A different take on the genre of time travel books, this one is non-fiction: it's actually a history book in disguise, and most of the book is written in future tense.
Delivered under the premise of a handbook from a travel agency, the reader is given the choice of 19 excursions from which to choose. The introduction is a fun read in preparation for what is ahead:
"With our Chronoswoosh (TM) time exchange plasma shuttle technology, we not only offer the most accurate return to the past, but minimal interference with the time-space continuum. No more getting abandoned in the wrong century, no more returning to find you are your great aunt... We really will take you to the right place at the right time, every time."
With the rich detail available, this book has been well researched and includes descriptions of exactly the type of clothing the time traveler would need to wear in order to blend in to the contemporary society of the destination, as well as warnings about language use. For example, even if the time traveler speaks English, they may not be able to understand the English used during the Peasant's Revolt in London in 1381. There's also a full disclosure of the local fare available, some appetizing, but much of it not palatable by modern-day expectations.
Time travelers may choose from destinations such as 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, 1969 Woodstock Festival in New York, 1773 Boston Tea Party, 1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1599 Opening Night of Shakespeare's Globe, 1974 Rumble in the Jungle (Ali vs. Foreman), a Beatles concert in 1960, The Eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, The Battle of Bull Run in 1861, and many others. There is quite a diverse offering available here, and the reader wouldn't necessarily have to read it all to glean some value here. These travel packages are set up to allow the "time traveler" to pick and choose where they want to go (or not go) and in which order they would like to go. Anyone who reads this is free to pick and choose and skip any chapters/trips that seem unappealing. I love the concept and the presentation of this collection of events.
Also entertaining are the descriptors of exactly where the time traveler may go on which days during their journeys to the past in order to see the most meaningful events unfolding, without placing themselves in danger of death, accident, or being left behind permanently in the past by missing their specified departure location. I could envision some time travelers intentionally getting lost in order to avoid coming back to their own present-day surroundings.
Overall, this is not a typical time travel book, because there is no opportunity to go back into the past and change history, as is characteristic of that genre. Although the intro and summary to the book are fiction, the meat of the book is not fiction. As such, it makes for a less-exciting and slower read. However, the future tense writing style makes for a better read than the otherwise dry history that would be the customary viewpoint presented from say, a textbook. This is certainly a more entertaining way to learn history, because it seems to bring the past alive.