travelin reading list, part VI

I haven't been as bookishly active in Australia because we move around all the time, wine tasting is a primary activity and, get this, check out is at 10.  AM.  As Marc Maron would say, WTF? When you think about the fact that check in time is 2 or 3 p.m. and that we're booted so ungenerously early, we are basically homeless 5+ hours each day.  Heartbreaking, non? For this reason, hot travel tip #12 (arbitrary number applies) is this: if you plan to stay somewhere nice, always stay for 2 nights so as to fully enjoy the facilities for at least one complete 24 hour period. 

And now, on to the stuff I read. 

In a Sunburnt Country by Bill Bryson

This was a freebie on a bookshelf In Pai.  I wouldn't have read it, but I hadn't done a scrap of research on Australia and it seemed the responsible thing to do.  As a result, Bryson is responsible for our having just visited Adelaide, which we lurved! His account of his travels down under are entertaining and quite informative, as he gets off the most trodden path and explores some small towns and quirky sites (like the giant earthworm museum, which we skipped). All of that said, if we hadn't been mere days away from Melbourne without a clue, I definitely would have flaked before the end.  Perhaps this comment illuminates my self-centeredness, but I just don't think I'd care enough to finish an 800 page account of a place I wasn't ever planning to go.

The Godfather of Kathmandu By John Burdett

I barely even remember what this book was about. There was definitely drug trafficking through Tibet and some spiritual hi jinks involving the series' protagonist. Also a tie-in to Hollywood and terrifying accounts of high level meditation.  The rest is a bit murky - I read it while we were in Pai and I was napping a lot at the time. Suffice it to say, it was digestible but far less tasty than Bangkok 8.  Like a rom-com starring the Kutch, this was infinitely entertaining and equally forgettable.  Serving suggestion: best read in a hammock. 

A Nail Through the Heart by Tim Hallinan

Amazon recommended this one based on my downloading of the John Burdett.  Definitely written in the same vein; a SE Asian do-gooder in an imperfect world.  I think Tim Hallinan's portrayal is more restrained but less realistic.  While Burdett acknowledges the infinite corruption rampant in Thailand and thus moderates his policeman protagonist, Tim Hallinan employs an amateur sleuth who doesn't oft get stuck to red tape.  Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the antics of Poke Rafferty, a former travel writer who becomes a Bangkok detective.  Like the Burdett books, its not enough just to have a Thailand based crime-thriller.  This novel involves the Khmer Rouge, Chinese drug smuggling, and a Scandanavian fetishist.  I hope the next one has muppets and midgets and Malaysians too.  I'll probably read it regardless. 

The Man with No Time by Tim Hallinan

I bought this book without realizing it was written by the same dude that wrote "A Nail Through the Heart."  I was doing an experiment on Amazon to see what books I could buy for under $4 that didn't seem like steaming piles of shit.  This was $1.99 and I didn't realize until I hit the AUTHOR'S BIO at the end that it was by the same dude.  This novel features an earlier narrator, Simeon Grist, who is more flawed and less family oriented than nerdy Poke.  He gets drunk a lot and is witty and relatable, making this otherwise ridiculous novel a fun read.  Though still centering around conflicting Asian cultures, its set entirely in LA, where the Chinese food in Chinatown is portrayed to be great, and the characters never sit in traffic. 

Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer

To learn, in detail, about Mormonism, the history of Mormonism, the politics of Mormonism, and Mormons, I'd recommend this book. Its a pretty fascinating religion to learn about, but the marketing of the book is off base. Its synopsized as being about a sensational killing committed by 2 fundamentalist Mormons in the 80s.  And it kind of is, but its more about the religion as a whole. I didn't go in expecting the in-depth schooling that I received, and there are way too many footnotes for reading on a Kindle.  Also, so many characters I needed a pad & paper to keep track.  It was like reading Marquez.  Bit of a slog, so I'd give it a 6 for entertainment and a 9 for educational.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Wowzah. I haven't been this captivated in ages. Franzen somehow takes the seemingly mundane story of some fairly unlikeable members of a mid-western family and makes magic. I read this book to the exclusion of quite a few other things (like talking at breakfast) until I finished its bazillion pages. Somehow the lengthy novel manages real emotion and sentimentality without schmaltz throughout.  I feel like I should go back and give “the Corrections” another shot.  Tons of critics and reviewers thought this book was mediocre or worse.  But they were wrong, and I  am right. Way to go, Franz.