Bookspotting: Week 31

It has been a busy bookspotting week in Hong Kong, but most of the books I saw this week were not in English. I spotted six Chinese readers on the MTR, one walking through the train station with his nose in a book, and one sitting at Fuel, a coffee shop in the IFC Mall. While I was at Fuel I also spotted this little girl in the window of the nearby bookshop, who was reading the picture book Olivia. I apologize to her parents for taking her picture without their permission, but she was almost too adorable for words. I saw a young man reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom on the MTR, and I saw a woman in a different bookstore reading Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. 

I spent time in three different bookstores this week because I was trying to find the new memoir Eating Smoke about Chris Thrall's journey as an employee of one of the infamous Hong Kong triads. It just came out this month, but I was impatient to find it. Hong Kong bookstores usually have an extensive, if not exclusive, English section. There are not too many of them, but they are usually full of customers browsing through the business books, novels and numerous movie tie-ins. 

What are people reading in your town this week? You can leave your comment below, or better yet you can leave it at last week's bookspotting post for a chance to win a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate in my 100 Follower Giveaway.

THE LOST CONTINENT by Bill Bryson

THE GIST:

A grumpy but lovable travel writer takes A Great American Road Trip through the small towns, tourist traps and wide open spaces of the USA.

THE VERDICT:

I bought this book at the start of my own Great American Road Trip, which has been extensively documented on this blog. I read about half of it along the road, and visited many of the places Bryson describes just days before reading about them in the book. This was a great way to read, and I found myself comparing my own impressions with his, even though he took his trip the year before I was born, and plenty of things have changed. A book that is simply a series of descriptions of mile after mile of travel could be boring, but fortunately America is so big and varied that there is always something new to read about or see.

Bryson's characteristic witty and slightly grumpy writing style is the other thing that keeps the narrative interesting. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think he's hilarious. He uses his unique voice to talk about the things that are good about the US, and he also pulls no punches when describing things that have changed for the worse. He strongly objects to the spread of cooker-cutter commercialism, and he mourns the loss of unique shops and restaurants in favor of chains and shopping malls. Bryson does tend to be quite judgmental, and some of his rants about tourists, overweight people and the uneducated were taken too far. Although many of his observations seemed to be accurate, the mean comments were occasionally too much. It can be a bit too easy to make fun of Americans sometimes, but this book is successful because it does contain a lot of truth too (Disclaimer: I'm an American and so is Bill Bryson).

The book is divided into two sections, East and West, for the two big trips that Bryson took, covering 13,978 miles. He visited Springfield, Snowflake, Gettysburg, New York City, Newport, Leadville, Gallup, Carson City, Buffalo, Murdo and more. He ate in diners and visited the birthplaces of famous people. He saw universities, national parks, and cities. He was bored, tired and filled with wonder as he traveled through the country, just like thousands of other road-trippers before and since. This is a good book if you like travel narratives, and it's a great book, if you like exploring that beautiful country called the USA.

THE LINK:

Bill Bryson's website
My review of Bryson's NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND

THE COST:

I bought a paperback copy in a small town bookstore for $14.99

THE QUESTION:

Do you prefer to read books about your own country and culture or about far-off lands? Have you ever read a book about your own country where you think the author got it wrong?

Walking Tour: Nathan Road

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Walking Tour Wednesday. I've had a lovely summer traveling the world, but I'm happy to be back wandering around Hong Kong with you. For this walking tour, we're going to a place that is well known to tourists and locals alike: Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. We've visited TST to see the Avenue of the Stars, and our ride on the Star Ferry ended here. Now, Nathan Road takes us right through the heart of this bustling part of town.

We'll start out at the famous old Peninsula hotel. It is perhaps the best place in Asia to have a high tea that is more English than most high teas in England.

Turn in a circle in front of The Peninsula. You're on Salisbury Road, HK's museum row. The HK Performing Arts Centre is to the right of the hotel.

That's the space museum.

And there's the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

When the hotel is on your left, walk a few steps down Salisbury Road.

To your right you'll see Salisbury Garden...

You should turn left here...

...and you'll find yourself on Nathan Road.

 

Crossing the road is tricky in TST, but you'll be able to find subways (passages underground not to be confused with underground trains).

There will be plenty of signs for the MTR (the underground train) as well.

Nathan Road is a place of people and glass...

...and commerce.

You'll see advertisements, old and new, as you walk down the street.

There are people everywhere, no matter what time you're here.

Nathan Road is lined with stores on both sides.

They're usually doing work to improve this city.

You'll find traditional Chinese medicine...

...next to money...

...next to diamonds.

There are plenty of signs to help you get your bearings.

This strange green curtain hides the infamous Chungking Mansion, which seems to be undergoing a facelift. This is what it is supposed to look like...

I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that they are cleaning up such a notoriously ugly building.

I suppose it looks incongruous next to the shiny new iSquare shopping center across the street.

And a big crossing is all that separates these two different worlds.

In any case, you should watch your step and cross the street.

Continue walking down Nathan Road.

You won't be disappointed by the costly things you'll see in the shop windows.

You'll see some cultivated greenery along the streets here.

Notice the sings of everyday life.

And the signs of constant work and improvement.

Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, so even the bus stops are decorated with mooncakes.

This is Hong Kong, so you'll see people everywhere.

You'll come to another crossing.

Look down the street to your left to see even more shops and people.

When you see this arch...

You'll know you've reached the big mosque in TST.

Look across the street to see rows of buildings that are completely at odds with this sight.

Take one last look up at the sky...

And then lose yourself in the endless shopping.

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of Nathan Road. Don't forget to enter my 100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY before September 12th. I'm giving away a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate to say thank you to you all for supporting this blog. Come back next week for more Hong Kong Walking Tours!

Bookspotting: Week 30, 100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY EDITION!

It's been just a few days since my last bookspotting post, which wrapped-up my epic travel summer. I haven't had time to spot too many books since then, but I did count three books that were too far away for me to identify on my regular commute. I saw a young girl reading a graphic novel while waiting for the train with her mother. I spent an afternoon in a coffee shop where I noticed a young woman reading How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gill.  

Now that I'm getting settled in Hong Kong, it is time to announce my 100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY! I've had an incredible 30 weeks reviewing books, photographing walking tours, and spotting books around Hong Kong. In honor of you lovely people, who have consistently commented on and supported this blog, I am giving away a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate. This giveaway is open worldwide. Here are the rules: simply leave a comment telling one book that you have spotted someone reading in public and where you were. It's okay if you knew the person you saw reading. The giveaway will be open until September 12th, which is the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong.

I hope you've noticed that along with this giveaway I am launching a blog redesign. This seriously cool header was designed by my wildly talented sister Lindsay. Thanks!

Why not follow me on twitter while you're here? I'd love to chat.

Bookspotting: Weeks 28 and 29, Travel Edition

It has been a whirlwind summer for me. I arrived safely back in Hong Kong last night after six days in Bali, a week with my family in Oregon, and a grand American road trip/train adventure through 13 states. I'll be getting back to my regular book review, bookspotting, and walking tour posts, and I'll also be responding to comments and visiting other blogs regularly again. Thank you to everyone who followed my travels through twitter and this blog.

I kept my eyes open for books along the way, and here's what I saw:

ROAD TRIPPING

Portland, Oregon was the biggest bookspotting winner of our road trip. In addition to a special pilgrimage to the legendary Powell's bookshop, I saw people reading at tables outside cafes and restaurants all over the city. A woman sitting next to me on the bus was reading a Kindle, and I was close enough to tell that she was perusing selections from the Bible. I was reading Bill Bryson's THE LOST CONTINENT and she asked me a bit about it before telling me what I should see in Portland. I saw another woman reading a Danielle Steele paperback and a man reading ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL by James Patterson. Along the road I saw two different people reading books by George R. R. Martin, who is probably the author that has been most represented in my bookspotting adventures lately (I'm halfway through the second book in his series).

TRAINSPOTTING

When we reached Kansas City, we traded our rental car for train tickets and spent the next 26 hours on the Southwest Chief train to Flagstaff, Arizona. I counted ten people reading books whose titles I couldn't see during my walks through the train. The books I could see were a battered copy of THE SOONG DYNASTY by Sterling Seagrave, OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck, and one of the HARRY POTTER books. I also saw one Kindle.

UP IN THE AIR

After a few short days with my family in Arizona, I headed for the airport once again. At Sky Harbor International Airport, I saw a woman reading one of the 'Queen' books by Philippa Gregory and a man reading Dan Brown's DECEPTION POINT. At Los Angeles International Airport, I spotted two Kindles and OPEN by Andre Agassi. As I boarded the flight to Hong Kong, I spotted a Kindle in First Class, STAR ISLAND by Clive Hiaasen in the hands of an off-duty crew member, and a battered paperback that looked like a crime novel. Now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I'll be on the lookout for books on my regular commute as well as on my wanders through the coffee shops and hangout spots of Asia's world city.

American Road Trip: Day 9

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI TO FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA VIA AMTRAK

The final leg of our Great American Road Trip took us across the Southwestern USA on a train. We had front row seats as the beautiful desert passed by. I'm now home with my family in Arizona for a few days before I return to Hong Kong. Thanks for following along on my trip throughout the West. We covered 2,346 miles by car and over 1,000 miles by train, bringing us through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. I hope you enjoyed the ride.