Top 5 Books for 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.
Picture Palace by Paul Theroux
Mr Theroux seems to be generating a bad rep of late, as a jaded travel writer - over exposed to life's luxuries and out of touch with the fun times on the road. This offering however was published way before this twenty first century speculation and aside from the superb descriptions of our central character's life time experiences around the globe, this fiction isn't travel related. The tale revolves around famed photographer Maude Coffin Pratt and the complexities uncovered by an ambitious archivist who moves in with Maude to collate a photographic autobiography. The addictive thing about this read is the gradual erosion of Maude's armour as her eccentric, PR friendly demeanour is replaced by self doubt and a realisation that her life through a lens was, above all other things, rather vacuous. A slightly depressing read, counterbalanced by generous servings of refreshing lucidity and disarming frankness.
Picture Palace by Paul Theroux is published by Penguin Books (paperback; £9.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.
Lonely Planet Dublin City Guide by Fionn Davenport
From a first hand, hopelessly lost experience in the Irish capital I can confirm that the maps and advice contained within these pages are invaluable. The information about the Oscar Wilde House and the tours of the Irish Parliament is contradicted by the staff at these sites, but all guide books age the moment they're published so don't be put off. Particularly potent advice is offered on the exhibits at the Hugh Lane Gallery, the splendiferous Writers Museum and of course The Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery. One thing you should definitely wrap your brain around is the Itinerary Builder on page sixty. It's a nifty little table that cross references sights, eating, drinking, shopping and nightlife with the different areas around Dublin. They also hook up these suggestions with a handy map on the next page. Bonza.
Lonely Planet Dublin City Guide by Fionn Davenport is published by Lonely Planet (paperback; £11.99). It is also available through lonelyplanet.com and all good booksellers.
Dude Where's My Career by Tanya de Grunwald
OK so this isn't an obvious choice for on the road reading but here's the thing – there are a lot of backpackers out there who are just out of university and a fair few indie travellers taking a break from the arenas of high stress, investment banking bull business and assorted accountancy job titles. This book may just be the rescue said wanderers are looking for, especially when it comes down to finding an employer that you actually want to work for. Some of the content states the obvious but then this is a good guard against easily avoidable mistakes on the route up the career ladder. Also the more quirky tips from Tanya and her job industry - expert friends are transmitted into your synapses in a style that sticks, unlike most mind numbing, career confusing guides.
Dude Where's My Career by Tanya de Grunwald is published by Summersdale (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.
Free Phrasebooks from Rough Guides
My final top five offering breaks the book mould and rebuilds it inside your MP3 player and on your computer's hard drive. Now I by no means support the audio download onslaught on the livelihood of the written book, but Ladies and Gents – here we have bite size audio guides and better yet they're free. Unbeknown to the traditional guide book carrier, there's a whole world of online fun to be taken advantage of and what better place to start than a complimentary array of useful language tips. Just dig through to the E-Books section on the Rough Guide website, select Phrasebooks and download away. The best things in life are free, or as they say in Italian: “Le cose migliori nella vita sono gratis.” God bless the Rough Guides for embracing this age old adage.
Free Phrasebooks from Rough Guides are available on the Rough Guides website.
- Rob Savage
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