BOOKS
Notes for the Aurora Society
Paperback
June 2010
Walk 1,500 miles through Finland. From the islands of the Baltic to the Arctic coast, this work of travel literature looks at the Finnish people through their connection to the natural world.
Paperback: 368 pages
8.5 x 0.83 x 11 inches Purchase >>
REVIEW:
“Notes For the Aurora Society is a detailed journey of one man’s 1500-mile walk across Finland, which already sounds interesting enough. But, the author goes beyond a simple travelogue into the natural world. His journey is a unique and universal dive into the people of Finland: their hopes, their waning connection with nature and family, and the bridge between rural and urban. The structure is short, journal-like; each segment is small essay of a day or moment and the lessons learned during that part of a long, engaging adventure.”
“Traversing a small nation isn’t easy: both physically and socially. And that’s what always makes good non-fiction literature. This is a great read from a fine writer, can’t wait to dig into his work.”
Rise and Go
Hardcover, Dust Jacket
Linen cover with full-color dust jacket & flaps
October 2011
A large, coffee table style fine art book with nearly 200 photos from all over the world and 6 short stories by Jim O’Donnell — one story never before published and available here only!
Hardcover: 130 pages
13 x 11 inches Purchase >>
Hyenas Laughed at Me and Now I Know Why: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure
October 2003
Everyone knows that stories improve with the telling, and nothing helps a travel story more than something going wrong. As soon as things stop going your way you know you’re in trouble, but the frustration, embarrassment, danger, and inconvenience provide great material for stories once the anguish has faded. What we remember are the absurd, surreal, and wacky moments when travel becomes slapstick and grand plans dissolve into comedy. The adventurers here encounter just about everything you’d never expect, from a monster dildo that won’t go away to becoming the prey of religious zealots at the world’s largest human gathering to the proverbial “hair in my soup” at a French restaurant and the proprietor’s remarkable solution to the “problem.” In a case of life imitating art, nothing is too ridiculous on the road, as these travelers discover and so generously share without shame or undue embarrassment. Purchase >>