Reading Room

Go around the world in an armchair or (if you're like me) curled up in bed, with sausage rolls ...

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Exciting travels

Reading Room: Compiled by DAPHNE LEE

 

Great Journeys Series

Authors: Various

Publisher: Penguin Books 

THIS new series from Penguin comprises 20 books by writers and explorers of past centuries, whose travels were as yet uncharted territory. The worlds in these slim volumes are fantastic and foreign, exciting and frightening, seen through the eyes of men and women who truly did not know what to expect, having no or few reference points. Titles include Borneo, Celebes, Aru by Alfred R. Wallace, The Customs of the Kingdom of India by Marco polo, Life on the Golden Horn by Mary Wortley Montagu, Can-cans, Cats and Cities of Ash by Mark Twain and Adventures in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird.

 

Oracle Bones

Author: Peter Hessler

Publisher: John Murray, 512 pages

Peter Hessler first went to China as a member of the Peace Corp and his experiences as a teacher were translated into the critically-acclaimed River Town. In Oracle Bones, Hessler attempts to describe and make sense of the on-going economic, social and political changes in China. His observations of the country and portraits of its citizens are linked by brief chapters on Chinese artefacts, with particular focus on an archaeological dig in Anyang. Just as ancient fragments are pieced together by archaeologists in an attempt to know life as it was, Hessler’s stories of individuals are each a part of a larger canvas of China, by no means completing the picture, but at least giving the reader a clearer understanding of this vast country and its people.

 

Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil

Author: Tony Wheeler

Publisher: Lonely Planet, 327 pages

IS THERE any country in this world that can claim a pristine record in terms of human rights? Probably not. But what makes a country so bad that it gets a place on Tony Wheeler’s “bad lands” list? Wheeler judges a country on how it treats its own citizens, its terrorist status, and if it is a threat to other countries. Nine “bad” countries are featured in this book, including Afghanistan, Burma, Libya and North Korea. 

Wheeler’s experiences in these countries are as a tourist and his views are, naturally, coloured by personal opinions and prejudices. The countries on his list won’t surprise readers, but details of why they are considered bad news might be enlightening to anyone who doesn’t make it a habit to keep up with current affairs.

 

The Carpet Wars

Authors: Christopher Kremmler

Publisher: Harper Australia

CHRISTOPHER Kremmler explores the ancient but thriving carpet trade along the old Silk Road, focusing also on the region’s many violent political upheavals, and paying homage to the cultural and religious beliefs and practices of the inhabitants of countries, like Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, along the route. He talks to merchants, weavers and factory managers, taxi drivers, students and politicians, describing their lives with great empathy and obvious affection, and succeeding in making vibrant and attractive countries that are often viewed as devoid of charm.

 

The Handsomest Man in Cuba: An Escapade

Author: Lynette Chiang

Publisher: Globe Pequot, 280 pages

FOR three months, Lynette Chiang cycled across Cuba, lodging with families, making friends and seeing a side of the country that is hidden from most tourists. Interestingly, in Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil, Cuba makes the author, Tony Wheeler’s blacklist. Although Chiang reports extreme poverty in Cuba, she also notices the absence of oppression, fear, violence and starvation. Instead, there is warm descriptions of generosity, positivity and good humour. Read both books and decide which writer to believe, or buy a ticket to Cuba and see for yourself.

 

Ryanland: A No-Frills Odyssey Across Europe

Author: Philip Nolan

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 288 pages

Ryanair is a budget airline, Ireland’s equivalent of AirAsia. In this book, Philip Nolan explores Europe on the low-cost carrier. He visits unheard of towns as well as popular tourist destinations, and, like many Europeans, he would not have access to all these places without Ryanair’s dirt-cheap fares. Maybe one day, someone will write a book called Tonyland: A No-Frills Odyssey Across South-East Asia.