It might not seem possible during this pre-holiday frenzy of shopping, party-hopping, and “non-stopping,” but in a couple of weeks, you might actually find yourself with a little down time. Whether you have a few days off to relax, extra time on the plane, train or in the boarding area en route to (or from) your holiday destination, or some inclement winter weather that limits your mobility, here are some good reads that will at least keep your mind and spirit moving. Compiled by your friends at WalkArlington, this list offers an array of titles that are guaranteed to inform, excite, educate and even inspire the “walker” in you.
The Tao of Travel
by Paul Theroux
According to a recent New York Times review, “Like a musty old attic, ‘The Tao of Travel’ is a book to be plundered and raided. Part gossip, part philosophy, it covers a lot of the angles on literary travel…As I read about the many writers who couldn’t live without walking, I found myself reflecting on how I now find a walk anywhere, even central London, more edifying and salutary than any exotic bus journey.”
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World
A Pedestrian in Paris
by John Baxter
From the Los Angeles Times: "’The Most Beautiful Walk in the World’ is as close as a reader can get to the feel of a languid spring walk along Baron Haussmann's boulevards without actually being there. Baxter understands that the beauty of that great city[Paris] is the generosity, the bounty that allows all of her admirers to, as Colette once said, create their own little province — connecting a bakery to a park to a favorite shop to a literary anecdote. “
Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder
by Ken Greenberg
2012 Planetizen Top 10 Books: “’Walking Home’ is a personal, compelling and persuasive argument for more enlightened city-building. Walking Home articulates the urgent need for change while providing his colleagues and interested laypersons alike practical and entertaining guidance for bringing it about. Greenberg argues that, if we are to continue to live in large cities in an era of high energy costs and climate change, then we need to "reclaim the promise of the city" by making our cities places of diversity and adaptability, of density and vibrant public spaces, where nature and the city are integrated, and where we can leave our cars behind and walk among -- and get to know -- our neighbors.
Cities for People
by Jan Gehl
2011 Planetizen Top 10 Books: “With a physician's understanding of humanity, Jan Gehl is able to examine planning questions of the last forty years with impressive clarity and focus. His ideals - rejection of ideology in favor of common sense, respect for people and scale - offer a panacea to many of the environmental and health crises faced in urban areas across the globe. ..There is a careful blend of analysis and case study throughout, providing a backdrop to Gehl's tenets of urban living.”
A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson
From the publisher: “Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings”.
Wanderlust: A History of Walking
by Rebecca Solnit
From the publisher: “Solnit focuses on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from philosophers to poets to mountaineers. She profiles some of the most significant walkers in history and fiction-from Wordsworth to Gary Snyder, from Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet to Andre Breton's Nadja-finding a profound relationship between walking and thinking and walking and culture. Solnit argues for the necessity of preserving the time and space in which to walk in our ever more car-dependent and accelerated world.”
The Long Road Turns to Joy
by Thich Nhat Hanh & Robert Aitken
From the publisher: “One of the few books focused completely on mindful walking and walking meditation. ‘The Long Road Turns To Joy’ reminds us that we “walk not in order to arrive, but walk just for walking.” This book will appeal to anyone who would like to get more out of walking, from long-time meditators to those who are just looking for a way to make their walk around the block more meaningful.”
To check out these and more walking-related reads, visit Arlington Public Libraries!
Happy Reading and Happy Walking from WalkArlington!
WalkArlington, an initiative of Arlington County Commuter Services within the Department of Environmental Services, gets "more people walking more of the time" by promoting the health, environmental, community-building, and commuting benefits of walking.
