Off-The-Beaten-Path Books for You to Read in 2021

There’s never enough time for reading, so being selective about what we set aside time to read is a tough decision! Here’s what’s on our shortlist this year. I hope you get inspired to try out a new genre with us!

The Masked Rider // Cycling in West Africa

By Neal Peart – the drummer from Rush

Bill has been giving me just enough snippets to inspire me to pick this one up next. The Masked Rider is about cycling through West Africa and both the external and internal adventures a trip like this encompasses.
Peart’s other books include Roadshow: Landscape with Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle and a trilogy, Far and Away, Far and Near, and Far and Wide, all about the opportunity to explore that traveling with Rush provided. What an awesome gift for a Rush fan this set would be!

Prepping For Life // The Balanced Approach to Personal Security and Family Safety

By Grant Cunningham – author, teacher, personal, home, family safety instructor

I have started the first couple pages on Prepping For Life, and I feel like it’s going to be a bit like the FEMA class on preparedness. Anytime we can be smarter about being ready for whatever – natural disaster, accident, economic change – the better.
He also wrote Protecting Your Homestead for country living and Praying Safe: The Professional Approach to Protecting Faith Communities about defending an attack against a religious institution.

Habitudes // The Art of Self-Leadership

By Dr. Tim Elmore – CEO and Founder of Growing Leaders, author and speaker

Connecting with others is the theme of Habitudes that helps teach leadership to today’s students. It’s also available in Faith Based for Christian Schools and Churches. Our local JROTC cadets read this.

Other versions are Habitudes for Communicators, Habitudes for the Journey – the Art of Transitions, and Habitudes for Leadership Habits as well as other versions.

The Boys From Dolores: Fidel Castro’s Classmates from Revolution to Exile

By Patrick Symmes, a writer who covers the geopolitical scene

At least one book about Cuba each year is my goal. I have.a feeling I’m really going to like reading Symmes, who’s worked everywhere from Cape Town to Cuba, as well as written for Outside, Harper’s, and Conde Naste Traveler.
The Boys From Dolores is about Fidel Castro’s classmates from Santiago, and his own political and social history.
I’ll be reading this right after Randy Wayne White’s Cuba Straits – a Doc Ford Novel about a collection of letters written by Castro.
Possibly, I might follow it up with Symmes’ Chasing Che: A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend.

The Complete Sailor, Second Edition

By David Siedman, boating author

Bill read The Complete Sailor and liked it so much that it landed on my nightstand next.
Although, as a captain and basic sailing skills instructor, I am reluctant to read other sailors’ description of maneuvers. I suppose I’m worried about accidentally using their exact words to describe a sailing technique. However, having my own knowledge reinforced and adding another sailor’s angle to my own can only help!
Seidman also wrote The Essential Sea Kayaker about open water paddling, and On The Wind also about sailing.

You’re Fifty-Now What?: Investing for the Second Half of Your Life

By Charles R. Schwab back in 2001

You’re Fifty – Now What? was given to me about… 20 years ago! I guess it’s time to read it now.
Reviews say Charles R. Schwab is “America’s most trusted figured in financial services.”

Reinvent Yourself with Color Me Beautiful: Four Seasons of Color, Makeup, and Style

By JoAnne Richmond back in 2008

I picked up a used copy of Color Me Beautiful. I have a feeling “having your colors done” is going to come back in style this year.
More people are paying more attention to their faces this year – thank you, Zoom, and even I have noticed some colors make me look great, and others… fairly green.

The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook and My Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press Cookbook

By Gotty Griffith, By Julie Knight-Waters

One of my gifts for Bill was a “Tortilla tower” – a tortilla press, tortilla warmers, tortilla papers, corn meal, tortilla mix, and, of course, two paperback cookbooks he can dog ear, mark, make notations, add in additions and substitutions.
The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook has plenty of great photos, an easy-to-read ingredients list for each recipe, and not only tortilla recipes, but also burritos, enchiladas, tacos and more.
My Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press Cookbook looked like one of those brand-produced cookbooks, which I usually really enjoy. This one looks great – no photos – but the easily readable layout makes up for that.
For cookbooks, I really like buying used since then you don’t have to worry about writing in them, spills, and so on.
I must admit – I read cookbooks like other people read murder mysteries; cover – to – cover. These two, I can’t wait to dive in and start planning some meals! Uh – I mean – Bill’s really excited to read them and plan some culinary masterpieces! : )

The Buccaneers of America

By Alexandre O Exquemelin, George Alfred, and I Williams

The Buccaneers of America was a gift from Bill, and I’ve got it going as well as a few other books at the same time – they’re all so good!
This one is very unique; it’s a reproduction of the original work, and lies in the public domain. That means there’s no copyright, and I can share parts of it with you!
There’s no index, but plenty of space in the margins to make notes.
This sensational account of pirate life in the 1660’s and 1670’s originally was published in Dutch. Included is Exquemelin’s account of sailing with Henry Morgan on the 1671 raid of Panama City.
This is fascinating to me because I just studied the trade routes, and the Dutch, French, Spanish, Chinese, English trade policies and territorial expansion policies. Now I will understand this book even more!

Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

By Lisa Chaney

Who doesn’t like to read about self-made icons, poverty-to-glamour stories, and any one person who was able to inspire Picasso, Dali, and Stravinsky.
Coco Chanel begins with her dysfunctional, gypsy lifestyle. Some recently discovered letters opened a new view into her private life, revealing her drug use, affairs, and how misunderstood she was.
I’m secretly hoping I can figure out our family link “on the Chanel side” to her incredible family.