

 

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you travel?

 I have never left North America!  Mexico and Canada are the only other countries that I have visited.  I would really like to travel to more locations that I have read about around the world.  A book like 100 Counties, 5000 Ideas gives me a lot of great ideas on where to travel, and to enjoy thinking about traveling from the comfort of my home.  I have a lot of places I would like to visit on my bucket list.

 100 Counties, 5000 Ideas is a large soft covered book.  It starts with a map of the world with countries labeled and then goes through countries alphabetically from A to Z.  Countries are from six of the seven continents, only Antarctica excluded.  Each country has beautiful pictures to show what you can see in that country and a description of highlights in the country that may include landscapes, cities, cultural heritage, cruises, monuments, nature and wildlife, festivals and traditions depending on the country. Each country has a sidebar list of “What to see and Do,” “When to go” to different parts of the country through the year, “Travel Advice” including pros, cons, and safety.  There is also a “Traveler’s notebook” which includes the main contacts, travel documents for US citizens, time zone, language & currency, population, capital, religion, celebrations, and shopping.

 I thought it was interesting to read about countries I’m already familiar with, but also to learn more about countries I’m not as familiar about.  We have a large, diverse, and beautiful world to explore.  A few items on my bucket list are:  seeing the Machu Picchu in Peru, visiting the islands of Portugal, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, or visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  What are some places you’d like to visit on your bucket list?

 I had fun also seeing how the United States was represented.  My current state, Wisconsin, was not represented, but my birth state of Michigan was.  It did a good job highlighting the various areas of the United States from Washington DC to Yellowstone National Park.

 Overall, 100 Countries, 5000 Ideas is a great book to plan travel or to learn about all of the countries around the world.

 Book Source:  A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs by National Geographic (TLC Book Tour)

 

Do you love histories mysteries or know of someone that does?  Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs is the perfect book for any history lover.  This new book from National Geographic is a large hardcover book that chronicles “100 discoveries that changed the world.”

 The book covers the time period from 3.6 million years ago from bones of our ancestors like Lucy to almost present day with the finding of the Titanic.  Each section tells the story of a great archaeological discovery along with fantastic pictures.  From the legend of Troy, to the search for King David, to the disappearance of the H.L. Hunley, this book tells the story of some of histories greatest mysteries and how they were discovered by explorers or archaeologists.   I enjoyed that this book covered great finds from all over the world throughout our entire history.  It’s up to date with more current finds.  I knew some of the discovers, but not most.  It is a very intriguing book to read.  I’ve always loved these types of discoveries.  Reading about them makes me feel like Indiana Jones from the comfort of my own home.

 I liked that the book had a great introduction and afterward.  In the afterward, there was also a list of prospects that may hold more surprises from the Great Wall of China to the unknown tomb of Alexander the Great.  A section is also included on current technologies that are used to discover the past such as aerial imager and ground penetrating radar.  A good index is also included.  I love indexes and I am always happy when they are included in a history book.

 Overall, Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs is a fascinating look into one hundred great discoveries that help us to learn about our history.  It’s a great book for history and archaeology lovers or those who would like to learn more.

Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette Book Group as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Complete Birds of North America by National Geographic (TLC Book Tour)

 Do you have any bird lovers in your family or are you a bird lover yourself?  National Geographic has a new third edition of the Complete Birds of North America.  It has more than 1,000 species of birds detailed in it.

 I used to love watching for birds out of my Great Grandparents window.  They had a dog-eared field guide they would check to determine what any unknown bird was.  This book is a large hardcover book with beautiful glossy pages.  It is not a field guide, but more an encyclopedia of everything you would like to know about birds. There is a great introduction of bird watching that shows a map of north America and the range for birds.  It explains taxonomic organization, plumage variation, feather topography, and abundance terms and codes.  Beautiful artwork of the birds is included and is mostly from the 2017 edition of the book. 

 The book is split up into families. The start of each family section gives information in general about the family.  Then there are separate entries about each species. The entries have a map showing where the bird is found, a nice drawing of the bird, how to identify the bird, flight, similar species, voice call, status & distribution, migration, rare status, dispersal, and population.   

 I thought it was interesting that the last species included was the Pied Wheatear a stray from Eurasia that came to North America the summer of 2018.  My daughter is obsessed with owls and is having a fun time looking through this book.

 Overall, Complete Birds of North America is a great book for a bird lover or anyone who would like to know more about birds.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette Book Group for being a part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The 21st Century: Photographs from the Image Collection by National Geographic (TLC Book Tours)

 

Do you love looking at beautiful photographs?  I know I do.  The 21^st Century is a wonderful collection of images from the National Geographic Society.    The photographic archives of the National Geographic Society holds tens of millions of images including 11.5 million physical objects in their vault and 50 million on their digital servers as told by Editor-in-Chief Susan Goldberg in the foreword.  She also has an interesting tidbit that there were no photographs in the first few issues of the National Geographic magazine when it was first printed in 1888.  When pictures were first put into the magazine, a few individuals resigned from the board as they thought it was so low brow.

 The goal of this book is to show our “shared history told through photography” of the last twenty years.  The start of the century has National Geographic photographer Robert Clark’s iconic images of the World Trade Center being hit.  These photographs will give me a punch in the gut no matter how many times I see them.  I loved the quotes from the photographers on why photography is important to them such as “Photography is a weapon against what’s wrong out there.  It’s bearing witness to the truth.” – Brent Stirton.

 This book is split into four chapters, each covering approximately five years starting in 2000 and ending in 2021.  The book is coffee table book size and has beautiful glossy pictures.  The pictures are from around the world of nature, ordinary people, and some historic events or people.  Pope Francis has an iconic picture at the start of the book.  Each picture has a short description with the photographer, year, and place.  I also like the “through the lens” sections that are interspersed through the book with thoughts from the photographer about the picture that they took.  There are brief bios of all of the photographers at the end of the book.

 Overall, The 21^st Century:  Photographs from the Image Collection by National Geographic is a beautiful book full of gorgeous images.  I find it relaxing to peruse through them and it’s a wonderful book to look out for company to share.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette Book Group for being a part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you.  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ultimate Visual History of the World by Jean-Pierre Isbouts

“This book is truly a story of our species – and how, against incredible odds, despite innumerable disasters and catastrophic conflicts, humans found a way to survive, and thrive.”

 Are you looking for a Christmas gift for the history lover in your family?  You may have found it in National Geographic’s new publication, Ultimate Visual History of the World:  The Story of Humankind from Prehistory to Modern Times.  I love history as does my husband and sons.  I let my sons preview this book and they really loved the high-quality illustrations. 

 The book is coffee table book size and has beautiful glossy paper and pictures. It starts with the dawn of humankind and ends with today’s COVID crisis.  The book is split into ten chapters as follows:  Dawn of Humankind, Cultures of the Bronze Age, Cultures of the Iron Age, The Classical Age, The Age of Faith, The Age of Conflict, The Age of Discovery, Reason and Revolution, The World at War, and The Modern Age.  There is a great introduction and epilogue that rounds out the book.  There are also great maps to illustration ideas such as human migration or the spread of Christianity.  Each chapter has notable dates during that time period and cut outs with interesting facts.  The end of this book also has a great section for further reading if you want to deep dive into any of the sections.  It’s a really fun and interesting book to peruse. 

 My favorite part about this book is that it dives into history from ALL around the world.  I like this description from the introduction, “It is a story told across the full canvas of human civilization, from Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Pacific, and from the Middle East – the birthplace of human civilization – to the Americas. It is an exciting story, filled with the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, the drama of wars and conflict, the stunning impact of new discovers, the heroic deeds of men and women and, above all, the power of ideas.”  I feel like what I learned in school was primarily focused on United States and European history.  I’m still trying to learn more about the history of the broader world. 

 Overall, Ultimate Visual History of the World is a beautiful and interesting book for history lovers and those that would like to learn more about world history.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette Book Group for being a part of the TLC Book Tour. 
Thank-you!

About Ultimate Visual History of the World

• Publisher: National Geographic (October 19, 2021) 

• Hardcover: 656 pages

Follow the fascinating threads of human history in this monumental volume, amply illustrated with maps, archival imagery, and revealing photographs.

History comes to life in this comprehensive overview of humankind, from earliest times to the present day. Each page is filled with stunning visuals and thought-provoking text that make this book an instant classic. From the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Gulf War, from the Xia and Shang Dynasties of Bronze Age China to the new space race, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the digital age?here, in vivid color and crisp narrative, is the sweeping story of the history of civilization.

Every chapter includes:

• Notable dates
• Salient quotations from the time
• Explanatory maps
• Fascinating sidebar stories
• Photographs of artifacts & landscapes
• Art works depicting dramatic scenes

Visually driven, rich and far-reaching yet friendly and browsable, with iconic National Geographic maps, illustrations, and images enhancing the pages, this new book is a history-lover’s dream.

 

You can complete your collection of recent National Geographic history books with National Geographic History at a Glance and More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar -- and you will treasure earlier National Geographic titles by this author, including The Biblical World,In the Footsteps of Jesus, and Archaeology of the Bible.

 

Purchase Links

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1000 Perfect Weekends: Great Getaways Around the Globe by National Geographic Society (TLC Book Tours)

 “The book you hold in your hands is entirely dedicated to the beauty and possibilities of the perfect weekend – 1,000 of them to be exact.”

 What is your perfect weekend?  Where do you get ideas on where to travel?

 1000 Perfect Weekends is giving me lots of new ideas of places to travel.  It’s a beautiful, large book (smallish coffee table book) that is a perfect conversation piece when you have people over.  Stunning pictures show great vacation spots around the world.  If you don’t have the means to travel worldwide, you can dream of it by exploring this book.  You can also find locations closer to home by exploring the helpful and detailed index.  The chapters are broken out into various interesting places to explore from beach escapes to camping spots, from family friendly vacations to food & wine, from historical explorations to wildlife adventures.  Each chapter highlights interesting vacation ideas and includes the nearest airport hub to each location.  It also includes a top ten lists for interesting items like beaches, golf courses, most-stop antiquing spots, music towns, television locations, food markets, places for romance, etc. 

 This is a very fun book to read, peruse, and just to flip through and talk about.  It also gave me some life goals with a list of the top ten bookstores in the world.  Number one is Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France.  I also loved the top ten national parks.  I have only been to one, the Grand Canyon, but I would love to see the rest around the world including the Krka National Park in Croatia.  I have heard my friend Barb talk about the beauty of Croatia for years and its very well represented in this book. 

 I also had to see how Wisconsin was represented.  Wisconsin has five locations in this book from the Great Wolf Lodge at the Dells to the Lumberjack World Championships.  I was kind of confused that Racine was picked as one of the top beaches. Living on Lake Michigan in beautiful Kewaunee right by beautiful Door County, I felt left out.  I always think of Racine as an industrial city I drive through, but now maybe I need to check out their beach . . . my birth state of Michigan had six locations including the beautiful Tahquamenon Falls, Isle Royale, and Sleeping Bear Dunes.  I approve.

 We are finally going on our delayed 2020 vacation to Washington DC next summer.  Looking at the top ten Battlefields, number two is Yorktown in Virginia.  We thought about this and extended our trip to stop by to visit.  I’ve never been there before, and the kids are excited.

 I have been enjoying this book for myself, but with Christmas just around the corner, this would make a great gift for anyone who likes to travel or likes to dream about traveling. 

 Overall, 1000 Perfect Weekends is a perfect book to explore great destinations around the world from the comfort of your own home.

Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!

About 1000 Perfect Weekends

• Publisher: National Geographic (October 19, 2021) 

• Hardcover: 720 pages 

  Packed with innovative ideas and inspiring photographs, this gift-worthy treasury features 1,000 dream escapes from sunny beach retreats to lush mountain idylls, exotic city sojourns, and wild adventures around the world. 

 Whether you're looking for a way to unplug from the busy work week, take the family on a quick getaway, or add to a vacation itinerary, this practical and inspiring book provides the perfect way to plan your next escape. Spend two days sailing off the coast of the Bahamas. Indulge in a foodie tour of Mexico City's markets. Camp with wild horses on Assateague Island. Take a drive through Italy's "Chocolate Valley." Skate the world's largest ice rink at Ottawa's winter festival. Whatever your pleasure, 1,000 Perfect Weekends has a unique itinerary built to excite you and your travel companions, illustrated with dramatic National Geographic photographs. Divided by theme and interest--including nature parks, city escapes, country weekends, mountain retreats, and more--this fun-packed guide offers an adventure you can experience in 36 to 72 hours. Highlighting the best short escapes from hubs across the globe, these trips cover more than 40 countries around the world. You'll also find 50 snackable top-10 lists--from the best places to go antiquing to the most relaxing spas to the top museums in the world--to add to your bucket list, along with first-person accounts from travelers who have scouted out each location.

 

Purchase Links

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America the Beautiful: A Story in Photographs (TLC Book Tour)

 

America is a diverse nation with natural beauty throughout. America the Beautiful is a coffee table book that displays the beauty with beautiful color pictures of the people and places that make up the United States.  There are 250 images from all 50 states and six territories.  The pictures are from National Geographics archives and span 100 years.  There are inspirational quotes from a lot of different people describing their state or territory. Overall, the theme is the song America the Beautiful.

 My son Daniel and I read through this quickly after we received it. We loved looking at the pictures and reading the short descriptions about them. The book is sorted into different parts of the country. We of course looked for Wisconsin right away. We liked the pictures, but only wish there were more for our state. Strangely a beautiful picture of the Apostle Islands said it was Michigan rather than Wisconsin. This bugged Daniel, but otherwise we loved the book.

 Overall, America the Beautiful is a wonderful way to tour America from your own home.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from the Hachette Book Group / National Geographic for being a part of the TLC Book Tour. Thank-you!  For more stops on the tour, check out this link.

About America the Beautiful

• Hardcover : 400 pages  

• Publisher : National Geographic (October 20, 2020)  

This glorious book of photography, featuring more than 200 magnificent National Geographic images of all 50 states, is a gift-worthy celebration of America's unique natural and cultural treasures. 

 America the Beautiful showcases the stunning spaces closest to our nation's heart--from the woods in the Great Appalachian Valley that Davy Crockett once called home to the breathtaking sweep of California's Big Sur coast to the wilds of Alaska. It also celebrates the people who have made this country what it is, featuring a wide range of images including the Arikara Nation in the early 1900s and scientists preparing for travel to Mars on a Hawaiian island. Culled from more than 130 years of National Geographic's vaunted archives, this provocative collection depicts the splendor of this great nation as only National Geographic can, with a dramatic combination of modern and historical imagery--from the creation of architectural icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lady Liberty to the last of the country's wild places currently preserved in our national parks. 

Organized by chapters focused on region (west coast and the Pacific, east coast, the south, and the Midwest) that are themselves inspired by verses of the original poem America the Beautiful, this book also features a moving introduction offering perspective on the country's unique journey. You'll also find behind-the-scenes commentary from the world-renowned photographers who captured this unforgettable imagery, and observations from the conservationists, activists, and historians who help keep America beautiful today. Profound and inspiring, this is a book for everyone who has ever marveled at the beauty of the United States.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble