Staying Healthy When You Travel
This little book is now at the top of my packing list along with 'passport' and 'tickets'. It is written with a calm, common sense approach and with a layout that makes it easy to find information in a bit of a panic. If your youngster is off on a Gap Year they may not thank you for giving them something so practical and heavy to take along with them as a book (and this one is not exactly heavy). Buy it anyway and stuff it in their rucksack when they're not looking. It'll give them a chance to avoid the avoidable nasties and will give them a giggle as they read some of the anecdotes when they discover that the TV in Laos is not up to much! While you're at it, get a copy for yourselves, it's an oddly fun read for a book about bugs, beasties and illness.
Amazon
A Glimpse of Eternal Snows
Reading A Glimpse of Eternal Snows you can almost smell the spicy samosas and feel the dusty heat-haze of the Rajapur bazaar in the western terai of Nepal where Jane, a zoologist and GP, spent almost three years living with her husband and two (and then 3) small children. But more beautiful than the vivid descriptions of Nepal at its most primitive is the story of their second son, David. David was born with multiple medical problems and when they realise that endless medical tests and treatment are doing nothing for David's quality of life, Jane and husband Simon make the difficult but courageous decision to take David away from the doctors and return to Nepal where they can enjoy their short time with him and where he is seen simply for what he is: a beautiful, happy baby boy.
Rose posted on Fishpond 25/01/2010
Snowfed Waters
I loved the atmospheric writing and the characters. It’s really evocative and completely sensuous - love the smells of the woodsmoke and the cumin in the first chapter. And it is brilliant how the author describes Sonia's appearance through Rekraj's eyes. Gives us a picture of her that shows what he values as well as what she looks like. A very economical and subtle solution to the problem of description, shown, not told.
Margaret Spence