Need a book recommendation for your next baby boomer trip? If you take along A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean
When Gary Buslik emailed me with a request to review his travel book, I thought, “Oh no, here’s another poorly written book from someone who thinks that they’re a travel writer. I mean, just look at the book title. A week later, I met Gary in person at the Travel Blog Exchange conference in Chicago. It turns out that he is a real travel writer as well as a creative writing teacher at the University of Illinois. And, he’s really funny. How could I turn down his heartfelt pleas, with humorous jokes thrown in for good measure? I’m such a softy.
A bout with pneumonia combined with a hectic blogging schedule kept me from reading Gary’s book last summer. Besides, who wants to read a book written by a rotten person or some man who’s grumpy about traveling in the Caribbean? But I did owe Gary a review. So, I packed the book in my luggage to read during a Vancouver to Singapore cruise last fall. However, the action-packed cruise itinerary left little time for reading, especially when I was busy tweeting and posting on Facebook about my adventures. I finally opened the pages of the book on the JAL return flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles.
Why did I wait until the middle of the night on a trans-Pacific flight to read A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean
The book is a compilation of Gary’s travel columns—mostly cynical, slightly off-color, funny stories about a lifetime (OK, maybe only 20 years but Gary makes it seem like a lifetime) of traveling the Caribbean with his wife. But if you look deeper, you’ll see a true knowledge and appreciation for the area. In Papa’s Ghost on page 102, Gary lifts the curtain of humor to reveal a poignant visit to Hemingway’s haunts in Cuba. But mostly, the book is funny right up until the last story, Where Satan Works. I hope Gary writes another book because the world could use more laughs.
Would you like to win a copy of A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean
Disclosure: Gary Buslik provided the copy of A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean for me to read, but he did not pay me to write this post. I have included an Amazon link to A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean
UPDATE: January 27, 2010. This contest has expired. As soon as the winner acknowledges receipt of my email, I’ll make the announcement.
