The Great XRV Library Thread

[alpslapper]

Ok, here it is .. the little book shop tucked away down a little alleyway, far from the busseling crowded streets that make up the dynamic metropolis that is XRV.org.

It has a little doorway, small and narrow, such that you have to stoop down when entering ( well, nearly everyone does ).

It has a wonderful old world feel about the place - until you enter, and then, then you see, the shelves are bare

So lets start stocking up - with the books you're reading or have read, letting us know if you enjoyed them, would you recommend them, did they give you pause for thought, or where they just crap

There's two sections:

Motorcycle travel and adventure

and

Anything Else in the Whole Wide World You Care To Mention:


There. That should just about cover it



I've just finished Lois on the Loose and Jupiters Travels.

(Im too tired to write up on em now so I'll do it tonight if I get home in time but the quick feedback is:
Lois on the Loose - brillant, funny, easy to read, thoroughly enjoyable, some insightful moments, I love her and want to have her babies:
Jupiters Travels - dry in places, a bit of a slog to read at times, you have to stand back and just admire the man for just getting out there and doing it, inspirational, gives fascinating insights into himself as a person and the people he meets and the places they inhabit, really makes you just want to jack in all in a go...)

[squirrelciv]

Ooh there's soooo many
Ron Ayres' 'Against the wind' an account of the Iron butt rally. Not a bad book I seem to remember.
'The last Hurrah' Loved it for it's normalness. Two old duffers on even older bikes ride half way round the world. Not a word smith between them so your left realizing they really are just two old duffers and you really can do this sort of thing Every country is described by the attractiveness of the women, so the Islamic states faired badly
'One man caravan' A classic and set the bar if you ask me.
'mondo enduro' Still ploughing through this, but loving it so far.
You've done Jupiter's travels and lous, but there's also 'Zen' which I found very good if a bit hard work.
Keeping it travel, if not Motorcycling you've could do worse than Tim Moore. He wrote 'French revolutions' a hilarious account of him following the tour de france route. 'Frost on my moustache' equally funny account of a reconstructed journey by some English toff to Iceland and parts of Norway. And also 'Continental Drifter' where our auther follows the route of the grand tour in a pink Rolls Royce and a crushed velvet suit! (Mr Moore has also written 'Spanish steppes' a journey by donkey, but I haven't read that one yet)
Going off tangent a bit further why not 'High Adventure' by Edmund Hillary, or 'Endurance' the story of Shackleton's Antartic adventure. 'Seven years in Tibet' was quite pleasant too, but more hard on the emotions is 'Touching the void'. Joe Simpsons gripping account of his near death escape whilst mountaineering.
Don't start me on fictional stuff, but top of my list of recent reads would be The old man and the sea, Vernon God little, The life of Pi, War of the Worlds and The English passenger.

Hope that's a start

[Jenna]

sowwwy no help here... only books i get to read these days seam to be parts manuals....

[Steve C]

...snip 'One man caravan' A classic and set the bar if you ask me. ...snip

Looks good that one - so I've just ordered it - as I'll be laid up for a bit from mid-August following a double op

The books I read though are in some ways like Jenna's - parts and workshop manuals. But mine are on the existentialism of being a human person surviving in the 21st Century So, on balance, I won't..!

[Jenna]

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek shrink in the house!!!..... jenna runs for cover!

[Robster]

One Man caravan is a cracking yarn.

I especially like that he has a gun stashed on his bike!

[barftone]

Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps and Corsica by John Hermann is a good start to sussing out Alpine tours

[Robster]

Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps is fairly informative.

However, if you're of a sensitive disposition DO NOT read the into – written by an American clearly for Americans.

I found myself seething with rage at the blatant ignorance of other cultures. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

[Steve C]

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek shrink in the house!!!..... jenna runs for cover!

he he he they didn't tell you about the small print - living in a world of mechanics, mechanicals and blokes being blokey
then along comes the New Men and all that touchy feely tree hugging stuff!

[FatFergie]

I especially like that he has a gun stashed on his bike!

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

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

I keep "lending" books to people never to be seen again, One I must rebuy is " A wild herb soup", a memoir set in the haute alpes on the Italian border, a place I've never been but have just been reminded of the book by the Stella alpina threads.