March '07 discussion thread: Round Ireland with a Fridge

[Caryl]

Here is our discussion thread for Round Ireland with a Fridge, our March group read. As always, be cautious of reading the posts below if you haven't finished, as they may contain spoilers.

[SusanH]

I can't believe I've finished a group read so early in the month! I think this is a record for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was light, funny, entertaining and fulfilled the major requirements of a travel book: made you feel like you were there and made you wish you were there.

I definitely recommend it if you're into travel writing at all. It reminded me a bit of Bill Bryson, with the self-deprecating humor and the descriptions of loveable, loony people the author encountered.

[Caryl]

Oh my goodness, you've finished already, Susan? Wow! I am hoping to get to the library today to pick up a copy of the book, if we can dig out of this snow in time. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Sounds like a great read.

[Maribeth]

I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's hysterical. Last night when dh and I were reading, he got up and went into another room because I was bothering his serious reading by laughing outloud so much. He wants to read this when I'm finished

[ErinFiat]

I am loving this book. I'm only a few chapters in (just at the start of his journey).

I left it in DH's path and he's totally hooked as well. Both of us could see sitting in the pub and the bet ensuing.

[Maribeth]

Just realized I hadn't posted after I finished the book. This was a great read - laugh outloud funny, and some of the visuals are priceless like his night in the doghouse (ahem) - waking up in the one B&B, naked and hungover and looking out the window and scaring the worker outside the window. It's amazing his liver wasn't wrecked by the time he got to London. I also loved that this was something I could pick up and read for 15 minutes at a time and not lose anything. Great to read before bed when you want some positive funny feelings running through your veins

Erin, my dh is reading it too. A guy can definitely relate to all those pub visits!

A wonderful read and something I would have never heard about if it hadn't been for Susan and Caryl so thanks for choosing this book!

[SusanH]

I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed it, and happy that your DH's are liking it as well! It was a fun one, wasn't it? I think his description of the night in the hostel was one of my favorite passages, but I also liked when the locals in one of the towns were trying to convince the army to fly him out to an island on a helicopter.

[carissanboys]

I finally finished this one (a tad late)! I can say that I really loved it. When I was in the middle of the book, I liked it, but I felt that it wasn't "exotic" enough for me. I think I felt that it was more of a holiday-type of trip and I normally like to read about people roughing it somewhere more foreign to me. I don't know what happened, but somewhere along the way, I really realized that what Tony was doing was very cultural in its own way. It was only 3 weeks, but he really had no plans and just let the people he met guide him on his way. I loved the friendships he formed and the experiences he had. The funniest part of the book for me was at the end when he was describing the "march" to the finish. I also found it very touching and relateable when he was talking about how he was lonely when it was all done. He missed the friends he'd made.

I would love to do what Tony did. It's a dream of mine to travel more and to write about my trips. I will be taking a trip by myself to Alaska in September and hopefully I can write a bit about my experience on my blog.

Travelogues are high on my list of genres that I enjoy reading. I think this one shows that you can have an adventure anywhere and you don't have to travel very far to do it. It's all in how you approach things. My dh will probably read this one as well.