A Thousand Miles to Santiago was a informative book about the historical pilgrimage to the Camino. This book isnt actual travel guidebook but look like memoir which provided some insight, heavy background histories and sharing experiences. I found the writing is entertaining and perfect for people who planning to visit The Camino.

Thank you Netgalley and Book Go Social for provided my copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Extremely readable and engaging but it isn’t the book I expected. In some ways this is a positive in other respects it means the book fails to cover in depth aspects you may have hoped to read about.

The bottom line it isn’t a specific guide to the Camino in terms of route; preparation or handy tips. Furthermore it is quite superficial in the personal pilgrimage undertaken. It strikes me as quite generic and lacking first party testimony.
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What I did enjoy was the background history and the evolution of the way, many pilgrims have trekked over centuries.

As someone who has read widely about this pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, I have much to draw on. This book didn’t really add to this.

It is not a clear diary but occasional thoughts and experiences. Yet you feel these are skimmed over rather than making a telling point. Some asides are more interesting and authentic but generally I wanted more personal insight and expression of the author’s journey through life as well as along his pilgrimage.

The experience is made more enduring and memorable for me with the links to photos. This is a real bonus for me.

Entertaining book about the Camino supplemented with lots of historical information about this famous pilgrimage. Perfect for those who love reading about the Camino or might be planning a trip to walk this famous trail.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Any book about the Camino is of interest to me. My expectation was (and what I wanted was) that it would be a personal guidebook full of anecdotes about the pilgrimage along with tips, etc. It's heavy on the history of the Camino which I like, but it was also heavy on the Biblical explanations which I didn't like.

The Camino de Santiago has long intrigued me, though I have yet to journey it myself. So, I jumped at the chance to read this book!

The read combines memoir and history--and focuses a fair bit more on the latter. Readers wanting to know about the historical element of the Camino, whether simply to learn, be an armchair traveler, or undertake the Camino themselves one day, will find this the perfect resource in that regard. I wasn't really familiar with its French element, and really appreciated learning more about that. Herron writes well, and made the history accessible and vivid in my mind's eye.

I wish we'd gotten to see more inside Herron's own head, though, as he walked: his whys and wherefores, thoughts and wonderings as he walked, and life decisions post-Camino. We got a little of it, but I came away definitely wanting more.

Still, a worthwhile read, and one I'd happily revisit either for the history itself or to continue contemplating my own (far, far, _far_ out there) Camino walk.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book concerns an American walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. If you are expecting any sort of guide book, you will be disappointed. For me the book fails to explain the route or tell what you see, other than a few snippets; nor does it concern his personal pilgrimage - we aren't really told why he threw up his job and home to have a year out, culminating in this walk. He explains a few historical elements and gives you pages of screed concerning Christ's disciples and the exploits of Rodrigo.

So for me, it lacked cohesion or a clear objective. Its well written (apart from one totally unnecessary swear word) but it just maunders along, telling you snippets of what he was seeing - and those descriptions are great, but they aren't really enough to tie the book together.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Thousand Miles to Santiago by Shawn Herron

If you re an adventurer or a historian, Shawn’s book of his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain will delight you. Starting in France with a trip over the Pyrenees Mountains, Shawn hikes for months with barely a day off to arrive at this famous destination.

With his backpack loaded with everything he will need for his journey, Shawn grinds out many kilometers per day, only to rest overnight in a dormitory type space with other pilgrims. Getting to meet new people and challenge/find himself are his goals.

Interesting day to day treks are described, mingled with detailed stories of Spain’s ancient history. El Cid? Covered! Battles between the Moors and the Christians? Covered! Though a little too heavy on the history for me, I realize that it was difficult balance.

A thank you to#BooksGoSocial and #NetGalley for this ARC for my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the author's journey along the Camino. He mixes historical information about stops along the way with his personal experiences of the trek. It's the perfect book for people who are looking to try one of the routes themselves, travel fans, people interested in the history of the Camino, or all three.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Shawn Herron, decided to take a year off from his job in Washington DC and travel. On the last leg of his journey he decides to take a couple of months to walk the Camino de Santiago, first walking through parts of France and then into Spain.
This camino book was not like others I have read, where he includes a lot of history that revolved around that part of France and Spain, and how in the end it related to the walk.
In between the history, he does give us wonder descriptions of his surroundings, the terrain, weather and the towns he walks through.
I did miss the personal aspect in this book as I have read a lot of books about people walking this pilgrimage, who talk about why they are doing it, what they have gotten from it, how things and the people on the way have helped them. Shawn does not really talk about his personal journey, so that was missed.
For you history buffs, you should really enjoy this journey.
I would like to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book.

Definitely a unique memoir, as the experiences are partnered as a travelogue in addition to Shawn's inner thoughts. The occasional glimpses into folklore and differing traditions from places to place made for an interesting read.

I haven't read very many travel-logs but I found this one very interesting as I have always had a place in my heart for e lCamino de Santiago. A lovely memoir full of humor and the authors own knowledge.

With winter rolling in, we could all do with a bit of escapism and the story of Shawn's pilgrimage across France and Spain to Santiago is just the ticket. Filled with some lovely historical details across the rolling miles and changing landscape, we look into the background of the sites he passes along the way, how Christianity has changed over time and what it means to take on a journey as large as this.

A nice little travel book for fans of the likes of Bryson or Mcfarlane.

Nice easy read. Not a lot of content unsurprisingly as Shawn mostly has a lonely experience. I did enjoy the historical detail regarding the rise of Christianity though.

A Thousand Miles To Santiago is a book that had me invested the entire time and is perfect for fans of books such as Wild or any fan of Bill Bryson.

Shawn Herron brings to life his journey across France and Spain and helps you feel like you are there in Europe and allows you to travel without ever getting on a plane.

I really enjoyed the insight that we get into Herron’s life and how this journey allowed him to grow as a person before entering Politics but also the culture that he learned as he traveled.

Overall A Thousand Miles To Santiago is a fun, well written memoir/travel book that let readers see the beauty and culture of Europe.

The cover caught my attention straight away!
I enjoyed reading Shawns travelogue. Every journey is unique and beautiful in its own way. Shawn left his old life behind in Washington and dared to embarks on 1 year long adventure - something what we all consider doing. I love hiking and Spanish landscape therefore his pilgrimage walk painted a marvellous picture in my mind. The changing terrain and views, one foot in front of the other!
Thank you for a good read.