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BOOKS Non-fiction: ‘WALK IN A RELAXED MANNER’ by Joyce Rupp – a Carmelite sister described as a ‘Spiritual Mid-wife’. Her book is a warts-and-all account of her walk on the Camino Frances with a retired priest. She grumbles about the dusty, rocky paths, overcrowded and cramped pilgrim shelters with unhygienic ablutions, annoying pilgrims and frustrating business hours in Spain. As she attempts to turn these negatives into positive she shares the lessons she learns along the way. ‘TO THE FIELD OF THE STARS’ by Kevin Kodd - Seeking to take stock of his life, Fr Kevin Codd set out in July 2003 on a pilgrimage that would profoundly change his life. This is the fascinating story of his unusual spiritual and physical journey on foot across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Each brief chapter chronicling Codd's thirty-five-day trek is dedicated to one or two days on the road. Codd shares tales of other pilgrims, his own changes of perspective, and his challenges and triumphs along the way - all told with a disarming candor. Seen through the eyes of a Catholic priest who honors the religious worldview that originally gave rise to these medieval odysseys, "pilgrimage" comes to life and takes on new meaning in these pages. Coffee-table and photo books:
There are many great ‘coffee-table- type’ books available. My favourites are “BEING A PILGRIM” by Kathleen Ashley and Marilyn Deegan, a beautiful book with stunning photographs and well researched text. “THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO” by Derry Brabbs – a large book rich with gorgeous photographs and accompanying text. For foodies, ‘A FOOD LOVERS PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA’ is a sumptuously, rich book with stunning photographs and even a few recipes. Online - There are thousands of short dvds on the Camino on YouTube, Vimeo and other dvd sharing websites. You could watch the trailer of the Camino Documentary http://caminodocumentary.org/ "Discovering the Way" is a 22 min documentary with a Catholic focus. http://saltandlighttv.org/catholicfocus/el-camino.php 
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Guide Books: You don't really need a guide book on this walk but if you are interested in the whole Camino Frances route, with information on the practical and mystical path, the John Brierley guide to the Camino de Santiago comes with daily strip maps, profiles and lots more info on the walk. Available on Amazon and on the Camino Guides website. http://www.caminoguides.com/camino_frances/index.html Academic: “THE PILGRIMAGE ROAD TO SANTIAGO” by David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson is considered to be the Camino Frances ‘Bible’. Written and compiled by the two authors after five field trips with student-pilgrims in the 1970’s and 1980’s this is not a guide but a cultural handbook covering the history and folk-lore, saint’s lives, geology, fauna and flora, art and architecture. Maps: John Brierley also offers a maps only guide book. www.caminoguides.com/mapsonly_frances/index.html Michelin's 'Camino de Santiago' has profile maps of the route from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago 
Spanish: If you would like to learn a bit of Spanish before you go to Spain, CAMINO LINGO provides all the Spanish words and phrases you’ll need to get by on the Camino. Available from Amazon and Pilgrimage Publications.
DVDS: Both Amazon and the Confraternity of Saint James in the UK sell DVDs – Camino documentaries and films. ‘WITHIN THE WAY WITHOUT”, narrated by Sir Richard Attenborough, is a beautifully filmed docudrama that used real pilgrims and actors as they walked the Camino Frances in spring, summer and winter. ‘THE WAY’ which was released in 2011 featuring Martin Sheen as the main character has proved to be very popular. www.csj.org.uk www.amazon.com Websites: American Pilgrims on the Camino have an extensive list of books and links http://www.americanpilgrims.com/resources/resources.html The Confraternity of St James of the UK has a bookshop, and an overview of all the Camino Routes. http://www.csj.org.uk/route-camino-frances.htm Taxis on the Camino: If you are injured or not well, or if you don't feel up to walking the full distance, you can get buses or taxis to your next stop. You can collect taxi numbers while you are walking and you you can also download our list of taxis on the Camino Frances.
Camino Frances Bus Companies: There are excellent bus services on the Camino, however, on some lines you can't buy tickets on the bus and need to pre-book them online or purchase at a bus station.
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