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

Top 5 Books for September 2009

1. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
   

   I’m a firm believer in the philosophy which teaches you to explore a good thing to its outer limit when you happen to stumble upon it. I apply this teaching to Maupin’s Tales of the City series ‐ as you can see from this month’s top five domination! Tales of the City began as a serialisation in the San Francisco press, back in the seventies and after becoming wildly popular, the columns telling the tales of the residents at 28 Barbary Lane, were bound together in a series of books. The first ‐ Tales of the City, introduces you to Mary Ann Singleton who after a holiday in San Francisco, decides never to return to her well‐trod stomping grounds in Cleveland. Renting a flat at 28 Barbary Lane leads immediately to a rather contrived but thoroughly enjoyable interplay of plots, including a mysterious but addictive transgender landlady (Mrs Madrigal), perverted private investigators and love affairs with gynaecologists. It sounds wonderfully bizarre but it’s also addictive and handily, bite sized.

   Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is published by Transworld (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

2. More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
   

   Now thoroughly established on the laid back San Francisco scene, Mary Ann takes her first tentative steps towards romance, as she takes her friend Mouse (Michael Tolliver) on a cruise paid for with a lump sum left to her in the will of her old boss, who as it happens, had a fling with the marvellous Mrs Madrigal before he died of kidney failure. Back to the cruise and Mary Ann amorously encounters a fellow called Burke who is suffering from Amnesia and doesn’t remember anything from the past three years in San Francisco. This leads to the discovery of a body eating, Catholic cult but that’s nothing compared to the break away storyline of a character who goes by the name of Mona Ramsey. On a trip of self‐discovery to the Nevada desert, Mona just happens to encounter her maternal grandmother who runs a brothel and calls herself Mother Mucca. This opens up a whole new can of worms and leads to the discovery that Mrs Madrigal is really ‐ Mona’s father. Star Wars ‐ eat your heart out.

   More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is published by Transworld (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

3. Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
   

   You’d think the plot lines couldn’t get any more ridiculously entertaining ‐ but you’d be wrong! In the third offering from Mr Maupin ‐ Mary Ann is on the verge of her big TV presenting break and the lesbian mother of twins (the daughter of Mary Ann’s old boss) ‐ Dede, is the willing and able meal ticket for the ride. Dede and her girlfriend D’or (a former white model who switched the colour of her skin to stand out on the employment scene) became entangled in the Jonestown suicide cult and having escaped immediately before the mass death, Dede is now living in fear that the cult leader is coming after her. Shadowing this storyline is the end of the Stonewall, decadence days and the onset of the AIDs epidemic in California. This one is a random mix of real life suicide killers and disease but Maupin makes it work.

   Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is published by Transworld (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

4. Baby Cakes by Armistead Maupin
   

   Ok ‐ this is the last Maupin tale I swear but seeing as you’re sitting comfortably, we might as well begin! After a notable absence in book number three, Mona Ramsey is back and crazier than ever, having swapped her natural red curls for a princess Diana do ‐ all in aid of marrying a green card desiring Brit and banking $5000 dollars in the process. While all of this is going down in London town, Mary Ann is desperately trying to get pregnant in San Francisco, with and without her former playboy husband, Brian! Throw in a rock star widow living in the shadow of Yoko Ono’s presence in the city of San Francisco and you have a pretty good mix. Now if you get into these superb stories then The Tales of the City series continues with three follow on books ‐ Significant Others, Sure of You and Michael Tolliver Lives, so go forth and enjoy!

   Baby Cakes by Armistead Maupin is published by Transworld (paperback; £7.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

5. Tour of the Jungfrau Region by Kev Reynolds
   

   If you just happen to be in Interlaken, staying at the rather sexy Balmer’s Herberge hostel then make sure you pick up this badger before you step on the plane, boat or train. This guide is jam packed with everything a boy, or a girl could need for two full weeks of trekking in the Bernese Oberland region. If you’re not sold or you’re simply a little curious, then take your fine selves to this month’s travel book extract. Publisher Cicerone very kindly handed over the first 400 words for free ‐ just so that you guys can get to grips with the breath talking view from Schynige Platte, the UNESCO World Natural Heritage status of the area, the most scenic trails to be trekked along and more, so have a little read. It might just inspire a trip of your own.

   Tour of the Jungfrau Region by Kev Reynolds is published by Cicerone (paperback; £12.95). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

‐ Rob Savage