Laurent’s bold prize-winning novel is one of the most important works of fiction to emanate from Mexico in the past 50 years.Imagine that all your life you've been guided by someone else. Someone who's steered you away from trouble, taken you across the world, brought you success. He's called Santiago and he lives in your head—and now he's turned against you. The unnamed narrator of this debut novel blunders through life, never quite getting things right until the arrival of Santiago, a male presence who appears in her mind at the age of 14. Thanks to him, the naive innocence that has led her into trouble so many times is gone, replaced by a street-smart wisdom that makes her attractive and successful, with a ruthless streak that gets her out of sticky situations time and time again. But as time goes by, Santiago's good advice becomes increasingly paranoid. From his operations room inside the narrator's mind he tortures her with old photos, maps, videos—the story of everything that has ever gone wrong in her life. He causes fits and hallucinations, anything to get his way. Suddenly Santiago is dangerous, and will stop at nothing to be in control.

The experiences of an ordinary man on the pilgrim’s path are charted in this narrative that walks along the Camino Francés to the shrine of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela and then on to Finisterre, the westernmost point of Spain. The history of the Camino is recounted, as well as several of the myths, legends, and miracle stories that have become attached--and given special meaning--to this itinerary. Emphasizing that personal myths are an essential part of this lore, this chronicle also includes stories from the confraternity of the pilgrims, people from all corners of the world who visit this walk for a great diversity of reasons, but all of whom leave having experienced the same miracle--that this pilgrimage will play a defining role in their lives.

Guide to walking the Camino Frances through northern Spain, the most popular version of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or Way of St James, covering the 784km from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. The guidebook is everything you need to plan your camino. It describes the route in 36 stages and lists 500 pilgrim lodgings along the camino, including public and private albergues, with a description of facilities available at each, allowing the route to be customised to suit your own itinerary. The accompanying map book is ideal for day-to-day use, with maps for the entire route showing the locations of accommodation and services, as well as over 100 useful town and village maps. Divided into 6 sections, the guidebook includes an additional section from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and Muxia on the Galician coast. Each section is broken down into detailed stages with easily customisable start and finish points due to the amount of accommodation available en route. This two-part guidebook and map book provide an abundance of advice on planning and preparation, sample itineraries and detailed information that allows complete customisation of the Camino, making this an ideal guidebook for all pilgrims walking the Camino Frances.

"Whenever I was asked: 'Why did you go to Santiago?', I had a hard time answering. How could I explain to those who had not done it that the way has the effect - if not the virtue - to make you forget all reasons that led you to become involved in it in the first place." Each year, tens of thousands of backpackers (Christian pilgrims and many others) set out from either their front doorstep or from popular starting points across Europe, to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, others ride a bicycle, and a few of them travel as did some of their medieval counterparts, on horseback or with a donkey. In addition to those who undertake a religious pilgrimage, the majority are hikers who walk the way for non-religious reasons: travel, sport, or simply the challenge of spending weeks walking in a foreign land. Also, many consider the experience as a spiritual adventure, with a view to removing themselves from the bustle of modern life. Jean-Christophe Rufin followed this "Northern Way" to Santiago de Compostela by foot, on over eight hundred kilometers. Much less crowded than the usual pilgrimage route, this one runs along the Basque and Cantabrian coasts in Spain and through the wild mountains of Asturias and Galicia. Translated from the French by Malcolm Imrie and Martina Dervis

2018 ECPA Christian Book Award Winner 2018 Christopher Award Winner Two best friends, 500 miles, one wheelchair, and the challenge of a lifetime. Friendship takes on new meaning in this true story of Justin and Patrick, born less than two days apart in the same hospital. Best friends their whole lives, they grew up together, went to school together, and were best man in each other’s weddings. When Justin was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs, Patrick was there, helping to feed and care for him in ways he’d never imagined. Determined to live life to the fullest, the friends refused to give into despair or let physical limitations control what was possible for Justin. So when Justin heard about the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trek through Spain, he wondered aloud to Patrick whether the two of them could ever do it. Patrick’s immediate response was: “I’ll push you.” I’ll Push You is the real-life story of this incredible journey. A travel adventure full of love, humor, and spiritual truth, it exemplifies what every friendship is meant to be and shows what it means to never find yourself alone. You’ll discover how love and faith can push past all limits—and make us the best versions of ourselves.

The first one-volume walking guide to the most popular long-distance route walked by British tourists in Europe. With the advent of low-cost airlines it is as cheap for the British tourist to go to mainland Europe as to the extremities of the UK -- which is why in recent years continental long-distance routes have become increasingly popular with the British walker. Most popular by far is El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the ancient Christian pilgrimage route that has been travelled for over a thousand years to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where, legend has it, the bones of St James are buried. This guide follows the most popular route, starting at St Jean-Pied-de-Port in south-west France and heading all the way westwards across northern Spain for 800km to finish at Cape Finisterre on the Atlantic coast. Now, extending its series of Trail Guides beyond the UK for the first time, Aurum publishes the first compact one-volume guide to the path, fully illustrated with photography, it offers comprehensive route directions, sectional route maps, gradient profiles, a history of the route and details of sights to see and separate chapter guides to the main cities along the way like Pamplona, and a list of accommodation en route.

With over 1000 years of history, the Way of St. James is one of the classic long distance walks. This historical route along almost 1000 kilometres from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela offers unique cultural, scenic and nature experiences. Since the Holy Year of 2010 the Way of St. James has gained even more in popularity and attracts more and more people from very different backgrounds, faiths and generations. It does not matter what the reason might be for setting out on the path to Santiago de Compostela - in the end you are confident that you have had a quite special experience. The Rother walking guide describes in a total of 42 stages the whole of the Camino francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port via Roncesvalles, as well as the Aragon route from the Somport pass via Jaca to Santiago de Compostela, including possible secondary routes and the extension to Finisterre or Muxía. Thus the Way of St. James leads through a wealth of diverse landscapes, continuously interrupted by culturally and historically interesting places like Roncesvalles, Pamplona, Puente la Reina, San Juan de Ortega, Burgos or Leon, to name but a few. The natural experience dominates at first with the Pyrenean mountains, then the Rioja region characterised by vineyards, followed by the endless barren wastes of the Castillian plateau. But finally, it is the greenery of Galicia that rewards you for all your efforts and deprivations of the long journey, before you reach the climactic destination of Santiago de Compostela. If you still have time, then continuing to the coast, to Finisterre and Muxía, is highly recommended. Detailed maps, precise descriptions of the individual stages including easy-to-read height profiles, as well as comprehensive details of the infrastructure along the way such as medical services, shopping opportunities or banks, make your planning of the walk easier, especially for deviations from the stages described in this guide. Detailed information is also given about the location and standard of accommodation in the pilgrim hostels along the way, graded accordingly with one to three St. James shells. General tips on planning the route and equipment at the start of the book make this walking guide into a compact and practical guide. Special mention is also made of historical and scenic delights, as well as regional peculiarities, local fiestas and culinary specialities. A selection of representative photos provide insights into the diversity of landscape and culture experienced along the Way of St. James.

Since the times of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, Americans have headed off to Europe on odysseys of self-improvement. But until recently, Americans have not chosen 'the best way'-El Camino de Santiago. Bill Walker ("Skywalker") decided to undertake this 500 mile pilgrimage, stretching from the Pyrenees in southern France to the mystical Galician province in Northwest Spain. Better yet, he did it in the 'Holy Year' of 2010. Fully 200,000 pilgrims were struggling on foot to make it to the Great Gothic Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. The Camino is supposed to be a religious-spiritual pilgrimage. But some European pilgrims told Walker it was really the "The European Divorcee Trail." At Walker's side was his 18 year-old nephew, Gavin, who thrives with his special brand of Fonzie-like charm. The towel-snapping banter between the two of them is reminiscent of the frat-boy dialogue between Bill Bryson and Katz. Better yet, the two of them learn just how delightful the French really can be (except, of course, when they're being impossible), why the Germans are almost all model pilgrims, and the tragi-glorious roots of the Spanish national character.