From Tajikistan to Bolivia, and from Jamaica to Sri Lanka, this is perfectly serviceable as a memoir of one person's travel notes, but really quite poor if you're not that one person. In scattershot fashion (with a tendency to go west from SE Asia) we see eleven countries, all illustrated by large water-colours, where each and every time the lack of an attractive face in the locals is proof of the creator's mediocre talent. The text alongside these is a mix of the usual tour guide gazetteer (for those who demand to know life expectancy before they turn up somewhere) and personal impression. But even this is really scattershot in itself – the entry for Romania will highlight the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, then disperse around the country, only to then return to give the Palace its own entry; Poland does Warsaw to Krakow and back then all over the place at random, too. The entries are pleasant enough when you know a place (I have been to five of these eleven states), but to a researcher before travel are pretty much useless. As I say, know the creator and then their art and thoughts from abroad may be worth something; without that personal connection this is a most trivial and ineffectual purchase.

#DazzlingDestinations #SatiAchath #NotionPress #NetGalley

This is a travelogue providing information on eleven destinations the author has visited and spent time in.

Insight into local sights and sounds is provided along with watercolors and illustrations.

This ARC could serve as a little guidebook while visiting these destinations.

Beautifully illustrated book that will be ideal for the coffee table. I highly enjoyed reading about all of the places and looking at the pictures. I know I spotted at least to new places that I can’t wait to add to my list.

Thinking about a trip? Want to go somewhere that may dazzle you? This book looks at attractions and more in a number of interesting travel destinations. These include Vietnam, Thailan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzanio, Uganda, Poland, Romania and Bolivia. Each of these countries has been visited by the author.

Each entry includes lots of information. There is also artwork that I think was done by the author who writes in a style that directly addresses the reader.

Armchair or true travelers may enjoy taking a look at this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Notion Press for this title. All opinions are my own.