As I close out travel month on GlamourByLBD, I am preparing for my family’s vacation to the East Coast. There is so much to pack and so many restricitons these days! For my travel, my favorite online source for information is smartpacking.com. It has lists of what to pack, updated information on airline restrictions, phone numbers, additional websites and great tips for all types of trips whether business or receational, by car, cruise ship or airplane. The site has tips for foreign and domestic travel as well.
The author of the website, Susan Foster, is a veteran corporate traveller who also enjoys recreational travel. Her system works equally well for both. She also has a book Smart Packing for Today’s Traveller, which was updated in March 2008. Click here to learn more about it.
Looking back at the blog, we have covered a lot– what to pack, how to pack, what to read, care for your pets and how to get the most of your photos! We have talked about staying healthy and what to do if you get sick. We have talked about great destinations in Asia and Europe.
So, lets hear from you! Bring on the comments! What are other questions that we have missed? What travel stories do you have to share? What books have you read that you would like to share? And what advice do you have to share with other readers of the blog? Where have you travelled that is memorable or not so much?
Bon Voyage!
Okay, so it wouldn’t be the GlamourByLBD if we didn’t include a few “Glamour” books. There are lots of them out there. Some good, some are not so good. These are my favorites because they provide practical fashion advice that considers body shape and lifestyle for those of us who live in the real world.
My favorite all time is the Guide to Quality Taste and Style by Tim Gunn. He is very funny and gives great practical advice to “Make it work” He does a great job explaining body types and how the construction of clothes makes all the difference in the way that clothes look and feel. This is more of a book to read when you are trying to decide what your style should be.
Glamour’s Big Book of Do’s and Dont’s is a great visual guide and covers all the bases from bodywear to bathing suits to business suits to cocktail dresses. And lots of jeans. The advice is good. It does not have as much body type information as it focuses more on what styles are appropriate for any situation. This is a great book to take a quick look when you can’t decide what to wear in a particular situation.
Looking for a great month-to-month shopping strategy to always have the right thing to wear in your closet? Check out Just Try It On: A Month to Month Guide to Fashion and Style by Susan Redstone. Great shopping advice and closet strategies.
Keep the pages turning!
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My favorite book is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It is a true story, as told by Greg Mortenson. Greg Mortenson took a missed attempt to climb K2 that nearly took his life, added a heap of gratitude for those who saved his life and began a quest to bring the gift of education to as many villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan as possible. All of this right in the Taliban’s back yard. It is a complex read as he clearly describes the geographical, political and cultural challenges that he faced in meeting his dream. It is necessary to understand his unwavering committment to the people of these countries whose education he often put before his own personal safety and comfort. Three Cups of Tea also gives the reader the perspective of the gift of education that we, as Americans often take for granted.
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In addition to being an avid reader, Sandy Swirsky is the Librarian and Subject Area Coordinator for Libraries at WC Overfelt High School in San Jose, California.
The Sparrow is the ultimate in speculative fiction. It is a mystery that needs to be solved when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. This is a first contact story that creates an entire world and civilization and has them collide with human people and religion.
It is wonderfully crafted and fascinating. The author is a paleoanthropologist so she really can create a society with understanding of all the underpinnings. I found her creation to be complex and detailed. I cared about the peoples of the other world and of earth. The dilemmas, both scientific and religious were complex and interesting.
This is a “for fun” read. Engrossing and entertaining. Take it on vacation, but you might not get as much sleep as you want, if you read before bed.
Part two is called The Children of God. As with many sequels it isn’t as compelling as the first book, but necessary to finish the story.
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I discovered the Thursday Next series 6 years ago, on a business trip to London. Browsing through my favorite bookshop on Picadilly, I came across this Welsh author and the book looked worth reading on the long flight home. Before they served lunch on the flight, I was hooked! The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde is the first novel in a very clever series, and is one of my all-time favorite reads. The heroine, Thursday Next (a clever allusion right there that sets the tone for the book) is a Literary Detective lives in a world where book characters are alive, and any changes to an original manuscript can forever change all copies in existence. Someone kidnaps Jane Eyre, and one of the best beloved classics changes as a result. Thursday is assigned to track down the villain and has to go into the pages of the novel itself to try to restore….. well, I’m not going to give it away. Every page is filled with literary allusions, clever wordplay, and beloved characters as they really are. Did you know that Miss Haversham of Great Expectations wore tennis shoes under her wedding gown? Well, how else would she be able to do her secret work in between her stints in Dickens’ novel? And how many antagonists go by the name of Jack Schitt? Be sure to say out loud every character name in the story - there are allusions in each one that is fun to discover.
I have read and reread this series of 5 Thursday Next novels many times - they never fail to bring a smile, and they make the hours, miles, and turbulence go much faster and easier to bear. Enjoy the read - and the allusions!
Colleen Pizarev is the Vice President for International Distribution for PR Newswire. She spends a lot of time reading on international flights.
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