Come on a journey with Carrie, a young Australian with a notebook and an evocative ability to bring places you may have never seen to life through her words. See stretching grasslands 100km wide; hear the music of ice by a beach; smell some rousing local cuisine; grapple with challenging political history; and watch the earth's surface change through a train carriage window.

Ten countries, tens of thousands of kilometres, and a whole lot of adventure.

This book is relatable, fun, interesting and easy to read and understand. It's presented in the style of Bill Bryson's travel books, following the author on the journey - with plenty of wit and humour. It was written in the moment while the author was travelling, so you'll feel like you were there too. You'll marvel as she marvelled, wonder as she wondered, and learn as she learned.

Stunning photographs of the places the author visited are presented at the beginning of each chapter. It's a thoughtful and entertaining travel book, full of adventure and curiosity.

If either you or someone you want to buy a present for:

• loves travel
• can't travel but wants to experience the next best thing
• is interested in the different countries and environments of the world
• wants an easy but engaging read

Then this is the book for you.

The book's themes include: travel, culture, exploring, adventure, history, food, nature, railway, music, beauty, hiking, architecture, stories, religion, Mongolian nomads, Soviets, World War Two, the Holocaust, learning. These are presented in an entertaining read that takes the reader on a journey through a fascinating part of the world.

The countries Carrie visits on this journey are China, Mongolia, Russia (including Siberia), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.