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From
the Bookshelf
- As a
lover of literature as well as travel, here's a book that
is right up my street. And I'm sure many of you will love
it too. It's the Good Reading Guide to World Fiction,
edited by Vincent Cassar and Nik Kalinowski and published
by Bloomsbury (370 pp., C$24.95).
 How
often have I wondered, before setting off to a new destination,
"What should I read, other than a practical guidebook, to
introduce myself to this country?" For some countries, their
writers are well known throughout the English-speaking world
(Nadine Gordimer and J.M. Coetzee from South Africa; our
own Rohinton Mistry and his memories of India; Thomas Mann's
story of a German in Death in Venice and so on), but what
about Finland, Iceland and Norway; Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka; Argentina, Brazil and Peru? Are there any
books set in those countries available in English? Depending
on your tastes and past reading, many titles may pop up
that are familiar, but I'm sure even the most avid reader
(and traveller) will find lots of new ideas for books to
take on those long flights to foreign shores. All works
included have been written since 1900, so you will not be
introduced to England by Dickens! And as with any book of
lists, we all have our own ideas too. Under South Africa
I would have included a post-apartheid book (Gordimer's
The House Gun would be my choice), but having opinions and
discussions is valuable too. As the editors write in their
introduction: "Reading the words of talented writers … has
served to remind us of the diversity of this planet and
the ingenuity of its people. We have travelled from the
wastes of the Arctic Circle to the tropical heat of Brazil;
we have eaten sambols in Sri Lanka … and danced the tango
in Buenos Aires. And we have cried and laughed and fallen
in love in oh so many places. So, where do you want to go
today?"
- New editions
from Frommer's include Newfoundland & Labrador
(3rd edition, C$23.99)
 and
Niagara Region (2nd edition, C$19.99).
No pretty pictures in these guides, but lots of 'insider'
information to help you explore these regions of Canada.
I like the introduction to the former book: "You've done
the Florida sun, the European tour, the Caribbean cruise,
and the all-inclusive resort, but what you really want is
something different … you yearn for a place unlike any other.
Well, now you've found it: Newfoundland and Labrador, the
Far East of the Western world."
And the Niagara guide declares: "For those exhausted by
the force of the Falls and the city's exuberant tackiness,
a journey of discovery to the rest of the Niagara region
will provide welcome relief." How true!
- There
are lots of new titles from Lonely Planet too: city guides,
regional combinations and new editions of country titles.
The London City Guide and Hong Kong & Macau City Guide are
chock full of history, information and themed chapters; Tuscany
& Umbria brings information on these two regions together;
while the 8th edition of Italy (with a fabulous and unusual
cover photograph) speaks for itself. Prices in the C$23 -
$30 range.
Ann Wallace
 
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