Evelyn Hannon

Here in the Journeywoman office we're in the enviable position of having most of the travel books in the marketplace cross our desk as review copies. Some are more appropriate for our female audience while others are less so. While we can't review all of them we try to pick the best of the best to pass along to you. This listing has nine books -- everything from a married couple's travel adventure in Italy to a local's guide on Cuernavaca, Mexico to a title written especially for women travelers, 'High Heels and a Head Torch'. All could be 'fun' reading for you; all will make great gifts for the travellers you love. Enjoy!

Passeggiata: Strolling Through Italy...

This travel memoir will appeal to those women travellers who love Italy. A couple's journey that is both personal and universal, the author recounts their first shared trip to Italy in 1993 and their annual passeggiata over the next decade. On their spring pilgrimages to major tourist centers they develop appreciation for Italy's art, music and architecture. Wandering together along out of the way paths in tiny hill towns and seacoast villages, the author and her husband explore breathtaking scenery while marking shifts in their empty nest relationship. This book also provides many practical hints on how to travel like the locals, reminding us that even novice travelers can learn lessons from immersion in another way of life.

Author: Glen G. Husak

Publisher: BookSurge

Website: www.passeggiataitalia.com

ISBN: 978-1419682896

Juicy Tip From Book: 'We do bring back souvenirs and these have added to our year-round enjoyment of our once a year vacation. If we're lucky we stumble upon some distinctive local craft or folk art and just happen to see something we both like ... Sometimes the experience of buying an object and the care given to the ritual of paying and wrapping even the smallest purchases from small shops and crafts stands is what we appreciate most.'

Good Night & God Bless...

Ever slept in a bishop's bedchamber? Or napped in a nun's cell? This guide to monastery accommodation in Europe (Austria, Czech Republic and Italy) puts the holy into holiday and is sure to delight devout tourists, mainstream travelers, history buffs, and adventure seekers looking for something unusual in the way of accommodation. This user-friendly guide dishes up the details on affordable accommodation, local tourist information, and places of pilgrimage. Bathed in the golden light of history and religion, the author's enticing tidbits and anecdotes will appeal to real life and armchair travelers alike.

Author: Trish Clark

Publisher: Hidden Spring (a division of Paulist Press)

Website: www.goodnightandgodbless.com

ISBN: 978-1587680533

Juicy Tip From Book: The Kneipp Health and Spa Center is located in Bad Kreuzen, Upper Austria. This is a friendly yet professional spa center owned and operated by the sisters of Marienschwestern von Karmel. The sisters live a life of prayer combined with their work in the health center and in the outside community. The complex is on the outskirts of the 500-year-old village of Bad Kreuzen and overlooks the forests of the Wolfsschlucht Gorge, a mecca for ramblers and hiking enthusiasts... Fresh healthy food plays a vital role and the restaurant menu embraces healthy, guilt-free gourmet cuisine. A sister will often lead guests on an excursion into the countryside to gather herbs for the kitchen.' Email: kurhaus.badkreuzen@marienschwestern.at

With the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games fast approaching we thought this travel guide would come in very handy for those heading that way. This book is small, light and fits easily into a purse or backpack. It offers the top 25 must-see sights including side trips to Whistler, Victoria, and the Gulf Islands. You'll get best bets for dining, lodging and sightseeing plus a full-color pull out map. We found everything we needed about the city's neighbourhoods from historic Gastown to bustling Chinatown. There's kid-pleasing stops like Science World and the Vancouver Aquarium. And, of course, nature lovers will swoon at all the information you'll find about everything from Grouse Mountain to Stanley Park to the Capilano River.

Author: Tim Jepson

Publisher: Fodor's

Website: www.fodors.com

ISBN: 978-1400004478

Juicy Tip From Book: 'Shopping for Arts and Crafts in Vancouver: Galleries in the city offer some of North America's finest Inuit and other First Nations art and artifacts, notably in Gastown. Some of these deal in works that cost thousands of dollars, but you can also pick up less expensive ethnic item and momentoes in the gallery shop at the Museum of Anthropology, among other places. Vancouver is also full of artists and artisans, and many shopping areas (Granville Island in particular) have commercial galleries and graft workshops'.