Any travel books that read like SharonG's report?
Apr 13th, 2005, 01:15 PM
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Any travel books that read like SharonG's report?
Sharon, your report is so entertaining, I keep wishing there were an entire book's worth of narrative... Which led me to wonder: does anyone have any recommendations of published travel memoirs? If not, get writing, Sharon, I want to see this published!
Apr 13th, 2005, 01:19 PM
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By an earlier thread's recommendation I read and even bought the book "extra virgin", you will love it! Unfortunately don't remember the author, but somebody will fill in the gap. The book is about 2 sisters accepting a summer job offer in Italy, talked into buying a house there, adjusting to a new language (liturgian dialect??) and new customs.
Apr 13th, 2005, 01:25 PM
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Thanks, Faina! That's on my list of books to pick up at the library... Annie Hawes, I think, is the author. I did make a list from some of the other threads on "books set in Italy", et al. That one is near the top. Glad to hear you enjoyed it enough to buy it!
Apr 13th, 2005, 03:18 PM
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Annie Hawes' first book was great -- so why hasn't some American publisher yet picked up her second ("Ripe for the Picking"
? You can only get it from the UK. And looking on amazon.co.uk, I see she has a third one coming out in July -- "Mission to the South", which also sounds terrific. Here's the description:
Ever since Annie got together with Ciccio, his Calabrian family have spoken of their homeland as an earthly paradise, of wild nights dancing the tarantella, of almond milk sold fresh from roadside stalls, of honey cakes and amaro made from wild liquorice roots... Now, at last, Annie and Ciccio are travelling down to see the ancestral home and extended family for themselves, along with a bunch of vocal and lively de Gilios who don't want to miss out on the fun. Will everything Annie has learnt in her years among the Ligurians stand her in good stead among the Calabresi? Or is she in for another steep learning curve in the intricacies of Italian rural life?
? You can only get it from the UK. And looking on amazon.co.uk, I see she has a third one coming out in July -- "Mission to the South", which also sounds terrific. Here's the description:Ever since Annie got together with Ciccio, his Calabrian family have spoken of their homeland as an earthly paradise, of wild nights dancing the tarantella, of almond milk sold fresh from roadside stalls, of honey cakes and amaro made from wild liquorice roots... Now, at last, Annie and Ciccio are travelling down to see the ancestral home and extended family for themselves, along with a bunch of vocal and lively de Gilios who don't want to miss out on the fun. Will everything Annie has learnt in her years among the Ligurians stand her in good stead among the Calabresi? Or is she in for another steep learning curve in the intricacies of Italian rural life?
Apr 13th, 2005, 03:32 PM
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Nonnafelice: because the publisher is pushing another book, "under the tuscan sun". But compare to "extra virgin" it's snobbish and less humorous.
I need to change my nickname to LoveItalyAgain
I need to change my nickname to LoveItalyAgain
Apr 13th, 2005, 04:06 PM
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While wandering around on the amazon.co.uk site, I stumbled over a reference to the George East books, set in Normandy. They sound very amusing. I wonder if anyone here has read any of them. Here's the description of the first in the series:
Home & Dry in France is the first book in the La Puce trilogy,which charts the author and his wife's exploits in an isolated corner of Normandy. Written as a dire warning (the subtitle is A Year in Purgatory!) to other would-be settlers or buyers of French property, Home & Dry in France quickly became a 'cult' bestseller and one of publishing's best-kept secrets. If you've ever even dreamed of owning a picturesque property across the Channel, or are just an armchair traveller in search of a rattling good story, Home & Dry in France is recommended reading by hundreds of thousands of George East enthusiasts.
Home & Dry in France is the first book in the La Puce trilogy,which charts the author and his wife's exploits in an isolated corner of Normandy. Written as a dire warning (the subtitle is A Year in Purgatory!) to other would-be settlers or buyers of French property, Home & Dry in France quickly became a 'cult' bestseller and one of publishing's best-kept secrets. If you've ever even dreamed of owning a picturesque property across the Channel, or are just an armchair traveller in search of a rattling good story, Home & Dry in France is recommended reading by hundreds of thousands of George East enthusiasts.
Apr 14th, 2005, 08:44 AM
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I found a great travelogue-type book about Ireland, called 'The Back of Beyond', by James Charles Roy. He's written several other books, several about the history of Ireland. In 'Back' he shepherds a group of aged American tourists around Ireland, skipping the big sights, going to small unknown, but history-soaked locations. If you love Ireland, you'll love this book.
And of course there's always the classics 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' and 'McCarthy's Bar', all available on Amazon or your local bookstore.
And of course there's always the classics 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' and 'McCarthy's Bar', all available on Amazon or your local bookstore.
Apr 14th, 2005, 09:01 AM
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This one is not so entertaining as Sharon's report, although it does have some humor, but it was such a good book that I'm sad to have finished it:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0413522105
A Traveller in Italy by the same author is also very good, and I'm looking forward to starting A Stranger in Spain.
Also, Bill Bryson has some good stuff, but I don't think he is as funny as Sharon.
Oh, I just remembered - one very funny guy I read recently is Noel Barber.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0333225589
I'd like to get my hands on more of his work.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0413522105
A Traveller in Italy by the same author is also very good, and I'm looking forward to starting A Stranger in Spain.
Also, Bill Bryson has some good stuff, but I don't think he is as funny as Sharon.
Oh, I just remembered - one very funny guy I read recently is Noel Barber.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0333225589
I'd like to get my hands on more of his work.
Apr 15th, 2005, 04:16 AM
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Gee, I feel like a celebrity. Just call me Judy Garland. Honestly, I start out trying to write things seriously and it just comes out that way. I think I have to be so serious in my job (psychologist believe it or not) that I just can't take anything else (including my personal life -gee wonder if that's why I'm not married?) that seriously.
Apr 15th, 2005, 02:02 PM
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Two suggestions: David Sedaris and Christopher Buckley. They are among the funniest writers around today, so that puts Sharon in distinguished company indeed.
Incidentally, the current issue of the New Yorker has a very funny piece by Sedaris. And I thought "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" in the book of the same name was one of the most hilarious things I have every read.
Christopher Buckley has written a number of very fine and witty novels, including "Florence of Arabia" his latest. For his travel writing, try some of his pieces in the Forbes archive. I especially like "How Fois Gras was My Valley" for another take on the Dordogne, his ascent of the Matterhorn in "Into Thin Hair", and "Gloire on the Loire" in which he and his family bike through the Loire.
Incidentally, the current issue of the New Yorker has a very funny piece by Sedaris. And I thought "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" in the book of the same name was one of the most hilarious things I have every read.
Christopher Buckley has written a number of very fine and witty novels, including "Florence of Arabia" his latest. For his travel writing, try some of his pieces in the Forbes archive. I especially like "How Fois Gras was My Valley" for another take on the Dordogne, his ascent of the Matterhorn in "Into Thin Hair", and "Gloire on the Loire" in which he and his family bike through the Loire.
Apr 16th, 2005, 03:41 AM
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"A Walk across France" by Miles Morland had DH and me in stitches a few years ago. I lend or give it to friends frequently. Not your typical "hike somewhere" book - he's a Brit who's abruptly quit his job, full mid-life crisis, his French wife agrees to an "adventure" before he resumes working to cover expenses of 2 teens in private schools, etc. They draw a line on a map from the Med to the Atlantic and fly to France.... The events along the way are priceless. I think it might have some actual "SharonG" moments - we loved it!
