Better than Fiction 2

October 1, 2015
A Lonely Planet editor's compendium of 30 travel essays by an eclectic group of contemporary fiction writers. Following up on the success of Better than Fiction (2012), George began collecting the pieces that comprise this volume with the intent to present another "moving microcosm of our modern world." Though not all the essays are equally strong, George's efforts have produced a book that is nevertheless quite engaging. This latest volume offers work by luminaries like Jane Smiley and Dave Eggers, as well as work by newer talents like Porochista Khakpour. The pieces are set all over the world and include destinations as near as Mississippi and Idaho and as far away as Iceland, India, and Saudi Arabia. A few of the stories, such as Karen Joy Fowler's "An Italian Education" and Khakpour's "My Mississippi," explore the ways travel can shape the development of youthful emotional, aesthetic, and/or sexual sensibilities and bring personal identity into sharper focus. Some, such as Eggers' "The Road to Riyadh" and Mandi Sayer's "Sleepless in Samoa," depict the misunderstandings and sometimes-comic misadventures adult travelers often experience when venturing into lands far different from their own. As Lydia Millet observes in "Rocky Point," "travel has a way of turning us into children" who have the choice to consciously grow beyond their vulnerabilities, prejudices, and misconceptions about others. Indeed, the trope of travel as the great teacher is played out in many other entries, such as Shirley Streshinsky's "Travels with Suna." The author reflects on her 30-year cross-continental interactions with an Indian woman who showed her the true meaning of friendship. As diverse as these essays are, one common thread]apart from the fact that they are all by fiction writers]unites them: beyond particulars of time and place, life is the greatest journey of all. Other contributors include Alexander McCall Smith, Francine Prose, Lily King, and DBC Pierre. Pleasant narrative adventures for the armchair traveler.

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October 15, 2015

Working off the success of the original Better Than Fiction, this new volume focuses on the idea that fiction writers can tell amazing true travel stories. Compiled by travel writer and editor George, this set includes 30 original stories from such authors as Dave Eggers, Jane Smiley, Francine Prose, and Marina Lewycka. While there are a few returning contributors, such as Alexander McCall Smith, the majority are new. George asked the contributors for stories of "especially memorable travel experiences...that had profoundly moved, delighted, taught, and/or transformed them." The group experienced a gratifying mix of good and bad escapades ranging from the typical, such as dealing with unreasonable train bureaucracy in England or a sun-filled summer in Norway, to the more unusual, such as fear in Azerbaijan, paranoia on a taxi ride across Saudi Arabia, and illness in Samoa. VERDICT Another wonderful anthology of adventures by some of your favorite novelists. Readers of literary travel books, as well as fans of these fiction writers, will love this title.--Melissa Aho, Univ. of Minnesota Bio-Medical Lib., Minneapolis

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Better Than Fiction 2 hosts an array of personal stories of travel from well-known fiction authors, from South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The stories range from ones of danger, the subjects narrowly evading disaster (speeding taxis, strange illnesses, cultural impasses), to those of awe and inspiration, the subjects finding unexpected beauty and rapture in exotic or mundane places (overcoming xenophobia, appreciating what one already has). A celebration of travel if there ever was one, with a collective writerly bent that seems to make every observation all the more lovely. Many authors candidly include where they were in their careers at their time of travel: just beginning, in a writer's block, or careening into popularityaspiring writers and literary types will love this aspect, in particular. Though some of the stories feel less sculpted, like an e-mail just shot off to a good friend, the standout contributions from Dave Eggers, Lily King, Jane Smiley, M. J. Hyland, Lloyd Jones, and Marina Lewycka, among many others, are simply delightful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)