I ate a book

My favourite school holiday memory from when I was a kid was the time I went to the local library and borrowed 20 books (I was in a special high school book club and so I was allowed to borrow twice as many as normal kids, plus got first dibs on brand new books), and spent the two weeks reading and reading and reading...

I am most at peace when reading a good book - I remember one day when I was in Rome my friend and I actually spent the day relaxing next to the pool reading books, eating pastries and drinking wine from our stolen stein glasses. 

I spent time on this beach in Cambodia reading... 

Good stories can whisk you away from your life - I almost got hit by a bicyclist this week when reading a book - admittedly I was reading whilst walking home and didn't hear him coming. But it was such a good book, I needed to read it. 

Good books have the power to move you - I remember when I was reading "One Day" by David Nicholls, I was on a bus from Czesky Krumlov to Vienna and I actually threw the book across the bus and refused to read it for a few days, I was that angry at it. 

Books can bring you together with people - I remember a girl and I running from the bus stop to the book exchange in Lauterbrunnen so we could get there before it shut down, and then that girl and I became good friends (the same girl in Rome). 

Books are also good company - I went to Athens on my own for 5 days, and I spent many meals alone at God's Kitchen (highly recommend!) reading whilst devouring incredible food. 

I've spent many, many hours wandering book stores - not necessarily buying books but just browsing. I know that the girls at my local bookstore must think I am crazy or something. I love the Save the Children book sale and have spent too much money at it - I actually took a friend there last year when she came over to Perth on holidays... interesting tourist spot eh?

But I love a good book. Especially if it's about foreign places, good food, and a bit of romance. I love reading about other peoples lives, war torn countries, refugees. I love reading about those who have gone before me into the humanitarian field, their struggles and hardships and successes. I love cookbooks. 

There was no real point to this entry other than to describe my love of books and tell some travel stories. There are plenty more stories about books and travel that I have up my sleeve, but I'll restrain.