¡Libros!

For better or worse, there is a ton of time to kill when on a 6 month travel... The following is a list of the boos we have read and reactions. Please keep in mind that for most of our trip, we are at the mercy of the local book exchange and their small selection of books in English.

1. Drifters - James A. Michener
We picked this one up in our first hostel, and it stayed with us until we got into Argentina. (It wasn´t very good, and our first month was very ambitious and we spent almost all of our time sight seeing.) Jon was unable to finish it when it started to become increasingly preachy and a bit trite. For lack of a better choice, I stuck it through to the end, but can´t say that I´m a better person for it. It is nice, however, to read a book about travelers whilst traveling...

2. Set This House on Fire - William Styron
Jon liked it, but for large sections I wanted to screm "SHUT UP!". The cover said something about being Doestoyevskian, but I argue that it takes more than being whiney over nothing to adequately meet that criteria.

3. Nobody´s Fool - Richard Russo
A great easy read with some laugh-out loud humor. The characters were real enough, and I found myself frequently wondering if I were going to grow into one of the crazy old ladies in the novel. Also, smart-allecy complainers have always had a soft spot in both our hearts.

4. Good Soldier Svek - Jaroslav Hasek
A good recommendation, though the story of the author might be more entertaining than the novel itself. Intended to be a 4 part story, the author died after writing only the first 3. As good a read as it was, it´s almost not worth the sudden brick wall you hit at the end. Apparently, all subsequent attempts to finish the story by friends of the author have all been tragic.

5. A Most Wanted Man - John Le Carre
If you´re looking for an easy airplane read, this is it. In face, it´s probably currently in the bookshops in your local airport. A decent read, though nothing to really talk about.

6. Prey - Michael Chriton
Facing a book exchange comprising of mostly Daniel Steele and popular fiction, we decided to try out the guy who at least does some research into his novels. Entertaining.

7. Illearth Wars - Stephen R. Donaldson
We also decided to try out a fantasy novel. Again, the cover promised a read comparable to Tolken (pretty high bar), and we were sorely dissapointed. Though neither of us have read much fantasy, we´re pretty sure that it was overly contrived and cliche even for a fantasy novel. The worst part is that it´s the 2nd in a trilogy, and now I have a small burning curiosity to know how it all ends.

8. State of Fear - Michael Chriton
We decided to go back to the easy read by an author we enjoyed. We didn´t know at the time that the Fox News station had been widely promoting this novel because it casts much doubt on the "certainty" of global warming. Having read the novel (which is again incredibly well researched), it seemed to us more to be a warning against "politicized science" and the tendency for the masses to get their scientific information from the media and not from scientific journals. In fact, much of what he criticised about the media seems to be exactly the kind of practices used by Fox... can we say fear mongerers?

9. ...a historical fiction based during the 100 years war...
Jon was the only one to read this one. Right about now, I had taken up knitting to pass the time. Apparently historical fictions are still just popular fiction, but with a little more research to paint a nice backdrop on the drama.

10. The Dragons´Nine Sons - Chris Roberson
A sci-fi fantasy that takes place in a future where the Chinese and Mexicans (actually, descendants of Incas who were never defeated by the Spanish) wage war in space. Jon was the only one to read it. "Pretty much garbage."

11. How It Works - ??
Printed in the 60s, it´s a collection of explanations of well... how things work. The best part was that it voiced the enthusiasm and optimism of the time. It would occasionally note that while the research was far off, no doubt that by 2000 we would all be riding around in hovercrafts.

We gave in and ended up purchasing some new books...
12. The War of the End of the World - Mario Vargas Llosa
Currently being read by Jon. So far, loving it.

13. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Currently being read by Kathy. So far, loving it.

I´m sure that we´ll end up with at least another couple under our belt before the trip is done. Happy reading everyone!