Yolanda Zappaterra

Amazing Art Adventures does indeed feature a lot of amazing art. Zappaterra put together a comprehensive book featuring a lot of different installments, museums, and exhibitions. Doubling down as a travel guide, it touches every continent and showcases many of the best art pieces worldwide.

[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]… (lisätietoja)

Cities of the Dead, by Yolanda Zappaterra, is an attractive and informative look at some of the great and well-known graveyards in the world.

Like so many people I enjoy visiting and exploring cemeteries. I used to think this was unusual but several times I would mention to people that I wanted to visit one and with only one exception they all said they wanted to come along. I guess some people think of it as peculiar to themselves, but it is actually a decent part of the tourism industry. This book will offer suggestions for future trips or, for places you won't be going, a chance to visit from home. I have only been to six of the cemeteries in the book and probably won't get to more than maybe a handful more. But there are still plenty in areas I will be going to keep me happy.

While I would have liked a few more photographs, that is more about me just being greedy than it is a negative about the book. I found the descriptions to be just about ideal for this type of book. Basic history, some key monuments and graves, then back to the photographs. I went online for a few that I wanted to know more about, but I wouldn't have wanted that much information about every single graveyard in the book.

One thing that really made me happy with the selections was the inclusion of some graveyards that might not meet some definitions of "beautiful." Part of the beauty of these is the history and the lack of pristine upkeep. I find old, neglected cemeteries to often be the most moving when I visit them, so seeing some here that are less immaculate made me happy.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (lisätietoja)