what are your favorite fiction or non-fiction books [not
guide book] that feature travel? i'm trying to build up my
library, or at least patronize the local library, and i like
to get personal recommendations.
i'm currently reading "hitchiking vietnam" by karin muller,
the true story of a 29-yo woman who spends 7 months traveling
independently in vietnam. it's pretty incredible,
considering all the hassles & bureaucracy she met whenever
she wanted to do ANYTHING.... an absorbing book.
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Try a book called "The Beach" by Alex Garland. It's about a
traveller who finds paradise in Thailand, it's brilliant..
you won't be able to put it down.
Their currently making the movie of the book with Leonardo
DiCaprio, but despite that it's a great travel read. Makes
you want to pick up a backpack and go.
These are not necessarily travel books but do give good
insights into other countries/cultures and are good reads
to boot.
'Women of Sand and Myrhh' by Hanan Al Shayhk (about a group
of women in a non-specified, ME country - including one
American woman from memory)
'Daughter of Persia' by ? (the autobiography of the woman
who became Iran's first social worker)
'House of Spirits' by Isabel Allende (a wonderful story
taht I couldn't put down, a bit like Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, antoher favourite fo mine)
'The Year of Living Dangerously' by Christopher Koch (a
vivid account of Jakarta in the late 60's, ie, aroudn
Gestapu, I reread it recently when I was working in Jakarta)
'An Evil Cradling' by Brian Keenan (probably one of the
most amazing books I have ever read, about his experience
as hostage in Lebanon)
Have you tried his books - a mixture between a personal
diary and travel writing.I've just finished his book about
the South Pacific (I can't remember the title) and it was
very interesting because it is both about him and his life
as well as descriptions of the islands he visited, the
people, their way of life etc. He brought a tent and a canoe
and basically paddled his way around the various islands,
coming into contact with interesting people and places.
He wrote a book about the Med. area as well as several
others. check them out
Lord of the Rings....J.R.R.Tolkien
Murder on the Orient Express....Aggie Christie
My journals from my own travels....Me.
my journey to lhasa...alexandra david-neel
the river at the center of the world...simon winchester
women travel...
more women travel...rough guides
a woman's world-true stories of life on the
road...traveler's tales
authors: james michener, isak dinesen, nadine gordimer
book as a child was The Adventures of Holly Hobbie by
Richard Dubelman, where two 13-year-old girls (Liz and
Holly, who actually is Liz's materialised ancestor!)travel
to Central America to find the Liz's father, who is an
archeologist. They trek through Mexico and Guatemala, go to
various Maya ruins and eventually discover a new maya city.
It was such a fascinating book that I must have read it at
least 15 times as a child (I got the book when I was 8 or 9
years old).
The book had such a strong impact on on me that after that I
was determined to go and see some of the Mayan ruins some
day. I had to wait 15 years to do that, but last December I
finally got there and saw the ruins. They were just as
mervellous as I imagined as a child, and the only negative
thing about is that I had to wait until I grew up to be able
to go there.
I have to agree with Lilly on the Paul Theroux book. I'm also spacing on the titile but it had the word Oceania in the title.
Also one the funniest and true to life books on traveling is titled "Are you Experienced" by William Sutcliffe about a young English bloke who travels through India for 3 months. I was in stitches laughing and if you've traveled at all using the Lonely Planet guide (aka The Book) you will find it hilarious.
The Theroux book everyone keeps going on about is 'Happy
Isles of Oceania'. I'm right in the middle at the moment
and enjoying it. Paul Theroux has done books on Asia, the
Pacific and Europe. I like Bill Bryson's books, they can be
very funny.
is one of my favourite movies too (Mel Gibson helps ;-) -
info at
http://us.imdb.com/Title?Year+of+Living+Dangerously,+The+(19
83)
One of my favourites is Baghdad Without A Map and Other
Misadventure in Arabia by Tony Horwitz. He is a freelance
journalist who ends up living in Cairo when his reporter
wife get posted there. It is a hilarious account of his
three years following stories around the Middle East on a
shoestring.
My favourite travel book is The Voyage Of The Beagle - by
Charles Darwin.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen is my favourite book
ever. It tells of a journey into the west of Nepal, but it
is not only a description of that physical journey - it is
also of the spiritual journey Matthiessen is making after
the death of his wife. His descriptions of his
surroundings are pure magic.
Love all his travel books. Riding the Red Rooster is also a
good one.
"Vodka, Tears, and Lenin's Angel" is a book by Jennifer
Gould, a Canadian (from Toronto) woman journalist who,
speaking no Russian, decided to go live there for awhile
after the fall of the Soviet Union. She has some great
adventures through lots of the different republics - it's
one of those travel books where you can't believe she was
crazy enough to do some of the things she did. Definitely
worth the read.
by Alan Booth has to be the best travel book I've read -
this guy walked from the tip of Hokkaido (Japan) down to
Kyushu in 4 months. Having lived in Japan for a year, I
could really relate to what he was writing - it was
hilarious!!!!!!
"Video Night in Kathmandu" by Pico Iyer. It's a bit dated
now I'd imagine, but still hysterically funny and very well
written. He hits almost every country in Asia. Marvelous.
"Danziger's Travels" by Nick Danziger. He sets out to
trace the path of Islam along the Silk Road, passing
throught Iran, war time Afghanistan and onward through
Pakistan China and Tibet. He's got a bit of an ego going
on in it, but it's still a wonderful adventure read.
P.J. O' Rourke's "Holidays in Hell" and a newer one, the
title of which escapes me. You will be rolling with
laughter, nodding your head right along with him at his
descriptions of the places and exploits he finds himself
involved in and as an added bonus, you usually learn a bit
too. He makes statistics and political stuff digestable to
the point that you don't realize you're doing it, you're
having such a good time.
To add some feminine perspective to my list and my top two
favorite travel essay collections by various authors, the
already mentioned "More Women Travel" by Rough Guides and
the "Traveller's Tales" book called a "A Woman's World" are
fantastic.
I love Dervla Murphy's books, also Bettina Selby's. I
couldn't put down From the Holy Mountain by William
Dalrymple, about the few remaining Christian communities
throughout the Middle East. A Fez of the Heart by Jeremy
Seals is a good read about Turkey. And Michael Palin's
books from the PBS series are even funnier than the TV
shows. The Travelers Tales series of books are
excellent;they are collections af short pieces, some by
published authors and some by just folks
This book just captivated me- of course I have a love for
the rainforest & all it's mystique. "Tales of a Shaman's
Apprentice" by- Mark J. Plotkin. It's a true-life account
of an ethnobotanist (plotkin) who searches for new
medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest. He traveles throughout
the N.E. Amazon- Venezuela-Guyana-Suriname-& French Guiana.
At times it almost feels like fiction-but it's not-At times
it can be hillarious & other times you'll be wide-eyed,
unable to put it down, it's such an adventure! Kristina.
i just have to thank everyone who has given me suggestions
for books. i think all the titles sound terrific! i just
read "36 views of mt. fuji: on finding myself in japan" by
cathy davidson--her views, perceptions, etc. of japanese
people & culture after living there a year & making several
subsequent visits. in the fall my BF & i will be going to
japan for a year, & i'm really glad i read this book. i
can't wait to start reading some of the books you all have
recommended.
Into the heart of borneo, by Redmond O'hanlon. HIghly
reccomended, very funny an d knowlegeable.
IN Ethiopia with a mule, by Dervla MUrphy is excellent
When a broken ankle (sustained while I was working on a
sailboat in the Bahamas) derailed my plans to go hiking in
Central America, I spent a lot of time reading all sorts of
travel books. Here are my personal favourites:
*High Endeavours by Miles Clark - a biography of Miles and
Beryl Smeeton, a couple who sailed all over the world and
had all sorts of great adventures
*Traveler's Tales: A Woman's World and Women in the Wild (I
highly recommend the latter)
*More Women Travel (A Rough Guide Special)
*Touch the Dragon by Karen Connelly - an account of a year
she spent in Thailand when she was 17
*One Room in a Castle by Karen Connelly - beautifully
written stories and poems about her time in Spain, France
and Greece
*A World to the West by Maurice R. Cloughley - all about a
young couple's first round the world trip in their
sailboat, Nanook of the North
*Coke Stop in Emo by Alec Ross - adventures of paddling
across Canada
*The Best of Outside - 20 year anniversary collection
*Another Wilderness: New Outdoor Writing by Women edited by
Susan Fox Rogers
*Travels in Alaska by John Muir - this is the guy who
founded (or at least was involved in the founding of) the
Sierra Club
*The Boat Who Wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat - This is
absolutely hilarious, especially if you've ever sailed or
if you know anyone from Newfoundland.
Also good are any of Dervla Murphy's books.
Happy reading!
Anything by Bill Bryson. If you don't mind people giving
you weird looks when you roll down the aisle of the bus,
train, etc. laughing your arse off.
The Size of the World by Jeff Greenwald. He spends the
year of his 40th birthday traveling around the world -
actually traveling ON the world as he never takes a
flight. It's non-fiction and he's a talented, funny
writer. Hope you like it!
by leila hadley. it's six hundred of the most wonderful pages you will ever read. it's non-fiction by a woman who traveled to india in the seventies to visit her twenty-five year old daughter living there and studying tibbetan buddhism. absolutely amazing. i was just engrossed. it's a travel journey but also a mother-daughter story but also a spiritual journey plus autobiography. i highly recommend it, i had never thought of india as a travel destination before, but now after reading this i really want to jump on a plane. read and enjoy! (by the way--i'm a twenty-two year old female if it makes any difference to any readers out there)
'The Alchemist' by Paul Coehlo (not sure of the spelling)
was great.....
For travel tales from a women's perspective, I really
enjoyed "Tracks" by Robyn Davidson (about her solo trip
across the Australia outback) and also liked "Maiden Voyage"
by Tania Abei (about her attempt to become the youngest
person to sail solo around the world).
1.In Ethiopa with a Mule (30 years ago but a truely timeless
read, aside from the mule she was alone);
2.The Ukimwi Road (ukimwi is swahili for AIDS, again alone
but only about 6 years ago, on a bike from Kenya to
Zimbabwe);
3.Eight Feet in the Andes (currently reading this one, with
her small daughter and a mule from Cajamarco to Cuzco).
She is (now) an Irish lady in her early to mid 60's. I am a
31yo Australian. She draws you right into her location - you
are walking/riding right there with her. It is such a nice
way to "travel" between your real trips.
Agree about The Alchemist by Paul Coelho.
So many books, so little time... I also love Dervla Murphy,
but I have to say her sheer bravery and toughness makes me
feel a real wimp! I used to love anything by Erica Jong,
'cos who doesn't like a good sexy read on the road, but now
I'm sick of her self-obsessed and almost reactionary
rantings.
Therous is also excellent, esp. his book on the
Meditteranean, "The Pillars of Hercules", and, on an
entirely different note, one thing I try not to travel
without is my mini book of shakespeare's sonnets. Whoever
called them the world's greatest novel had a point!
By the way, has anyone read any of LP's travel writing
series? I've spotted a few in the bokshops and they look
great, especially as, unlike the guides, many of them are
written by women.