Welcome to Litsy!

Ebook on sale for a very short time. Perfect for #readingoceania @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

This is the low end of the pick scale for me. I liked it better than his book about China, a place he actively seemed to hate. Headhunters is different than his usual travel books, however; here Troost is following Robert Louis Stevenson‘s trip through the South Seas while also dealing with his own alcoholism, so this book is less fun than some of his others.

This one was a little more serious than Troost‘s other books. Having faced his alcoholism and completed rehab Troost takes on another adventure- this time following the steps of Robert Louis Stevenson in Oceania. I actually appreciated his introspection and enjoyed this one more than Sex Lives of Cannibals. (He seems to pick his titles at random. They have nothing to do with the books.) #ReadingOceania24 @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

Travel Asia by train! Enjoy the way a white writer chooses to detail the many flavours of poverty, squalor, bureaucracy, civil unrest and corruption it has to offer! 🤦🏼‍♂️ The author then seems to be dismayed that things are not messy when he gets to Japan. 🤷🏼‍♂️ The part on Russia seems to devolve into a (really cold)fever dream, but I admit I was skimming towards the very end. 1/?

'Love your decor, what do you call this style?'
'Decayed sumptuousness'
🧐

I have to keep reminding myself this is non-fiction. The writing definitely gives "I'm going on an adventure!" novel vibes.

I‘ve been sick with Covid and haven‘t managed to read much, but I did finish this book. Not my favorite Troost. He always comes off as a little smug, but his attitude in this book is off the charts. He dismisses an ancient culture as if it was nothing. I‘m not sure why he stayed in China for an entire month as he hates most of the place and has nothing but disdain for the people & culture. It was amusing in a couple of places, so I won‘t pan it.

Was struggling to decide whether to DNF this or not. 1/3 through the book and it has no "spark" for me. I am interested in finding out about the tribes in India but this book does not seem to delve too deeply into it so will need to hunt for one that does.
##roll100

For #ReadingOceania2024 #Kiribati I decided to read this one. It was by turns funny, depressing and yes, gross. Suffice it to say I won't ever visit and it's proof you can be near the ocean and be most miserable. #bookspin @librarybelle @BarbaraBB @thearomaofbooks

This #chunkstermini took me all month to read, but it was worth it. Fatland visited such interesting places, and her description of Everest base camp is one of the best I‘ve ever read. I just wish she had tied her journey together or made some conclusions at the end because after a while it kind of seemed like Himalayan resident speed dating. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️