MetaChat - Road Reads

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26 June 2009

Road Reads I'm hitting the road and I'm looking for something to read. →[More:] I'm heading out bicycle tour next week and I've yet to settle on what to read for this trip. I find that I like to read about travelers whilst I travel but it's not a requirement. As some examples on my last few bicycle trips I've read Murakami, Huck Finn, Basho, The Hobbit and Thoreau. I've read lots of the classic road trip books already: Kerouac, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Don Quixote, &c so I'm looking for some ideas.

post by: kodama at: 22:24 | 9 comments

Twain's Innocents Abroad

posted by not_on_display 26 June | 23:57

A Walk in the Woods

posted by plinth 27 June | 08:23

Ernie's America: The Best of Ernie Pyles 1930s Travel Dispatches. I reread it lots when I travel.

posted by JanetLand 27 June | 09:12

You've probably read it already, but Travels With Charley. And the works of William Least Heat Moon.

posted by box 27 June | 09:55

if you want to read something that will inspire travel, you should try Paul Theroux . most of his novels take place in a foreign countries , but he also has several books about traveling in asia , africa and oceania . It also doesnt hurt that he is an excellent author either .

posted by rollick 27 June | 10:23

Thanks for the suggestions everyone- keep 'em coming. rollick - I love Paul Theroux, I'd say he's my favorite travel writer. The Happy Isles of Oceania being my favorite. Great book, highly recommended. plinth - A Walk in the Woods has been on my "to read" list for so long I'd forgot about it! That is definitely a candidate, thanks.

posted by kodama 27 June | 13:03

For no reason at all, and certainly for no merit, I have to brag that I once worked at a law firm for Paul Theroux's brother, Eugene. My only claim to coolness.

posted by JanetLand 27 June | 21:39

I like Geek Love, myself.

posted by The Whelk 27 June | 22:58

If you like Paul Theroux, you might want to check out Jan/James Morris (she had a sex change in the middle of her career; I've seen books with both names). Not as edgy/po-mo, but really evocative writing with a great grasp of history. I think she has a collection of articles she published in Rolling Stone, which might be a good intro.

I've read a lot of travel writing, and she's one of the few authors who can make me immediately want to go to places I'd never even considered before.

posted by occhiblu 28 June | 00:22

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