5 Best Cheap Asian Travel eBooks – September 2011
I’ll be honest – for several years I was absolutely terrified of travel eBooks. I make my living as a writer, and I always found it a source of comfort that travel books weren’t as easily pirated as movies and video games. Beyond the financial considerations I just plain didn’t like the idea of eBooks. I loved the feel of a book. I loved the way the spine cracks and wrinkles with use. I loved the… (Editor’s Note: For the benefit of the reader I’ve omitted the following twelve paragraphs of text in which I drivel on and on about the smell of paper to an almost worrying degree).
Anyway…
I loved books. At least, I loved them until I moved to Mongolia for several months in 2010. I packed in a trance, throwing travel book after travel book into my bag, and by the time I arrived in Ulaanbaatar I discovered I’d packed almost 8kg of literature. My luggage allowance was just 20kg.
I’ve since bought an iPad and installed the Kindle app, and I’m now a die hard supporter of travel eBooks (my spine applauds my conversion). In honour of my new-found love I present to you a run-down of my top five Asian travel eBooks of the moment, be they fictional, informational, autobiographical or anywhere in between.
My criteria for picking the top five Asian travel eBooks were simple:
- I’ve read and enjoyed each one.
- The reviews are broadly positive.
- The Amazon page offers a chance to read a sample of the book before you buy.
The Top Five Asian Travel eBooks of September 2011
#5 Travel eBook: Into the Forbidden Zone
William T Vollman
This fascinating book follows National Book Award winner William T Vollman to post-earthquake Japan, where he picks up a nuclear dosimeter and heads deep into the broken heart of Japan. Vollman interviews the people directly affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster, and presents a timely analysis of the Japanese attitude to nuclear power in the aftermath of this tragic event.
The Kindle edition of Into the Forbidden Zone is on sale right now for just $2.99. Take a Look Inside the first chapter.
#4 Travel eBook: Lonely Planet India
Various
I always get a little over-excited when an updated Lonely Planet is released, and it was no different when the India edition was published in August. The new edition is everything we’ve come to expect from the Lonely Planet and more, with fresh, accurate information about the best places to eat, drink and visit, along with multiple itinerary suggestions to ensure that you get the most out of your trip to India.
You can take a Look Inside the new Kindle edition, or you can grab yourself a dead tree version at a 34% discount if you hurry.
#3 Travel eBook: The Ultimate Guide to Teaching English in Thailand
Mike Fook
Sometimes it seems as if all of my western friends in Thailand are here to teach English. Each year thousands come here for a taste of the simple life, teaching in paradise throughout the day then retiring to the bars to live it up with the locals. This useful guide tells you all you’ve ever wanted to know about teaching English in Thailand.
The Kindle edition is heavily discounted to just $2.99. Take a Look Inside.
#2 Travel eBook: Wild East: Travels in the New Mongolia
Jill Lawless
This insightful look at one of the world’s most unusual country is funny, accurate and entrancing in equal measure. Lawless arrived in Mongolia in the late 1990′s to find a country pulling in different directions – one part towards its nomadic, simple past and the other towards the west, capitalism and the bright promise of technology. The results have been unusual to say the least, and this book captures the confused spirit of Mongolia perfectly.
Wild East: Travels in the New Mongolia is discounted by 33% right now. Take a Look Inside.
#1 Travel eBook: Country Driving: A Journey Through China From Farm to Factory
Peter Hessler
The New Yorker writer has spent many years observing the rapidly changing nation of China, and his books on the subject have always been enlightening and entertaining. In this, Hessler’s latest contribution, he takes to the road to explore the furthest reaches of China, travelling from industrial cities to the vast, empty desert, along the way teaching us a lot about China that we would never have guessed.
Country Driving is on sale with a massive 61% discount. Take a Look Inside.
