The Great XRV Library Thread

[Steve C]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...........

You could try Ché's "motorcycle diaries" for that. ...snip

Yeah Funny, that was one of those rare things - you know, the one where I thought the film was better than the book - mostly because of all that fabulous scenery

[alpslapper]

The Longest Ride - Emilio Scotto.

The photography is incredible. It's the sort of book you read once, then keep to flick through from time to time, just for that momentary pleasure of looking at something you know you're not likely to see in your lifetime.

The narrative is short but punchy enough to keep the action moving between photographs, which are really the soul of this book.

Basically, this guy, Emilio, saved up his dosh, sold everything, and set off, on a GOLDWING !!!!! around the world. He had just about zero experience on a bike, or of travelling.

On day three, he was robbed of everything he had, so he decided he'd just carry on anyhow, and see what happens.

He managed to get around the world living on his wits and the well meaning of people he met along the way - and stretched it out to 10 years and half a million miles !!!!!

He met every kind of humanity, from priests to prostitues, millionaires to the poorest of the poor, briggands and bandits and everything in between, and was seconds away from being eaten by canibals !!!!!!!!!!!

Roadwise he always tried to take the one less travelled by, just to see where he got to - and he even considered, briefly, trying to get the bike through the Darrien Gap when the road and his money ran out. This means he got to the heart of most of the places he went to, meeting real people, and the combination of clear narrative and unbelievable pictures means you can really get a sense of the place, the people, the smells, the tastes, the colours, the energy....

It's the photography that will blow your mind though, pictures of the Goldwing on little canoes, on the roof of junkboads, and him dragging it through Amazonian swamps, that just leave you dumbstruck.

[Steve C]

The Longest Ride - Emilio Scotto.

The photography is incredible. ...snip

That's it, I'm not reading any more of these posts - you're leading me astray with all these lovely books!

It's taking all my Boris treats money

[Chad]

reading mondo enduro at the mo feckin ace

zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance... first read this when i was fourteen and four times since....total classic

off the bike front


john fowles...the magus....unfeckin believable book

stephen king... the gunslinger series...

and any terry pratchett disk world book

[barftone]

Chris Scott. Adventure Motorbiking Handbook. Always gets my juices flowing

[barftone]

and Spike Milligans war memoir series. Only books that have had me laughing out loud in public

[Sharribee]

I love fantasy fiction, loved the Belgariad series, and the Malloreon by David Eddings.

Also love the Magician trilogy (cant remember who wrote it)

Best book ever I suppose would have to be Christine - Stephen King very closely followed by THe Stand, It and Misery was outstanding. I also enjoyed Geralds Game - very disturbing book.

I have enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books (sorry guys)

It is so difficult to chose I have 4 full book cases at home and books in the attic too. We are a family of book worms.

Motorcycling books, Jupiters travels and I did find Long Way round a good read.

[Sharribee]

I have to add I used to read James Herbert and Stephen Laymon when I worked nights in high depenency in Swansea, during breaks I would find myself alone on the unit and manged on more than one occasion to scare myself silly, on one occasion I had to ring the night sister to come and keep me company because I had convinced myself there was someone in the corridor.

[Sharribee]

Oh and one more thing


what a bloody brilliant thread

[moon]

ooohhhh dear, I must be poorly, I seem to have read the same books as chad!


on non bike related things I've just read "the kite runner"by Khaled Hossein. which I enjoyed.

travel books to read are the Bill Bryson ones, "notes from a small island", "neither here nor there", "I'm a stranger here myself"

killingly funny & so very very true...

otherwise, recently read "birdsong" Sebastien Faulks story of a man in the first war trenches, difficult to get into but compelling & even moving thereafter.
"Suite Francaise" Iréne Nemirovsky (in english). Story of a number of ordinary french citizens during the occupation. Worth reading to help understand the french.
"a short history of tractors in ukranien" Marina Lewycka. Bizarre, but amusing.
as I had a day off today I offered myself a special treat & have re read Tolkeins "The Hobbit" from cover to cover.

I don't read, I devour!