DOWN UNDER (BILL BRYSON) In a nutshell: Hilarious and perceptive book about Oz by travel writing king. Why I love it: Okay, our buddy Bill does speed through Australia, is equally quick to turn Aussies into caricatures and is a big scaredy cat. But Down Under is laugh-out-loud-then-tell-therest-of-the-bus hilarious. With so much travel writing knocked out snobbishly by upper class twits, it’s refreshing to have a genuine populist comedian putting a pen in his backpack. The e book is also brilliantly researched (66 titles in the bibliography) and d cuttingly perceptive. Perhaps above ove all I love it because I write gooderr after reading Bryson (which, clearly, rly, I haven’t done for a while). Everyone one visiting Australia must read it. Then all his other books. DH
MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (ERNESTO ‘CHE’ GUEVARA) In a nutshell: The making of a martyr. Why I love it: Before devoting his life to revolutionary exploits and adorning students’ walls and bodies across the world, Ernesto Guevara was a student doctor. Craving a break from his studies, the Argentine hit the road for seven months, travelling all over Latin America on a motorbike with his mate. Great for a rare glimpse into the developing consciousness of a cultural icon while also a funny and freewheeling account of his roadtrip. AW
HEART OF DARKNESS (JOSEPH CONRAD) In a nutshell: Apocalypse Now in the Congo. Why I love it: An English captain takes a rusty old ferry up the Congo River to pick up a cargo of ivory. But what sounds like a simple job turns into a nightmare as he deals with cannibals, disease, and evil white slave traders, until finally he starts to question his own sanity. Conrad’s 90-page novella was published in 1902 and has been incredibly influential, inspiring films (Apocalypse Now), TV series (Lost) and even games (Star Wars: Battlefront 2). If you don’t mind a bit of archaic English (including use of the word ‘nigger’) and want to know what it was like travelling in Colonial Africa in the 19th century, this book is for you. KO 10
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INTO THE WILD (JON KRAKAUER) In a nutshell: True story of dreamy adventurer who takes a fateful trip into Alaskan wilds. Why I love it: It tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a Jack London-loving middle class idealist who, disillusioned with society, donates all his money to charity, changes his name to Alexander Supertramp and hitches into the American west. Nearly two years later, he’s found dead in the Alaskan wilderness. Though a cautionary tale, Krakauer’s yarn appeals strongly to anyone who shares both a taste for ‘the wild’ and a distaste for aspects of contemporary life. Now a Sean Penn film, I read it every year and buy it for all my friends. They say they love it too. Both of them. DH
THE BEACH (ALEX GARLAND) In a nutshell: Escape the crowds. Why I love it: Richard arrives in Bangkok. Fed up of the routes most backpackers blindly follow, the Englishman sets off in search of a legendary beach, armed only with a map given to him by a mysterious neighbour. Published in 1998, the first year I went travelling, this fast-paced adventure touched a nerve. Despite being butchered by Hollywood and inspiring a backpacker invasion of Thailand, the original reminds you why it is so good being on the road. AW