The Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Summary

This really is hardly worth the time to post, but it goes against my nature to leave things incomplete.

I had such good intentions of reading everything on my original list, but only managed to read TWO of the TEN chosen. Sigh. I need to learn to get by on less sleep so I can read more.

Thank you, Lesley, for hosting the challenge. I guess I wound up having so much fun on my real vacations this year that I didn't need to escape via your Armchair challenge. Maybe next year?

Original List:

True North: Exploring the Great Canadian Wilderness by Bush Plane by George Erickson

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer House by George Howe Colt

A Garden in Lucca: Finding Paradise in Tuscany by Paul Gervais

On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis

The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land by Ferenc Máté

French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes

Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy by Frances Mayes

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

Completed books (click on title to read my review):

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (3.5/5)

On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis (4.5/5)

Best book(s) I read for the challenge:

That's easy. On Rue Tatin. I so want to go to France now!

Books I could've done without:

Well, I enjoyed the Bryson book, but I didn't love it. Probably wouldn't have been the end of the world if I had never read it.

Any new authors? Will I read them again?

I've only listened to Bryson on audio, so I'd consider both of these authors as new-to-me. In spite of the mediocre reaction to the Bryson book, I'd be willing to read more by him. And, I'd definitely read more by Loomis. Even her cookbooks!

Best thing about the challenge? What did I learn?

Bottom line? I learned that I like to make lists. ;)

On Rue Tatin

On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Hermann Loomis
Nonfiction - Travelogue/Culinary Memoir
Finished on 9/24/07
Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)
Armchair Travel Reading Challenge #2



When I arrived at the train station in Normandy I was met by a tall, thin, harried-looking woman who drove me to her large stone house. We entered a huge courtyard with its sculpted privets and riotous dahlias and I saw the image of all I love in France. Solid and square with graceful proportions, it was a maison bourgeoise, its facade a parade of tall windows each hung with a different antique lace curtain. Geraniums and pansies spilled out of window boxes, an antique bicycle leaned against the wall, the wicker basket on its back fender overflowing with petunias.

Book Description

Susan Loomis arrived in Paris twenty years ago with little more than a student loan and the contents of a suitcase to sustain her. But what began then as an apprenticeship at La Varenne École de Cuisine evolved into a lifelong immersion in French cuisine and culture, culminating in permanent residency in 1994. On Rue Tatin chronicles her journey to an ancient little street in Louviers, one of Normandy’s most picturesque towns.

With lyrical prose and wry candor, Loomis recalls the miraculous restoration that she and her husband performed on the dilapidated convent they chose for their new residence. As its ochre and azure floor tiles emerged, challenges outside the dwelling mounted. From squatters to a surly priest next door, along with a close-knit community wary of outsiders, Loomis tackled the social challenges head-on, through persistent dialogue--and baking.

On Rue Tatin includes delicious recipes that evoke the essence of this region, such as Apple and Thyme Tart, Duck Breast with Cider, and Braised Chicken in White Wine and Mustard. Transporting readers to a world where tradition is cherished, On Rue Tatin provides a touching glimpse of the camaraderie, exquisite food, and simple pleasures of daily life in a truly glorious corner of Normandy.

What a charming book! And, I have absolutely no idea when or where I got it. I suspect the pretty cover enticed me, but I have no recollection of the purchase. Thanks to Lesley's Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge, I picked it out of my nonfiction stack, and am so pleased to have discovered such an entertaining author. It's a wonderfully readable narrative, which pulled me in right from the very beginning, making me long for a trip to France (and a larger kitchen!). Loomis writes with a very conversational voice and I found it easy to envision her home, family and the surrounding village. She's the type of person I'd love to have for a next door neighbor. Imagine the delicious treats and cooking tips shared over a cup of café au lait!

I have several pages marked with sticky notes, but the majority turn out to be references to the town of Louviers. I want to be prepared should I ever get lucky enough to visit this quaint village.

The book is filled with lots of tempting recipes, all of which are preceded by one or two paragraphs describing either the origin of the recipe or why it's one of the author's favorites. Here are just a few mouth-watering examples: Melting Apple Custard, Pear and Honey Clafoutis, and Audrey's Yogurt Cake. I didn't find quite as many to test as I did in Consuming Passions, but I wound up enjoying this delightful book much more so than West's. And, should I ever find myself wondering how in the world to prepare leg of wild boar, I can simply turn to page 202 and follow Loomis' detailed recipe for Rôti de Cuisse de Sanglier. Then again, seeing as how wild boar are a bit scarce in Nebraska, I suppose I can always substitute with a pork shoulder or haunch.

And, of course now I'm tempted to buy everything Loomis has written, starting with Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin and Tarte Tatin.

But even more tempting is to make plans to do this!

A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Nonfiction - Travel Essay
Finished on 7/29/07
Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)
Joy's Nonfiction Challenge #3
Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge #1



It is such a strange contrast. When you're on the AT, the forest is your universe, infinite and entire. It is all you experience day after day. Eventually it is about all you can imagine. You are aware, of course, that somewhere over the horizon there are mighty cities, busy factories, crowded freeways, but here in this part of the country, where woods drape the landscape for as far as the eye can see, the forest rules. Even the little towns like Franklin and Hiawassee and even Gatlinburg are just way stations scattered helpfully through the great cosmos of the woods.

In many ways, living aboard a boat for 13 days was not all that different than Bryson's description of the AT. Cruising the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands, I easily lost all track of time and place. Sure, we visited small communities for fuel, provisions, and sightseeing, but each and every town had a laidback feel that makes one imagine that even the locals are on a perpetual holiday. Returning to the land of "gas stations, Wal-Marts, Kmarts, Dunkin Donuts, Blockbuster Videos, a ceaseless unfolding pageant of commercial hideousness" is quite a shock to the relaxed state of mind.

Bill Bryson has written close to a dozen books, ranging from travel essays to linguistics/etymology to science/history and most recently, his memoir of growing up in Iowa during the fifties. Several years ago, I listened to I'm A Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away and thought it was quite funny. We've had A Walk in the Woods in our collection for many years and thanks to Joy's Nonfiction Challenge and Lesley's Armchair Traveler Challenge, I finally had the motivation I needed to read it.

I have fond childhood memories of camping with my family. Dad and my brothers (I assume this, as I never really paid attention!) would pitch the tent and Mom would get the "kitchen" organized. Meals were magically prepared and clean dishes appeared whenever needed. The four of us kids roamed around the camp grounds making new friends, playing in the dirt or down by the lake. Camping was fun. It was carefree. Just the way it should be for kids.

Of course as an adult, my husband and I wanted to share the experience of the great outdoors with our girls. Rod had been a Boy Scout and knew all about building fires, pitching tents, following the North star and looking for moss on the side of a tree trunk -- wait a minute! This is the guy who gets lost in his own neighborhood!

Anyhow, we decided to take the girls camping in the Sequoia National Park. We camped near Hume Lake with our two tents, fishing gear, Coleman stove, flashlights, cooler, beach chairs (we had to sit on something!), baseball & mitts, and fannypacks. Yep, we were ready. However, Dad and Mom made it all look so easy back in the 60s. What I failed to learn was that camping is A LOT OF WORK! Bring out the ice chest, fix a meal, clean the dishes in a little tub of soapy water, put the food away so the bears don't smell it, and repeat two more times every day! And then there's the lack of an automatic coffee maker. Oh, and that minor detail about just how uncomfortable it is to sleep in a sleeping bag directly on the COLD, HARD, ROCKY ground.

Let's just say that I have a deep appreciation for Bill Bryson's attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Who can possibly blame him for taking an extended break from his endeavor? He managed to walk hundreds of miles through terrible weather conditions, poor trail markings, poorly detailed maps, with minimal provisions (thanks to his travel companion who felt compelled to toss away the unnecessary items that were deemed too heavy to carry).

While I did not find this to be "choke-on-your-coffee funny" as described by the Washington Post Book World, I did find a sprinkling of humorous passages. I also enjoyed the tidbits of historical information that Bryson incorporates so well in his narrative.

My favorite one-liner:

I was perched on the edge of the sleeping platform lost in a little reverie...absorbed with trying to get a small volume of water to boil--quite happy really--when one of the middle-aged guys drifted over and introduced himself as Bob. I knew with a sinking heart that we were going to talk equipment. I could just see it coming. I hate talking equipment.

"So what made you buy a Gregory pack?" he said.

"Well, I thought it would be easier than carrying everything in my arms."

Overall, not a bad read. I'm not sure it was necessarily a good thing to read about bears while hiking through the woods on a nearly deserted island in the Pacific Northwest, but at least I was prepared if I ran into one. Thank goodness I didn't see any. I can never remember if you're supposed to play dead if you encounter a brown bear and try to run and climb the nearest tree if it's a black bear or the other way around! And even if I did, I couldn't remember which bears are native to which part of the country. It's no wonder I only lasted one year in Bluebirds!