Books Books Books

While I always intended for my blog to just be about my travels, and the travels of my family, it has come to my attention that some of you (ok like maybe one person lol!) wants to see what is on my bookshelf. Apart from travel, reading is a serious hobby of mine. I am constantly reading at every spare moment, and I have always enjoyed having a book in my hand. Obviously these days with a child, dog and helping to run a family business I can’t read as much as I used to, but I still aim to at least read 2 books a month if I can. Anyway here is a list of my faves…. enjoy!

Mr Maalouf makes my world go round

• William Dalrymple – In Xanadu
• Jason Elliot – Mirrors of the Unseen
• Daniel Metcalfe – Out of Steppe
• Colin Thubron – Shadow of the Silk Road
• Rose Macaulay – The Towers of Trebizond

these two! sigh….

• Freya Stark – The Valleys of the Assassins
• Geraldine Brooks – People of the Book
• Rebecca West – Black Lamb & Grey Falcon
• Robert Byron – The Road to Oxiana
• Tim Mackintosh Smith – Travels With A Tangerine
• Barry Unsworth – The Ruby in Her Navel

These books….

• Alev Scott – Ottoman Odyssey
• Mary Renault – The Persian Boy
• Levison Wood – Eastern Horizons
• Khalil Gibran – The Prophet
• Christopher Kremmer – The Carpet Wars
• Chris Bohjalian – The Sandcastle Girls

This story from Azerbaijan… oh my!

One of my all time faves

Rumi. Enough said.

The stoics

• Ryan Holiday – Stillness is the Key
• Simon Sebag Montefiore – Sashenka
• Erika Fatland – Sovietistan
• Sophie McNeill- We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know
• Elif Shafak – The Architects Apprentice
• Olivia Manning – The Levant Trilogy
• Olivia Manning – The Balkan Trilogy

Mr De Botton is a genius

• Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet
• Christy Lefteri – The Beekeeper of Aleppo
• Pip Williams – The Dictionary of Lost Words
• Jessie Burton – The Miniaturist
• Kiran Millwood Hargrave – The Dance Tree

I love stories set in the Dutch golden age

Washingon Irving’s Tales make me dream…

• 
  

Australian perfection

• Sarah Winman – A Year of Marvellous Ways
• Elif Shafak – The Island of Missing Trees
• Sabahattin Ali – Madonna In a Fur Coat
• Christoper Kremmer – The Carpet Wars
• Christy Lefteri – Songbirds

This book will destroy you and give you soaring hopes all in one.

• Claudia Piñeiro – Elena Know
• Susan Abulhawa – Mornings in Jenin
• John Berger – Hold Everything Dear
• Chris Aslan – Unravelling the Silk Road

I can’t even with this book. Read it.