Last night, I read a great little book titled Hidden Tiger Raging Mountain. It's an e-book only because its author, Jo Carroll, doesn't feel that at twenty seven thousand and some words it is economically viable to print it. Even so, I feel it should get quite some readers given its subject.
Jo is a self confessed travel addict and this book is about the four weeks she spent travelling alone in Nepal. I say alone, but it isn't really true as it seems she was never actually left alone. Her tale reveals a people of enormous kindness, generosity and willingness, and as a result, she was transported from one place to another catered to and cared for by kind arrangement of her friends in this beautiful country.
All the same, it was a journey she took by herself with what I would call intrepid courage. Jo, like me, said goodbye to her first half century some time ago, but the spirit of adventure and the gypsy wanderlust cannot be quelled however 'mature' we are supposed to be. In Hidden Tiger, Jo travels through remote mountainous regions of Nepal as well as dense jungle areas. She always has a guide, but even so, I recognise that underlying awareness of being 'alone out of your comfort zone'. However, that's part of the thrill of being a wanderer and part of the addiction too.
I won't tell the story here, but suffice to say, Jo has adventures of both a great and very scary nature which are infused with all the tension and fear of a good suspense thriller. She also has wonderful experiences with the people she meets and in many ways, I was very touched by the book. It made me realise that wherever you are in the world, there is kindness and generosity just waiting to greet you if you are open to it.
A great evening or weekend read, Jo, and I'm looking forward to publishing your answers to my 'webterview' questions.
For those of you who follow this blog, this is something new I'm going to be doing with other writers I have met through blogging. I'm especially interested in writers who focus on travel and memoirs (like me) but of course, I will try and webterview any authors whose books or lives have interested me.
Watch this space!
Sounds like a brave woman and an interesting travelogue!
ReplyDeleteTwenty-thousand words ... Is that a lot or a little?
ReplyDeleteI've never looked at writing that way. It could be, I suppose, similar to my same inablility to grasp the concept of distance in feet laid out in front of me ... I would make a lousy carpenter.
However, this does sound like an interesting read! The title lends to that, as well.
Where can I find this book? I have to admit, I have difficulty reading a screen, therefore I much prefer hardcopy, but I am certainly willing to give it a go!
xo
Thanks, String. Yes, I think she's brave as well! It's very interesting and very easy and quick to read.
ReplyDeleteDale, Watery ways is around 75 thousand words, so that gives you an idea. Anyhow, most of the carpenters I know measure by eye, not by foot.. :) You can find the book by clicking on the title in the blog. It's linked to Amazon, but I'm afraid an e-book is the only option. It won't take you long to read it though and it's worth a try. In pages, it would be around seventy, I imagine.
I must get busy and order your books Vally... I am at least three behind!
ReplyDeleteI don't like to read too much on-screen as it gives me a bit of a headache, and I must confess there is still nothing like a paper and binding book in my... er... books!
xo
I cannot help being seemingly - old fashioned in preferring paper books. It is perhaps a fetish in that I enjoy the smell and feel of a new book.
ReplyDeleteI am so with you there, Mel, but when authors are trying to get their work published themselves, the per unit costs are often just too high to be viable if a book is not very long. There is always a basic price and that remains the same whether your book is 70 or 370 pages long. The longer books are therefore proportionally much cheaper. It's a matter of what you feel the public will be prepared to pay, and there's no doubt I will often reject a slim book with a high cost when I'm in a book store. I want value for my money! I think this applies more to fiction and books like Hidden Tiger, though. Poetry and literature are something different. A slim volume of poems is somehow something to be prized :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Val - and to all those who have commented. I take their point about ebooks - I like print books too, but it is simply not economical to print this. But if I should do three such trips, I could be tempted to put those together into one book (could that be a plan...)
ReplyDeletePs - Over the Hill and Far Away, which is an account of my long trip, is a Real Book - and on Amazon and Lulu.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea, Jo. It's odd that the publishing world mostly judges a book's success these days by the number of e-books it has sold, but as you can see here, many people still favour the real thing. I totally understand your point, though. Maybe it's an idea to just create a hardcopy version on Lulu.com for people who are willing to pay the extra? You don't have to get the distribution package for that. Then, they'd have a choice.
ReplyDeleteI should also have mentioned 'Over the Hill and Far Away'! I know that is on Lulu and I am going to nip over there to order it.
Stevie...! I shall send you my personal private compendium version of all three books in a hardback cover one of these days! Then you'll be compelled to read them...ha :-DDD
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