:D

catsalive's reveal:



If the Sun Doesn't Kill You, the Washing Machine Will by Peter Wood (TBR)

Transported by his employer to work in the Middle East, Peter Wood became enmeshed in the bizarre and hilarious lifestyle of the desert state of Qatar. In this book he reveals how the most mundane operations of daily life can prove bafflingly complex as he describes the driving test that involves reversing round an obstacle course for 30 minutes, the elaborate weather forecasts in a country where the weather is the same for 364 days a year, and the country's first takeaway pizza restaurant, which is impossible to locate.

azuki's reveal:




The River at the Centre of the World
by Simon Winchester

From Publishers Weekly
"The delicious strangeness of China," as Winchester puts it, is as much the subject of this absorbing account of a personal journey as is the Yangtze River, the third-longest in the world and the entry to China's heartlands. Along its banks, some of the most important events in the country's history have played out, and the river occupies a singular place in the national psyche. In 1994, Winchester followed its course from the East China Sea to Tibet by boat, car, train, plane, bus and foot; but this is more than an ordinary account of a traveler's pilgrimage, although it is a must for any visitor to China. Wryly humorous, gently skeptical, immensely knowledgeable as he wends his way along the 3900 miles of the great river, Winchester provides an irresistible feast of detail about the character of the river itself, the landscape, the cities, villages and people along its banks. Most notably there is Shanghai, once "the most sinful city in the world," now an economic powerhouse rivaling Hong Kong; Wuhan, where the 1910 revolution began that brought Dr. Sun Yat Sen to power and where Mao Ze Dong, at 70, chose to make his famous swim; the Three Gorges, where a great, controversial dam to rival Aswan is being built; and Chongquin, once Chiang Kai-shek's smoggy and furnace-hot capital. Finally, Winchester made his way to the great river's source 15,000 feet high in the mountains of Tibet. A journalist who has written extensively about Asia (Pacific Rising; The Sun Never Sets) and spent nine years in Hong Kong making frequent visits inland, Winchester is comfortable with the country's long, complex history and politics, and he writes about them with an easy grace that defies the usual picture of China as an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.

Teachie's reveal is Encore Provence by Peter Mayle.

From Publishers Weekly
After a four-year leave, Mayle is back in the region he described in his bestselling A Year in Provence and Toujours ProvenceAand the British author's fans will be pleased that he decided to return to his adopted homeland, for his writing is as charming and witty as ever. In the first chapter, "Second Impressions," Mayle explains that he and his wife quit the convenient, efficient life in America for the "smell of thyme in the fields" and "the swirl and jostle of Sunday-morning markets" of Provence. Mayle goes on to make hash of former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl's disparaging assessment of Provence, apparently based on a single August visit, and heaps scorn on those who consider themselves to be "travelersAintelligent, well-mannered, cultured"Arather than tourists (as he proudly labels himself). The author then assists future tourists by naming his favorite markets, vineyards, bakeries, chambres d'h?tes, even places to go for the best olive oil or honey. A chapter called "A Beginner's Guide to Marseille" is equally informative and offers the little-known fact that "La Marseillaise" was actually composed in Strasbourg. Mayle enticingly recounts his peregrinations around the truffle markets and his searches for the perfect corkscrew or melon, but it's his ability to capture the subtle cultural peculiarities that distinguishes his writing. Upon first arriving in France from the U.S., Mayle observes, "I think it was the sight of a man power-washing his underpants [with a hose] that really brought home the difference, cultural and otherwise, between the old world and the new." Line drawings not seen by PW. 130,000 first printing; author tour.-- that really brought home the difference, cultural and otherwise, between the old world and the new.

msjoanna's reveal:

Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawks



From Library Journal
Yes, a fridge. People sometimes do the craziest things when they've had too many beers. Hawks, known throughout Great Britain for his humor and appearances on various radio and television shows, made a drunken bet with a friend that he could successfully hitchhike around Ireland with a refrigerator as his traveling companion. Once sober, he realized the magnitude of the task he'd set himself but agreed to honor the bet anyway. The result is a hysterically funny travelog, in which Hawks shares his warm regard for the Irish, his amusing contacts with the natives, anecdotes from places he stayed, and brief tales about those who gave him rides. Anyone who enjoys Bill Bryson or Dave Barry will greatly appreciate Hawks for a writing style that seems to be a stew made of one part Monty Python, one part Benny Hill, and two parts Barry. Highly recommended for public libraries and academic libraries with browsing collections.

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I've been wanting to read this book since it came out. I was living in Ireland when it was first popular and it was all over the bookstores there at the time. Finally I have a copy and will be excited to share it with someone here after I finish it.

From Wimbledon to Waco by Nigel Williams

(no image I'm afraid)

In the summer of 1994 Nigel Williams, his wife and his three sons set out for a journey across America. Williams and his sons had never been to America before, and his wife had never flown. Taking inspiration from Mark Twain - and many less-celebrated travellers around the USA - Williams provides a hilarious account of his adventures in the New World including their first encounters with New Yor, New England, California, Arizona and Nevada.

bluecat07's reveal:

John M. Synge: The Aran Islands



Synopsis
First published in 1907, this is a record of Synge's visit to the three islands off Galway in the west of Ireland in 1898-1901. The visit to the islands was at the recommendation of Yeats. It was not until Synge's first visits that Aran recovered some of its mystic status that it had enjoyed in previous centuries. The islanders found themselves viewed as the Celtic soul of Ireland. The living culture of Aran was seen as a repository of venerable antiquities. Synge listened to the islanders folktales and anecdotes, many of which he used for his play "the Playboy of the Western World". The book is in four parts, corresponding to the first four of his five visits and is an exploration of an island community living a traditional life, but with modern life beginning to invade.