Beach Reads: Travel edition

Posted by Susan in Beach Reads, Book Reviews | 0 comments

Summer is finally here, and what better way than the spend our time relaxing on the beach, or next to the pool, than with a good book.  If you are anything like us here at MVF, you don’t always want to read the super heavy stuff. Sometimes you just want a nice, fun, and breezy read that doesn’t take a lot of thought or emotion.  Today,  I have some travel books I found in the humor section at the bookstore. Travel and humor? Sign me up!

In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.

This was the first travel book I ever read and it was that memorable.  I wasn’t sure what I would get when I picked it up at the behest of a family friend who is an avid traveler.  Mr. Bryson travels along the bottom part of Australia (don’t you love my geography there), visiting Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and the famous Outback. He traverses the country on the Indian Pacific Railroad and meets many interesting people and animals along the way.  If you have ever had the inkling to go to Oz, this book will make you want to pack up and head down under right away!

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Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes–and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

After remembering how much I enjoyed In a Sunburned Country I saw this book on clearance so I picked it up figuring I’d enjoy it at least as much as the other.  Lucky for me, I enjoyed it more.  I’m not sure what tickled me more about this book: the history, the irreverent stories, or the anecdotes about his hiking partner, but regardless, I found myself chuckling the entire time I was reading. I laughed so much, in fact, that my mom immediately started reading once I was finished because she wanted to know what had my laughing so hard.  What better way to spend a day at the beach than to read funny stories about out of shape middle aged men doing an arduous 2100 mile hike through the mountains? At least they are doing all the hard work!

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InDrink, Play, F@#k, Bob Sullivan, a jilted husband, sets off to explore the world, experience a meaningful connection with the divine, and rediscover his passion. His travels lead him from his home in New York City to a drinking bender across Ireland, through the glitz and glamour that is Las Vegas, and to the hedonistic pleasure palaces of Thailand. After a lifetime of playing it safe, Mr. Sullivan finally follows his heart and lives out everyone’s deepest fantasies.

This is another book picked up on clearance for all the wrong reasons. I did judge this book by it’s cover, but only because I thought it was going to be insanely hilarious.  And it was, just not in the way I expected.  I have no idea if this is a true story or not – I’m guessing not – but it had the desired effect.  The author does a great way of describing his debauchery in such a way that you almost wish you could join in. Almost.  As much as I’d love to spend 4 months in Ireland, I’d probably have a few more sober days than this fellow did, and I have no desire to blow $50k on a sports bet. But either way, it was a great, no brainer read.  I highly recommend it.

Read Drink, Play, F@#k in seconds on your Kindle or your Nook