Schmidt World Tour 2006

The book report is a bit tardy....it is being posted over one year after we returned from the trip. Oh well.

Below is an example of what I do when I have a lot of free time on my hands, lots of trains and planes to take and want to escape from my husband for a few hours….I read.

I think I dragged Clint into at least one bookstore per country and at times in just about every city we visited in certain countries. Depending upon our locale, the selections could be limited (e.g. reading Naomi Wolf in Essaouira, Morocco). But, because I was traveling I had the opportunity to read a variety of works by foreign authors that I likely would not have read if I was at home.

The books are in no particular order and the reviews may be repugnant to some:

1. The Moscow Club (Joseph Finder) - purchased in Sydney, Australia and read in Byron Bay, Australia. Decent mystery novel and had me transfixed while I coped with very sun burned legs and, as a result, was stuck indoors.

2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John LeCarre) - purchased at the Salvation Army store outside Sydney, Australia and read in Byron Bay, Australia. You have to be a LeCarre fan to read this book. I am one.

3. The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon) - purchased in Barcelona, Spain and read in Morocco. Great read and amazing story. I would definitely read this again and again.

4. Dangerous Summer (Hemingway) - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain and Morocco. Perfect book when you are on your way to Pamplona for El Encierro and La Corrida (the running of the bulls and bullfighting, respectively).

5. The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy) - purchased in Rome, Italy and read in Italy. Interesting.

6. The Unforgettable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera) - purchased in Rome, Italy and read in Italy. Thought-provoking.

7. Dante's Inferno - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain. I only read this book because Clint bought it and I had nothing else to read at the time.

8. DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain. Decent story but by far the worst book I have read in a long time. The writing is perfect for a second grader.

9. Catch 22 (Joseph Heller) - purchased in Byron Bay, Australia and read in Thailand. One of the best stories I have ever read in my life. I love crazy people, is that a reflection of me? I would read this book again and again.

10. No God, But God (Reza Azlan) - purchased in Cairo, Egypt and read in Egypt, Israel and Turkey. This book should be read by everyone in the world who does not have a clue about Islam. It might not bring world peace but it would be pretty close to those with an open mind.

11. Book of short stories by Egyptian woman author - purchased in Cairo, Egypt and read in Greece. Interesting stories because it revealed a side of Muslim women not typically seen. I wish I remembered the name of the book or author so I could find some more books by this particular author. Unfortunately, all I can remember is the shopping experience at the American University in Cairo bookstore.

12. Countless guidebooks - We did travel around the world so I suppose guidebooks are a necessity.

13. Countless language books especially Italian, French and Arabic. Again, we did travel around the world so being able to speak or try to speak a language is invaluable. I can’t stress this enough!

14. The Life of Pi (Yann Martel) - purchased in Sevilla, Spain and read in Spain. Awesome book, captivating story. Anyone who likes animals will like this book.

15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer) - purchased in Sevilla, Spain and read before making it to Poland. It’s about 9/11 and has some great phrases…the book is definitely “heavy boots,” not “shitake.”

16. The Ciderhouse Rules (John Irving) - purchased in Prague, Czech Republic and read in Hungary and on way to Austria. What can I say: I absolutely love John Irving’s writing and am currently trying to read everything he has written.

17. With No One As Witness (Elizabeth George) - purchased in Salzburg, Austria and read in Austria and on way to Pamplona. Fun read.

18. At First Light (Ernest Hemingway) - purchased in Pamplona, Spain. This is a fictional autobiography about Hemingway’s time at camp in Africa. I really enjoyed this book and firmly believe Hemingway led a privileged (not necessarily monetary but rather all of the adventures he found himself in) and interesting life.

19. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) - purchased in Barcelona, Spain. Loved it.

20. Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) - purchased in Munich, Germany and read in Berlin. I really enjoyed this book. The story is peculiar and fascinating.

21. Samarkand (Amin Maalouf) - purchased and read in Essaoira, Morocco. Interesting read.

22. Misconceptions (Naomi Wolf) - purchased and read in Essaouria, Morocco. If you are pregnant, have been pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, then I strongly urge you to read this book.

23. Well Schooled in Murder (Elizabeth George) - purchased in Munich, Germany. George taught at my high school. She would have been my honors English teacher but for the fact she stopped teaching to pursue writing full-time. She’s a great story teller and writer. Dan Brown could learn a thing or two from George.

24. Ghostwritten (David Mitchell)- purchased in Paris, France. Interesting read.

25. The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) - purchased in London (England), Great Britain (U.K). Read in Ireland. This book is a must read for everyone, especially those in the business world.

26. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (Tom Robbins) – purchased in Dublin, Ireland. Robbins’ writing is maniacal – still reading this book.

27. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) – purchased in Ireland and read in Seattle. I love, love, love this book. The book comes alive as you read it.