Here we go again, more books from past trails. :-)

I've posted books about travels on horseback in past blogs: Tschiffely's Ride (8/30/14), Last of the Saddle Tramps and Ride the Rising Winds (June 2, 2015) but those rides were from times past. For a more recent journey on the domestic quadruped there's Connemara Mollie: an Irish Journey on Horseback and Dingle Peggy: Further Travels in Ireland on Horseback by Hilary Bradt. The author had always wanted to ride across Ireland and in 1984 that dream finally came true. She likes to travel 'on a whim' and without a definite plan, which makes her journeys all the more interesting. Nice descriptions of the country side, and a bit of history, too. :-)

I have great admiration for the wife of Cameron MacDonald, author of The Endangered Species Road Trip: a Summer's Wort of Dingy Motels, Poison Oak, Ravenous Insects, and the Rarest Species in North America. She agreed to go on this trip, using her maternity leave time, to follow her husband on his quest to see a certain number of endangered species, in their natural habitat, before the next school term started. They had two children, under two at the time! Lots of natural history included with the family adventure, a nice read. :-)

Another from the Images of America series: Route 66 in California, by Glen Duncan and the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation. While this only covers a small section of Route 66, it's full of wonderful pictures. Look for ostrich carts, and a young Dean Martin with a young Ronald Reagan. There are families on road trips, and intersections with familiar names that look much different than they do today. ;-)

Then a hop, skip, and a jump to books about words:

Who knew publishing a dictionary could be so difficult! In The Story of Ain't: America, It's Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Every Published, by David Skinner explains why. Language is always changing ... how do you keep up, should you? What about proper use, is it still necessary (and if so, when and where)? What about words from other languages that have become common? Slang? While I did find this to be a bit dry, and even a bit of a slog in spots, I did enjoy bits and pieces of this book.

Reading Hermit With Dog