TRAVELLING LIGHT by Bill Barich (Penguin: $8.95)

Bill Barich writes about such traditionally male activities as fishing, horse racing and beer drinking, but these light, agreeable articles from The New Yorker are pleasantly free of macho posturing. Barich describes the inhabitants of a modest pub in a threadbare London neighborhood, the savor of fresh Tuscan olive oil and the lonely pleasures of trout fishing in Northern California. A diverting book to read while in the throes of planning a vacation, when it seems easier and wiser to stay home and sulk.