Ruins and Book List
OK, two points on the agenda today:
1) Inane update on what I have been up to in Turkey
2) Inane update on which books I have been reading recently and solicitation (once again) for some books to put on the list
3) Update to my "global superfriends" list
1) Turkey
So I have been on the road with Quyen and Ishika, my former coworkers, along with Ishika's college friend Caroline. It has been soooo easy-peasy this time around. No "adventures" (read: massive screwups or problems), but at the same time few random ridiculous stories. We chilled in Istanbul, we chilled in Selcuk (in which we saw literally hundreds of dudes hanging out in cafes and on the street, but no women to be seen. I guess they are at home with the kids or out plowing the fields), and now we're chillin in Bodrum. Bodrum is exactly as we imagined a mediterranean resort town to look...its beautiful and seems laid back. We are all psyched. Plus it has been a long time since I got to spend more than 18-hours a day with Quyen and Ish, so this is like the "good ole days" at Citimonster. Turkish delight is actually insanely good, and turkish wine hasn't been horrible. So all in its not a bad gig.
2) Books List
So I have read some interesting books, but I'm on the lookout for new stuff to fill the days when I'm on the road by myself or flying around or on a train, so any recommendations would be helpful. Here's where I stand:
The Historian (Anna Kostova) - This historical/vampire novel is totally what I like. Its filled with fun facts about eastern europe, and ironically it has long chapters about Istanbul and Budapest, so its very timely for my current trip! I'm diggin it.
How to Be Good (Nick Hornby) - I just finished this, which I got from LIsa in XinJiang as we both tried to lighten out book load. I really dug this book too, but it made me depressed a little bit about all the things to look forward to in married life.
The Oracle (Manfredi, the guy who wrote the Alexander Trilogy) - This book was great from a history standpoint, but the book itself was a bit WACK and didn't really tie together in the end. I liked it, but only if you're a classical world buff or interested in that kinda thing. I bought this in the Hong Kong used bookstore, along with my China history book and my David Sedaris book which I haven't cracked open.
A Traveler's HIstory of China - This was a great read since I was IN Beijing, but it was written in 1997 so everything after like 1993 had to be ingnored because it just wasn't accurate. I would love to get my hands on the other "Traveler's History of" books, but I just don't think I can do so without the assistance of Amazon.com! Definitely a nice easy concise history of the last 2000 years in the goole ole middle kingdoms
Villa Incognito (Tom Robbins) - Kelly loaned me this book, but I left it in China (sorry!) so I owe her one. This was a fun little read and made me want to brush up on my Japanese folklore. I don't know if it makes me want to run out and read every Tom Robbins book though, or perhaps on in case of a book emergency!
I Lucifer (Glen Duncan) - I bought this because it was on sale in paperback and I had wanted to pick it up for a while. Actually I really loved it, especially all the references to Dante and Milton. It kinda reminded me of when Wendy gave me her abridged version of "Paradise Lost" while we sat in the Steinberg Deitrich lobby waiting for pizza some saturday back in college. Good times. I think Wendy would dig this book a lot, and I liked it too. Sadly I didn't get to do tea at the Ritz while in London, which is where a lot of shit goes down in this novel.
Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco, yes I know I butchered the spelling) - This book took some WORK to get through, but fortunately I had an 18-hour busride in which I could really dig in. Once I got over all the intellectual namedropping and the funky sense of humor, this turned out to be an AWESOME book, the kind that makes you really think about life, history, humanity, and other cool shit. I don't know if I could ploy through another of these books though...
Anyway, any new recommendations would be totally helpful! PLEASE let me know!
3) Global superfriends
So I have a couple of new ones since I last posted the list:
Pierre KW (3)
Maryrose E (3)
Gerry F (3)
Matt C (3)
Rachel C (2)
Elaine L (2, and she was on before but I forgot to put her!)
Sharon P (2, not sure if I included her or not before)
Lisa M (2)
Quyen T (2)
Ishika M (2)
Min C (2)
Frances C (2)
David M (2)
I think thats it, but let me know if I forgot anyone!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home