August Prompt: Bon Voyage

I could so use a real 'bon voyage' about now.  I am sincerely trying to content myself with armchair travel this month with my August prompt.  I've decided I would try not to be so very literal with the theme, though I have some very straightforward travel narratives in my pile as well.  Why not traveling through time and/or space?  Traveling as a journey or escape?  So here is my pile of reading opportunities and I am quite excited about choosing a few (hopefully more than one of these this month).

Stowaway to Mars by John Wyndham -- This is at the top of the pile as I have been very keen on reading more of Wyndham's work (I loved both Chocky and The Midwich Cuckoos).  "For British pilot Dale Curtance the Keuntz Prize - to be awarded to the first person to take a spaceship to another planet and back - is the ultimate challenge. Not only has he to build a ship to survive the journey, assemble a top-notch crew and choose a destination, he's also got to beat the Russians and Americans. Soon the GLORIA MUNDI blasts off from Salisbury Plain, bound for Mars. There's only one problem - a stowaway called Joan. Not only does her presence wreck calculations and threaten the mission, but her tale suggests that Mars may be a more dangerous destination than they ever expected."

My Vacations by Sylvia Smith -- I am not sure where I came across this author, but it sounded quite fun and an easy read (so I am starting with this since it is very 'dippable').  "n My Holidays, Sylvia Smith remembers in precise and amusing detail the various trips she has taken, from Shanklin, Isle of Wight in 1962, right up to her catastrophic holiday to New York in 2001. Jinxed traveller that she is, Sylvia good-humouredly conjures up the difficulties that beset a nice East End girl on holiday: whether it be a fight in a Paris strip club, struggling to change out of her swimsuit with an audience of two fascinated German men, or learning to ski. The result is one of the most refreshing and amusing travel books of our time, and another Sylvia Smith classic. 'Sylvia Smith's done it again."

French Milk by Lucy Knisley -- And what about a travel story as a graphic novel?  I am all for visuals.  "Through delightful drawings, photographs, and musings, twenty-three-year-old Lucy Knisley documents a six-week trip she and her mother took to Paris when each was facing a milestone birthday."

Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson -- I have seen the movie adaptation of this story many times and have had a copy of the book for ages.  I like the idea of this story as a 'journey' of sorts.  "  In 2116, it is against the law to live beyond the age of twenty-one years. When the crystal flower in the palm of your hand turns from red to black, you have reached your Lastday and you must report to a Sleepshop for processing. But the human will to survive is strong—stronger than any mere law.  Logan 3 is a Sandman, an enforcer who hunts down those Runners who refuse to accept Deep Sleep. The day before Logan’s palmflower shifts to black, a Runner accidentally reveals that he was racing toward a goal: Sanctuary. With this information driving him forward, Logan 3 assumes the role of the hunted and becomes a Runner.

Blackout by Connie Willis -- What about traveling through time.  Would you, if you could?  And what year would you like to go back to (or maybe forward to?).  In this case it is back to WWII England.  "Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place, with scores of time-traveling historians being sent into the past. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser into letting her go to VE-Day. Polly Churchill’s next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of London’s Blitz. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments and switching around everyone’s schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse."

Hornblower and the Hotspur by C. S. Forester -- I started reading this series of books about the time I discovered the wonderful TV adaptation of the story and quite literally fell for Horatio Hornblwoer (both the character in the book and the TV version . . .).  I didn't get as far as I should have, but I like the idea of a journey by boat and really need to revisit the young naval officer.  "April 1803. The Peace of Amiens is breaking down. Napoleon is building ships and amassing an army just across the Channel. Horatio Hornblower-who, at age twenty-seven, has already distinguished himself as one of the most daring and resourceful officers in the Royal Navy-commands the three-masted Hotspur on a dangerous reconnaissance mission that evolves, as war breaks out, into a series of spectacular confrontations."

Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney -- I have to have at least one proper travel narrative in the bunch (I have loads of them on my shelves) and this sounds quite exotic and adventurous.  "When Rosemary Mahoney, in 1998, took a solo trip down the Nile in a seven-foot rowboat, she discovered modern Egypt for herself. As a rower, she faced crocodiles and testy river currents; as a female, she confronted deeply-held beliefs about foreign women while cautiously remaining open to genuine friendship; and, as a traveler, she experienced events that ranged from the humorous to the hair-raising--including an encounter that began as one of the most frightening of her life and ended as an edifying and chastening lesson in human nature and cultural misunderstanding."

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware -- And yes, I have to have at least one mystery/thriller in the pile, too.  " In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…"

I think I have a pretty solid stack of choices this month, and of course I want to read all of them.  If I can manage a few I will be very happy and I think I deserve a few journeys since I am stuck at home this summer.  I don't think I need any other temptations, but I still have to throw the question out (because I am happy to add titles to my wishlist), but do you have a good travel narrative (and I use the term loosely as you can see by my own pile) you might recommend?

Comments

[Janet]

Had to have the Down the Nile book so headed to Amazon to order it.

[Janet]

Meant to add I loved Connie Willis's Blackout and its follow up All Clear, I'm a big fan of her writing.

[Michelle Ann]

I suggest 'My Family and Other Animals' if you have not already read it. I think it was commissioned by the Corfu tourist office!
'The Flame Trees of Thika' is another child's view of life abroad, this time in East Africa. Not as amusing, but very atmospheric.
Connie Willis is an excellent storyteller, and 'Blackout' is very good, but she includes so much she could have made another half dozen books out of it. Buy the sequel 'All Clear' before you start reading it, as it is really all one (very long) novel.

[Joan Kyler]

It appears that you're off on an excellent journey - even if you never leave your house! Books are my preferred method of travel these days.

[LindaY]

Loved BLACKOUT and ALL CLEAR, as well as FLAME TREES OF THIKA. How about Bill Bryson in Australia: IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY is great.

[Heather]

I like Lucy Knisley a whole lot - I think An Age of License was my favorite of her travel books that I've read, but I liked French Milk and Displacement too. And mm, I had a whole lot of fun reading Blackout - when I'm in the mood for Connie Willis, I really love her.

[Cathy]

Anything by Connie Willis is great. Her novel The Domesday Book is one of my all-time favourites. Thanks for this list.

[Danielle]

It looks really good, doesn't it? I hope to get to it this month, too (now that I have given myself a good reason to start it!). ;)

[Danielle]

I am not sure why I have not yet read her books--I have several of them--good to know you liked both books, thanks!

[Danielle]

I caught the first episode of the adaptation of the Durell book and then decided I had to read it before watching, so I promptly started it (and loved what I read), but then got distracted as seems to happen A Lot with my nonfiction reading this year for some reason. I also have had a copy of Flame Trees for a very long time. It is nice when you come to a set of books and they are both already published, so I won't have to wait to read the continuation of the story! I am leaning heavily towards something by Connie Willis as my next choice (I have two books started but hope to finish one soon and pick up another as I very much like my stack of possibilities this month). And I sort of like that CW split the novel into two books (though I imagine it was frustrating at the time).

[Danielle]

Certainly reading vacations are much simpler and less stressful than real travel and I won't be doing any traveling at all this year from the look of things. Thank goodness for books!

[Danielle]

I had the Bryson out from the library just recently but I hate to admit it went back--I am sure it is good but the copy was so nasty (obviously much read....) that there was too much of an 'ick factor' in holding the book, so I will have to look for a nice used paperback I think. I have the other three so hopefully I will get to one of them (kind of wanting to try Connie Willis finally).

[Danielle]

I think Lucy Knisley has written a lot more than I realize. I had to look up Age of License and you are right--it does sound good. If I read French Milk, maybe I will buy the other book as a treat! And Connie Willis seems quite popular and much read, so I think I should try one of her books soon!

[Danielle]

As a matter of fact I have The Domesday Book (and I think I even know where it is). Hmm. Which to go for--WWII or the 14th century? Domesday seems to have gotten almost universally good reviews which is always a very good sign (and to call it an all-time favorite). Maybe I will dig it out this weekend!

[Kathy]

Any of Bill Bryson's travel-related books would be a good choice--I loved them all (and I think I have them all, too). I have a copy of W. Somerset Maugham's The Skeptical Romancer on my TBR shelf that looks like it will be excellent, though I haven't started it yet.

Not that you need any more, but if you're feeling the need for some comfort reading, you can't beat vintage Mary Stewart! Her heroines are always going someplace I want to go.

[Danielle]

I have read a few of Bill Bryson's books, but it has been ages since the last one. I really want to read his book about homes--rather the things that make up a home, but it is a chunky book if I recall correctly. And I have One Summer, too, which I have always wanted to reach for, but my NF reading has been stalled this year--I keep starting new books and finishing none of them. :( I looked at a Mary Stewart or two, but was thinking Cornwall sounded such a nice destination--may have to pull those Stewarts out again.