Nepal Book List

I used to be a voracious reader as a child.  These days, while I still try and read a fair bit, it does tend to be mostly technical in nature (I categorically deny that this makes me sad), and even that of late has been neglected while I try and cram in everything else I want to do. There is a lot of free time on the trail: most days you start pretty early and are usually at the destination for an early lunch, or around 2 or 3 at the latest.  Dinner is about 6:30, often by head-torch (most electricity is solar past a certain altitude), and you're in bed by about 8:30.  By way of comparison, at home I tend to aim for dinner about 8:30, end up actually eating any time between 9 and 10, and rarely get to bed much before midnight (unfortunately, my rising time isn't that different – some may say I should sleep more). At any rate, I had a lot of free time in Nepal, and resolved to spend it reading: the main target was "Godel, Escher, Bach", which I started some time ago but eventually abandoned.  This was mostly because I didn't start reading until I got to bed – see above for what time this is – then read for a few minutes, wake up and peel the book or paper off my face, and turn the light out.  This is a book which requires some serious concentration, and that strategy was never going to work. So, for anyone who is curious, here is what I got through in that month (in order):Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.  Symbolically, I triumphantly finished this in Chhukhung, the peak of our trip before we started descending.  Unfortunately I now probably need to read it again; in part to revisit a few of the earlier themes with a bit more context, but also because I want to listen to all of the music that is referenced, and I wasn't noting it down.  If anyone has a playlist I would love a copy! High Adventure: The True Story of the First Ascent of Everest, by Edmund Hillary.  More boy's-own-adventure than high literature, but still a gripping read; some of the additional details like having to cajole porters into fording the rivers as they had to carry supplies up from India were worth it alone.  It was written just a year after the actual ascent: Paul (one of our group) had found a very old second-hand copy to bring along, so I borrowed it and read it in two nights. Shantaram.  This book was everywhere; every single bookshop had a shelf of copies both new and second-hand, and nearly every person we met was either reading it or had read it… including another member of our group, and I bought my own copy after reading the first few pages.  The actual story gets a little fantastical towards the end, but it's amazingly colourful and yes, I want to go to India now (even more). Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.  The story of a senior MS sales executive with a penchant for adventure tourism; a chance visit to a Himalayan school whose library contained just two books that were too precious to actually be read (one was a Mills and Boon!) leads him to promise to return with books.  This in turn snowballs as he solicits donations, tries to stock other libraries as well, enlists the help of the local Lions club, leaves his job to go full-time on what would eventually be called Room To Read, expands into other countries and so on.  An easy read (it took me about a day), but quite inspirational none the less and his enthusiasm is infectious. Sun Tzu (The Art of War).  I bought a cheap copy back in Kathmandu, figuring it was about time I actually read it. On the Road (Kerouac).  Ditto.  A deserved classic: that book has rhythm.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.  I bought this in Hong Kong; it's an amazing book!  Written as a first-person account of a murder – of a dog – investigation by an autistic boy.  The author has worked with autistic kids so I'd imagine that it is a fairly accurate portrayal. Bonus: For the Win, by Cory Doctorow.  This one doesn't really count since I started reading it (on my phone, thanks Aldiko) on and off for some time, but I did finish off the last few chapters the day I returned home.  It's a fun read, albeit with a slightly abrupt finish, about the virtual economies spun out of online games and the exploitation and unionisation of the "gold farmers" in developing nations.  Like a lot of what is sometimes still called science fiction these days (hello William Gibson), the present has become sufficiently interesting that they no longer need to dream up much of a future to explore. I think that's it; I have a nagging feeling that I've left one out…


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