Alberta Books to Satisfy Your Wanderlust
Satisfy your wanderlust and live vicariously through books. Find captivating fiction with vibrant settings, guidebooks to Canadian destinations, gripping travelogues, and more of our recommendations below!
Drink in the Summer by Tony Fabijančić
From the continental inland of green valleys and plum orchards to the austere, skeletal coast, author Tony Fabijančić captures Yugoslavia and Croatia in this moving memoir about his journey of discovery, freedom, beauty, and love.
Drink in the Summer: A Memoir of Croatia Tony Fabijančić
Published: Aug 15, 2023 by Athabasca University Press
Tony Fabijančić 
Published: Aug 15, 2023 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771993807
Available as an accessible eBook
Shifting Gears by Meaghan Marie Hackinen
Meaghan Marie Hackinen’s follow-up to her award-nominated debut, South Away, charts her unforgettable, twenty-five-day journey on the Trans Am Bike Race: a coast-to-coast ride across the entire North American continent from Oregon to Virginia. Without the aid of a support crew, Hackinen must rely entirely on her wits, ingenuity and sheer determination to finish this extremely challenging feat.
Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race Meaghan Marie Hackinen
Published: Oct 01, 2023 by NeWest Press
Meaghan Marie Hackinen
Published: Oct 01, 2023 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390801
Available as an accessible eBook
Alberta Place Names by Larry Donovan
A compendium of knowledge, this fascinating little book covers some 1300 plus place names in the province of Alberta. Included within are hamlets, villages, towns, and cities, as well as mountain peaks, rivers, lakes, and Indigenous communities. From A to Z, you’ll learn about the origins of the names, famous inhabitants and interesting tidbits.
Alberta Place Names: The Fascinating People & Stories behind the Naming of Alberta Larry Donovan
Published: Jan 24, 2007 by Dragon Hill Publishing
Larry Donovan , Tom Monto
Published: Jan 24, 2007 by Dragon Hill Publishing
ISBN: 9781896124117
Available as an accessible eBook
Of Canoes and Crocodiles by Tony Robinson-Smith
Of Canoes and Crocodiles is a story of adventure in the remote and threatened landscapes of Papua New Guinea. In 2018, Tony Robinson-Smith and his wife Nadya Ladouceur bought dugout canoes and paddled down the Sepik, the country’s longest river. Traveling with local guides and staying in their villages, Tony and Nadya ate smoked piranha and sago pancakes, heard tales of river gods and sorcerers, marvelled at rainbow bee-eaters and cat-size flying foxes, sank in a tropical storm, got lost in mosquito-infested swamplands, and hid from pirates in mangroves near the sea.
Of Canoes and Crocodiles: Paddling the Sepik in Papua New Guinea Tony Robinson-Smith
Published: Jun 13, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
Tony Robinson-Smith
Published: Jun 13, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772127348
Available as an accessible eBook
Lásko by Catherine Cooper
Mája has followed signs that she believes are leading her from her home in Canada to the Czech Republic, her mother’s home country. In Prague, she falls in love with Kuba, a charismatic musician who is a rising star in Czech New Age circles — but not all is as it first appears. Revealing both the falseness and truth of the stories we tell ourselves, Lásko is a profound meditation on the pain and potency of love.
Lásko Published: Sep 30, 2023 by Freehand Books
Catherine Cooper
Published: Sep 30, 2023 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781990601347
Available as an accessible eBook
Adventures in Small Tourism edited by Kathleen Scherf
As the effects of overtourism become apparent, small tourism is more important than ever before. Small and creative tourism not only reduces the actual and potential negative impacts of guests on local culture but actively seeks to strengthen and revive local communities. Adventures in Small Tourism explores possibilities for local empowerment through creative, community-based tourism.
Adventures in Small Tourism: Studies and Stories Published: Oct 15, 2023 by University of Calgary Press
Published: Oct 15, 2023 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773854762
Available as an accessible eBook
Half-Light by Amy Kaler
Braiding together personal, collective, and historical explorations of what it means to “go west,” Amy Kaler’s Half-Light: Westbound on a Hot Planet offers deep reflections on the meaning of life, middle age, and climate catastrophe. Her memoir weaves together three strands: living with the knowledge of one’s own aging and mortality; the slow-moving catastrophes of climate change; and the human history of the North American settler west, especially locations that hold traces of vanished pasts.
Half-Light: Westbound on a Hot Planet Amy Kaler
Published: May 30, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
Amy Kaler
Published: May 30, 2024 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772127409
Available as an accessible eBook
Weird Monuments of Alberta by Nicole Carriére
If a country’s large statues tell something about who they are as a people, what do Canada’s large and weird roadside attractions say about us? Find a delightful list of weird monuments in Alberta for your next road trip!
Weird Monuments of Canada: Quirky and Ridiculously Oversized Roadside Attractions of Canada Nicolle Carriére
Published: Apr 01, 2015 by Blue Bike Books
Nicolle Carriére
Published: Apr 01, 2015 by Blue Bike Books
ISBN: 9781926700632
Available as an accessible eBook
Up the Coast by Kathryn Willcock
Kathryn Willcock and her sisters grew up in logging camps on the coast of B.C. in the 1960s when children were set loose to play in the wilderness, women kept rifles next to the wood stove, and loggers risked their lives every single day. The author’s tales of grizzly bears, American tourists, and a couple of terrified gangsters, along with the wisdom of Indigenous elders, pour off the page like warm syrup on a stack of cookhouse hotcakes.
Up The Coast: One Family's Wild Life in the Forests of British Columbia Kathryn Willcock
Published: May 15, 2022 by NeWest Press
Kathryn Willcock
Published: May 15, 2022 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781774390511
Available as an accessible eBook
Muskoka by Maria Da Silva & Andrew Hind
Muskoka is a beloved region for summertime frivolity—a popular destination for tourists and cottagers. The region is also home to a remarkably varied and interesting history. Venture aboard steamships, into logging camps and elegant resorts, and through dense forests to the remains of ghost towns to unearth tales so much a part of the Muskoka experience…but overshadowed by the beautiful lakes and the endless opportunities for carefree enjoyment.
Muskoka Andrew Hind
Published: May 09, 2013 by Folklore Publishing
Andrew Hind , Maria da Silva
Published: May 09, 2013 by Folklore Publishing
ISBN: 9781926677828
Available as an accessible eBook