“A sort of travel book” is how this memoir bills itself. You do travel with the author to four different deserts in northern Africa, Australia and America, and follow along while he ruminates on the desert, the death of his father, his disintegrating marriage and his new girlfriend. This is a highly entertaining and readable book, one I would recommend as a companion for your own journey to the desert. (I took it with me to Sedona, Arizona.) ( )