I hate leaving books unfinished. Hate it. Sometimes, however, I admit to myself that I’m having such a hard time plowing through a book, that it will delay all my other reading (for work and for pleasure), if I don’t just give up on it. And so… goodbye, Cross Country. I hardly knew ya.
It’s a shame, really, since I love travelogues. At least, I love FUNNY travelogues. Cross Country plodded through retellings of the journeys of Lewis & Clark, while the author’s kids slept or read something different in the back seat of their own cross-country journey. I felt the same way. I love Bill Bryson and Tony Hawks, Tim Moore, and even the travel adventures of Susan Orlean, which aren’t always funny, but at least are interesting.
I may just need to browse around the bookstore a bit, but in lieu of that — at least for now — does anyone have some recommendations of good, funny, travel essays?
Have you read Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams? It’s five or six trips to see endangered species, and seemed to me very Brysonesque.
It’s not exactly a travelogue… but I’ve just picked up the re-released On The Road by Kerouac – and I’m totally enjoying it. It’s touted as great fiction but still…
http://www.deannakentmcdonald.com
Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. Not a typical travelogue, but you’ll feel like you’re there for every second. One of the best books I’ve ever read.
Nor