The Lonely Planet Story
by Tony and Maureen Wheeler

Part autobiography, part corporate history, part travelogue this is a book with a difference. This is written in a major part by Tony with Maureen pitching in with personal stories or anecdotes.

A very interesting fast paced book that takes you through the start of Lonely planet in a Rented Apartment in Sydney till today when the same Lonely Planet is a Multi million dollar company with a Brand so well entrenched in the traveler psyche that it has become completely synonymous with Travel.

For a book about a Travel company, there is hardly a 2 page section about the wheelers in which either of them haven't been traveling to some place or the other. Flip open any page at Random and chances are that the Wheelers are in the middle of traveling to somewhere or have just arrived from somewhere.

It starts with Tony and Maureen, penniless and hungry in Sydney , and thinking of what to do next. They have just come to Australia after a RTW (Round the World trip), from UK > Europe > the Stans > Asia > to Australia. It is on this experience that they write their first book called "Across Asia on the cheap". Then the tale goes on with telling us of the Humble beginnings of Lonely Planet, when the complete Stock of LP could fit into the boot of Tony's car. He tells us how they then started with SE Asia guides gradually expanding and covering other bigger regions. How the marketing , folding , typesetting of the book was done in the initial days, by Tony, Maureen and friends.

From there on the book advances with the growth of LP and its international expansion, to Europe, USA and other places. There are amazing descriptions of real life travel adventures that he had while covering the regions for writing Guide books. The Book is also filled with little anecdotes by Maureen about certain incidents , one of my favorites being the description of how they met in a Park in UK.

The Later part of the book is filled with Advice for people interested in the Travel / Guide book industry and gives the reader a thorough feel of what it is like to run Lonely Planet or be a travel writer, its not as mushy as it sounds. As for the book i give my thumbs up to this ! This is a Page turner !

What would Wally do ?
by Scott Adams

I have been a fan of Comics for longer than I can remember. These are the the things that got me started into books, girls , better vocabulary , bad manners and I don't even know how many more things. Starting with local Panchatantra the Indian folk tales, Chacha chaudhary and Sabu, moving on to Archie , Betty and Veronica and Jughead strips.

My all time favourite comic is always a close competition between Calvin and Hobbes vs Dilbert depending on which one of these I read recently.

There is something about comics that make them especially endearing, they strikes a chord deep somewhere. It reminds me of little perverse pleasures of those pre-adolescent times when, sitting on the last bench in a classroom sneaking in a comic book the day before your exams in between your school textbooks and reading and giggling to yourself while you are supposed to be studying.
Fortunately having grown up now , I don't have to indulge in such stealthy behavior to read comics. Because even if it takes such behavior I am up for it because I haven't had as much fun reading a book in a long while(and that was another Dilbert book)

As for this book in particular there is nothing distinguishing about this book as compared to other equally hilarious Dilbert books. This is a only Comic Strip book meaning it does not have any other funny text write ups by Scott Adams, just Comic strips of the Dilbert series, with one binding thread between them - "Wally" Follow the Wally link to get a complete bio of this Dilbert character.

Not all the strips in this book are new, meaning strips that I have never read elsewhere. I would say I had read maybe 30 ~50 % of the strips in this book earlier in other Dilbert books or on the Dilbert website.

I think all Dilbert books should come with a warning !

Do not read this book in public places, bus stops, trains or in front of anyone, if you do be prepared for the induhviduals to think you are an eccentric for laughing out so loud over a silly comic strip !

Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse
by Paul Carter

Paul Carter attended a few courses in advertising and copy writing when he was in Sydney and not working on the rigs, the result of all those excellent writing skills gained is this hilarious laugh out loud book with an equally catchy and amusing title.

The book details some really amusing incidents in Paul Carter's life in his various stints at oil fields around the world. If I remember correctly from the book Paul has worked on oil rigs around the world right from Brunei, Philippines, Cambodia, Nigeria , China , Russia , Japan and of course the Australian Outback.

So this book is not only a memoir of living in these diverse places but it doubles up as a travelogue giving us an account of his travels on cheap shit economy flights around the world.

There are some really hilarious fun moments in the book, like when Paul keeps a monkey in his house as a pet and the Monkey locks him in the toilet and runs away with the key. As it happens in times like these , this door happens to be a heavy duty one and opens inside, so breaking the door is not the easiest option out, instead he peels off the carpet from under the door , and tries a whole lot of things before finally coming out after taking off the latch with some crude tools.

Then there are accounts of his life in Nigeria , where you would see Ak47 s and hand guns as commonly as you would see mobile phones in Australia, and he goes on to suggest that for the African market Nokia should develop a HandgunPhone instead of a CameraPhone. Moving on there are accounts of diverse things like rowdy brawls in pubs around the world, running away from the police in China, the utter lawlessness in Nigeria, rampant mugging in Cambodia, Driving in the Australian Outback, Stoned out drunk backyard parties in Perth (where his electrician friends tape him to the floor naked with duct tape), Crazy betting on Big Scorpion vs tiny Mouse fights in Brunei (Where the agile Mouse beats the hell out of the poisonous scorpion by running around and cutting its tail off before the scorpion can take aim to sting), accounts of crazy deadly accidents working in oil rigs, and lots more.

I picked this book because of its title from a library shelf, I doubt If I would pick it from a bookstore. This is not the type of book with "Enduring Value" but is definitely worth a single read, and you better get ready to Laugh out LOUD !

Pleasure's all mine - Confessions of a Professional Submissive
by Joan Kelly

This was one in the series of sex related books I picked up this weekend. Started reading it right away as it was a fairly thin book say around 200 pages finished it by the second day. I love smaller books because that means I can get through them faster. And this one was lived up to my expectations in the sense that the book is fast not a slow dreary monologue but a fast moving account of how Marnie got into the business of Bondage and Submissiveness.

Different people different pleasures and this book raves on about the pleasures of Dominatrixes and Submissives or Dommes and Subs as they are known in the business. The book starts with Jean just breaking out of a Submissive relationship with her partner and attending a help group meeting for Submissives and Dommes. It then follows her life through when when joins Dominion a brothel for the S & M types. Eventually she leaves Dominion when prettier girls come to work there and she does not get enough business.

By then she is addicted to the lifestyle with easy money and has quit her day time job as a secretary, and she is one of those few in the sex industry who perhaps look at it as an easy way to make money. Having quit her "job" as an independent contractor at Dominion she starts working independently and strikes out big, flying between LA and New york and servicing clients on both coasts.

It gives us an account of what happens in a typical sub's transaction with her Master. Interesting stuff that I would rather not write here. I would recommend you to read this only if you are curious or interested in the B& M lifestyle. This book is just erotic enough to maintain interest at the same time short enough to not make it monotonous.

Piercing : a modern anthology
by Housk Randall

What is the first picture that comes to your mind when you hear Piercing , a pierced earlobe ? nose ? ear rim? navel ?

Well there's more to it than I ever thought, there are piercings for the penis, its head(Yes right a hole through the head of the penis) , foreskin, Labia, clitoris, nipples , scrotum , lips, tongue, chin, eyebrows, testicles and practically anywhere ever else on the skin.

This book is a pictorial , meaning it is full of excellent photos of people with the strangest of piercings imaginable accompanying with their own description of how they got initiated into piercing. How it eventually became an addiction in these people so much so that they wouldn't feel complete with these accessories.

What struck me the most in this , and partly the reason why I picked this book is the kinds of people and the reasons why they do piercings. I mean there were a fair share of goths, and maniacs with crazy spikey hair. But many were typically mainstream whom you would never ever doubt, for example the 55ish looking accountant , buttoned up in a 3 piece suit. You would wonder what he is doing in a book like this until you look further down to see his zip open and see him proudly displaying his pierced pecker. Or the pretty Pakistani born Designer in London, who started piercings from the bottom up (meaning starting with the clitoris, Navel , and went on to pierce her lip and nose).

There were people whom you wouldn't ever doubt of doing something this naughty unless you see them here, obviously in delight with the thrill of hiding a secret, of being a vixen in sheep's clothing. This is what drives so many mainstream people into piercing. Nowadays of course it is so common that piercing is loosing its edge as a point that made people stand out. As one of the people in the book said. "These days everybody and their mother has their nipples pierced"
Looking at all the reasons why people did piercings and subjected themselves to so much pain, the only common reason I could conclude was they wanted a feeling of difference from the normal, trying to be and do something different. As for the book, it is pretty graphic not the sort of the book you would want lying on the coffe table with kids around, but definitely worth a look at other times.

Moeibustrip - digressions from India's Highways
by Giti Thadani


For those to whom the title of this book sounds unfamiliar, Moeibustrip or rather Moeibus strip , is a strip of paper with neither a beginning nor an end.

And it is in a way apt for this book, because this book is not just an account of traveling on India's roads. This book is more about metaphysical aspects of such a journey undertaken by Giti Thadani. I loved the tagline for the book "Digressions from India's highways" wow what a lovely phrase, because that is essentially what the book is.

It follows Giti's travels on road in her 4WD gypsy, to far off places , temples in ruins, archeological sites, museums and everything in between. In fact, I hardly found any "normal" tourist places in the book, apart from The Khajuraoh temples. Giti quite naturally hates the tamasha that that goes on in typical Hindu temples and goes to depths on this topic, explaining each and every little nuances of the Brahmins and their ploys to swindle money. She also delves in deep explaining various bits and parts of stories in Hindu Mythology and the metaphysical meanings of the rituals and traditions, some one completely unfamiliar with the Hindu pantheon might not find this very interesting.

From the book it is obvious that Giti has a extraordinary interest in Etymology, and she is very good at it. The book is liberally sprinkled with Sanskrit words and explanation of their etymological origins and their meanings. These pages were all the more interesting for me as I hope to some day be proficient in Sanskrit and understand the language which according to many sources is one of the most Etymologically structured and object oriented languages of all time. I just loved some of the Sanskrit words that she explains in her book. for exp
rit = pulse of life, its throb
M + rit = death, M (indicates reversal of the meaning) Mrit
A + mrit = eternal, elixir (a indicates negation)
S + mrit(i) = Memory (s indicates preservation, keeping alive)
yog = fusion
ini = female ending
yoni = vulva, origin , waterfall, cave , source
Maheshasur derived from Mahesh = Maha or great, ish = god , asur = demon
Feminine/ Masculine : Kali / Kal (without matrika / vowel i) , Shiva / Shiv (sh(a)v - corpse - without a), Krishna / Krishn, Kumari / Kumar

The book is filled with metaphors, so much so that at times the you loose track of the real passage imagining the metaphor. Apart from this there are hundreds of words there which are either in Hindi, or colloquial in use that some one with limited exposure to Indian culture / Hindi would have difficulty in understanding. Fortunately that was not the case with me :) There are also many passages devoted to Giti's personal life , her family and experiences, which are just as interesting as some of the places she describes.

To conclude the book is more close to a writeup on Indian present day culture / life than it is to a travelogue.

The Dilbert Future Thriving on stupidity in the 21st century
By Scott Adams

Let me confess as I start , I like Scott Adams. I am a big fan of his work and mad about Dilbert strips.

A couple of years ago when I sent him a mail on his very very public email address Scottadams@aol.com and thanking him for his book and saying that I enjoyed it,
and Lo behold of all the thousands of emails that he gets he found time to reply for my short email, it said

Thanks for reading it, Hari.

Scott

At first thought it doesn't look like a big deal, aren't writers supposed to respond to their readers, but well you would be surprised how many don't, Believe me I try and write to each and every writer whose work I read. And this response floored me. Here is an internationally syndicated writer whose cartoons get published in in 2500 newspapers worldwide in 65 countries and 19 languages with over 150 million readers with 26 books to his name and he finds time or cares enough to a poorly written email thanking him for his book, Now even if that reply was sent by someone in his office it still means he is bothered enough! This is much appreciated Mr. Scott Adams !

Of all the things I read, Dilbert is one from which I can get a guaranteed laugh every time even on every repeated reading. I am a self proclaimed member of the D.N.R.C (Dogbert's New Ruling Class) the official Dilbert Fan Club or rather a member of the group which will form the new ruling elite once Dogbert conquers the Earth.

Countless times I have spit out the food in my mouth , or jerked violently holding my stomach trying to control my laughter while reading his books. This one is no exception ! This one is a standard Dilbert book with a fair sprinkling of Comics and accompanying text giving on the theme of Dilbert's take on Future.

I have to agree that many of the chapters do not quite live up to the Dilbert Gold standard of wit and humor, nevertheless this is still a good read. The strips are just as humorous only the accompanying ramblings get a little dull at times. Again this is because I have excessively high expectations of his rambling having read The Dilbert Principle some years ago.

The unique thing about this book is the last chapter, "A New View of the Future" For this section Adams "turned the humor mode off" and discussed his personal philosophies on life , auto suggestion , ESP , gravity , and some of the other things which are way off topic in a typical Dilbert book. This chapter has enough food for thought and many would think that chapter alone would make the book a worthwhile buy. This would not be the funniest Dilbert book that I have read by a long shot but it is not what I would call disappointing.

Many readers would be surprised that Scott is even capable of writing something so off topic and serious like that, and believe me he can write well. In fact I would strongly recommend another serious novel by Scott Adams which is available free as an Ebook The God's debris.

Who we are - A miscellany of the New Australia
David Dale

The cover of this book shows a map of Australia with a pair of worn out slippers. In many ways an international symbol for the Aussie Backpacker.

I love statistics and numbers especially when they are presented in a way that makes sense, and this book is filled with such interesting titbits and pieces of information that help us decipher "Australia"

For exact statistics on any topic about Australia have a look here > the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This is where most of the info in this book is sourced from.

The Book is full of numbers and percentages, on topics right from Population to demographics to languages spoken , religion, qualification , smoking habits , to cars , credit cardsdiseases, causes of death, top products used in households, most popular movies, books, music, world records, important dates, animals, inventions , periodicals and every other thing that matters.

To present some interesting numbers from the book,
85% of Australian population lives within 50 Kilometers of a beach ,
1% of Australian population lives on a Farm,
43% of the all marriages are likely to get Divorced
87% of the population are Mobile owners
60% use the internet at least once a week
75% live in a home with three or more Bedrooms
Newzeland , China and India are the biggest source of Migrants Now More info on this here
Cancer Causes 29% of all deaths in Australia.

Apart from plain numbers , there are good facts about Australia, like the defining moments in Australia's history, Important speeches, national anthem etc. There is also a small essay where the author describes a typical day in the life of an Australian family in terms of the products they use.

In all its a very good read and gives a quick snapshot of Australia as we know it.

Around the world in 80 Dates
by Jeniffer Cox

Well this is another perfect example of "Don't judge a book by its cover". On the cover you have a catchy title and the image of the pretty author lugging a briefcase and setting off on her oddysey(that's what she calls it). On the Inside you have a dreadful monologue of how she meets or dates 80 or so men, cutting them off her list one by one in a desperate urgency to get the numbers out. If you see this book take my word and give it a pass, It is so bad that I couldn't get myself to finish this book. Firstly I don't quite agree how can you decide on one meeting of a few hours that this person is your "true love". She repeats "True love" so many times in the book that I had to end the book half way thinking reading anymore would change the real meaning of the word "TRUE LOVE" for me.

I agree this is a very personal and touchy topic but I really can't quite come to terms with the idea that you can find your "TRUE LOVE" by going around the world dating people. I mean all these dates except for one lasted less than a single day, how much can you find out about a person in a day? and what can you decide with what you know in a day? And for God's sake don't keep repeating the word True love over and over again.

Many a times in the book you get a feel that she is not out to find love, but just to go around and complete those 80 people so that she can write the book and get the money promised by some publisher. At one place things seem to be going good for her with a guy(number 20's I think) in the burning man festival. She spends a couple of days with him and gets to know him better than the others before him but in the end she decides to go ahead and look for what else might be in store for her in the remaining 60 guys. And truly in Hollywood style the understanding guy agrees to her going and dating what's left of the 80 guys to decide if he makes the cut. She justifies this saying the other people with whom the dates had been prebooked also had feelings and she should give it a shot. It is at this point that I found the book way too ridiculous.

There is another time when the author participates in Speed dating and finishes off 10 or so people in one go in less than an hour, and then has the guts to justify these as legitimate dates in her "Quest to find TRUE LOVE". I don't know if she even understands what is meant by"TRUE LOVE"? not that I am an expert at it , but at least I am sure that you cannot find one sitting together for few hours in a coffee shop. The only mildly entertaining part was the relationship resume where she wrote a history about all her previous relationships and why they failed. I wouldn't be surprised if the Author has broken up again and is still looking for her second "True love"