Travel Literature Makes My Heart Beat Faster.. discussion

Have a book you would like to recommend to the general population of this group?

I actually have a book, I guess it's a travel memoir/sports book since it doesn't really fit anywhere else, that I can recommend.

Carved by God, Cursed by the Devil

It's by Ted Archer, a marathon runner and a really nice guy. He did the Marathon des Sables, which is a 150+ mile run through the Sahara Desert. I thought this book was really interesting, though, and I ate through it in a few days last summer and also got to meet Ted. Good guy, really interesting to talk to. I know it's more of a sports read, but I thought it might apply to this group, since he managed to take me to Morocco and the Sahara with him pretty successfully.

I listened to THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS in my car last year and found it an excellent way to travel to other countries while doing grocery shopping and other mundane errands. It was also fascinating to find out why some groups of people are happier than others (or so they say).

I guess my vote for the classic travel lit book would be Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon - I re-read it (something I rarely do) not that long ago, and it didn't seem dated at all; I have its "sequel" (Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey) on my TBR pile.

John wrote: "I guess my vote for the classic travel lit book would be Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon - I re-read it (something I rarely do) not th..."
I loved "Blue Highways" too. Read it long ago and would have liked to do a trip like that. I've tried reading "Roads to Quoz" and I just can't get into it. He is so wordy. I'll be interested in how you like it.

A book I read last year that was inspiring, suspenseful and amazing was "Rowing the Atlantic" by Roz Savage. Story of a trek across the Altantic in a row boat by Ms. Savage all alone.

Tahir Shah moves his family to Casablanca for a year. I read this before going to Morocco for a month and found it did me justice!

Jason Cater (Jimmy Carter's Grandson) writes about his experience in the Peace Corps in South Africa. A really interesting read, esp if you want to learn more about the country or the Peace Corps.

Awesome, Corinne! I'm always hunting for more books written by RPCVs because I am hoping to join the Peace Corps some time.

I have a Peace Corps memoir on my TBR pile that looks promising: Taxi to Tashkent: Two Years with the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan.

Corinne wrote: "

Tahir Shah moves his family to Casablanca for a year. I read this before going to Morocco for a month and found it did me justice!"
I really liked this as it captures the fantasy I think a lot of people have of moving to a totally new place and making a life.

I'm all-but-finished with Zen and Now: on the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Mark Richardson. The audio narrator is a perfect fit; I mention it here as it's a great travel narrative, as opposed to all the philosophy of the original book, which I haven't read.

Corinne wrote: "

Tahir Shah moves his family to Casablanca for a year. I read this before going to Morocco for a month and found it did me justice!"

Argh! I just returned from Morocco and only found a few books that caught my interest (Stolen Lives was just ok, Sheltering Sky was interesting but not quite what I was looking for, Dreams of Trespass was also recommended). I'll read this book since it sounds interesting.

I'm reading a galley of a book that will be out later this month, Mariposa Road: The First Butterfly Big Year. So far, it's a really fun read, part travelogue and part natural history.

I'd like to recommend the third and latest book in Brad Herzog's trilogy of small-town America travel memoirs -- TURN LEFT AT THE TROJAN HORSE: A Would-be Hero's American Odyssey. It's a cross-country journey to a college reunion in Ithaca, NY -- and an Everyman's search for the hero within. Best thing I've written so far (okay, yeah, I'm the shameless author)... Check it out at www.bradherzog.com.

I just finished Sarah Turnbull's Almost French. It's a memoir of the author's new found life and love in Paris. I love Paris, and reading this book takes me back to my very own Parisian adventures. It is very light and very witty. If you ever decide to take a break from novels of depth and significance, this is your book! :)

Who says that a light, witty novel can't be deep and significant at the same time? Almost French was an inspiration for me because it explained so much about the French culture and described the problems of trying to fit in to another culture.

Murray wrote: "Who says that a light, witty novel can't be deep and significant at the same time? Almost French was an inspiration for me because it explained so much about the French culture and described the p..."

okay, I'm sorry if you found my comment off. I didn't mean it to sound that way.

Speaking of fitting in with French culture, I really enjoyed French By Heart: An American Family's Adventures in La Belle France.

I highly recommend a book by Jane Christmas called Incontinent on the Continent. It is a hilarious telling of a woman who takes her elderly (and cantankerous) mother overseas to Italy. For anyone who loves travel and has had to endure a trip with a loved one, this will pass the test! I found it side splitting.

It's on my TBR pile - I liked her previous (first) book about walking the Camino in Spain.

Jessica wrote: "okay, I'm sorry if you found my comment off. I didn't mean it to sound that way. "

No, no. I was building on your comment, Jessica. I agree that Almost French is light and witty.

Murray wrote: "Jessica wrote: "okay, I'm sorry if you found my comment off. I didn't mean it to sound that way. "

No, no. I was building on your comment, Jessica. I agree that Almost French is light and witty."

Yep, but I read my comment again, and you're right. i kind of gave the impression that the book wasn't profound/significant enough. I understand where you're coming from; Almost French is truly a great way to learn about the French people/culture. Thanks for pointing that out. :)

Jessica and Murray and whoever.....

Jessica, just so you know, when I read your original comment I in no way took it negatively. Lately I have seen arguments explode in several groups. Why can't we all just assume that if we are not SURE a comment is meant in a derogatory manner, it WAS NOT meant negatively. Talking via written messages is difficult. We cannot see each other's body movements or facial expressions, which say so much! Why don't we all just assume the positive. Nothing is lost and unecessary "disagreements" are avoided. OR we can simply ask - hey, what did you mean by that?

Again, I am only mentioning this, NOT as any criticism of you guys, but b/c I have seen terrible "tempests in teapots" recently!

ETA, originally I thought to respond by recommending Paris to the Moon if you are curious about the French people and their culture. I spend alot of time in France. This book was great.

Thanks Chrissie. I'll take a look.

Chrissie wrote: "Jessica and Murray and whoever.....

Jessica, just so you know, when I read your original comment I in no way took it negatively. Lately I have seen arguments explode in several groups. Why can'..."

Thanks Chrissie. Paris to the Moon sounds Interesting. I better add it now to my Amazon cart! :)

Murray and Jessica, :0) Have a nice day.

I have just created an Amazon list of the books I used to research my own book, "Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam." Cookbooks aside, I recommend the rest for anyone interested in Vietnam.
http://www.amazon.com/lm/R27R7BB5G05R...

Speaking of southeast Asian food, I stumbled across this book at the library recently: Ant Egg Soup: The Adventures of a Food Tourist in Laos.

Hi John - A friend loaned that book to me a while back. A fun read and the only one out there about Laotian food. A definite must for SE Asian foodies. So glad you mentioned it!

I've used the search function and can't find any mention of it, so I'm reviving this thread to suggest my favorite travel book of all time, A Time of Gifts. Patrick Leigh Fermor recounts the first third of his walking trip from Holland to Constantinople in 1933, when he was 18 years old. Truly transcendent.

Nancy - YAY, another person who enjoyed that book, A Time of Gifts. It was suppose to be the first of a trilogy, but the third was never written. IO have bought the secondBetween the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople from the Hook of Holland, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet! Have you?

Chrissie, I'm always thrilled to find another fan! I have read Between the Woods and the Water. It's a must-read; I didn't have quite the same glazed unawareness of my world as I did when I read Gifts, but it's the same gorgeous writing style and knack for anecdote. Anything Leigh Fermor wrote is worth reading--and I was just delighted to discover that his correspondence with Debo Devonshire has been published. Winging its way to me now!

In The Way of Herodotus: Travels with the Man Who Invented History, one of the chapters on Greece has the author hanging out with Leigh Fermor for the day.

Nancy, for me it felt so nice to meet someone else who loved his writing.

John, I've noted your mentions of the Herodotus book and mean to get around to it; thanks for additional hook. Chrissie, ditto!

Sorry for doing a little self promotion but I've published a sailing novel that has a mystery and adventure sailing in Hawaii and Tahiti. People have enjoyed it as a reading get-away. The title is, Better Than Ever, Again.

Hi everyone,

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A hilarious tale of a holiday in Ukraine with characters borrowed from Alice in Wonderland and Goldilocks...and Star Wars? Really? Read it.

Jessica wrote: "I just finished Sarah Turnbull's Almost French. It's a memoir of the author's new found life and love in Paris. I love Paris, and reading this book takes me back to my very own Parisian adventures...."

I love , and read it before and after travels to Paris.

Hello, I'm a goodreads author (9 trade books) and I travel a lot and write about it, although I tend to do it mostly through fiction.

My recommendation is Pico Iyer's Sun After Dark. He is a brilliant travel writer.

I have a recent short story available on Kindle -- set in Cambodia, where I witnessed a stoning. If you're interested in reading it, here is the link:
Stones | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UN6H5U

I have also really enjoyed the yearly Best American Travel Writing. Some fabulous essays there.

I read A Time of Gifts a few months ago because of the recommendations of this group and totally agree. Its truly one of the best travel books of all time. A glimpse of Europe just before the war that changed us all forever.

This morning our local newspaper reviewed Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in the Happiest Place on Earth. It is about Bhutan, and sounds like it might be worth checking out if you like this area of the world.

If anyone plans going on holiday and wants a short but entertaining book for an afternoon on the beach or by the pool, then pick up a copy of 'Alesya in Wonderland' to chuckle over. Cheap as chips at lulu.com and far less calories.

I find it very difficult to pick one book to recommend as this is my favorite genre. Top on my list would have to be "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson and "Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World" by Rita Golden Gelman. Gelman's book had a profound affect on me, but much of that had to do with what I was experiencing in my life at the time.

Looking forward to checking out everyone's suggestions. Keep 'em coming! :)

Hello everyone. My book, LIFE is an AMAZING SONG is filled with travel, Finland/Sweden/through Germany to New York aboard SS UNITED STATES in a fierce North Atlantic winter storm. The reviews have been very good. Please visit my web site: http://www.LifesAmazingSong.com
Thank you. John

Hi there. I'm new to this group. I'm particularly interested in books about the Middle East. Two of my favourites are Robert Byron's classic Road to Oxiana and William Dalrymple's From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East. In the latter book I really loved Dalrymple's account of meeting the journalist Robert Fisk in Lebanon.

For Kim: I would recommend two classics: "Arabian Sands" and "The Marsh Arabs" by the late Wilfred Thesiger. Wonderful writing, and an insight into a world that is changing rapidly.

John wrote: "For Kim: I would recommend two classics: "Arabian Sands" and "The Marsh Arabs" by the late Wilfred Thesiger. Wonderful writing, and an insight into a world that is changing rapidly."

Arabian Sandsis surely one of the best travel books I've ever read. I haven't read "The Marsh Arabs," but will definitely get to it one of these days.

If you read on a Kindle, Forever Travels is on offer at $0.99 until the end of July.

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