a travelogue
Photos, books, links and writing related to non-fiction
Everything tagged non-fiction
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12/23/07
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Book:
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Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus by Robert D. Kaplan
Fantastic portrait of the Balkans and beyond. Kaplan more or less does the exact route I’ve been wanting to do — from eastern Europe through Turkey, Syria and several ‘stans. He doesn’t go all the way across Mongolia and China …continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
One of the most original ideas I’ve come across in recent memory, erudite and extremely well written for a "popular" science book.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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The Fever Coast Log: At Sea in Central America by Gordon Chaplin
A travelogue of a voyage from Miami to the Panama canal. Written in the spirit of Graham Greene and the like. It’s okay. Not one of my favorites.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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The Best American Science Writing 2005 by Alan Lightman
Great collection of essays. I’m not sure why but I’ve been in a non-fiction mood lately.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey by Salman Rushdie
In 1986 Rushdie traveled to Nicaragua as a guest of the Sandinista government, these essays (his only published non-fiction to date) were published shortly after his visit.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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Bird of Life, Bird of Death: A Naturalist’s Journey Through a Land of Political Turmoil by Jonathan Evan Maslow
From the NYTimes Review: In his introduction, Mr. Maslow suggests the book is "a kind of essay in political ornithology." While correct in believing this is "a field that does not quite exist, at least yet," he demonstrates why naturalists …continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
I’m a little disappointed in this collection, there are some standout pieces, notably the essay on grammar and usage, but the rest lack a certain earnestness that marks his better writing.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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Nicaraguan Sketches by Julio Cortazar
Julio Cortazar is a giant. You know you’re good when Borges sings your praises. But this book was not up to par compared to Hopscotch or Blow Up. Without having seen a Spanish copy my guess is that its a …continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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The Best American Travel Writing 2003 by Jason Wilson
I was surprised how many of these I had already read in magazines. Always good to see what other travel writers are up to. A great collection made even better by the welcome absence of Dave Eggers.continue reading »
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10/15/07
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Book:
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The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
The subtitle encapsulates this on quite nicely: “A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.” Absolutely fascinating history of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, which quite frankly boggles my mind whenever I stop …continue reading »
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10/16/07
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Book:
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Budapest 1900: A Historical Portrait of a City and Its Culture by John Lukacs
My family is from the Budapest area and left around the time of World War I. I was in a bookstore one afternoon and stumbled across this book which I thought might provide an interesting glimpse of what my great …continue reading »