Red Tape and White KnucklesLois Pryce Century, £11.99
The subject of Lois Pryce's first book was a motorbike trip across the Americas, from the frozen wilds of Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America. This book deals with an altogether more challenging proposition: a solo motorcycle tour from the North African port town of Tunis to Cape Town in South Africa. This is not a considered essay on what it means to travel through some of the most dangerous parts of Africa - it is a gutsy tale of one woman and her bike, told with vigour and honesty. Pryce is all too aware of her failings, notably her pasty complexion,
but she manages to make the journey an enjoyable experience and a solid read. There are the usual chaotic scenes of jumble in border towns, and heart-warming tales of help en route. But there are also some genuinely chilling episodes and these make the book, and perhaps the journey, all too authentic.
MongoliaLonely Planet, £15.99
If racing through Africa on the back of a bike seems a tad too ambitious, but you are still hankering to get away from the tourist throngs, there are few places as accessible yet as wilfully adventurous as Mongolia. The rolling empty steppes make for the perfect activity holiday, from trekking and kayaking to wrestling and horse-riding. There are useful sections on the various cultural rituals, including the intricate vodka dip-and-flick routine, and a number of ambitious itineraries. Despite the country's fearsome history, reproduced in a succinct timeline format here, hospitality is second nature to the locals, making Mongolia a very tempting proposition.