TTT: 3 books that feature BA real life women adventurers

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

When I first saw the prompt for this week, I was stumped. The theme is books that contain characters that have something in common-- be in in their hobbies or their personalities. After reviewing the books I've read on Goodreads and looking for common links, I had a flash of inspiration.

Why not talk about books that feature real life super cool women adventures? I rarely read nonfiction but when I do, I love reading travel logs from amazing women. You might notice how short this list is-- leave any recommendations in the comments below!

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird
I've mentioned this book on my blog before, but Isabelle is this crazy cool lady who traveled through Colorado primarily on horseback during the late 1800s. She is part insane part brave and her story was an interesting glimpse in a world totally different from present day US. 

 The Valleys of the Assassins by Freya Stark
This book is great. Freya traveled through the Middle East in the early 1900s, and this book is a compilation of her travels and adventures. She traveled alone, hiring local guides as she went. She spent an entire page deriding the horrible practice of grave robbing that some locals did, while in the next paragraph describing the grave that she located and plundered. In her mind, the historical documenting she did and her plan to sell the artifacts to reputable sources erased any guilt. It was such an unusual book featuring such an unusual journey! 

Now on to present day! I've actually reviewed this book on my blog. This massive tome chronicles the journey of three best friends as they travel around the world for one year. It was a fun, yet real read of the joys and difficulties of bouncing around the world for one year. 

That's it! I could only think of three travel books written by women...I am looking forward to read Marianne North's books-- she was a botanist who traveled the world in the late 1800s. Other than that I don't know of any other cool women adventurers!

What about you? What are you favorite travel reads?

12 comments

  1. This is really a different take on today's topic. I don't usually read non-fiction too, but this list sounds interesting.

    My TTT

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    1. I'm the same way! Nonfiction is normally not my cup of tea, but I make an exception for travel logs :)

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  2. Interesting. I don't really read books in this genre, so I can't think of any to add. The book that does come to mind, though, is RIDING FREEDOM by Pam Munoz Ryan. It's based on the true story of an orphan girl who dressed as a boy in order to survive. She kept up the disguise throughout her life and was actually the first woman in California (or maybe the U.S.?) to vote.

    Happy TTT!

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    1. Ooo Riding Freedom sounds so interesting-- thanks for the recommendation!

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  3. Nice topic. The Lost Girls looks like it would be a really fun read.

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    1. It really was! They had some pretty cool adventures.

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  4. I recommend West With the Night by Beryl Markham. She was a female horse trainer and air-pilot in Colonial Africa. She had such a cool life and was not afraid to stand out. West with the Night is her memoir, but Paula McClain's Circling the Sun is a fictional novel about her that I also recommend.

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation! That sounds right up my alley :)

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  5. I haven't read any of these three but I need to do so! I love a good adventure book and it's even better when it's an amazing woman and true! Great topic!

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    1. Thanks! :) Yeah, you should definitely give these books a read-- they're really interesting.

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  6. These all look great but I think I'll definitely be picking up The Valleys of the Assassins.

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