New York based writer Jennifer Cody Epstein has just published her first novel “A Painter from Shanghai” based on the life of Chinese painter Pan Yuliang. The book traces Pan Yuliang’s tumultuous life and her relentless pursuit of artistic fulfillment against the backdrop of seismic political and social change in the China of the early 20th century. Jennifer’s novel has been called “luminous” by the New York Times and Publishers Weekly says it “captivates to the last line”. She recently “sat” down for an online interview with Shortcut to discuss her new book, her transition from journalist to writer, and what drew her to write about a woman a century and a continent removed from her.

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As we mentioned last week: IT loves to escape into a good travel book (andTraveler’s new book columnist, Don George, has promised us a bevy of great titles). This weekend provided a bounty of other great travel reads, from the Washington Post, who reported on a new selection of green guidebooks, and whose Book World went literal this weekend with its roundup of 25 books that span the globe. The New York Times Book Review’s cover story featured The Discovery of France and an inside review of two New York City-centric titles from Times reporters. The Economist’s Furthermore blog has been posting a guidebook roundup with a quickness that impresses, and our friends at Gadling always add to our reading list with their “One for the Road” posts (and thanks for the “Trip Lit” shoutout last week!). But that wasn’t enough for us, so we polled the office to learn what books are on our nightstands, helping to seed great travel dreams:

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Irv Gordon breaks a world record every time he gets behind the wheel of his 1966 Volvo P1800. The 67-year-old retired teacher has clocked more than 2 million miles (2,593,831 as of this writing) on the car…and he’s still driving it. He’s got the Guinness world record for “most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle” and, as one might imagine, a major case of the travel bug. “Some people watch the Travel Channel. Then there’s the rest of us,” says Gordon. “I’d rather be there and see it in person.”

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Here at Traveler, we do a lot of reading: in addition to the upcoming magazine copy, we’re constantly perusing newspapers, blogs, and websites all day. But we know there’s nothing quite like escaping away into a good book, which is why we’re thrilled to announce the arrival of Don George’s “Trip Lit” to our new columnist cadre.

Don is a legendary travel writer and editor who has won numerous awards for his work. He has been travel editor at the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, founded and edited the Wanderlust section of Salon.com, and most recently was Global Travel Editor at Lonely Planet Publications. He is the author of  The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing and the editor of six literary travel anthologies, including The Kindness of Strangers, Tales from Nowhere, and By the Seat of My Pants.

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Photo: Marc Paterson

Chris McCandless, the 24-year-old vagabond who hiked into the Alaskan wilderness alone with a ten-pound bag of rice in 1992, never made it out of the wild, but the abandoned bus where he died of starvation just might—that is, if some Alaskans have their way.

The Toronto Star has the scoop: Alaskans are now bracing themselves for an influx of “McCandless pilgrims” (such as Marc Paterson, pictured) inspired by the release of the Sean Penn-directed film, Into the Wild, to trek the Stampede Trail, seeking out the infamous city bus where McCandless perished. Local residents in Healy, Alaska, are brainstorming ways to deal with the “unwanted tourist attraction.”

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IT was recently browsing National Geographic Traveler’sfree cities index, with hundreds of listings on how to spend your down time without spending a dime. What we were surprised to discover, is that many cities—and the more expensive ones at that—offer free tours by local guides.

Want to see Pacific Heights’ mansions? The Coit Tower murals? How about “bawdy and naughty” sites? San Francisco’s City Guides offers a wealth of themed tours—more than 70—that encompass the city’s rich cultural history.

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We here at Traveler love to go off the beaten track to obtain a true sense of place, but we also know that traveling can take its toll on the environment. So of course we’re thrilled to find that more and more tour companies are offsetting their carbon footprints, donating to conservations efforts, and overall, becoming more eco-conscious. From Madagascar to Mexico, here are some eco-adventures that make us travel happy.

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The tour outfitter explora has crafted a series of remote yet luxurious lodges in Chile’s inspired places that get IT feeling dreamy: you can sleep among the Atacama oases or alongside a placid lake in Patagonia. This December, they’ll add another to their roster when they open a property on Easter Island.

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Ever wanted to give back to the places you visit? Global Vision International, a U.K.-based volunteer group, organizes volunteer projects and expeditions that allow travel do-gooders to do just that.

Volunteers can work with velvet monkeys or needy children, research endangered species in Ecuador, or scuba dive in the Seychelles. With over 150 projects to choose from, even the pickiest of travelers will find at least one adventure that suits their needs.

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