Travel Literature Makes My Heart Beat Faster.. discussion

Just what the topic asks. What are you currently reading right now from the travel section? Good for finding new books, remembering old books, and otherwise just discussing good books. :)

I'll start.

I'm not really reading anything at the moment, but one of my upcoming books is going to be Bill Bryson's Neither Here nor There Travels in Europe, which is about how he retraced his trip backpacking across Europe years and years later. I originally read A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail for a class over four years ago and loved it and Bill Bryson. Hoping to be able to get around to reading this one sometime this month, maybe next week so school can't interrupt.

I'm working on TRAVELS WITH HERODOTUS.

I'm also working on getting people to read my travel book about Finland NOTES FOR THE AURORA SOCIETY.

Cool! I'll check your book out. I'm always interested in reading about countries I've never been to.

Great!

I'm Reading "The Amazing Race" by Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran. Around the world type romp. Pretty funny

Jim wrote: "I'm working on TRAVELS WITH HERODOTUS."

You mean the Ryzard Kapuszinki (sp?) book? I liked his travels, but not the lengthy rehashing of Hedrodotus' grisly stories.

I am almost through Bill Brysons, 'Neither Here Nor There'. I like his coverage of the towns he goes through but he is still a little too edgy the rest of the time. When he is on his negative kick he really makes me not want to travel to the town he is writing about. .

I'm finishing up At Sea in the City: New York from the Water's Edge, as well as just starting Africa Trek I: From the Cape of Good Hope to Mount Kilimanjaro on audio.

I have the habit of reading more then one book at a time and some get lost in the shuffle. I am rereading a book I started some time ago but a very enjoyable travel book, "A Journey in Ladakh" by Andrew Harvey.

I just got The Ridiculous Race from the library and hope to get to it this week. It's been recommended by someone here, sorry, can't remember who.

More than one of us liked it.

I finished a book I'm sure many of you have read. I'm new to this group and read a variety of books, but love travel ones. I read "Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thurbron. It was a very dense book stuffed with history I didn't know, and archeology and people I'd never heard of but I was absolutely fascinated. His descriptions are marvelous, and you can see the places and the people he meets. I especially like his portraits of the people. He seems to be the type of person people talk to and speaking Russian and Mandarin were pluses most of us don't have!!!

I have that one on my audio TBR (read by Simon Vance), so thanks for the perspective!

John, I also highly recommend Shadow of the Silk Road. I gave it 5 strs. I just finished The Piano Tuner: A Novel. It could be listed here b/c it is like a travelogue of Burma. You learn so much about the history, the customs the landscape and you get a wonderful story at the same time. Throw in the an "art theme"and you begin to understand what a great book this is. Highly recommended. It takes place in the 1880s, so it is not about modern Burma.

hey i am new to this site and to this group!
but i am currently reading growing up bin laden by najwa and omar bin laden.
this book is the first time anyone in bin laden's close family has ever spoken out in public about him. najwa is/was his first wife and omar is his fourth son.
while the book is not primarily a travel book....the content teaches you so much about the culture, the land, and the ideologies of saudi arabia, sudan and afghanistan.
its a really great read that i would recommend to anyone wanting to learn about that area of the world.

Jenny,I am a born sceptic - how reliable do you think this book is? And welcome !

Chrissie wrote: "Jenny,I am a born sceptic - how reliable do you think this book is? And welcome !"

How reliable is any book?

Jim, some books are definitely more reliable than others.

I bailed halfway through Africa Trek I: From the Cape of Good Hope to Mount Kilimanjaro - author spends most (though not all) of his time with other caucasians, alternating between grim stories (think: Congo 1960) and bursts of almost maniacal glee. Moreover, I believe the audio narrator made this situation somewhat worse.

John wrote: "I bailed halfway through Africa Trek I: From the Cape of Good Hope to Mount Kilimanjaro - author spends most (though not all) of his time with other caucasians, alternating between g..."Hey, John, I don't really know if you're reliable or not, but I think you just saved me the time spent looking for this book. I'm always a little wary of books that are really about how far somebody can walk or paddle or pedal rather than noticing what's around them.

Chrissie wrote: "Jim, some books are definitely more reliable than others."


I learned a long time ago, just because someone says/writes something, it doesn't make it true

at one time all the "reliable" books said the Earth was flat and the unreliable ones said it was round

Jim, obviously, but there are ways of checking into the veracity of what you read. Common sense helps too!

Chrissie wrote: "Jenny,I am a born sceptic - how reliable do you think this book is? And welcome !"

hmm well i have never visited afghanistan/sudan/saudi arabia so i cant tell you from my own personal experience how reliable the book is.
however the two authors {who are from bin ladens family} are natives and lived in all these places and are just recalling their memories of their lives with bin laden. from what i have taken from the book they lived a far harsher and stricter life than most in the region but i think its a pretty accurate book. i dont see any reason why it would be unaccurate.

hope this helps! and thankss!

Jenny thanks for responding. Growing Up bin Laden: Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World is of course going to attract readers simply b/c of who the authors are.... If one reads the book to get a closer look at some of the cultures in Afghanistan or Sudan or Saudi Arabia this book does seem as reliable as other books . You always get the POV of the person writing. At least it is a start in learning about the respective countries. However I think the "attraction" of the book is that the reader might see it as a window on Osama Bin Landen, which really is more dubious. Have you read the Kirkus review? They are reliable. They had a tongue in cheek reaction to some elements of the book. Jean P. Sasson was also listed as a co-author to this book; I believe she has done the writing. I have read other books by Jean P. Sasson. They were informative, BUT also sensationalized and lacking in depth. You are reading the book - I thought you would be able to give us some insight. As you point out - as a source for information about the cultures of the different country it is an interesting book.

PS You mentioned that you were to GR. When You leave a comment it is great if you use the "add book/author" button centered over the top of the comment box. That way you get a direct link to the book.

Safia, I haven't read any of Steve Coll's books and several looked interesting. Thanks for the tip. Like you, I totally loved
Shadow of the Silk Road.

Has anyone read both "Travels with Herodotus" and Justin Marozzi's "The Way of Herodotus"? They're both written about the same time and about the same thing, and I'm trying to decide between them.

Speaking of "The Ridiculous Race," I just this morning finished "Around the World in 80 Days" by Jules Verne, which maybe sortof counts even though it's entirely made up. Fun stuff.

Is this the book you mean: Travels with Herodotus - or are you talking about Herodotus' original writing? I liked this one when he talks about his own experiences, but at least 1/3 of the book is rehashing Herodotus' (sometimes gory) text.

Yeah, I meant Kapuscinski. I have this vague idea that I might read The Landmark Herodotus in conjunction with one of these two travelogue-y books about it. If Kapuscinski is doing a lot of rehashing, that might tip the scales in favor of Marozzi, although for all I know he does a lot of rehashing as well.

ps before anyone gets impressed, I totally had to look up how to spell Kapuscinski.

I listened to "Travels" on audio, so the rehashing was more obvious I'd say (narrator did a good job nonetheless). I have Marozzi on my TBR pile.

You'll be the only person I'm aware of who's read both, so I'm looking forward to your opinion.

Altho' I said I was finished with Paul Theroux because of his negative, depressed view of everyone, I'm going to start "Fresh Air Fiend"...short travel essays. I'll just stop if he ticks me off too much again.

"Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. This book was written in the 19th century but times have not changed and this book is hilarious and very contemporary. Travel has not changed at all in 150 years. I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who can see the downside of travel and the upside of a good laugh

Janis wrote: ""Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. This book was written in the 19th century but times have not changed and this book is hilarious and very contemporary. Travel has not changed at all in 150 years..." This is a wonderful book! Definitely one of my favorites of any genre. Some people have the mistaken impression that Twain's humor is old-fashioned, "aw shucks" but he has biting sarcasm and it comes out in this book.

I just started

Travels with Myself and Another: A Memoir by Martha Gellhorn and so far it is great, funny and sarcastic.

Re: "Fresh Air Fiends" by Paul Theroux. Actually I'm getting a different take on the author after reading the first part of this book where he describes his beginnings a writer and the influences that surrounded him. Answers some of my questions of why he is so disdainful and critical of people he meets at times.

The jury is still out until I finish the book.

Well, you'll have to let us know. I started getting frustrated with his cynicism halfway through "Dark Star Safari," but he's not without his strong points.

I liked "Dark Star Safari" but you are right his cynicism got to me after awhile, but the book does give a good picture of his trip.

I found his cynicism rather refreshing and honest, but maybe because I have a mean sense of humor, which I try to restrain. Esp. the part about the tourists while on the Nile cruise. For me it was vicarious meanness.

I'm currently reading The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner, and I'm loving it. :)

Allison wrote: "I'm currently reading The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner, and I'm loving it. :)"


I thought the author did a great job
I think THE ART OF TRAVEL by Alain de Botton is a great read after reading Weiner's book
also it's fairly short

Allison wrote: "I'm currently reading The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner, and I'm loving it. :)"

I liked this book too. It was a light read, but interesting in the geographic angle and the psychology of the people and places were fascinating also.

Glad to hear you guys enjoyed it too! :)

Thanks, Jim, I will give The Art of Travel a read once I'm done this one. I actually got it out of the library at the same time as this one, so that'll be perfect. :) Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well.

I agree, Nancy- the mix of the travel stories plus the psychology is really nice. And I love how light and humorous it is. :)

Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka - a little slow going at first, but gets traction after the somewhat dry beginning (background on the Tamil - Sinhalese conflict).

I am going to read 'By Any Means' by Charley Boorman again. I love the idea of the book and Charley is such and inspiration in my life. Got to meet him and another hero of mine last night Simon Pavey (7 time Dakar racer). Great times :)

Not sure where else to put this, so it'll go here; this list of great 2009 books contains two travel books....sortof: When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put and Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile. They both look awesome. Thought y'all might be interested.

I read the Chilean book a long time ago, and really liked it. I have another Wheeler book ( Evia: Travels on an Undiscovered Greek Island ) on my TBR pile (I'm sure her Antarctic book is good, too, but that region doesn't interest me much).

Seriously man, if I see one more freakin' documentary about penguins I'm gonna hurl.

Earlier today I started Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service--A Year Spent Riding across America. From the table of contents, he hits every single route in the system - I've only read the introduction, containing highlights of a Chicago - San Francisco run, but can tell it's my kinda book.

I went to Sri Lanka 25 years ago, just at the beginning of the conflict. We were made aware of the troubles, but no violence had erupted. It's a beautiful country, and I've added your book to my list of "to read". I wasn't aware of any books written about the place except guide books. I remember the hill country with the tea plantations, and we stayed Christmas Eve in a left-over English Raj Hotel, quite an experience. Bought gems in Columbo to have set later, a good place for gems. Also an elephant orphanage was interesting and especially Candy, an exotic town!

John wrote: "Earlier today I started Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service--A Year Spent Riding across America. From the table of contents, he hits every single route..."

This sounds like the kind of book that could actually inspire a real journey even for one with limited means. Our family is considering (among other options) the Chicago to California run this summer. Seems like a good way to view the Rockies without me having to drive.

Rdonn --

The author is based in the Kandy area during her year teaching there.

Andrea --

I have a whole slew of AMTRAK points saved up, that I was considering using for a couple of first class trips on the Acela train on some future (unspecified) trip. The book has me strongly considering them for a long distance sleeper instead.