For those who are interested (let's face it, probably just my Mum)...

...here is a list of the books that I've read so far on my trip. It's a pretty mixed bag, mostly due to the fact that I've literally had to take what I can get - I picked up most of them along the way at various hostel shared bookshelves, second-hand bookshops and backpacker cafes. It's one of the things I love about travelling: I read books that wouldn't normally interest me at first glance, but that often turn out to be fantastic reads.

I've put a star (*) next to the ones that I've particularly enjoyed and would recommend to others. Connoisseurs of chick lit will note a few fine examples of the genre, for which I make no apologies (what's a beach holiday without a shallow, dated, female-marketed commercial novel?) And yes, I have a weakness for British historical fiction of the kind generally marketed at middle-aged women (a la Rosamunde Pilcher). Judge me if you will.

1. Wild Mountain Thyme, Rosamunde Pilcher
2. Good at Games, Jill Mansell
3. The Fifth Mountain, Paolo Coelho
4. The Tapestries, Kien Nguyen*
5. Thinking of You, Jill Mansell
6. The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga*
7. September, Rosamunde Pilcher
8. Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts*
9. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory*
10. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
11. Ten Big Ones, Janet Evanovich*
12. Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth Baird*
13. The Girls, Lori Lansens
14. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson*
15. Secrets, Freya North
16. Private Papers, Margaret Forster
17. The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson*
18. Drowning Ruth, Christina Schwarz
19. Angels, Marian Keyes
20. The New Confessions, William Boyd (I'm halfway through this one at the moment.)

Until next time,

E xxx