Peru in ImagesEdited by Jim Bartle
Paperback, 224 pages
Published January 22nd 2011 by Nuevas Imagenes S.A.
NetGalley review copy
Premise: Ganked from Goodreads:
This is a book of photographs of Peru, covering the great geographical and cultural diversity of the country. Photos taken by twenty-two outstanding photographers portray Peru's natural beauty, ranging from the Amazon rainforest to the highest Andes to the starkly beautiful coast, its cultural heritage going back to the Incas and their many precursors, as well as the varying cultures throughout Peru today. Each photo is accompanied by a detailed caption providing depth of information. The book consists primarily of six chapters covering the Cusco/Machu Picchu region, the Amazon rainforest and cloud forest, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca, the Pacific coast, Chachapoyas and Cajamarca in the north, and the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, the highest ranges of the Peruvian Andes. It includes 224 pages, with seven maps, a brief introduction, and an afterword on the need to conserve Peru's natural and cultural heritage.My Review:
You can get a preview of the picture quality at Amazon. The pictures are amazing, absolutely gorgeous. I love this sort of eye-candy. I could gaze at these pictures for days. Oh wait. I did!!
This book has more than pictures, however. It's written in English and Spanish, which broadens the audience it reaches or provides an excellent source for language improvement! The chapters are broken down by region. Each region is begun with a map. Each map has a magnified view of the region covered while also showing where that region is located relevant to the country, which is hugely handy for someone like myself who is relatively unfamiliar with Peru.
The pictures each have detailed captions in both languages. To read this book was to experience Peru visually while retaining what I was looking at. Quite honestly, I had no idea Peru is so diverse!
As each region is covered, the culture is explored along with the landscape, architecture & wildlife.
This book is like a sneaky geographical lesson. It's packed with information, but I didn't realize what I was learning while gazing at the beautiful photography.
There's background on the photographers, too. :-)
Great book. I recommend this book to everyone. People who are familiar with Peru will soak up the memories in great pictures. People unfamiliar with Peru will find they will learn a lot and remember because of the great pictures. Anyone interested in kick-starting Spanish or Peruvian culture - must have this book!!
My Rating: 5
My introduction to Peru came through a good friend of mine who lived there a couple years. I saw many of her pictures and heard her stories of traveling days from one place to another and the amazing diverse culture and vibrant cities. This book connected so many of her stories together for me. I loved it.
Speaking of my friend...
She has collected some of her favorite recipes from her travels in this cookbook:
The World Tastes Good
International Favorites
Naturally Gluten-Free
by Amy Elizabeth Lineburg
Per her website:
I’ve had a lot of fun collecting and writing down the recipes of my favorite international meals! These comfort food favorites also work well for people with my dietary restrictions, since they are also naturally gluten free!
I enjoy her description in front of each recipe describing the people and culture she learned it from along with some healthy food tips. Some comfort foods get a new twist and a fun story of how and where she learned the dish, like "real" Alfredo sauce from Italy. Many recipes are culturally exotic like Yucca balls from Bolivia. The directions are easy to follow... although, I'll warn you. I end up reading the stories and gazing at all the pictures instead of writing out a list of grocery ingredients!!You can get your hands on this cookbook HERE. Tell her you heard about it from Laura "Burgandy Ice"m but she might think you're crazy. You might have to clarify "Laura-who-likes-books!" 'cause I've only been blogging since October, but I've been best buds w/ Amy since the Summer Institute of Linguistics back in... well, a long time ago!!!
I've traveled a bit. Not as much as my friend, but enough to know that the world shrinks when you get around it a bit. People on the other side don't seem so far away and differences turn into delights instead of weirdnesses.
Have you traveled? Do you have a favorite recipe you learned in a different culture? or did you travel to some exotic place for a great photo? When you look at amazing pictures, do you see the real places behind them?!
