Reading While Traveling
2 February 2010 in TravelOne of my resolutions for this year is to replace time spent surfing the internet and following current events with time for anything more meaningful, for instance pleasure reading. Reading great mind-bending books while on the road is an incredible way to shoot an already intense experience into the stratosphere.
Reading has to be the best leisure activity for travelers and is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of mainstream living which, after all, is why we travel and take vacations in the first place.
In about three weeks, I’ve consumed 8 books, averaging 50-100 pages daily. I haven’t read at such a pace except for brief periods in high school and college, where I was obligated to read and analyze one after another (i.e. the task was stressful and unpleasurable). Reading now, with no assignments, no penalties for not memorizing names of all the characters, and no nonsensical deconstruction, opens the door to parts of the mind closed by rigid academia.
I’m reading books that are considered the best novels ever written and am deliberately staying away from anything new, any sensational trash writing (pulp fiction), and anything that takes too much effort. About half of my read list so far were books I read in high school. Now, reading them again, it’s amazing how differently I interpret things about 15 years (and loads of life experience) later.
Here are the reading lists I’m using to choose my next book:
http://www.thebest100lists.com/best100novels/ (favorite books of regular people)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478 (a metalist of other lists)
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/index.cfm (because any book that is so hated as to be banned, has got to be good!)
What do you do to pass the time while on the road or at home? Are you a reader, a gamer, a web surfer? What are your book suggestions?
Hey Brook,
Several thoughts. First, Reading is good, especially for people who enjoy travel.
Second, a few authors have written what I call historical fiction. They weave a fictitious plot or story into a background of real historical settings and events. The end result is a pleasurable read and an almost unconscious knowledge of some real history. James Michener is a favorite. Sandy started my passion for Wilbur Smith novels. A current favorite is Jeff Shaara. An old friend is Louis L’Amour. Each has a knowledge of particular historical eras and events.
Third, as with historical fiction, many authors of technical and business books are incorporating fiction as a way to make difficult concepts more understandable and acceptable to the masses. Wilbur Smith, who has written historical fiction about Africa, was recently asked to write a series of books about archeological discoveries. When he responded that he didn’t write non-fiction, especially about subjects that might appeal only to academics, he received an interesting response.
The response was that if the archeological subjects were written as purely academic journals, only a minor fraction of the worlds readers would ever know of the important history revealed by the new discoveries. If Mr. Smith were to write of those discoveries, using his approach to historical fiction, millions of readers would not only learn of the discoveries, but may develop a real interest in the history of the country where the discoveries were made.
The request to Mr. Smith was made by the head government archeologist for the country of Egypt. The discoveries were of before unknown pharaohs whose reigns filled gaps in the history of Egypt. Normally a little boring, but not when Mr.Smith finished his trilogy.
Keep reading!
I think I need you to mail me some books!
The book exchanges/used book stores here are way overpriced. The stores selling new books don’t carry any I want to read or any authors you mention…it’s all Tom Clancy, Dan Brown pop stuff.