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I am always interested in getting recommendations from people as to what to read. I devour books but I am getting harder to please ( getting old maybe? and tend to find myself always drawn back to either the good old Classics or books on history etc..).
Any contemporary writers I should consider ?
I have just finished a fascinating book called "the last Gentleman adventurer " by Edward Beauclerk Maurice , a memoir of his life with the Inuits of Northeast Canada and his time for the Hudson Bay Company and also the third of C.J Sansom's books "Sovereign" set in Tudor Times just after the dissolution of the monasteries.
I am reading the book which accompanies this television film: Long Way Round
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride their motorcycles from London to New York--the long way round, through Europe and Asia.
I usually prefer fiction but am really enjoying this adventure.
Thanks, I will have a look at them. I think the Long way round was on British TV but I missed it so the book sounds even better!
Have you read "Travelling with Che" and "the Motorcycle diaries", both fascinating as they are of the same journey though I preferred Alberto's ( Granada) book, a bit more grown up. It is fascinating seeing the awakening of political consciousness from Che though.
I love travel writing , for example Paul Theroux whose honesty I find refreshing.
I am reading the book which accompanies this television film: Long Way Round
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride their motorcycles from London to New York--the long way round, through Europe and Asia.
I usually prefer fiction but am really enjoying this adventure.
"Long Way Round" is on DVD and it was really interesting. I'm no motorcycle enthusiast, but even for those who don't ride it was fascinating to watch their trip, with all its breakdowns and pitfalls.
"Long Way Round" is on DVD and it was really interesting. I'm no motorcycle enthusiast, but even for those who don't ride it was fascinating to watch their trip, with all its breakdowns and pitfalls.
Loved the book, too.
I bought the DVD and the book for my husband, and ended up watching/reading both. I think part of what made it interesting was the honesty and lack of pretense--of course it was edited, but the trip (and the book) never has that polished up feeling, there are definitely problems and hurt feelings etc etc.
Did you know they have another trip planned? This one will be (in September) Long Way Down: begin at John 'O Groats (Scotland) to Cape Town, South Africa.
I thought I had heard some rumblings of another trip in the planning stages, but I didn't know it was definite.
I'll be interested in this one, too. I found it fascinating how they could be out in the middle of nowhere with a bike that had broken down, and have someone with a donkey or camel show up and get them back on the road. I really liked seeing the interactions with locals. There never was a point where it dragged or got boring.
I won't even get into the merits of watching Ewan McGregor for a couple of hours.
I know you said your looking for more contemporary authors, but I like you tend to stay with the more historical writings. I just finished reading Homer's The Iliad. However, I have started reading Helen of Troy by Margaret George. Of course its setting is historical, but its copyright is 2006, so it was written recently.
We had to read "the Illiad" and "the Odyssey" at school ( I did ancient Greek) and as such I found it a real struggle but I might just pick up a translation and make it easy and pleasant for myself ! "Helen of Troy" sounds good too. I'll have a look in my bookshop.
You're correct, I had to get a translation. It was hard to decide which one to get. I was shopping at Half Price Books and there many different translations available. I ended up getting the version that I could see many college classes must have used based on the notes written in the margins.
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and tend to find myself always drawn back to either the good old Classics or books on history etc..). 
I think part of what made it interesting was the honesty and lack of pretense--of course it was edited, but the trip (and the book) never has that polished up feeling, there are definitely problems and hurt feelings etc etc.
