Friday, March 02, 2007

Around the World in 80 Days

Yep, another Jules Verne book. What can I say? I like what the man wrote plus I could cross another book off the LXG list.
This has been done as a movie plenty of times, none of which did I bother to watch.
Anyway, parts of it are annoying, but then again something about every book I read annoys me.
You can't help but like Phillius Fogg, wealthy guy with too much time on his hands. He makes a bet with the men in his club after seeing a timetable in the newspaper outlining a trip around the globe in 80 days. He bets half of his forutne on it, planning to use the rest to get around the world.
I'm begining to think Verne was an amateur anthropologist because of how well he portrayed other cultures. The parts in India are particularly good. I was fascinated by the thing in India where the widow was about to be burned so that she could accompany her husband to the after life, apparently they believe that you can't part even after death. Fun, fun, fun. Oh don't worry Fogg and his manservant save her, with their guide. Um I feel kinda bad that I don't remember their names...
All in all the book was very good and if I remember correctly, some woman a few years after it came out, followed the exact same route for a column for her newspaper, she made it in 79 days. (that's from my 11th grade English regents, so I don't know how accurate it is).

2 comments:

Rebecca Mecomber said...

I notice that you prefer fiction books, but have you read any good non-fiction lately? If you're into science non-fiction ,particularly physics, I personally recommend "Case For a Creator" by Lee Strobel. I read a lot of history (biographies, especially). I liked Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (although don't believe a word that Hamilton was a deist or a homosexual-- it isn't true). We also love "Original Intent" and "Bullet Proof Washington" by David Barton. And have you ever seen the Drive Thru History series by Dave Stotts?

Breezey375 said...

I'm reading a lot of books my grandparents gave me right now. My grandfather gave me some books on Ancient Egypt and King Tut that I'm trying to get through now. But yes normally I prefer fiction. Mostly I read to relax my mind. I'll add that to my list of books to read. I'd never heard of that series. Maybe I'll look into it if I have time. Thanks for stopping by.