I don't need to see the first signs of crimson blossom on the pohutukawa trees at the Devonport seafront to know Christmas is nigh. What signals the approach of the festive season to me is when the usual trickle of travel books swells into a flood.
That's good news if you enjoy reading a good travel book but bad news if you seek to read them all in order to write informed reviews.
This year, I confess, I haven't managed to get through the lot. Several of the books in the review pile I have managed to read, some I merely scanned to get a feel for the contents, a few I decided weren't worth the bother and threw out.
One flat coyote on the centre line
By Karen Goa
New Holland, $29.99
Quirky probably isn't the first word that leaps to mind when you think of Canada. But that's the delightful picture painted by Goa, a refugee from Saskatchewan who now lives in Devonport, following a sentimental journey through the land of her birth.
While most tourists tend to focus on the mountain scenery, Goa discovers oddities like cow bingo and cod tongues, intriguing communities and weird folk with strange tales to tell a passing traveller.
Through her eyes we meet the Hutterites who left Germany in World War I after religious persecution, the Acadians of New Brunswick, the giant pumpkin king of Windsor, Nova Scotia and many other fascinating Canadians you'd never ordinarily hear of.
Even the vehicle bought for the journey joins the quirky theme. The Beast, a '56 Chevy station wagon in which Goa and husband Ken drive across 10 provinces, sleeping in the rear, emerges as a personality in its own right.
Needless to say not everything goes smoothly but luckily Goa has a great sense of humour and there are plenty of "flat coyotes" and "moose moments" ... but you'll have to read the book to find out about those.
A year of adventures: A Guide to What, Where and When to do it
By Andrew Bain
Lonely Planet, $39.99
If you're planning to travel the world in search of adventure this is the guidebook for you. For each week of the year Lonely Planet have come up with half a dozen adventurous activities to try.
Their year starts with bungy-jumping in Queenstown "before the sun's even risen on the rest of the world" and finishes with marooning yourself on Robinson Crusoe Island off the coast of South America.
In between times you can run in the Race of Hope up Mt Cameroon (February), join the Alaskan dog sleds in the Iditarod (March), see the original bungy-jumpers on Pentecost Island (April), take advantage of the so-called Everest Window (May), compete in the 5000km Race Across America (June), run with the bulls in Pamplona (July), join the Dutch for a mudwalk at Groningen (August), swim with humpback whales in Tonga (September), try the Snowman Trek in Bhutan (October) and walk the Milford Track in November.
Last seen in Lhasa
By Claire Scobie
Random House, $37.99
The search for a rare red lily in a remote part of Tibet sparks a lasting friendship between journalist Scobie and a young Buddhist nun.
As a result Scobie returns to Tibet again and again to see her friend, a free spirit whose adherence to the Buddhist religion is unquestioning, a dangerous practice in a country in which 60,000 monasteries have been reduced to just a few hundred today.
Through the young nun the author meets young Tibetans chaffing under the yoke of Chinese rule and gets a rare insight into the life they lead in modern Lhasa.
San Sombrero: A Land of Carnivals, Cocktails and Coups
By Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch
Hardie Grant, $34.99
This guide to a land whose main attraction is its lack of extradition treaties is the latest offering in the Jet Lag series which brought us the hilarious Molvania and Phaic Tan.
I don't think it's quite as funny as its predecessors - though that may be because having chuckled my way through both I knew what to expect - but it's still a delight to read.
For all I find travel guides immensely useful they are sometimes just a little worthy and it is fun to see the mickey taken out of the formula in a way any traveller will easily relate to.
Highlights include eco notes from Helena Ddork who made her name writing for the magazine Clean, Green and Smug; a government campaign to combat smoking through a health warning that smoking leads to increased genital size; details of local cocktails such as the unique pork smoothie; a special section on wildlife including a tarantula so hairy it has dreadlocks; and helpful advice on the best place to buy rare products made from endangered species.
Bad taste? Sure. That's the point.
The best of Wellington
Insider Guides, $25
It's tempting to suggest this could join the list of the world's smallest books - I'm sure you've heard of others like World-Famous Belgians and Great Italian War ... no that's probably politically incorrect - and it is a very compact publication.
But that would be unfair because it may be small but it is packed with useful information about Wellington, including some handy maps, and would be a very helpful companion to a holiday in the capital.
The last hurrah: From Beijing to Arnhem 2005
By Des Molloy
Panther Publishing, $31
Two old bikies from Wellington - and the son of one of them - ride two almost equally old bikes across Eurasia from Beijing in China to Arnhem in Holland.
The blurb on the cover says, "You don't need to be a motorcycle maniac to enjoy this story which reads like a long yarn over a few beers."
I only had time to flick through the pages and enjoy a few anecdotes but that sounds like a pretty accurate description.
Boxing with shadows: Travels in China
By Brian Johnston
Melbourne University Publishing, A$22.95 ($26.30)
One of Australia's best travel writers tells the story of his two-and-a-half years teaching at Sichuan University.
The result is an amusing and informative account not merely of a society in which much is changing - and much, like the bureaucracy, staying the same - but also of how difficult it is for even the most intelligent and well-meaning people to communicate across a cultural divide.
Strangers in my sleeper: Rail Journeys and Encounters on the Indian Subcontinent
By Peter Riordan
New Holland, $29.99
Kiwi journalist Peter Riordan explores the Indian subcontinent - including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - by the vast railway system which was one of the greatest legacies left by the British.
It's a wonderful story full of amazing experiences, fascinating people and extraordinary landscapes as seen from a railway carriage.
Best of all it's an inspiration to buy your ticket and follow in his tracks.
The 1 thing: A Small Epic Journey Down New Zealand's Mother Road
By Bob Moore
New Holland, $29.99
British migrant Bob Moore decides to find out more about his new country by taking his Toyota Starlet down the length of State Highway 1.
It's a bit of a throwback to the books A.H. Reed used to turn out after walking through the country, a mix of people encountered, tourist attractions visited, history recalled and experiences enjoyed.
Window seat: Europe
By Gregory Dicum
Chronicle Books, $35.99
If you've ever flown across Europe gazing out of the aircraft window wondering what was below - or, more usefully, if you think you might - then this is the book for you.
There's a helpful map showing the main flights paths, so you know roughly where you are, and aerial photos of most of the sights so you know what you're looking down at.
With the Kama Sutra under my arm
By Trisha Bernard
East Street Publications, $34.95
I went to India recently and thought of taking this book to read along the way but the title made me nervous. Pity.
It's a warm and whimsical tale of a journey through the fascinating chaos of modern India and would have been a great companion. Not that I had much spare time for reading as it turned out.
Blue list: The Best in Travel in 2007
Lonely Planet, $39.99
Lonely Planet's latest compilation of great things to see and do next year.
They love New Zealand, which is nice, though Australia has pipped us for top spot this time, which is puzzling.
But as well as those places close to home there's all sorts of quirky, interesting travel ideas that you'd probably never think of on your own.
Reunion in Barsaloi
By Corinne Hofmann
Bliss Books, $34.99
Hofmann's previous book about falling in love with a Masai warrior, going to live in his village and eventually finding the cultural differences too great, sold 4 million copies world-wide.
This sequel, about returning 14 years later to see her Kenyan family, offers another extraordinary glimpse of a society very different from our own.
Micronations
Lonely Planet, $29.99
Lots of people have been to Australia, Fiji and even France. But how about the Kingdom of Elleore, the Grand Duchy of Lagoan Isles or the Empire of Atlantium?
Never heard of them. They're among the many self-proclaimed nations in backyards and abandoned military installations around the world which can be visited by the discerning traveller.
There is, for instance, the Copeman Empire which occupies a small caravan in Sherringham, England, whose ruler has a fine uniform and a corgi. Or our own Republic of Whangamomona whose past presidents include a goat which was assassinated.
This is a wonderful guide to wacky countries where the national anthem may be the sound of a rock being dropped into water and the president could be a poodle.
Overboard: The Stories Cruise Lines Don't Want Told
By Gwyn Topham
Random House, $39.99
If you've thought about going for an ocean cruise but thought it might be a bit dull then read this book.
Topham has produced a compendium of the dark side of the cruise industry, with tales of murder, sickness, debauchery, robbery and exploitation on the high seas.
Of course, as he briefly acknowledges, millions of people take cruises without being beaten up or lost overboard "but you can read about the good times in any travel supplement".
Warkworth to the coast
By Tony and Jenny Enderby
Published by the Enderbys, PO Box 139, Leigh 0947, $20
The Warkworth area, just north of Auckland, is one of our most diverse areas of coastline, its attractions ranging from the amazing fish life in the country's first marine reserve to some superb potteries, and from fine wines to magnificent coastal parks.
The Enderbys, who live there, have produced a delightful little guide to these attractions, just the thing to take with you for a weekend outing.
The veiled lands
By Christine Hogan
Macmillan, $37.95
Christine Hogan's account of her travels through the Islamic world provide a timely insight into what Muslim women - as opposed to western feminists - feel about wearing the burqa.
In the Middle East and North Africa she met Muslim women from many walks of life, including a government minister. Most were happy to wear the veil, a headscarf or the full burqa, mainly because they saw it as the teaching of the Koran, but some did wish to be liberated from the requirement.
The book does, however, go beyond offering interesting perspectives on an increasingly controversial issue. Hogan also provides a feel for what it is like for a woman travelling through the Islamic world, interspersing haunting descriptions of the beauty of countries such as Turkey, Libya and Morocco with fascinating stories of the women who played important roles in their history and that of modern day Islam.
Israel briefly closed its airspace following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.