Good Reads - Three Men in a Boat and the Geography of Bliss

I like to read.  A lot.  Growing up, I spent my summers reading through the local library.  Both my parents worked, so my main mode of transportation was my bicycle, and I plotted out a route that wound through three miles of neighborhoods, avoiding major roads, so that my folks would let me bike to the library every couple days.  I'd load up a backpack with as many paperbacks as I could, and I'd sit outside in the backyard and lose myself in the adventures of faraway lands, often finishing a couple books a day.

These days, life is a little busier, and though I don't get quite as much time to read as I did during my childhood summers, I still pick up my Kindle for a little while each day.  Lately, I've been on a travel and adventure kick, and have found a couple good books along the way....

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) - Originally intended to be a serious travel guide to the English countryside, Jerome K. Jerome's classic tale of three aristocratic friends undertaking a boating holiday is pretty darn funny.  Though it's over 100 years old, the humor is still fresh, and the characters are relatable, right down to Montmorency, the fox terrier with a mind of his own (who happens to remind me of several dogs I know).  Jerome points out the comicality in every day events, and I found myself laughing at and along with George, Harris and J.

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World - I love a good travelogue, especially when it includes a taste of other cultures and lifestyles, and Eric Weiner didn't disappoint here.  The author and narrator is a perpetual grump who stumbles upon a new research topic: happiness and what causes it.  He travels across the globe, spending time some of the happiest and unhappiest countries, living like the locals, and interviewing people along the way.  It's an interesting peek into what makes other cultures tick, and got me thinking about how we relate to other people in this increasingly technology-connected world.