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Tigerlily
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 Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: Traversa: A Solo Walk Across Africa by Fran Sandham |
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Dear Ms M...,
I wonder if Leeds Reading Group would consider reading a critically acclaimed non-fiction title: Traversa: A Solo Walk across Africa by Fran Sandham - due out in paperback 3 July 2008 (Duckworth, £8.99, ISBN: 9780715637678).
See www.traversa.co.uk.
The hardback (Oct 2007) was serialised by the Sunday Times recently and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle's best non-fiction title.
Traversa is an account of my 3,000-mile solo trek across Africa from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean at Zanzibar, the first time in history anyone has crossed Africa solo entirely on foot by this route (at least solo apart from a disastrous donkey).
The book has received extremely good reviews and very wide publicity. Recent press coverage includes interviews and features in the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Observer, Guardian Unlimited, the Irish Examiner, the Scotsman, Yorkshire Evening Post, the Daily Mail Online, Country Walking magazine, Thisislondon.co.uk, The Argus, Insight magazine, Traveller magazine, the Daily Post, Adventure Travel, Travel Africa magazine, Walk magazine, the Holland Herald, the South African Times, The Liverpool Echo, Sport magazine, South African, Wirral News, etc. If you're interested I'd be happy to email you a pdf file of some press cuttings.
I don't know if your group subscribes to the reading group magazine BookTime, but there's a full-page interview feature with me in the July edition.
My recent radio interviews across the UK include Radio 4 (Excess Baggage programme), BBC Radio 5 Live (Simon Mayo show) and Up All Night show, London 94.9 FM (Breakfast Show and Late Show), LBC (Alison Bell show), BBC Southern Counties Radio; Radio City, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Radio Stoke, BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Cumbria, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Guernsey, etc.
I'll be doing a lot more radio/press interviews and speaking engagements from the end of June onwards.
If you're interested I'd be happy to email you a pdf of press cuttings. Further details of the book (and more reviews) can be found at www.traversa.co.uk. The book’s available from all good bookshops, wholesalers and Internet booksellers.
If you know any other reading groups that might potentially be interested in this book, please do pass on the details!
Many thanks for your time, and best wishes,
Fran Sandham
REVIEWS FOR ‘TRAVERSA’ INCLUDE:
‘At last – intrepid dispatches from a traveller refreshingly aware of his own folly. Sandham is a likeable and self-deprecating narrator, and I found myself increasingly gripped’
OBSERVER
‘A classical account of one man’s struggle to test himself against Nature ... I hope we shall hear more of his travels’
DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘I REALLY enjoyed this book. It had me laughing out loud …’
TRAVEL AFRICA MAGAZINE
‘Sandham proves to be genial company, approaching the trials of the open road with self-deprecating humour ... the book is warm and entertaining ... Above all it is his enthusiasm for adventure and the variety of human life that makes Traversa so memorable’
NEW STATESMAN
‘High above the vast pile of African-adventure travelogues’
NEW YORK TIMES
‘A fantastic adventure’
JOHN MCCARTHY
‘On a mission to cross Africa on foot, Fran Sandham could have started somewhere easy, like Cape Town or Zanzibar . But he didn’t. He chose the Namib Desert , graveyard of explorers ...’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘Witty and engaging’
WATERSTONE’S BOOKS QUARTERLY
‘Enthralling’
GUD MAGAZINE
‘An African odyssey ... a classic tale of self-discovery’
IRISH EXAMINER
‘A fresh and hugely amusing perspective’
METRO
‘Unpretentious, lively and inspiring’
SCOTSMAN
‘An incredible story ... Terrific writing skills and a great sense of humor make this book one of my top books for the year. Highly recommended’
GOODREADS.COM
‘Real old school adventure ... Great stuff’
ADVENTURE TRAVEL
‘A very honest account of blisters, raging heat, disastrous donkeys and a bloody-mindedness to achieve his goal ... such an engaging read ... rather heroic’
ARGUS
‘Frank and uplifiting, a well written account’
WANDERLUST
‘A quirky and enjoyable tale’
DAILY MAIL ONLINE
‘A warm, humorous and distinctly individual account of a remarkable adventure … hugely rewarding to the reader’
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST
‘Engaging and often hilariously self-aware’
INSIGHT
‘Filled with amazing adventures, there are also plenty of laughs, not least the time when Fran enlists the help of a donkey ...’
DOCKLANDS
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10
Last edited by Tigerlily on Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tigerlily
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Location: Shropshire
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heathera
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| Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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This sounds interesting, thanks for the review Glynis. Perhaps we should nominate it for our monthly read!
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1001 Book Challenge:
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Tigerlily
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| Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| heathera wrote: | | This sounds interesting, thanks for the review Glynis. Perhaps we should nominate it for our monthly read! |
That's what I was thinking, Heather. I was also thinking about maybe having more themed reading on the site - what do you think?
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Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10 |
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blueflower
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| Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh dear. yet another book to add to my growing list of must reads. |
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heathera
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| Glynis wrote: | | heathera wrote: | | This sounds interesting, thanks for the review Glynis. Perhaps we should nominate it for our monthly read! |
That's what I was thinking, Heather. I was also thinking about maybe having more themed reading on the site - what do you think? |
Hmm, themed reading. Yes I like that idea. Would we nominate and vote for our books of the month based on a "theme of the month"? Would we have to nominate and vote for the theme 1st tho? (Just thinking it could get complicated!) Theme of the month sounds good but are there enough themes to keep us going?!!
As we read two books each month we could just keep one as a general nomination and one on a theme, so we don't cut off any potential readers.
We could ask for ideas of themes and then you could pull them all together and each month ask people to nominate a book that falls into the theme that you've chosen for that month, then just work our way through the list of themes.
I'll keep thinking about this and come back to you if I get any other ideas.
I hope this makes sense, I feel like I'm just writing it all as I'm thinking it!
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Currently Reading:
The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman
1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI |
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Tigerlily
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Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Posts: 7637
Birthday: 7th July
Location: Shropshire
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps we (admin/mods) could choose themes at random? Of course being open to suggestions.
What do you think?
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10 |
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heathera
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Location: Watford, Herts
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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That sounds good to me. Otherwise we could just over complicate things! As you say, being open to suggestions is a good idea. People could PM you with any ideas.
_________________
Currently Reading:
The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman
1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI |
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Tigerlily
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Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Posts: 7637
Birthday: 7th July
Location: Shropshire
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, and we could pull one out the hat at random.
I should run a poll to see if everyone's in favour of the idea. Perhaps have it as a third option each month? The idea being that we all choose a book based on the theme and report back. Would be interesting to see what everyone reads - could tie in with the 1001 challenge, you know killing birds with one stone, so it's not an extra burden. Might make you read a book that's been festering on the TBR pile for a while.
Or it could be a themed reading challenge like the one here? http://www.caribousmom.com/2007/08/13/2008-themed-reading-challenge/ Maybe start it Jan 09?
There are tons of themes we could use. Here are some ideas:
Hallowe'en
Christmas
Valentine's
Historical romance
Cult fiction
travelogue
short stories
banned books
prize-winners
books set in particular region - Africa, Asia, Europe etc. or a set country
or set in a particular era - Victorian
Biog/autobiog/memoirs
poetry
children's
war books
American lit
Sci-fi
Fantasy
books to movies
books that intimidate you
comedy
Graphic novels
Crime
1001 books
cold war spy fiction
chick lit
ghost stories
westerns
sea books..........
_________________
Reading: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
Reading Challenge 2009: 8
2008: 4
2007: 10 |
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eightlegs
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Joined: 11 Feb 2007
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Birthday: 19th July
Location: Dorset, UK
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Sounds good. As you say Glynis, might help us get through something that's been on TBR pile for ages. |
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heathera
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Joined: 21 Jul 2007
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Location: Watford, Herts
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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This all sounds good Glynis. Running a poll to get a general consenus on the idea would be good. Then all are included. As you say, offering a themed read as a 3rd option each month would probably go well.
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Currently Reading:
The Moonlit Cage - Linda Holeman
1001 Book Challenge:
2009 - 4
2008 - 14
Books Available for Swapping on RISI |
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