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| Page Views: 2,140 | VT BOOK CLUB Check It Out! MARCH BOOKS by rw-bigfoot - last update: Mar 7, 2008 |
VT members ATLC Anke-Thea has a page on Dutch Books and another on E-Books madamx has a list of books and spincat And here's a new member to VT travlrtom has a list of books he has read Here's a few books to read that are true stories of peoples adventures in foreign countries,
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain by Chris Stewart
The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca,by Tahir Shah
Snowball Oranges: A Winter's Tale on a Spanish Isle, by Peter Kerr
I just finished one of the best travel related books I have read in a long time. Its called Honeymoon With My Brother by Franz Wizner. Its a true story about this man who gets dumped at the altar by his bride to be. He goes on with the reception and party afterwards and then decided to keep the planned honeymoon trip but takes his brother with him. They end up traveling together for the next two years. Anyone who enjoys traveling will find something in this book to relate to. Has anyone read this book or any other new travel related books? There is an older book that is still available and a great read. Its by the Erma Bombeck, who I loved so much. Its called When You Look Like Your Passport Photo. She has some wonderful and humorous stories in the book. I have had a copy for years and have reread it several times.
littlesam1
I loved that book too! I backpaked with my brother and I could relate to alot. I am reading How Not to Live Abroad by Shaun Briley, It's about two Londoners who bought an almond farm in Almeira Spain. No water, heat or electricity. It's pretty interesting. VinoSole
Yes, that was a great book Honeymoon with my Brother. I really enjoyed it. I first saw the brothers on Oprah and went out and got their book. I just read another really interesting travel book called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's a mix of self-growth and travelouge, it's about a one year trip to Italy, India and Indonesia after a divorce. I guess both books point out the beauty of travel during relationship troubles!butterfly_girlI've been reading about Mexico since we are going there for Christmas, and I just finished Sliced Iguana: Travels in Unknown Mexico by Isaballe Tree. madamx
I just re-read The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson. He cracks me up. In between the weirdness he goes into some Hawaian history and tales of Capt Cook. (This book is out of print)Foundryman1 |
Almost French by Sarah Turnbull - This book details the hardships faced by an australian woman when she moves to Paris for the love a guy. Anyone, who's ever visited France will appreciate some of the cultural barriers mentioned in this book. It's incredibly funny and engrossing and is worth reading simply because it addresses the issues akin with immersing yourself in another culture.
The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara - Its been out for a few years now and has also been made into a film but, even though I'm only half way through it, it gives an interesting account of life in the America's in the 1950's! Stippleeffect
I'll get Honeymoon with my Brother... for sure! It reminds me of the film Enlightenment Guaranteed, where 2 German brothers travel to a Zen temple in Japan. Now I also want to check out Sliced Iguana, because I love "Unknown Mexico"! I read On Mexican Time before I left for Latin and South America last year! The writer did a fantastic job of living on Mexican time & simply appreciating differences (not a simple thing to do for many travellers :) He had a sentence about "the natural kindness of the Mexican people" -- I found that to be so true! The book greatly influenced my itinerary, and prepared me well for the great surprise that was Mexico! (I'm gushing but can't help myself. I want to go back and live in Mexico soon.)alza
I just read a book called On Mexican Time. I think its been out for a while. A great book about moving to Mexico or when your in one of those moods when your job is driving you crazy and you would like to run away from home this is a wonderful book to read. Randall502
Only one I have read is Almost French and I second its recommendation. rexvaughan
Here's a book that's not new but about real living, about a missionary to China, Hudson Taylor. You could feel the cold nights there and him traveling by ship to and from England. Letter's from a Hermit written by W. Paulsell, about a monk living 10 years in New Guinea. I like real books about real people and the places they go, Holly rw-bigfoot
I've just found your VT Book Club page and thought I'd let you know that I've just finished reading 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' by Tony Hawks. It's a true account of the journey taken by the author when he accepted a drunken Ģ100 bet from a friend that he couldn't hitch hike around the coast of Ireland in a month with a fridge. It's a humorous tale, as you would imagine, but also quite inspirational when you realise that someone can complete such a task relying purely on the co-operation and generosity of fellow human beings (and the fridge of course!!). St_Vincent |
I'm reading The Wrong Way Home by Peter Moore, I find it very funny and I can relate a lot to his trips as I have been to many of the places he travelled to.cachaseiro
You guys might like this one too: The People's Guide to Mexico by Carl Franz, Lorena Havens, and Steve Rogers. More of a guide book, but an interesting read, even if you're not travelling there. Lots of practical advice on living in Mexico, tons of info on Mexican culture, and interspersed with personal adventures and stories. I picked this one up at the library today, and it looks like an excellent read as well: Ghost Rider by Neil Peart (otherwise known as the drummer in the rock band Rush) He rides 55,000 miles from the Arctic to Belize and back on his motorbike for 14 months after some devastating tragedies hit him and his family. madamx
how 'bout looking for some Anne Tyler....? I think you'd enjoy her novels, maybe, keeping with the theme here at VT: The Accidental Tourist..ellielou
Great idea! I enjoyed the Traveler's Tales, Women in the Wild for short stories and I just picked up The Sex Lives of Cannibals from the library after it was suggested in the book forum yesterday...it looks pretty funny!butterfly_girl
I think the misc forum is actually a very good place to dicuss books as we get new people enetring each time with new input. I love when someone just finished a book or just saw a movie and puts on a discussion about it. Letīs just have a bit more of that here :O) cachaseiro
Phaic Tan...sunstroke on a shoestring is very close to the mark. It rings true. Have read Travellers Tales,Thailand..very good. wwroam
I LOVE Anne Tyler... stumbled across her on a train journey a while back Patchwork Planet I think... very pithy writer. Loved Breathing Lessons too.GillianMcLaughlin
I just read The Thong Also Rises by Travelers Tales. Pretty funny essays by women. Made me look up I Love Everybody, and other atrocious lies by Laurie Notaro. From which her accidental drug smuggling story was excerpted. VinoSole
There was something that the main actor said in the film Accidental Tourist that struck me, a thought that I related to very much. Years later, I couldn't remember it and read the book and watched the movie twice over to find the wise words. Never did and it bothers me.
I like the idea of throwing a forum like a party when a book or movie means something to any one of us. alza
I'm reading Son of a Witch now, then Angela's Ashes.. hotsauce28
I've already got a 'favourite books album' though it isn't travel books. Spincat |
Hi Holly, I spotted details of your Book Club on madamx's home page this morning. I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea. I'm new to VT -only 6 weeks - and I was a bit disappointed that nobody picked up on my 'if you can't go then read about it' segment on my home page. Every winter when it's wet and miserable I read travel books by the ton. Then in Summer when I really get the urge to go, I read them again. Two books I mentioned on my homepage: Duende by Jason Webster and The Art of Travel by Alain De Boton. I wonder if you've read either, they are both incredible. I would be delighted with suggestions, reviews etc. by other readers. There should be some sort of directory in VT to list special interest pages like this. Hello and goodbye from Cork, Ireland. Ekaterinburg
I think my favorite so far is Catfish & Mandala by Andrew Pham. A Vietnamese American travels across Vietnam by bicycle to find the home he fled from as a young child. I also really enjoy (and am re-reading) Extra Virgin, by Annie Hawes, a Brittish woman who made a home in Liguria. Callavetta
Catfish & Mandala is just so bloody good. I allready read it 3 times and will do it again. Its as heartbreaking as its informative.cachaserio
I agree Extra-Virgin was great! I found her to be refreshing in her descriptions of the locals, sometimes bewildered but always respectful. Highly recommend.VinoSole
Here are 2 more I read and liked: The Half-gallon Quarter-acre Pavlova Paradise & Pavlova Paradise Revisited, by Austin Mitchell. The 2 books are about New Zealand from the perspective of a Englishman who moved to NZ forty years ago. The 1st book, which she just called 'Pavlovas Paradise' was recommended to me by a Kiwi and I found it to be both informative and funny.The 2nd book looks back at the original published in 1972 and talks about how NZ has changed and in some ways stayed the same. Another Very FUNNY travel book that I liked was Rule No.5 NO SEX ON THE BUS by Brian Thacker. It's about the best and worst ; )things to happen on a tour bus full of Aussies, Kiwis & American tourist traveling all around Europe. The cluncker decker bus is driven by a wild & sexy Kiwi Coach Driver and a Hilarious Aussie Tour Guide who also wrote this book of "true confessions." cnango
Hi Tales From The Expat Harem It is lots of tales from foreign females that lives in Turkey (a few have moved to other countries) and their dailylive. It came out in aug/sept 2005.
You don't have to have lived nor visited Turkey to laugh out loud at their
experiences. Ruffen |
Berendt, John - The City of Falling Angels
Bount, Roy - Feet on the Street
Gable, Sally and Gable, Carl I. - Palladian Days: Finding a New Life in a Venetian Country House
Hansen, Eric - The Bird Man & the Lap Dancer
Hopkins, Roz - The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World
Jenkyns, Richard - Westminster Abbey
Lewis, Norman - The Tomb in Seville
Orlean, Susan - My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere
Solnit, Rebecca - A Field Guide to Getting Lost
Tayler, Jeffrey - Angry Wind
French Lessons, by Alice Kaplan, autobiographical tale of life and language.
French or Foe, by Polly Platt, An indispensable guide for anyone planning to live or work in France.
A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle A light-hearted autobiography
The Story of French, by Jean-Benoît Nadeau & Julie Barlow
Toujours Provence, by Peter Mayle, The sequel to A Year in Provence.
On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town, by Susan H. Loomis
France Without Reservations, by Maurice K. Thompson, A couple's travel diary during a 10-day trip through the south of France. This book is part novel, part travel guide.
Vie De France: Sharing Food, Friendship, & a Kitchen by J Haller, Set in the Loire Valley.
French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew, by P Mayle
Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris |
:) so there are more VT'ers here that have read and loved On Mexican Time I borrowed it twice from the library when it came out in 2000, thinking of it, that main library here in Oslo must have gotten it within days after it was published. Also bought the book when I found it. Had a look at San Miguel de Allende here in VT and could "recognise" several places.ruffen
Hi Holly,
I followed the link from MadamX's HP to get to your book club. Great idea! One
of my favourite travel authors is William Dalrymple, a very intelligent and
engaging writer. Anyone who goes to Delhi should read his City of Djinns. I just
bought In Xanadu and From the Holy Mountain and can't wait to read them too.
Also, I thought I might mention that my partner Nick Leonard has written a book
about our travels in Burma, India, and Pakistan. It's called Through Eternity: A
Journey Across Asia and is available as a hardcopy or e-book, here's VT Jungles homepage.
Just finished Getting Stoned with Savages by J.Maarten Troost. Great follow up to Sex Lives of Cannibals. The author and his wife and their (mis)adventures in Vanuatu and Fiji. Good read! Cheers! Jen ps...GREAT idea...love the book suggestions! CoAir13
Hi Holly - I appreciate the link to my page. I likewise added a link to yours. The book club is a great idea. I've got to get the new one, How not to Live Abroad. Here are a few more about travel/living in Spain that I've read and can recommend: Spanish Lessons: Beginning a New Life in Spain, by Derek Lambert Off the Road: A Modern Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route Into Spain, by Jack Hitt, Tom travlrtom
Just explored your VT bookclub T-logue; GREAT! I like to add Let Me Stay for a Day by Ramon Stoppelenburg and Led by Destiny by kinga_freespirit. Both great books of world travellers. pieter_jan_v
I have another suggestion: The Road to Somewhere by James Dodson. It is about a man of about 50 traveling with his 10 year old son to "see the world" and is really a beguiling narrative with lots of humor and human insight. They even meet up for a short time with the man's former mother in-law. I found it a great read - mostly about their adventures and misadventures in Europe. rexvaughan
Here's books VT members are reading or have read. Please email me with a book you have read. Here is the latest postings in misc. forum Book Club on VT? and Great Travel Books and VT Book Club Remember?
Howdy Holly...just saw the books link from Madamx's page. Cool idea. I'm a big fan of travel books. Do you know about Blue Latitudes & Chasing the Sea? Two definite faves! All the best, G giampiero6 |
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setikeyvan Mon May 19, 2008 18:01 UTC
Hi Ray and Holly! You are among our top travel deals experts! Thanks for looking out for good travel deals and keep sharing them with us when you have time :-). Cheers to you! ~ Sophie | SLLiew Fri May 9, 2008 18:18 UTC
Happy Birthday! Cheers from Penang, SL :) | Elodie_Caroline Fri May 9, 2008 14:36 UTC
A very happy birthday to you. I hope that you have a really lovely day! Love Elodie | LKM1018 Fri May 9, 2008 10:43 UTC
Happy Birthday! May all your travel dreams become reality! |
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