STP TOP 100 JOURNEYS OF DISCOVERY
'A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike... We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.' John Steinbeck
As you embark on a long summer adventure, why not take one of these texts along for the ride? You may discover a new place, a new recipe from around the world, a new writer to be your travel companion, or fall back into step with an old favourite. Thank you to everyone who has recommended books with epic journeys, moments of self-discovery, and incredible voyages. And huge thanks to Amy for guiding us through these new journeys of discovery with this wonderful compilation of recommended reads! Happy reading!
The Passenger (Ulrich Alexander Bochwitz) has as its protagonist a highly successful Jewish businessman on the run from the Nazis. It seems that journing by train between cities in Germany is his safest haven.
Brilliant blend of history, geography, social history, archaeology and more. Discover the world on our own doorstep.
Having moved away, Andrew Martin rediscovers his home county (and city, York). Engaging writing style; lots of home truths!
Follow Heinrich Harrer (first ascenist of of the Eiger and forme memebr of the Hitler Youth) as he escapes from an internment camp in India during WW2 crosses the Himalayas and journey's to Lhasa where he meets and becomes the tutor to the future (now current) Dali Lama.
Maurice Wilson, rebel and iconclast, taught himself to fly after serving in the First World War and decided to become the first person to climb Mount Everest by flying a Gypsy Moth plane from England to crash land on the lower slopes and then reach the summit. A true story, meticulously researched and a cracking read.
A memoir of Strayed’s 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey of selfdiscovery that makes you want to pack up your rucksack and start walking.
Maurice Wilson, rebel and iconclast, taught himself to fly after serving in the First World War and decided to become the first person to climb Mount Everest by flying a Gypsy Moth plane from England to crash land on the lower slopes and then reach the summit. A true story, meticulously researched and a cracking read.
Around the World in 80 Trains (Monisha Rajesh) is the diarised account of one woman's attempt to do just as the title of the book suggests. To discover so many countries and new cultures from a railway carriage is a fascinating way to see the world.
A voyage through time and continents and justifiably hugely successful. As the blurb says, 'A major reassessment of world history. A dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires, determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn of international affairs.'
A gorgeous, uplifting book, packed with insight about the power of yoga in all its forms whether you’re just starting out on your voyage of yoga discovery or more experienced. A helpful companion to help you find calm, happiness and resilience as you navigate through the journey of modern life.
Gurgeh is an outstanding player of board games - but has no idea where his skill will take him. Set many thousands of years in a future where issues of gender and inequality have been long since dispensed with by a way of life that is simply known as 'The Culture', he finds himself travelling to a backward world where things are not
quite as liberal minded... This brilliant novel holds an uncomfortable mirror up to our society, but does so with wonderful poise and subtlety.
Account of travels amongst the aboriginal people of central Australis in 1970s. It gives a facscinating account of the way ideas are communicated in way that is almost incomprehensible to our idea of linear and temporal communications.
Less about physical travel (though there is some), than about the journey of self discovery of a young woman from a family of impoverished, bohemian eccentrics, who live in a dilapidated castle. Not twee, just thoroughly enchanting and surprising.
A play that takes the audience on an uncomfortable moral journey. The spectators watch from the auditorium as Mr Biedermann, a respected figure in his town, brings about the destruction of his own community because he is too proud to admit his failings. Once thought to be about Germany succumbing to office of Adolf Hitler (this was vehemently denied by the playwright), this play is relevant today as the human race watches the destruction of the environment without reacting sufficiently to this crisis, or as some staunchly defend their right to bear arms in spite of the slaughter of innocent people.
A beautifully evocative autobiography of his travels and busking around Spain in the mid 1930s.
The use of senses, in particular smell, plays a huge part in this book, as the protagonist follows his noise to journey physically, and mentally, into unknown territory, whilst simultaneously committing vile acts.
The victim of a mysterious accident, the protagonist receives a limitless sum of money in settlement. Following an epiphany in a hotel bathroom, he becomes obsessed with a determination to find exactly what is real... This is an exceptionally written book - as rich in style as in content and while one never quite knows what is going on, it is impossible to put down.
The ultimate epic fantasy journey, with much discovery along the way…
The clue is in the title! The long journeys taken in this book seem repetitive, however the characters go on their own journeys of self discovery
Not just a cookbook but a journey through the streets and eateries of Bombay from breakfast through to nightcaps. The black dal may is absolutely worth the time it takes to make it!
Chris Hadfield has taken some spectacular journeys, and he's exceptionally likeable in his remarkable tales.
Brother of Ian travels across the USSR in the 1930s and into China. Just a great travel book.
It's such a fascinating story of the main character's life and the exciting journeys she goes on to achieve her goals, whilst overcoming great obstacles attempting to stop her.
Eva’s story, spanning years and continents, of family, friendship and a journey of self-discovery is incredibly touching and will make you laugh and cry in equal measure as well as take you on an evocative journey of discovery through Córdoba. Written by an English and Spanish teacher, maybe there’s a novel in all of us! This is a stunning book full of relatable characters and emotions and it stayed with me for a long time.
A plane crash in Tibet leads to the discovery of people who never age connected with the lamasery of Shangri-La. A ripping yarn with subtelty and charm and completely devoid the jingoism you might expect from the author of Goodbye, Mr Chips.
A very, very strange tale of loss, grief, and deep sea exploration.
This an extremely heartwarming story of outsiders who are mistreated by their fellow countrymen, fall in love, and manage to escape their shackles for a better life elsewhere. It's a journey of discovering the New World, and of discovering freedom.
A semi autobiographical account of prison escapee and heroin addict voyage of self-discovery through vivid storytelling of the fascinating people he meets and the incredible experiences he has through India in the 1980s.
Top 100 Journeys of Discovery… (by order of appearance) The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Bochwitz True Grit by Charles Portis The Dog by Shaun Tan Thin Air by Michelle Paver Walking the Nile by Levison Wood The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera Yorkshire by Richard Morris Yorkshire by Andrew Martin Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer The Moth and the Mountain by Ed Caesar Wild by Cheryl Strayed The Return by Hisham Matar The Salt Path by Raynor Winn The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton Wild Women and Their Amazing Adventures Over Land, Sea and Air The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan The Canon by Natalie Angier Nomadland by Jessica Bruder Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez Yoga Happy by Hannah Barrett The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien The New Wilderness by Diane Cook The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce The Martian by Andy Weir The Offing by Benjamin Myers The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell The Gunslinger by Stephen King They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal Rail Head by Philip Reeve The Arrival by Shaun Tan Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel The Marvels by Brian Selznick I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson The Arsonists by Max Frisch As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey Perfume by Patrick Suskind The Colour by Rose Tremain The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The Beach by Alex Garland Remainder by Tom McCarthy The Odyssey by Homer Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood Three Summers by Margarita Liberaki On The Road by Jack Kerouac A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan The Fantastic Flying Journey by Gerald Durrell Dishoom by Kavi Thakrar
Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin Becoming by Michelle Obama Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera An Astronaut’s Guide to Life by Chris Hadfield One’s Company by Peter Fleming Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Humankind by Rutger Bregman Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe Orlando by Virginia Woolf Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead The Midnight Library by Matt Haig How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang Circe by Madeline Miller Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Melmoth by Sarah Perry Oldladyvoice by Elisa Victoria All My Mothers by Joanna Glen Lost Horizon by James Hilton Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende I Am David by Anne Holm A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Life of Pi by Yann Martel Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts The Outsides by S.E. Hinton Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas The Awakenings by Sarah Maine Now We Shall be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett Heartstopper by Alice Oseman The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan