Sunday 26 December 2010

Top Five Ways to Kill Time Whilst Travelling 3) A Bloody Good Book

Holidays are the perfect times to pick up books and read, in fact a lot of people only read whilst thery are on holiday (don't get me started...). I usually try to pick out anything that doesn't seem too complex and that I can read without much effort. Only one of the following falls under that category however, as I wouldn't want to bore you any further. The others are more books that inspire one to travel, which raise ones spirits in tough times whilst on the road, or just make one happy to be alive.


Chris McCandless and his Magic Bus
Into The Wild - John Krakauer: A strong start in the race, this tells the true story or Chris McCandless; the ultimate travelling renegade. Most of you might be more familiar with the film that was made from this book, but I always recommend diving into both. McCandless had a dream to disappear into the wilderness of Alaska and live off the land, burning his social security number and giving all his money to charity in the process. A fascinating look into the mind of a a man who would just refused to fit in and stay put.

Gullivers Travels - Jonathan Swift: Kicking it old school with some classic adventure, Gullivers Travels takes you through a number of fantasy lands of giants, minature people, and magical horses. As well as being labelled as a children's story of ships and pirates, Gullivers Travels makes drastic comments on society and human morality. An encouragement for anyone to realise that the world they know is not all that is out there...

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert: I was given this book by a friend of mine who didn't like it all that much but it was an example of travel writing so I put it down to research to read it myself. Not a book I usually would have read as it seemed like chick-lit to me, I have to admit I hoovered the lot in about three days. Another true story, detailing the aftermath of the author's divorce, which resulted in her travels to Italy to eat, India to pray, and Indonesia to love.

Jane Austen: Okay, so not a book related to travels whatsoever. In fact, Austen's novels have heavy emphasis on home and the domestic sphere. The furthest they go tends to be in a carriage and a few miles down the road, which always takes them an overnight trip. Being a stereotypical female English student, I adore Jane Austen as much as the next woman. Incredibly easy to read, charming, cheeky and something to indulge in to take me back to the English countryside, whenever and wherever.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: This author has written some of the most beautifully passionate literature I have ever read, and a couple of his books are amongst my all time favourites. Marquez often portrays fairly complex family trees with cousins and relatives cropping up all over the place. You can feel the heat and intensity of Central and South America oozing off the pages, you almost have to take layers of whilst reading it. Another exotic read that will have you itching to discover and have you salivating at the enticing recipes is Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.

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