Top 10 Reads on the Road

Top 10 Reads On The Road

Killing time in airport lounges and en route to your destination can be duller than watching a Sloath blow dry wet paint. That’s why this guide is dedicated to the most entertaining, the most enthralling, the most useful and the most memorable books of this generation, and beyond. Enough grand standing ‐ to the travel library of transit time filling books we go.

1. 

   Straight in at number one is the Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget. By simply using this book you’ll make back every single penny you spent buying it ‐ and then some. This title is regularly updated and covers every country, city and sight in the glorious European Union. Because of the vast scope of this directory you might not get more than a sentence on the more obscure attractions, but there are always great web referrals to give you more.

2. 

   In the number two spot we have Gonzo ‐ The Life of Hunter S. Thompson by Jann Wenner & Corey Seymour. Mr Thompson is arguably THE trailblazer when it comes to the wonderfully entertaining, first person narrative that became known as Gonzo journalism. Hunter was clearly too cool to waste time writing his own autobiography so this one is pieced together by the people who knew him best. This autobiography is the unabbreviated truth and covers everything from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to the best way to fake a day of incommunicado at work. Genius stuff.

3. 

   A Year of Festivals from Lonely Planet is essential reading if you’ve ever sat down in a stupor and though to yourself, I wonder what festivals are going on in the world this week. In true Lonely Planet fashion the listings are quirky, off the beaten track and described in an amusingly, tangent strewn fashion. My favourites include the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, the demons on Lake Titicaca, the World Marbles Championships and the naked festival in Japan. It’s a relatively new title from the travel experts and it isn’t year specific, so it won’t be dated the minute you buy it!

4. 

   In at number four we have Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. In this time defying offering the storylines rise up, fall down and blend into a literary surf, in a truly enthralling fashion. The recipe involves six lives, a refreshing spin on the six degrees of separation theory, accurate portrayals of the past and fearful portraits of the future. Reincarnation is another option on the interpretive menu but rather than read into that here and now, it’s best to simply read the book yourself.

5. 

   The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a collection of beautifully crafted words and if it doesn’t make you cry then not much will. The tale follows Liesel Meminger as she grows up far too quickly in Nazi Germany. The tale is narrated by death who sees a surge in his work load as the war machines of World War Two heat up and tragically invade the life of Liesel. Our wonderfully observant narrator also slips in a few previews of what’s to come later in life ‐ a clever little device which adds to your inextricable involvement. This is an incredible insight into the mind set of the German masses, the fear induced ‐ heard mentality of the Nazis and how a generation was very nearly robbed of independent thought.

6. 

   A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is the follow up to a book you might have heard of called The Kite Runner. This offering however is different from its predecessor and focuses on two generations, trying to exist in a climate of change and agitation. It documents Afghanistan’s turbulent history ‐ from the Soviet occupation, to the mess left behind when they withdrew and the Taliban took control. The shockwaves from September 11 also feature heavily and tie the tragedy of this tale to the day to day misery in Kabul.

7. 

   The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama is rather topical at the moment and better yet, it’s a good read. In essence this book is an appetite quencher for anyone who wants to know what all the fuss is about. Reading it, you’ll be swept away by an undercurrent of dynamic content that not only addresses personal issues of race and nationality, but also political ones such as the precarious position of America after so many years of George W. at the helm. The hope centres around the potential to repair old alliances and build new ones, and the writing style is eloquent to the point where you think if anyone can do it, Obama can.

8. 

   number9dream by David Mitchell delivers the goods with a crash course ‐ introduction to the life of nineteen‐year‐old Eiji Miyake. A tragic, small island upbringing leads to our hero leaving home and heading for Tokyo, in search of a father he’s never met. The result is a book that’s akin to a food blender ‐ mixing dream sequences with superbly fertile day dreams and a healthy smidgen of reality, here and there. It’s similar to Kill Bill, but there’s less violence and a lot more plot, especially at the very end! The conclusion is in fact something that’s guaranteed to leave you reeling.

9. 

   The Rough Guide to Travel Online is, in a nutshell, what would happen if two very clever people sat down and brainstormed every useful bit of travel information they’ve come across online. Now image authors Samantha Cook and Greg Ward doing this, throw in some little known but massively useful websites on everything from diving to writing retreats and you have this handy guide down to a T. Unfortunately like most web based guides that go to print, you’re bound to come across dead links and dated data, but as a point of reference this Rough Guide is an excellent starting point.

10. 

    Nicole Krauss takes what Sebastian Faulkes attempted to do with the non‐linear Fool’s Alphabet and makes it work in The History of Love. Powerful and truly lucid story lines from different time frames are beautifully interwoven and when the dot connecting penny drops, you get a sense of satisfaction akin to finishing your high school exams. Real pain is shrouded in dry wit and real loss is countered by the unexpected and out of the ordinary, retrieval of literature and life ‐ both thought to be long lost. The front running, favourite character that you’ll most certainly fall in love with is Leo Gursky. The rest you have to read for yourself.