Combat Illiteracy, Drink A Beer

Here's my top 8, in order of best to not-quite-as-good, favorite books I read on this trip.  Some I found, some I brought, some I exchanged, three on this list were even purchased (2 before leaving and one was brought by Kim) and some I traded (with death grips) my favorite books for, but all of these books struck me as exceptional in some format.  I read about a book a week during our trip, somewhere in the 45-52 range.  A bit more than normal, but with better success rates I think, especially considering the availability of books being limited to hostels, book exchanges at cafes/bars/etc and other travelers. I didn't write every book down and I'm sure I'm missing at least  three worthwhile books.  If I remember them, I'll put them in the comments section.  And if any of you would like to share your favorite book you read while we were gone, I'm all ears and looking forward to suggestions.  Without further ado:  

1a) All the kings men by Robert Warren Penn
Brilliant characters.  Excellent plot.  Incredibly well written.  And relevant, still.  A fully realized take on American politics.  My favorite book of the trip.

1b) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
The strength is in the details, in the unique descriptive nature.  They can be insane, outlandish and even morbid, but always pertinent and perfectly fitting. An incredible read.

3) 100 years of solitude &/ The General In His Labryinths by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Also read the general in his labryinths. I enjoyed this book as well.  not exactly on par with 100, though I prefer this genre, historical fiction and Simon Bolivar.  100 is long, magical realism, that is more like toned down fantasy or extremely tenous, maybe even ludicrous, reality.  It's excellent, interesting, unparalleled I guess, but I thought the above two were more poignant with more interesting characters and, simply put, better written, respectively.  

4) Labryinths by Jorge Luis Borges
Floored me at times, which doesn't happen often, but bored me at times too.  Excellent, excellent short stories, some ruined by a quite literal marriage to using the word labryinth in them.  

5) Burr by Gore Vidal
More historical fiction.  In many ways much more complex and seemingly meticulously researched than the Marquez novel.  A phenomal take on the vilified Mr. Milk: engaging, well written, historical, but not dull.  For people that don't read history, this is a good place to start.

6) Empire: a history of the British Empire by Niall Ferguson 
A history of Britain at the height of it's empirical rule, one the stretched much further and had much broader influence than I had completely realized.  Fascinating, well-written, but  written by Niall, not Neil, gives it a certain Blow Job Britain tone that might be a little less objective than I prefer. (the proceeding two books are inherently more readable, but this is much more academic. you come away feeling like you learned some shit, instead of being entertained...a good thing...sometimes.)

7) Marching Powder by Rusty Young 
Coke, jail, self-sustaining prisoner-ran economic systems like real estate sales, corner stores and fresh produce, and all this centrally located in La Paz, the chaotic capital of the least developed south American country plus it's banned in the country it takes place in, Bolivia.  Great first half, but a ruined 2nd half due to a delusional love-story.   

8) Lost City of Z by David Grann
Adventure novels get a bad rap.  If you didn't like from the mixed up files of mrs. Basel e. Weitweiler as a child you have no flair for the exciting.  But, I find as I get older, real adventure stories, or at least as real as the information the author presents, tend to capture that sense of excitment Much better than tales of running away from home.   

Honorable Mention: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.  This is premature (I'm not done with the megalith 900+ page book yet), and verging on unworthy, but it's such a travelers book, that I have to mention it.  Not to mention I want to go to Bombay (Mumbai) now...and India, in general.  So, even though he is prone to self-aggrandizement (though he tries to hide it), and excessive displays of description with the occassionally cringe-inducing metaphor, it's interesting, exciting and the love of this place where he decided to make a new home as a foreigner, shines through.  Thus, honorable mention.