Tag Archives: Armchair Travel

Uncategorized

A Wanderlust Reading List

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we here at the Free For All are huge fans of traveling…whether from the safety of our armchairs (or blanket forts), or in reality.  We’re also fascinated by the worlds that books can open for you, whether it’s through reading travel guides, or tales of the adventures of others, or journeys through time, space, and across fantastical words, we’ve logged more literary frequent flyer miles than most.

images

So I thought it might be fun if we started assembling reading lists from various, specific places, and offer you a selection of books that will allow you vicariously explore a country’s past, present, people, and scenery through the books and films available at the Library.  Fiction is often a surprisingly helpful source for exploring new places–authors can make commentary on social issues and culture that non-fiction works can’t always incorporate, and the way that people tell stories are often deeply influenced by the world in which they were brought up.  So these reading lists are going to feature a good deal of fictional works, as well as an non-fiction.  This way, you’ll be able to explore both the terrain and the soul of a place–all without the jetlag, or the risk of having your suitcases mangled or lost!
download (1)Our first stop is Belfast, a city I’ve talked about here in the past.  Though it is making a concerted effort to present the best possible face to tourists and to its people, Belfast is still a city with a dark history, and a very long memory.  Because of The Troubles (sectarian violence between Protestants, Catholics, and forces of the British government), Belfast was, for a number of years, the most bombed city in Europe, and the scars can still be seen on a walk around the city.  Perhaps this is why crime novels set in Belfast, or featuring Belfast citizens, are so popular, and so darn good.  Authors who truly engage with the history inherent in the city can make stunningly beautiful observations while telling a ripping good tale–the perfect combination for someone looking for a bit of an escape.  So here, without further ado, is our Wanderlust Reading List of crime novels set in (and around) Belfast, Northern Ireland:

3213346The Cold Cold Ground: Adrian McKinty has lived in many places, and his novels feature a number of diverse locations.  My favorites, however, are still the Sean Duffy mysteries, set in 1980’s Belfast, during some of the most frenzied years of The Troubles.  Sean Duffy is a Catholic policeman in the Protestant-dominated Royal Ulster Constabulary.  He lived in a mostly Protestant neighborhood, and, as a result, doesn’t take a single day for granted.  Nevertheless, he still manages to keep a fairly level head on his shoulders, and remains devoted to his work in spite of the many  complications and prejudices that stand in his way.  In this, his first outing, Sean is forced to confront the fact that there has never been an Irish serial killer…until now?  When two bodies are found mutilated in a way that intimately links them together, Sean realizes that his first case in Belfast may be the most important–and deadliest–of his career.  Adrian McKinty does a sensational job capturing the near suffocating tensions of his city, especially in this novel, where young IRA prisoners are dying in British prisons of a hunger strike, ensuring that tensions between Catholics and Protestants are treacherously high.  Sean’s love of music only adds to the atmosphere–and provides a sensational soundtrack for those who are interested.

downloadThe Journeyman Tailor: Gerald Seymour rose to become one of the best known thriller-writers in Ireland, thanks to this book and Harry’s Game, which both deal with British intelligence operatives and their desperate attempts to infiltrate the IRA.  This book, however, deals much more with the politics of rural Northern Ireland, and the effects of the Troubles on women–those married to IRA leaders, those married to British civil servants, and one remarkable, enigmatic woman at the heart of British intelligence.  Getting into this story is a bit of a struggle, as Seymour shifts perspectives without warning, but once you get used to his style, this is a book that will keep you up at night–even after it’s over.

2711697The Ghosts of Belfast: I mentioned this book in my last discussion of Belfast books, but I think it deserves to be mentioned once again.  This book is a thriller, yes, in that it deals with a former hitman with a vendetta, and on the run from British spies and his own comrades alike, but more than anything, this book is a memorial to the Troubles, to the impossible decisions that people were forced to make, and to the unimaginable pain that they caused so many people.  Couching his work in fiction allows Stuart Neville the necessary perspective to talk about life in Belfast, but make no mistake–none of the stories here are entirely false.  For those that want to read more from Neville, be sure to check out Ratlines, which is set in the Republic of Ireland right after World War II.

Uncategorized

Traveling Further Afield…

space-book-image-by-lance-miyamoto
Calendar design by Lance Miyamoto

Yesterday, dear readers, we traveled from our blanket forts around the world, thanks to Ann Morgan’s fantastic Reading the World project.  But what about those intrepid armchair explorers whose wanderlust extends beyond mere national boundaries?

Hermitage Week, as I have come to call the days between Christmas and New Years, when many of us find time to read the books we have been putting off for a busy year, is a perfect time to explore new genres–and, along with them, new worlds and times.  Reading doesn’t just give us the opportunity to explore the past, it also gives us the chance to explore a past that never existed (for better or worse), or lands where no human has (or ever will) set foot.

These kind of books not only give our imaginations a workout, but some can help us navigate the “real” world more adroitly–some fantasy and speculative fiction are very firmly rooted in issues of the present, like M.T. Anderson’s Feed, which features characters who get computers implanted in their heads to control their environments.  Others give us the opportunities to re-imagine the world around us–Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is as much a tour of the United States as it is a fantasy adventure.  And, it turns out, reading books can actually activate the parts of the brain that control sensation and movement–allowing you to literally put yourself in the protagonist’s shoes!

So today, let’s take a look at some fantastic, fantastical fiction, that will provide you with a chance to escape the bounds of gravity, space, and time, and a chance to stretch your imagination to its full potential…Happy travels!

_199398_tapa_2352014_15292

 

2974777The Skin Map:  Fans of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere will feel a slight sense of deja-vu in the opening to Stephen Lawhead’s super-terrific, brilliantly creative Bright Empires series as Kit Livingstone discovers the secret worlds hidden in the ley lines of London.  But from there, this book launches off on its own wild course, as Kit and his girlfriend each unintentionally embark on their own adventures through time and space.  Amidst the historic details of their various adventures, and the conspiracies and adventures they uncover, is the story of an explorer, who is determined to discover the full extent of the ley lines, and all the worlds they contain–but when his fabled map is lost, the race is on to find it, and control all the worlds it contains.  I read this book in one sitting because I was too involved to stop, and may have threatened to bite anyone who attempted to distract me.  Lawhead manages to make every storyline in this epic novel engaging and meaningful, and infuses each scene with humanity and humor, making the whole series a sure-fire hit even for those who aren’t big readers of the fantasy genre.

3680958Silver on the Road: I picked up this book by chance, because I am fascinated by references to the Devil in literature…but this story is so much more than that.  Part western, part fantasy, part coming-of-age novel, Laura Anne Gilman’s newest release is a marvel of a book that draws you in, and keeps you on your toes.  Her heroine, sixteen-year-old Izzy, has been raised in a saloon run by the Devil in the town on the western edge of civilization, trained to see the desires that men keep hidden, the needs that drive them on, and the hungers that make them move.  And now, for the first time, she has been given the chance to put those skills to use as the Devil’s own left hand…this book is like nothing I’ve read before, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

3459381The Martian: My dad saw this movie, and immediately called me to tell me, first, how much he enjoyed it, and secondly, that he was convinced the book would be even better.  And, apparently, he was right.  Andy Weir’s novel of astronaut Mark Watney, the first human to walk on Mars–and the only human left on the planet once his crew leaves without him.  But Watney refuses to be the first person to die on Mars, and puts his considerable guile and energy to use figuring out how to survive on a planet with no atmosphere, no life, and, seemingly, no hope.  The result is a surprisingly funny, wonderfully creative, and spellbinding work that will captivate the science-minded and the novice alike.  And the movie comes highly recommended, too!

3620237The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: Along with a stunning, three-dimensional cover, Natasha Pulley’s novel comes pack-jammed with history, myth, and imagination that draws from many corners of the globe.  Her story begins when Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny London flat to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow…a pocket watch that will save his life…a pocket watch that will lead him to Keita Mori, a kindly Japanese immigrant, and Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist.  Torn between these two powerful personalities, Thaniel soon finds himself on a perilous adventure that might very well change the very course of time itself.  This book is a fascinating blend of steampunk, speculative fiction, fantasy, and history that defies every genre it references.  Pulley is like a twenty-first century H.G. Wells, and we can only hope that she has more tricks up her proverbial sleeve to show us soon!

Safe travels, dear readers!

Uncategorized

Traveling the World…From Your Blanket Fort

Greetings, readers!  I don’t know about you, but as far as I am concerned, today’s weather is the perfect justification for just staying put with a stack of books.  Whether you have adopted the blanket fort, or whether you prefer the armchair, the choice, is of course, yours…

Book_map_book_web

Winter can be a rather isolating time, when we have to spend a good deal of time close to home…But if there is anything that being a reader teaches you, it’s that, quite often, books can bring you further than any other mode of physical transportation.  And not only do these adventures help pass the time, but they have proved psychological and physiological benefits, as well.

As reported by The Guardian, a study at the New School for Social Research in New York, proved that reading literary fiction enhances the ability to detect and understand other people’s emotions, a crucial skill in navigating complex social relationships.  Moreover, according to some of the study leaders, “Literary fiction lets you go into a new environment and you have to find your own way”–a key tool necessary for anyone wishing to actually explore new cultures and places.

Things have recently got even more exciting, thanks to this TED Talk by Ann Morgan, a book blogger, who challenged herself to read a novel from every country in the world.  For those who haven’t experienced a TED talk before, TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and is a global conference sponsored by the non-profit Sapling Foundation, with the slogan “Ideas Worth Spreading”.  TED conferences are currently held around the globe (and have been broadcast via the internet since 2006), with speakers given a maximum of 18 minutes to share their ideas, experiences, inventions, or theories.  They are generally fascinating, often innovative, and occasionally feature great literary ideas like this one.

download

In her talk (which you can read here), Morgan explained that she believed herself to be well-read, but eventually realized that most of the books on her shelf were written by English-speaking authors from English-speaking countries.  Thus, her knowledge of the rest of the globe, its authors, and its people, was almost non-existent.  Thus, she set herself to read a book from every country on earth (though, admittedly, in translation).  Best of all, she made a map for the rest of us, with a book recommendation from each country…which you can check out in full here.  Just click on the little map pins for the title and a brief description of the book.

read-the-world-mission-statement

There are some drawbacks to this map…Morgan chose to use the United Nations list of recognized nations, so there are no works, say, or native Hawaiian literature, or a distinction made between various African tribes who travel between nations.  Also, some of the books are obvious choices, like Ulysses for Ireland (which is great, but also a rather challenging choice…), but many of these books are lesser-read books by emerging authors, and featuring novel, often contentious themes that really help readers come to grips with the issues at work in the country in question.  Check out some of these selections that are currently available through the Library’s NOBLE network for examples, and start planning your armchair adventures today!

41DEQgiEiyL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_The Fortunes of Wangrin by Amadou Hampaté Bâ: This novel was Morgan’s selection for Mali, a country in North-Western Africa.  The narrative is set up as the account of a teacher-turned-civil servant named Wangrin, who works in Mali during the first half of the 20th century, when the country was under French rule.  Wangrin quickly learns to play his peers and colonial employers off against one another for his own ends, rising to prominence, until his ambition, personal faults, and enemies conspire to bring him low once more.  As much as this novel is a personal tale, it’s also a broad story about the evils of colonialism in Africa, and the impossible decisions it forces people to make.

2352361Lucy: A Novel by Jamaica Kincaid: This story focuses on the fortunes of a 19-year-old girl who leaves her home in the Caribbean West Indies to work as an au pair in the USA.  Thenovel looks at the rupture that relocation can cause in a life, and provides a fresh, feisty and at times alarming perspective on the land of the free and on British colonialism.  Even though Lucy took this job to both escape and renounce the stifling atmosphere of her country and her family, she finds that being a woman in any society places her in a position that she can never fully escape–so all she can do is to explore it.  Simple, beautiful, and unforgettable, this book has already been hailed by many as a classic of Caribbean literature.

3021959Montecore : The Silence of the Tiger by Jonas Hassen Khemiri: This selection from Sweden is particularly interesting, as it shows the country through the eyes of a Tunisian immigrant who spends his life trying it adapt to his new home.  Told through a series of correspondence between Jonas Khemiri and an old friend, Kadir, the book is a daring, powerful and often hilarious attempt to unfold the story of the struggle of Dads, Jonas’s estranged father, to make a life for himself in Scandinavia after he left Tunisia as a young man.

2395668The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag: This selection from Mongolia draws on Tschinag’s childhood to tell the coming of age story of a young shepherd boy in the Altai Mountains. On the face of it, he and his family are nomads, herding in the same way the Tuvans have for generations; yet, far away in the interior of Mongolia, change is afoot.  The influence of the Soviet Union is prompting seismic shifts in social interactions and culture that will change our young hero’s own life, and the life of his people, forever.

 

Enjoy your adventures, intrepid armchair travelers, and safe journeys to you all!