There's going to be a lot of alone time on this trip, so I'm thinking I'll probably do quite a bit of reading in the tent at night (and to the extent WiFi and electricity are available, I can watch Netflix too). As I was imagining what I wanted to read [other than more zombie novels!], I discovered that several of the books I've been wanting to read (or re-read) turned out to have a "journey" theme, and it seems appropriate to build a list around that since I'll be reading them while on the road.
Here's my list so far [actually, the list in my head is much much longer but these are the ones that are coming to mind as I write this...]. (Please do make a comment if you have ideas for other journey-themed books/movies/etc. that I should add!)
Don Quixote I have never read what is certainly a top contender for the [insert superlative here] novel of all time, even though (or perhaps partially because) my dear friend George has some familiarity with Cervantes. So, it is about time! I'm only just reading the "Author's Preface" right now, and I can tell it is going to be a delight to finally read DQ!
The Odyssey Haven't read this since graduate school days and I think it will be a trip to re-read from such a different vantage point. This will probably be the only book I read on paper on this trip--I have an edition that is literally falling apart and this will give me the perfect excuse to dispose of it by tearing off and throwing away the pages as I read them, just like Cheryl Strayed in ...
Wild, which is also on the re-read portion of this reading list. Thanks so much to my friends Steve and Charmain for recommending this book when I was telling them about my early thoughts of doing this bicycle journey--this book really was a bit of inspiration for me to follow through with the idea of such an adventure! The movie based on the book is pretty good too.
On the Road, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I've never read any of these but a lot of people have. And these books certainly fit the theme, and, to a certain extent, the geography....
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I think I tried to read this once a long, long time ago and I thought it was boring then, but maybe it's time to give it another chance.
Blue Highways I had never heard of this book until it was recommended by Don. William Least Heat-Moon is a very cool name for an author, though, so this book gets a second look for that reason alone! From Amazon blurb: "Hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, Blue Highways is an unforgettable journey along our nation's backroads. [The author's] adventures, his discoveries, and his recollections of the extraordinary people he encountered along the way amount to a revelation of the true American experience."
The Way I don't really know much about this movie, but the Amazon synopsis says: "A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the 'El camino de Santiago' from France to Spain." My understanding is that the father (played by Martin Sheen) ends up completing the pilgrimage or something like that?.... [No spoilers please!!!]
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