Common Sense and Whiskey [Kindle Edition]

Bill Murray (Author)

Book Description

It's all here: Adventures in Africa, Azerbaijan and the Arctic. Headhunters and prayer flags, liars and thieves, evil spirits and atrocious food. From Tbilisi to Tibet to the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Common Sense and Whiskey is a crisp survey of what's it's like in the real world. Offbeat people and isolated places lie at this book's heart. Common Sense and Whiskey pokes into the back corners of our planet.

"You can handle just about anything out on the road with a believable grin, common sense and whiskey." That's been the author's theory, anyway, for 25 years of international travel. So far, so good. And now, Common Sense and Whiskey distills (no pun there, certainly) the most memorable experiences of a lifetime of travel to some of the world's least visited places.

Fifteen stories from Bhutan, Borneo, Burma, Greenland, Guangxi, Lake Baikal, Madagascar, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Chilean Patagonia, the Southern Caucasus, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Sri Lanka and Tibet.

For travelers - experienced, aspiring and armchair alike, Common Sense and Whiskey is something to sip slowly and savor. Perceptive travel tales, masterfully told.

•••••

"You leave home with a blank page. You return with stories of your own to share. This is what Bill Murray does so well. Rich and inspiring. Filled with surprises and great adventures."

- George Brown, President, Friendship Force International

"A good travel writer shows rather than tells and Bill shows us beautifully with unassuming prose and evocative images. Brings home the exoticism of foreign travel. A fantastic collection."

- Laurence Mitchell, author, the Bradt Guides to Serbia and Kyrgyzstan

"Wonderful insight into the world of 'traveling off the beaten path, road, waterway or train track.'" - Josh Allen at AmateurTraveler.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

In a time when so much travel writing is of the "Look at me and what I'm doing!" variety, Murray is an author who lets the place and the people tell us the real deal.

- Tim Leffel, Editor, Perceptive Travel Magazine

About the Author

Bill Murray first ventured outside the United States to Montreal in 1980. Since then he’s traveled to over a hundred countries and territories from Albania to Zimbabwe, most of them with his wife Mirja. They’ve taken three round-the-world trips. Mirja and Bill maintain the photo web site EarthPhotos.com. They live on a horse farm in the southern Appalachian mountains of Georgia, USA.

Product Details

• File Size: 2998 KB
• Print Length: 254 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: EarthPhotos Books (April 22, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005PTV5O6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,224 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great travels August 15, 2011

By Lisa Whiteside,MS.

Format:Paperback

In this book, I found myself in Greenland, along with many other places, cold and a bit scared. Not being one to do this kind of travel,the author took me there. Vividly feeling it all.
Mr. Murray takes you to places no one readily goes. He brings you into the lives of people you"ll never know but wish you could. And he does it beautifully.
Kudos to Mr. Murray. A wonderful read for anyone,especially those who enjoy the road seldom traveled.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible not to enjoy! May 10, 2011

By Josh Allen

Format:Paperback

-A blunt, dare I say: "Guide Book" into the reality of "Adventure Travel".
If you love stories about tropical beaches, amusement parks or milky white sandy beaches; then this isn't the book for you.
Bill Murray takes a collection of his fifteen most memorable trips and opens your eyes to the frequently good, bad, and of course, ugly parts. You'll find stories which make you ask "Why the heck did he go there?" Only to find out he might have asked himself that once he was there as well. From a hacking woman in a broken down "guide vehicle" in Tibet to an arduous train ride through endless birch forests along the Trans-Siberian Railway, this book is a wonderful insight into the world of "Traveling off the Beaten Path, Road, Waterway, or Train Track".
I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you've never been to these places. It will certainly spark your interest and for most, will add to the places on your list of "places to see"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read for travel lovers. April 24, 2011

By Bobby E. Long Jr.

Format:Paperback

I've been a fan of the author's EarthPhotos website and CS&W blog for some years, so I was delighted to learn that Mr. Murray has published some accounts of his many travels around the planet. Here, he details fifteen of his more challenging adventures with wit and style, along with a keen eye for detail that will surely entertain and edify the armchair traveler.

This is no "how to" travel book, a la Rick Steves. Instead, you're transported to these exotic locales via Murray's clear, concise prose that provides the reader with a real sense of what these countries offer to the intrepid traveler. Along the way, you will be introduced to some truly memorable characters in a few of the world's more out of the way places.

Whether you're a seasoned travel veteran or someone who merely dreams of seeing the world one day, I think you will enjoy this evocative book of "modest adventures, far from home".

More About the Author

Bill Murray first ventured outside the United States to Montreal in 1980. Since then he's traveled to over a hundred countries and territories from Albania to Zimbabwe, most of them with his wife Mirja.

Mirja and Bill maintain the photo web site EarthPhotos.com and the travel blog CommonSenseAndWhiskey.com. Bill's wildlife photography has been published in Afar Magazine. They live on a horse farm in the southern Appalachian mountains of Georgia, USA.