Top 5 Books from 2008
- January 2008: Gonzo - The life of Hunter S. Thompson by Jann Wenner & Corey Seymour
Gonzo journalism is a particularly wonderful writing style - which you don’t see enough of in today’s ego-tastic circle of travel blogging. Behind Gonzo you have Hunter S. Thompson who took his experiences, mixed them with paraffin, spat them into a flame and inaugurated an age of articles which mixed jaded cynicism with that certain irresistible, slap in the face, unabbreviated truth. Not only did his fearless approach to writing make the magic that was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it also made this autobiography into a seamless read. In true Thompson style it’s an unabashed account of how things really came about, told by his lovers, friends and family after his suicide. To even attempt to relay these experiences would be sacrilegious to Thompson so it’s best to just buy the book, take a leaf out of it, unplug all office equipment, fake a day of incommunicado and plough through it.
Gonzo - The life of Hunter S. Thompson by Jann Wenner & Corey Seymour is published by the Sphere (hardback; £18.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.
- March 2008: Persuasion by Jane Austen
A pleasant ramification of a recent trip to Bath was a desire to reacquaint myself with the schoolboy classics of Jane Austen, starting with Persuasion. Miss Austen spent many happy and many miserable years in the Georgian city and this, her final novel, looks back at the city society with a rueful gaze. The rose tinted visage of Northanger Abbey is obliterated in a timeless satire which is still relevant in today’s ashtray deep world of first impressions, aimless dating, Goldfish bowl communities, heartache and missed chances. The lesson decreed is one where a happy ending can come about through re-consideration and pursuing what you, and you alone believe to be right. Ultimately our heroin - Anne Elliot poignantly gets the dream that Austen never did. In other words a great book for vicarious living.
Persuasion by Jane Austen is published by Penguin (paperback; £6.99). It is also available through www.penguin.co.uk and all good booksellers.
- April 2008: Rough Guides - Europe on a Budget
Apparently I’m an expert on saving money on the road. An over draft that hails back to the days of student hood would disagree with that, but nonetheless I have done extended European trips on less than €100 a week. Amsterdam is one exemplification of this scrimping and saving - so in logical honour of that, let us turn to page 835 and see what Rough Guides Europe on a Budget has to say about the city of sin. The best tourist bases are covered and crucially, the guide espouses the virtues of hiring a bike - in this city where cars well and truly take a back seat. One stumbling block in this fountain of knowledge however, is the failure to note the scrumptious and amazing value for money pancakes on offer at The Pancake Bakery. This delicious eatery is on Prinsengracht. Tongue in cheek, taste bud motivated comments aside, this is essential reading for all budget travellers.
Rough Guides - Europe on a Budget is published by Rough Guides (paperback; £15.99). It is also available through www.roughguides.com and all good booksellers.
- May 2008: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
If you only integrate your brain with one of this month’s top five reads, then make it The History of Love. This is a real example of how writing is a craft in its own right. Krauss takes what Sebastian Faulkes attempted to do with the non-linear Fool’s Alphabet and makes it work in The History of Love. Powerful and truly lucid story lines from different time frames are all beautifully interwoven and when the dot connecting penny drops, you get a sense of satisfaction akin to finishing your exams at High School. Real pain is shrouded in dry wit and real loss is countered by the unexpected and out of the ordinary retrieval of literature and life, long lost. The front running, favourite character has to be Leo Gursky. Krauss beautifully describes the affection grabbing antics of this lonely senior citizen and makes him dear to your heart in one swift pen stroke.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is published by Penguin Books (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through penguin.co.uk and all good booksellers.
- July 2008: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
You can sum this book up in one hugely hyphenated word: Absolutely-unquestionably-fantastically-wonderful-and-beyond-comparison. Storylines rise up, fall down and blend into a literary surf in a truly enthralling way, and the 500 pages fly by at a G-Force-esk speed. The publisher may well have forked out to be noticed by the make or break publicity team behind Richard and Judy’s TV Book Club, but that aside it’s a book worth noticing. The recipe involves six lives, a refreshing spin on the six degrees of separation theory, accurate portrayals of the past and fearful portraits of the future. Reincarnation is another option on the interpretive menu but rather than read into that here, it’s best to simply read the book.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is published by Sceptre (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.
- Rob Savage
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