Running low on new reading material? We’ve got you. Here’s six new books to inspire the explorer in you.

 

In the pandemic era of lockdowns and border restrictions, books can give us access to the outdoor spaces that we can’t physically reach. While we all love returning to the comfort of our old favourites, there’s something about buying a brand new book and reading it for the first time that brings as much excitement as a new landscape. 

This month we’re getting our dose of armchair adventures from some of our favourite Australian and international adventurers. From campfire cookbooks to adventure glossaries and guides to some of the most beautiful regions of Australia, these new releases contain advice and inspiration that you can put to the test both at home and further afield.

1. Fire to Fork: Adventure Cooking

By Harry Fisher

Harry Fisher is someone who takes camp cooking very seriously. Having gained a dedicated audience of camp cooking enthusiasts through his very popular YouTube channel and Instagram page, Harry has finally put his recipes and cooking techniques into print.

Fire to Fork is the ultimate guide to cooking in the great outdoors. With over 60 of his own delicious recipes, as well as a guide to packing your ingredients, setting up camp and cooking over a campfire, Harry is taking camp cooking to an entirely new level and transforming the way we cook outside.

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Fire to Fork cookbook

2. 100 Things to See in Tropical North Queensland

By Catherine Lawson

Dividing their time between their Toyota LandCruiser 4WD Camper and their home on water, a yacht called Storyteller, Catherine and her husband, photographer David Bristow, have explored some of the wildest and most beautiful areas of Australia. And having spent the last 25 years writing for some of Australia’s best outdoors and travel publications, Catherine is no novice adventurer. 

100 Things to See in Tropical North Queensland is an exploration of one of the couple’s favourite areas of Australia, the region they happen to call home. Packed with the best waterfalls, Aboriginal art galleries, and beaches, this guide to the beautiful Tropical North Queensland region is the ultimate pocket companion for all of your northern Queensland adventures.

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3. Mediterranean

By Huw Kingston

In 2015, Huw Kingston undertook a year long, human-powered circumnavigation of the Mediterranean sea. Travelling via sea kayak, bike, rowboat, and foot to cover over 13,000 kilometres of North African and European coastline, Huw chose to start and end his journey in Gallipoli to commemorate the ANZAC centenary. 

While Huw was drawn to the journey’s test of his physical endurance, the adventurer also sought to highlight the plight of the children caught up in the political and social conflicts in this region. The result is Mediterranean, a powerful written account of the land, sea and people Huw came to know while journeying around this culturally diverse and naturally rich area of the world.

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4. The Red Curtain

By Dave Barnes

Australian writer and climber Dave Barnes has produced one of Australia’s first works of climbing fiction. An expert in his field, Dave has climbed for over 30 years and is regularly published in some of the world’s best climbing and adventure journals.

The Red Curtain is an enthralling tale of a group of NASA scientists embarking on a rock climbing expedition to Mars in the futuristic year of 2043. Blending science fiction with climbing writing, the novel takes on an entirely new genre in Australian fiction.

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5. The Bondi to Manly Walk: The Definitive Guidebook

By Tara Wells

Travel journalist and blogger, Tara Wells has been writing about Sydney’s best walks since 2009. In The Bondi to Manly Walk, Tara takes on over 80 kilometres of Sydney’s extensive coastline. Featuring 12 individual short walks that together make up the city’s coast, the guidebook makes walking Sydney’s coastline more accessible than ever. 

Letting us in on her favourite secluded bays and secret corners, the guidebook offers all the track notes, maps, and information you need to explore one of the most beloved areas of Australia. With additional accommodation information for anyone aiming to tackle a multi-day hike, this is one guidebook you’ll want to keep in your back pocket.

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6. The Adventurer’s Glossary

By Joshua Glenn and Mark Kingwell 

Diving into more than 500 terms relating to adventure, this little book is packed with interesting trivia, philosophical musings, humour, and cartoons that’ll appeal to any adventure enthusiast.

With terms going as far back as Shakespeare to the surfer, survivalist, and gamer subcultures of today, semiotician Joshua Glenn investigates these words and phrases, and questions the ideas of meaning and selfhood behind them. As the third instalment of Joshua Glenn and Mark Kingwell’s glossary trilogy, the book is guaranteed to change the way you think about words.  

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Feature photo thanks to @ktsfish