Holes

I'd been out travelling last week. My journey had a lot of the browning countryside that the summer brings on. I was also reading a book when I was making this journey (called Holes- Louis Sacchar- quite brilliant) The book described the same kind of landscape (although set in Texas, imagination can convert it into barren Sahyadri foothills).

It was surreal how the book added a dimension to the travel because it connected so deeply with the surroundings. The whole experience was bizarre, it was as if I was living the hero's character in the book while driving the car.

Of course, you must have had similar experiences- detective stories are better read in the rain or at night, for example, but this one (at least for me) was a first. Perhaps there might be many of us who have read a historical book about a place they are visiting while travelling and are able to "see" both the present and the past all at once.

And then there are books that provide a complete contrast to whatever you are experiencing at the moment. Ever read a book describing a very cold scene in the heat of summer? Nice. What I'd recommend as March beckons.