What we are reading: Georgia’s Picks

Working in a travel bookshop provides you with an endless reading list. If you are looking for some book recommendations, this is what Georgia has read recently.

Blindness by Jose Saramago

I read this book, by Portugal’s Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramago, in anticipation of a trip to Portugal, and, even though I had to cancel the holiday, it was a fantastic choice to increase my knowledge of literature. Blindness is not exactly a fun read – it’s one of those books that breaks you down before you realise how life-affirming it is – but, like all great art, it truly makes you see the world differently (pun intended). One of the things I enjoyed most was Saramago’s distinctive style; he omits full stops in favour of long sentences punctuated only by commas capitalising words to indicate a new speaker. This method works especially well in Blindness, as, by writing conversations in this way, without identifying who’s talking, the reader is made to feel as blind as the conversation’s participants as the action heats up. That a book can be so brutal and terrifying and beautifully profound is testament to Saramago’s great skill.

Goodbye, Things: On Minimalist Living by Fumio Sasaki

I’m convinced. I’m going to throw away all of my possessions, even my (gulp) books, thanks (or should that be no thanks) to Fumio Sasaki, a minimalist from Japan. Well, perhaps not all my possessions, but a major cull is on the cards. Sasaki argues that we would all be happier and more able to live in the moment if we get rid of all the stuff that surrounds us. He reminds us that, just like cleaning out and reinstalling an old hard drive, our ancient human hardware just cannot take the information overload of today’s world if it is also surrounded by old and stagnant possessions. Mentioning self-help gurus Marie Kondo (The Life-changing Magic of Tidying) and Dale Carnegie (How to Stop Worrying and Start Living) along the way, as well as Steve Jobs and Einstein, Sasaki gives tips and reasons why minimising your stuff will help you maximise your time on Earth.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I very rarely watch a TV series or film based on a book without having first read the original, but with this one, the hype surrounding the Netflix series drew me in. After bingeing it over an emotional couple of days, I then came into work and bought this book to relive it all over again. This Young Adult book is a brilliant, if dark premise: high-schooler Hannah Baker is dead, but before she killed herself she recorded tapes to explain the 13 reasons why she did it. We “listen” along with her classmate, Clay Jensen, who loved Hannah and doesn’t understand how he could possibly been one of the 13 reasons. We learn how bullying, technology and school culture all conspired to become a perfect storm overwhelming Hannah. Despite its devastating subject matter, the book is fantastic: it’s easy to see why Asher’s smart, likeable, fully developed characters translated so well to the screen.

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig by John Gimlette

I don’t know what Paraguay conjures up in you, but it used to mean very little to me. However, after reading Gimlette’s classic book about his experiences there, I was gagging to go! This deeply affectionate look at the hermetic, landlocked South American nation is eminently readable, funny and a real love letter to the tiny country and its people. Later, I had the opportunity to go to Paraguay to do some research, and, although I went decades after Gimlette, the country seemed much as he left it. Like him, I spent time with locals in Asuncion’s classic joint the Lido Bar, met Mennonites in the Chaco and followed in the footsteps of the infamous dictators Lopez the elder and younger and Stroessner in this quirky, beautiful, often overlooked country.

Secret London: An Unusual Guide by Rachel Howard

And

The 500 Hidden Secrets of London by Tom Greig

As a Londoner in my 30s, who grew up with parents who took me to museums, galleries and parks every weekend, I sometimes feel like I know it all. It takes me about 10 minutes to whip up a tailor-made itinerary for visitors that contains an eclectic mix of things to do, taking in not only the most important sights, but also some local secrets in this city of millions. So imagine my surprise to find books that introduced me to dozens of places I had no idea existed! I especially love the layout of Tom Greig’s The 500 Hidden Secrets of London with its endless lists of Top 5s, from churches with live music to rooftop bars to cycling routes to useful shops. While I had heard of a lot of stuff in here, it acts like a book of prompts that you won’t get from simply trawling through Tripadvisor, allowing even hardened Londoners to fall back in love with their city. Meanwhile, Secret London: An Unusual Guide, has page after page of surprising facts, places and oddities that I had genuinely had never heard of. A windmill in Brixton, a museum dedicated to sewing machines and the reasons those tube carriages are on the roof in Shoreditch! It’s been so delightful flicking through so many unknown things it’s almost like discovering a city I’ve never been to.
By Georgia Platman

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