Member: Becky
Book/Magazine: The Travel Almanac
Published in: Berlin
Price: $14
Why it's so great: I totally judged a book by its cover and it paid off.

I’m a sucker for rich, simple covers and thick paper. On top of that, I’ve been smitten by cover boy David Lynch for quite a long time now. My sister had Elephant Man on repeat when I was six, introducing me to his starkly realistic dreamworld and he’s been haunting me ever since. I’ve been stalking his recent Interview Project website, where he posts videos of a cross country road trip. The crew stops people leaving bars at 4 p.m., putting gas in their cars, watching paint dry and asks them intimate questions about being human.  

The Travel Almanac doesn’t ask him about that at all, really--it's way better! The premiere issue focuses on travel as something that grounds and connects us. It interviews dreamers and creatives about their traveling experiences. Lynch talks about how cigarettes make him at home and how he’s quit them. James Murphy talks about the things he’s left behind in hotel rooms. Rinko Kawauchi talks about the calming nature of trains. You know, “you don`t know a person until you've traveled with them!”

Beautiful images drag you into the conversation as well. Intimate shots of foreign locations feel familiar and make you nostalgic for places you might not have been. Split into three sections of guests, amenities and souvenirs, The Travel Almanac gives you more than just the itch to leave town.

FILED UNDER: Book Club , Becky Washington , The Travel Almanac , OCNY , Staff , Books