I’m a big believer in spreading the word about other people’s books, so here’s a list of all the adventure-adjacent books that have been recommended to me in conversations about Eastwards and Far.
They’re in the order they were recommended, except for Paulene which I bumped to the top because it made my heart smile.
Paulene by Harry Foster
- Available on Amazon, recommended by the author on Facebook
- In his words: “My wife and I bicycled from Ottawa to Mexico in 1970 taking 49 days. Many great memories of people met and the fun adventures we had. We set a budget of $10 per day and almost got to over 40 days before going over budget. This adventure and many others are in a book I wrote to honour her after she passed after 57 great years together.“
Hiking the Dream by Kathy Gayle Didkowsky
The various works of Julian Sayarer
- Available on his site, recommended via email by Ann Morgan (!)
Ride ‘Til I Get There: My Epic Bicycle Tour Adventure Across America by Steve Carter
Walking to Camelot by John Cherrington
The various works of Anna McNuff
- Available on her site, recommended by my friend Dave during our Windrush Bike Project volunteering!
Relish in the Tread by Steve Hunter
Metal Cowboy by Joe Kurmaskie
Mud, Sweat, and Gears by Joe Kurmaskie
Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon
- Available through his website, recommended by Julie and Ian on Facebook
- I’ve read this twice – once as a teenager, once about a decade later – and it had a formative impact on my writing
On the Trail of Marco Polo: Along the Silk Road by Bicycle by Brady Fotheringham
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
- Available everywhere, recommended by Nancy on Facebook
The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin by Wayne McCrory
- Coming May 2025, recommended by Ian in a FB message
The Backyard Adventurer by Beau Miles
- Available on Beau’s website, recommended by Ray of Trailmark Podcast when we spoke
Ten Thousand Miles of America by Richard A. Suleski
- Info available on Google Books, recommended by Bill on Facebook
Against the Wind by Dennis Olson
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
- Available on Amazon, recommended by Ballan via email
In June 2024 I ran a giveaway where people had to recommend a book to enter, this is what I got:
- Hiking through: One mans journey to peace and freedom on the Appalachian Trail by Paul Stutzman
- Fifty Shades of the USA by Anna McNuff
- Changing Gears by Leah Day
- Ultra processed people by Chris van Tulleken
- The Hobbit!
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Pedalling into the Unknown by Sally Fenner
More to come.