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You are here: Backpacker Resources > Travel Books > Top 5 Books for July 2009

Top 5 Books for July 2009

1. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

   Even if the non linear style of this particular book doesn’t suit your literary pallet, the superb word smith-ery ensconced within will subconsciously expand your vocabulary, and that’s never a bad thing. From tail masticating dogs christened Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior to Ukrainian English hybrid verbs that make Spanglish look tame, this badger delivers the goods. Plot wise your main men are Alex Perchov and an intrepid American soul called Jonathan. Jonathan’s quest to find the woman who saved his Jewish grandfather from the Nazis, blends his own book excerpts with some slightly confusing historiography and a selection of oh-so-amusing, accuracy checking sessions from Ukraine based Alex. Beyond that it’s got sex, violence and the early twentieth century equivalent to rock and roll. What’s not to like?

   Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer is published by Penguin (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through penguin.co.uk and all good booksellers.

2. Maurice by E. M. Forster

   In an age when we take certain equalities for granted, it’s somewhat refreshing and necessary to take a step back and delve into a world where the phrase - level playing field, meant nothing more than a flat space set aside for sporting events. Maurice is one such world. Set in the yesteryear time of Cambridge Don comradery, characters Clive and Maurice fall madly in love with each other and enter into a relationship that if discovered, would end in a prison sentence. One particular scene where students attending a translation class are told to omit the ghastly, ungodly love of the ancient Greeks, is particularly telling. In such a society Clive suppresses what he feels for Maurice and secures his position in the upper stratospheres of society with a rather convenient marriage. Maurice however isn’t swayed quite so easily and after several rather intense hypnotic efforts to cure him fail, he resigns himself to a discreet happy ending with his Gamekeeper. Think of this as the superior predecessor to Hollinghurst’s, The Line of Beauty.

   Maurice by E. M. Forster is published by Penguin (paperback; £9.99). It is also available through penguin.co.uk and all good booksellers.

3. Hillwalking In Wales by Peter Hermon

   I always get a little excited when a new brand of guide book appears on the radar and in an age when the big boys at Rough Guides are trying to ban all competition from certain book shops, it’s nice to support the new guys. Backpackers meet Cicerone – Cicerone, backpackers. These guys and girls are superbly specialised in what they do and just to give you a taste of their forte, here’s the first of two slots reviewing guides from their new catalogue. The Wales edition is - to dedicated hikers, what prescription drugs are to the plot in Valley of the Dolls. Dig in for a glossy, obsessively accurate guide to the 451 walking routes, spanning 21 Welsh mountain ranges. There isn’t a map, ridge, or mountain altitude in Wales that isn’t covered in this pocket sized treat, and it’s genuinely something that could save your bacon on a solo hike through the valleys.

   Hillwalking In Wales by Peter Hermon is published by Cicerone (paperback; £12). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

4. Chasing Dean by Tom Anderson

   Before I review this top five offering, I simply must satisfy the urge to confess my prejudice about surfers. Before reading this book I wrote off the wet suit loving demographic as a collection of dedicated wasters, who’d use any excuse to dodge life and pursue hedonism, night long raves and drug abuse. It turns out you should do your homework before you form such an opinion. Chasing Dean takes you for a ride with hurricane chasing Mr Anderson. Apparently the swell surrounding nature’s put downs create the crème de la crème of surfing conditions. This part didn’t dissuade me from the himbo stereotype, but Anderson’s acceptance of what inspires this prejudice, did. Our author in fact takes on board that continuing to surf around Sandy Hook while the Twin Towers collapsed in the background, wasn’t the most endearing thing to do. Beyond that the interplay between Tom and childhood pal Marc, demonstrates perfectly the spectrum of human emotion and experience, hiding behind the sun hardened exterior of many a surfer. A niche read but a good one nonetheless.

   Chasing Dean by Tom Anderson is published by Summersdale (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

5. The Yorkshire Dales: South and West by Dennis and Jan Kelsall

   Round two with our new travel guide friends at Cicerone takes us to the most beautiful place on earth – Yorkshire! Author bias aside, this offering from Mr and Mrs Kelsall documents in child hood memory invoking fashion, the best bits of a county that many a content human being has called home. Bill Bryson didn’t pick just anywhere to bring up his family don’t you know? This weather resistant little gem also includes a chapter dedicated to the most terrifically picturesque hamlet in history – Conistone. Specifically, Walk 6 on page 61 details a three hour amble through National Park territory, the level of effort required with the terrain involved and the location of every convenience a walker could ever want. Now doesn’t that make you want to buy a pair of hiking boots and head off into the sunset framing the glorious Yorkshire Dales?

   The Yorkshire Dales: South and West by Dennis and Jan Kelsall is published by Cicerone (paperback; £12). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

- Rob Savage