Book recommendations and why?

[mnichols]

I'm going on tour next week and I like to take a book to read in the evenings. What do you recommend?

[Sweep]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Man-Bike-M ... 0091940567

Good read.

[eileithyia]

Depends what you like but if it's cycle books; Nicole Cooke, Sean Kelly, david Miller, Chris Hoy, Mark Beaumont, David Walsh have all produced interesting books about the world of racing or riding around the world.

[foxyrider]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - why? 42

[Bonefishblues]

Perhaps you could narrow your preferences down somewhat, OP?

[gbnz]

Second hand from a charity shop; they can be dropped off at the next charity shop on passing and exchanged for a new read

[Cyril Haearn]

I write a book on holiday, I record what I do and what I think. The holiday is so short, one can thus enjoy it again later

Got a nice little pocket book to write in

It is good for noting thoughts, clever phrases, addresses etc

[Invicta Tourist]

If you like reading the tales of other cycle tourists, authors such as Dervla Murphy, Bettina Selby, Ian Hibell (adventure), Bernard Magnouloux (adventure, amusing writing) are all worthwhile to read (IMO). Having said, I am currently rereading "Around the World on a Wheel" (Victorian era three year cycle tour) by J Foster Frazer.

[cyclop]

Anything by Bill Bryson.Easy reading and funny travel narratives."seabiscuit"by Laura Hillenbrand,a well researched,dense,well written account of a racehorse in 1930,s America.I,ve no interest in horse racing but this non fiction was a great read on holiday.Cycling book?"le Tour" by Geoffry Wheatcroft and "Tour de France" by Graeme Fife(read this a few times)"put me back on my bike" by William Fotheringham(tommy simpson biography) are all good reads by proper writers who know their stuff."Krakatoa-the day the world exploded"by Simon Winchester.Did you know the cataclysmic eruption could be heard 3000mls away.Lilian Beckwith,s"The sea for breakfast" a delightful account of life on a scottish island in the50,s ,.Fiction? try Nicolas Sparks "Message in a bottle" and "the notebook" ,tales of love lost and found.More into "mens stuff" try"Band of Brothers"and follow "easy company" through europe to Berlin,a true tale of ordinary men doing extraordinary stuff.Joe Simpson"Touching the Void"-surely everone,s read this!These are some of my best reads.Hope this helps.

[Cyril Haearn]

Collections of short stories are good, you can read one each evening

And the local paper of course

[reohn2]

I've just started reading Bike Nation by Peter Walker,interesting

[flat tyre]

If you are on a long tour, how about "Les Miserables"? On the other hand if you like travel books, how about "White Sands" by Geoff Dyer?

[rmurphy195]

I'm going on tour next week and I like to take a book to read in the evenings. What do you recommend?

Non-Fiction -
Find a book from your local library about the area you are touring, and get a copy of that to read, perhaps from a used bookshop or Amazon - so you can leave it somewhere when you no longer need it. For example, if touring the Peak District then "The Peak District" by Roy Millward and Adrian Robinson is an interesting read, if a little out of date (or at least my copy is, by about 40 years!)

Fiction -
Other than Sharpe, Bernard Cornwell's novels can be good reads - the Arthur books (aka Warlord Chronicles) give a slightly different and entertaining view of the Arthurian legend and the characters within it!) http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-arthur-books/. Or you could try the "Last Kingdom" series and spot the huge chunks left out of the recent TV series (including key aspects to the main character, and indeed some key characters entirely missed-out) http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/t ... es/page/2/. All of these really do need to be read in the right order.

Ken Follets "Pillars of the earth" followed by "World Without End" are absorbing, as also are his "Century" trilogy https://www.goodreads.com/series/87392- ... ry-trilogy

Ellis Peter's "Cadfael" books are slimline (thus lightweight to carry as well as in reading!) you can get through one of these in a couple of evenings then discard it to save weight. There's very little that is remorselessy nasty about them (unlike some of the others I've mentioned).And reading them in order is not critical!

By "Discard" I mean leave it in the book swop on whatever campsite or B&B you are using.

Choosing on-the-fly - campsites, B&B's, etc often have a book-swop corner where you can maybe find something to read, make you choice on day-to-day basis.

[mnichols]

Perhaps you could narrow your preferences down somewhat, OP?

I read a couple of books a month and have got in the habit of reading the same sorts of books so I left it deliberately open to see what other people enjoy

If I stated my preferences then the chances are that I would have read it, but on the other hand someone might come up with a new gem

[mnichols]

Second hand from a charity shop; they can be dropped off at the next charity shop on passing and exchanged for a new read

I do enjoy popping in to a charity shop and buying books, but strangely hadn't considered taking them back. Instead they just take up room in my office never to be read again....so thanks for that idea. Probably obvious to most people but I've never thought of it