Who's reading what,when & the experience

Khak

already read 'The Great Railway Bazaar' and liked it immensely ......


btw there is a distant chance that i may be visiting NA on official vist sometime this year and would like to visit both NA & SA during that period

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~Khak~

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover

Shiver me Timbers

Lots of people find Theroux hard-going, and feel he's too cynical/moody etc. I'm not one of them.

If you are going to Africa, I recommend 'Dark Star Safari'. He has a lot of controversial things to say about the problems facing the continent, in particular the 'impact' of western aid agencies.

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Europe to India Overland

Andaman's Tips

Pakistan Tips

Scandojazzbuff

Paul Theroux was just here in Bangkok. A friend, who attended one of his talks, told me he said 'unfortunately, I am probably responsible for ruining a lot of the places I write about through the ensuing tourism that the books create.'

I think this is a comment not many people consider. Even boards like IM have their negative effect on cultures where the outside world's influence is limited. What to do? Sometimes I find myself holding back info as I don't want to 'spoil' a place.

Aishah

I think it works both ways, Scando - many backward areas rely on tourism for their economy as well. 'Responsible tourism' is what should be aimed for - and local councils should implement garbage clean-up programs etc.
Back to topic - I just have to say 'Love and Longing in Bombay' is a terrific read! Vikram Chandra is a marvellous writer and storyteller.

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"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

kristinm

Just finished Paul Auster's Brooklyn Follies, a great read...

Ignite

The Innocent Man by John Grisham. A non-fiction book thats written by one of the greatest writers of our time. Just tells you so much about how messed up the American Justice system is.

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You can either be a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Shiver me Timbers

Currently half-way through Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's 'Orientalism' by Ibn Warraq.

For anyone familier with 'Orientalism', this one is a must-read. In the first part, Warraq exposes the historical inaccuracies and intellectual dishonesty apparent throughout 'Orientalism', and shows how its impact has threatened objective examination of any non-Western cultures.

In the second part, Warraq launches into a full-scale defence of Western civilisation, arguing that it has been defined primarily by three strands of thought - rationalism, universalism, and self-criticism - showing how they manifested themselves from antiquity, through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and Enlightnemnet, up to today.

Finally, he discusses Western literature and art. I haven't got this far yet.

All in all, highly recommended.

tacita

have finally made a serious foray--as opposed to my earlier flirtations--into city of djinns. it leads me to want to spend some time in delhi, which i'd previously thought of more as a point of embarkation/debarkation, rather than a destination in itself. the drawings, simple but affecting, are terrific too.

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Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Aishah

City of Djinns - one of his best I think, Janice - I read it shortly after publication and certainly it threw Delhi into a new light for me. Places there I still want to go and have a wander about...

capt_mahajan

Coincidence. I am re-reading that (4th time?), too. Somebody gifted it to me recently.

Have mentioned it earlier, but try and watch the BBC production, too, presented by the author. With haunting music by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook(s?).. Night Song, I think it's called.

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Humpty Dumpty was pushed. How do you know when push comes to shove?
Indiamike moderating team ..ich bin ein oneliner

puchoo

Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintainance -- for the 10th time possibly now!

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Cheers!

Sidharth

puchoo.wordpress.com

Nick-H

I've never read that, but then I've never driven a zen

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

puchoo

Shhhhheeeeeesssssshhhhhhh!!!! , really outdid yourself on that one didn't ya!!

Nick-H

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puchoo