It has been a while since I've done this, but here is my summer reading list for 2011. It is not much, but hey - one or two books a week ain't that bad, right?
1. Paul Theroux' Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar
This is a follow-up of his classic, The Great Railway Bazaar written 30 years ago. He revisits the the world he travelled back when communism was still strong in Eastern Europe, and where trains where the best way to see the land from Europe to Asia.
2. James Clavells's Tai-Pan
I first read this when I was in highschool. I found this on the bargain bin of NBS for P75. Will definitely re-read.
3. Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat/ Three Men on the Bummel
The grand daddy of all the travel narratives, it is funny and with surprising keen observation and commentary about life, existence and what brings meaning to our pursuits.
4. David Mas Masamuto's Harvest Son
A memoir of sorts of his recollection growing up and working on a grape/peach farm. Lyrical and insightful it looks at the rich and sometimes complicated histories of families and their tradition. Here's what is says on the author's website about the book: " In prose of zen-like clam and clarity, Masumoto relates how he learned to prune vines and survive a storm; to value the knowledge of old farmers and the rusty tool forgotten in the shed; and to take on a leadership role in his Buddhist community. He also shares life vividly in the present: how it feels to really sweat while you work; the way dust cakes on your neck when you're driving a tractor; the pleasure of rinsing off under a cold faucet; a grandmother's joy at hearing that her grandson will visit her birthplace; the way grapes are dried into raisins; and the way a family works together in the fields.
5. Tim Brooke's Guitar: An American Life
The blurb reads, "this book is a narrative of the cultural history of the guitar and a chronicle of the intricate process that went into the construction of the instrument."
6. Anne Lamott's Grace Eventually: Thoughts on Faith
Reading Lamott is like listening to a favorite eccentric aunt - full of wisdom, witticism and surprising insights.
7. Roxanne Coady, editor, The Book that Changed my Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them
So tell me about your reading list...
1. Paul Theroux' Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar
This is a follow-up of his classic, The Great Railway Bazaar written 30 years ago. He revisits the the world he travelled back when communism was still strong in Eastern Europe, and where trains where the best way to see the land from Europe to Asia.
2. James Clavells's Tai-Pan
I first read this when I was in highschool. I found this on the bargain bin of NBS for P75. Will definitely re-read.
3. Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat/ Three Men on the Bummel
The grand daddy of all the travel narratives, it is funny and with surprising keen observation and commentary about life, existence and what brings meaning to our pursuits.
4. David Mas Masamuto's Harvest Son
A memoir of sorts of his recollection growing up and working on a grape/peach farm. Lyrical and insightful it looks at the rich and sometimes complicated histories of families and their tradition. Here's what is says on the author's website about the book: " In prose of zen-like clam and clarity, Masumoto relates how he learned to prune vines and survive a storm; to value the knowledge of old farmers and the rusty tool forgotten in the shed; and to take on a leadership role in his Buddhist community. He also shares life vividly in the present: how it feels to really sweat while you work; the way dust cakes on your neck when you're driving a tractor; the pleasure of rinsing off under a cold faucet; a grandmother's joy at hearing that her grandson will visit her birthplace; the way grapes are dried into raisins; and the way a family works together in the fields.
5. Tim Brooke's Guitar: An American Life
The blurb reads, "this book is a narrative of the cultural history of the guitar and a chronicle of the intricate process that went into the construction of the instrument."
6. Anne Lamott's Grace Eventually: Thoughts on Faith
Reading Lamott is like listening to a favorite eccentric aunt - full of wisdom, witticism and surprising insights.
7. Roxanne Coady, editor, The Book that Changed my Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them
So tell me about your reading list...
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