The great American road trip takes a dark turn in C. J. Howell’s moody debut thriller. As we hitch a ride in a musty Malibu with an off-the-grid drifter called Tom, we travel not only the reservation roads of the Southwest but also the... Read More

Does the world’s tallest bungee jump sound like adventure? How about drag racing in Los Angeles or swimming with sharks Down Under? Too crazy? Not crazy enough? Then imagine sand-boarding in Namibia, a wife-carrying race in Finland,... Read More

Guidebooks are well and fine, certainly a “must” for travelers, along with good walking shoes. But sometimes we crave the experience without the airports, foreign language, and sore heels. "The Little Book of Japan" provides an... Read More

Fifty million people visited Manhattan last year, and those who put a museum on their itinerary probably chose the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Janet Halpern and Harvey Applebaum have nothing against the Met, but they’d like you to know... Read More

It’s the dead of winter: time to get out of town. Most folks will think beach, but National Geographic’s latest coffee-table offering inspires creativity. Why not celebrate snow instead of flying away from it? Quebec City’s Winter... Read More

We close with a breathtaking collection of poetry: "Practice on Mountains", by David Bartone, the most original, expressive thinker and writer we’ve encountered on this rollicking university tour. (An understatement, to be sure.)... Read More

In 1861, knowing full well we Americans had our hands full fighting ourselves, the clever French made an all-out bid to annihilate the regime of Benito Juárez and claim Mexico, gaining a prized place in North America. With the 150th... Read More

In 1532, when Christianity first came to the Andes, Spanish colonizers translated Christian texts and music into the native languages and did their damnedest to open the hearts of Andeans to the message of Christ, virgin birth, and the... Read More