Bored and stuck at home? Check out CCPL’s recommendations for some great Travel books on Hoopla. These publications were chosen for their quality of content and accessibility in digital format – so you do not have to leave home to enjoy these great reads! 

1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die  by Patricia Schultz

Covering the U.S.A. and Canada like never before, and for the first time with full-color photographs, here are 1,000 compelling, essential, offbeat, utterly unforgettable places. Pristine beaches and national parks, world-class museums and the Just for Laughs festival, mountain resorts, salmon-rich rivers, scenic byways, the Oyster Bar and the country’s best taco, lush gardens and coastal treks at Point Reyes, rafting the Upper Gauley (if you dare). Plus resorts, vineyards, hot springs, classic ballparks, the Talladega Speedway, and more. Includes new attractions, like Miami’s Pérez Art Museum and Manhattan’s High Line, plus more than 150 places of special interest to families. And, for every entry, what you need to know about how and when to visit.

100 Japanese Gardens by Stephen Mansfield

The Best Gardens to Visit in Japan

Part of the 100 Japanese Sites to See series

100 Japanese Gardens is an ambitious attempt to profile the finest gardens in Japan, while also highlighting lesser known, but equally accomplished landscapes in less-visited parts of the country. A celebration of Japanese landscape design, this book features gardens from Kyoto and Tokyo, as well as from the sub-arctic island of Hokkaido and the semi-tropical islands of Okinawa. Author Stephen Mansfield traveled the length and breadth of Japan on a quest to identify the most impressive gardens in this vast and culturally varied archipelago. His erudition and love of the Japanese garden shines through on every page, making this the perfect primer for travel to Japan or an enjoyable armchair read for gardening enthusiasts. Mansfield’s insightful descriptions of each garden examine design concepts and principles, space management, compositional elements, and the iconographic and metaphysical role of Shinto and Buddhist influences. Through his exquisite visuals and engaging stories, we experience Japanese garden designs not merely as landscapes, but as large-scale art installations. 

149 Paintings You Really Need to See in North America by Julian Porter, Stephen Grant

Tour North America’s greatest museums and galleries in the company of two incomparable guides. This lively companion highlights the essential paintings, by some of the world’s greatest painters, from Giotto to Picasso, on display in North American museums and galleries. Julian Porter has had a life-long passion for art. He worked for seven years as a student tour guide in Europe and since has conducted countless gallery tours in Europe and North America. His co-author, Stephen Grant, brings a wealth of expertise in twentieth-century artists, and presents them within the framework of a North American–led, sustained burst of originality and shock. Presented with wit and irreverence, here is the best that North American galleries have to offer. Focused and curated to give you everything you need to enjoy the greatest works of art in the best company and save you the sore feet and superfluous information.

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer, Ella Morton, Dylan Thuras

The bestselling book that celebrates wonder all around the world and in our backyards, now in an updated second edition with more than 120 brand-new destinations to explore, new city guides, and a full-color gatefold.

Birnbaum’s 2020 Walt Disney World by Birnbaum Guides

The Official Vacation Guide

Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops by Ed Sealover

Colorado is replete with natural beauty, award-winning breweries and a history that reflects its wild and rugged character. Author Ed Sealover offers this detailed guide to ten three-day excursions full of nature, history and unique watering holes. Discover sprawling parks and celebrated landmarks throughout the state. Visit oddball destinations like the trail of America’s favorite cannibal and the renowned ghost town of Saint Elmo. Work up a thirst on the hiking trails of Rocky Mountain National Park and unwind on the single block in the state that is home to a brewery, a winery and a distillery. Uncover the craft, creative and cultural gems that make the Centennial State a curious wanderer’s dream.

Frommer’s Hawaii 2020 by Martha Cheng, Jeanne Cooper

Comprehensive and completely up-to-date, Frommer’s Hawaii 2020 covers all the major Hawaiian islands, and takes you from world-famous beaches to secluded rain-forests and everywhere in between. Frommer’s expert authors―both journalists who specialize in Hawaii―know every inch of the islands and they’re not afraid to tell the truth. With their reliable, straight-shooting advice, you’ll be snorkeling in palm-fringed lagoons, catching the sunrise over a soaring volcano, relaxing on postcard-ready beaches, and experiencing Hawaii’s rich cultural traditions and innovative regional cuisine―everything you need for an unforgettable trip.

Lonely Planet USA’s National Parks by Various Authors

Lonely Planet’s USA’s National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Catch the country’s ‘first sunrise’ from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, take the drive of your life on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier, and climb the otherworldly rocks of Joshua Tree – all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of USA’s National Parks and begin your journey now!

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020 by Various Authors

This annual bestseller ranks the hottest, must-visit countries, regions, cities and best value destinations for 2020. Drawing on the knowledge and passion of Lonely Planet’s staff, authors and online community, we present a year’s worth of inspiration to take you out of the ordinary and into the unforgettable. As self-confessed travel geeks, we regularly ask ourselves: where are the best places in the world to visit right now? It’s a very hotly contested topic at Lonely Planet and generates more discussion than any other. Best in Travel is our definitive answer. We also reveal how well planned, sustainable travel can be a force for good: for the environment, for local people and for yourself – and include ways to help lower your carbon footprint and protect the areas you visit on your travels.

1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton

The ultimate gift for the food lover. In the same way that 1,000 Places to See Before You Die reinvented the travel book, 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die is a joyous, informative, dazzling, mouthwatering life list of the world’s best food. The long-awaited new book in the phenomenal 1,000 . . . Before You Die series, it’s the marriage of an irresistible subject with the perfect writer, Mimi Sheraton-award-winning cookbook author, grande dame of food journalism, and former restaurant critic for The New York Times. 1,000 Foods fully delivers on the promise of its title, selecting from the best cuisines around the world (French, Italian, Chinese, of course, but also Senegalese, Lebanese, Mongolian, Peruvian, and many more)-the tastes, ingredients, dishes, and restaurants that every reader should experience and dream about, whether it’s dinner at Chicago’s Alinea or the perfect empanada. In more than 1,000 pages and over 550 full-color photographs, it celebrates haute and snack, comforting and exotic, hyper-local and the universally enjoyed: a Tuscan plate of Fritto Misto. Saffron Buns for breakfast in downtown Stockholm. Bird’s Nest Soup. A frozen Milky Way. Black truffles from Le Périgord. Mimi Sheraton is highly opinionated, and has a gift for supporting her recommendations with smart, sensuous descriptions-you can almost taste what she’s tasted. You’ll want to eat your way through the book (after searching first for what you have already tried, and comparing notes). Then, following the romance, the practical: where to taste the dish or find the ingredient, and where to go for the best recipes, websites included.