Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Venice I Know is a work of non-fiction in the travel guide subgenre. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by travel enthusiast and author Margie Miklas. After five interesting trips to Venice, this award-winning blogger has many things to comment on to celebrate the culture, food, artistry, history, shopping, and accommodation available in one of Italy’s most popular holiday destinations. Determined to capture the true nature of the city and its people, Margie offers solid travel advice and deeper insight into the people who make Venice special behind the scenes, and the hidden treasures that you wouldn’t be likely to discover without a dedicated guide.

As an avid traveler and someone who has visited Venice, I was absolutely delighted with this guidebook from cover to cover. Initially, the thing that made the biggest impression was the passion and positivity with which author Margie Miklas writes, as every page is an eloquent celebration of quintessential Italian culture, but also homing in on the details that make Venice truly unique. The section featuring the glassmakers of Murano was especially interesting to me as that was my favorite place when I visited, and I learned so much more from Margie’s guide than I did from my own trip there. I would definitely want this book with me if I were to visit again. I’d certainly recommend The Venice I Know to anyone wishing to learn more, but also to those who want a charming escape with a highly descriptive and enthusiastic writer as their guide.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Your Travel Bucket List: The Ultimate Guide to Enrich Your Life with Great Adventures and Unforgettable Memories by Estee Gubbay is a fascinating combination of a travel guide, journal, goal planner, and self-development tool for travelers wanting to change their wish list into a plan and make it a reality. Planning a lifetime of travel can be overwhelming and often travelers have many questions while thinking about a trip beyond their comfort zone. Having a travel bucket list is an effective plan that can motivate any reader to move from one amazing journey to another one. The book is a good tool to make a solid travel plan by creating a travel style so that travel dreams can be achieved. Let's get started and create a travel bucket list that will be personal and truly unique.

Estee Gubbay's approach to a topic that is talked about very often is different and fresh and will help all travel lovers learn about the possibilities ahead. Some of the tips shared are phenomenal and can be made possible using the tools in the book. The author also speaks about the different types of travel that can be undertaken; Celebration Travel, Sports Travel, Culinary Travel, Volunteer Travel, Adventure Travel, Ancestry Travel, and Music Travel, giving readers ideas on the different types of travels they can do, depending on their likes and dislikes. Your Travel Bucket List has a lot of suggestions, advisor tips, pictures, and questions that will stir the imaginations of readers and encourage them to travel to distant lands and new destinations. It is definitely a book to have on one's bookshelf because, apart from encouraging travel, it is also educational and informative as it updates readers with a lot of facts regarding places and travel and can be used as a guide while planning a trip.

Reviewed by Daniel D Staats for Readers' Favorite

In Buying Walt Disney’s World, Aaron H. Goldberg takes the reader into a world most people have just heard rumors about. You will have your eyes opened to the massive amount of work that went into the project that culminated in the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971. You will be spellbound as you learn the connection between Walt Disney’s vision, his brother Roy’s financial savvy, and the team they assembled to stealthily buy land in the middle of Florida. Learn of the two retired generals—one who helped in the logistics connected with the D-Day Invasion and the other one in the early CIA—who were vital in opening the park. Learn about the covert missions to find and then purchase the massive amount of land that became one of the world’s major vacation destinations. This book is captivating and hard to put down.

Aaron H Goldberg weaves a true story of intrigue and suspense in Buying Walt Disney’s World as he explains how Walt Disney’s vision took shape. Each chapter leads the reader deeper and deeper into the covert operation that Walt insisted on to buy property without inflating the cost of the neighboring property that he might also buy. Even though Walt Disney did not live to see his dream come to fruition, the vision was completed on time with almost no debt. By the time you finish reading this book, you will feel like you know the Disney brothers and all the men who worked so tirelessly to make Walt’s vision a reality. I highly recommend this book and think Aaron H. Goldberg's other three books would be worth checking out.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father is a nonfiction travel memoir written by Andrew Jalbert. Jalbert knew, from the time he was a young boy, that he wanted to be an explorer, to have adventures, and so archaeology seemed a perfect choice. He also began scuba training with a friend; a hobby that also offers opportunities for adventure while working. That, combined with the job he found as a low-level field archaeologist, seemed the perfect recipe. And his scuba gigs seemed more and more suited to his dreams of adventure. Bonaire is an island off Venezuela’s coast and was where he first led a dive. Bonaire was a favorite diving destination for scuba divers. The island offered an infinite choice in diving opportunities. The first trip he took there led to many others. Like so many other divers, Jalbert found Bonaire irresistible and endlessly fascinating, no matter how many times he went there. Some twenty years after the first visit, Jalbert and his wife’s musings about purchasing a rental property on the island were put on hold when they discovered that they were going to have a child. Their son Luc seemed a perfectly behaved traveler, unlike so many other young children. So, yes, their trips to Bonaire could be continued, with a few tweaks on how they managed dives and such. Just how different it would be was something he was soon to discover.

While I love open-water swimming and snorkeling, the dependence on an external source of air places such limitations on exploring the world under the waves. In Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father, Andrew Jalbert shares most eloquently his love of scuba and his attachment to Bonaire, a diver’s paradise. As I read, I began to feel a kinship with the author and get a gist of what diving on the island was like. Jalbert shares so much about Bonaire: its environment, wildlife, aquatic creatures, and history, that the island soon becomes real and familiar to the reader. Adding in the unknown quantity of experiencing the island through his son’s eyes enhances the experience for the author; a point he makes so clearly in this well-written and enjoyable book. Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Going the Wrong Way by Chris Donaldson is a wonderful memoir that will also entertain fans of travel. When Chris leaves Belfast on his café racing Moto Guzzi at twenty-one, he has no destination, and little does he know that his bike won’t just take him places but on a journey of self-discovery, as he travels over land and sea, by boat or by train. The travels will take readers across countries and continents, including the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, North America, Central America, and others. It is a tale of courage in which the author encounters different cultures. He will be misunderstood, treated differently, welcomed in places where the immigration officer thinks he has emigrated to Syria, and experience more. He faces interesting situations at times, and heartbreaking ones, too. This coming-of-age narrative is exhilarating and his experiences as he travels through the Third World are hilarious.

The author writes in a style that is gripping and a voice that is observant and as readers follow the narrative, they get glimpses of the world he traveled through and the cultures and social situations in different places. There are fun and surprising moments; there are the challenging ones, and there are some that are breathtaking. Overall, it is an exhilarating ride that allows Chris to discover himself as he comes into contact with different people and diverse cultures. Going the Wrong Way is an exciting story that isn’t lacking in humor and the strong narrative voice gripped me from the first page. Chris Donaldson’s memoir made me want to pick up a backpack and hit the road.

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Road tripping as a form of self-searching is a theme that is no stranger to literature. The writer ventures into parts unknown to discover and inspire him with new realities he would not find in the corners of his writing space. In Paper Maps, No Apps: An Unplugged Travel Adventure, Johnny Welsh documents his sixteen-day road trip with his girlfriend Kristy Smith into the uncommon parts of America. From Frisco, Colorado through Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, into Mexico and then back to Frisco, Welsh and his girlfriend return after 16 days on the road with a refreshed and sharper awareness of themselves, of people, and of places. The interesting rationale behind this road trip is Welsh’s resolve to go unplugged--to eschew any forms of technology so as to revive deteriorating interpersonal connections that gnaw upon society in the age of mobile gadgetry.

Welsh admits to going unplugged for at least 95 percent of the duration of the trip. The remaining 5 percent involved using technology only as a last resort like texting his Italian mother who specializes in inducing guilt. The rest of the adventure is a study in the purity of old school practices. Paper Maps, No Apps is delivered in a casual and humorous treatment of places, people, and events. We don’t mind hopping into the backseat to join Welsh and his girlfriend in re-exploring the overlooked wonders and quirks that define the American identity. This adventure reminds us that technology, for all its advantages at making our life connected, can never replace the aesthetics of a face to face encounter and the lessons we can learn in a genuine world.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Rome: Keys to the Ancient City by Patty Civalleri takes readers on a fascinating journey to Rome and beyond the half a dozen places Rome is famous for; the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Pantheon and other places of interest which are usually thronged by tourists. Though some of the sites have been eroded by time, they have used 3D Virtual Reality in many of the ancient sites around the city so that tourists can easily feel what the Romans experienced. Rome is 2,500 years old, a big city with an even bigger history, and there are hundreds of sites around the city. Let's join the author and other readers to enjoy the dramatic, violent, beautiful, romantic, endearing, and enduring history of this city.

The descriptions of the three eras - Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern - throw light on the soul of Rome, but what makes a trip to Rome memorable is its ancient history. Patty Civalleri takes readers on a marvelous trip through its ancient history and the pictures shared will leave readers awestruck at the old world charm of the city. The Blue Boxes in the book share trivia, factoids, stories, and tales which are great for readers to get quick facts about the locations. The author's words and images will help readers experience Rome, its life-inspiring art, ancient underground sites, museums, notable churches, and other attractions. This book is a good manual for all those who are traveling to Rome and will encourage readers to travel and discover the beauty of Rome and experience its art and culture at close quarters.

Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite

Every now and then I come across a book that I wish everyone would read. Never a Stranger: From her past in Croatia and Russia, to finding a son in Bhutan, to befriending women in Africa, one woman’s stories of travel, connection, and self-discovery by Tania Romanov is one of those. A blend of award-winning travel stories, memoir, and photographs, it unfolds a theme of the discovery of ourselves and the world around us in an utterly readable, relatable, and emotionally engaging style. In a world of accented polarities, it’s a refreshing and touching journey into remote places and unexpected experiences that unite us as one humanity. The stories cross several continents and cultures. Interlaced with poignancy and humor, they educate and inspire, enlighten and entertain, satisfy our urge for adventure, and leave us feeling hopeful and reassured.

In Never a Stranger, Tania Romanov gives us personal stories of travel and adventure which introduced her to unforgettable places and people. In recounting them, she shares with us not only the uniqueness of the settings and cultures that she encountered but also her personal insight, philosophy, and reflection. Romanov travels light in life, building on her own family’s roots of exile and flight until they found a refuge in the United States. Not constrained by her own European culture and American views of what world travel should entail in comfort and itinerary, she bypasses the tourist traps and souvenir shops of the world to experience the real lives of real people. A wonderful read from an exceptionally talented author and photographer. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Solo Female Travel Book: Tips and Inspiration for Women Who Want To See The World on Their Own Terms by Jen Ruiz shares the author's experiences, inspiration, funny failures, and practical tips for anyone thinking about going on a solo trip. This book is a perfect manual for readers wanting to travel alone and it gives excellent tips on how to prepare for it, choose the right destination, plan the itinerary, take good photographs, pack light yet carry all the essentials, and make friends abroad so that they don't feel lonely. For those who have been scared to travel alone, this book is the best tool to make them get rid of those fears and be ready to discover the world on their own.

The Solo Female Travel Book is a fun read and the author's honesty and straightforwardness in tackling the subject will encourage readers and the techniques shared will gear them towards facing any challenge that awaits them, abroad, or at home. From her first overnight backpacking trip to the Havasu Falls, Arizona till the very end, the book will keep readers glued to its pages; and the adventure, the fun, and the planning of the solo travels and the solo travel suggestions and strategies will fascinate readers who love to travel to new destinations.

Jen Ruiz speaks about the topic extensively and expansively, leaving the reader in no doubt while planning a solo trip and makes traveling enjoyable and captivating. There are two free resources at the end of this handy manual; the first gives a list of groups, websites, and 10 apps that will help one to meet people as loneliness can be a deterrent among solo travelers, and the second is a list of 12 things that should be done on the night prior to travel so that they can travel with peace of mind.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

So You Think You Know CANADA, Eh? Fascinating Fun Facts and Trivia about Canada for the Entire Family is a non-fiction educational book written by Marianne Jennings. The author has long been an admirer of the grand and sprawling country to our north. In her book, she shares basic facts about the country, delves into the geography of what is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and discusses the shivery facts of Canada’s sometimes brutally cold climate. Did you know that Canada’s coldest recorded temperature is the same as has been recorded on Mars? Or that the largest wave ever recorded occurred off the coast of Newfoundland — a 98.4-foot monster that enveloped the QE2 ocean liner during Hurricane Luis? Canada is brimming with world records including the longest highway, longest border, biggest lakes, and largest totem pole. Ever wonder how the Canadian flag got its bright red and white colors? Or which films and TV shows are shot in Canada?

So You Think You Know CANADA, Eh? certainly lives up to its description as fascinating. As I read, I couldn’t help but spontaneously share facts with anyone who happened to be in the room with me. Her admiration for this amazing country is contagious as well. I found myself wishing, not for the first time, that relocating to Canada was a possibility, even with that weather. Anyone who feels at home in the outdoors will swoon at the descriptions of the wildlife, national parks and those thousands of miles of coastline. I loved learning more about Canada, even if I’m not sure I can ever forgive the Canadian who dreamed up the repellant recipe for Hawaiian pizza. Jennings includes a short quiz at the back of the book which is a lot of fun for testing retention, but she also includes a link to a more extensive quiz of over 100 questions to keep that fun going. So You Think You Know CANADA, Eh? Fascinating Fun Facts and Trivia about Canada for the Entire Family is most highly recommended.