when did Travel Writing become boys-only?

I was perusing the Travel Writing section of Foyles today (because, of course, I should have been at home doing readings and preparing for a presentation) when I was struck by all the male authors. Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, lots of dudes named David.... and I started wondering why this genre of writing -- the adventure -- is dominated by men almost to the exclusion of women.

Worse, I started thinking about the travel books I've read or encountered that have been written by women, and it donned on me they fit into a handful of Harlequin-inspired sub-categories within the travel genre. Where men's stories are all raw adventure, hiking boots in-hand, jump-on-a-boat, ride-a-motorcycle, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants deals, women's travel stories can be.... well, I was going to say "girly," but then thought better of it. Let's say, intensely focused on the self, the home, and sex.

For example, Around the World in 80 Dates? Let's call that the Sex and the City sub-category. Under the Tuscan Sun -- if the movie is anything to go by -- is a "find yourself away from it all and, cross your fingers, love too!" book. Eat, Pray, Love straddles the "find yourself" and the "find your taste buds" categories. Then you have something like Out of Africa, which rounds things out a little, but dwells less on adventure and more on the contrived and not-so-contrived differences between the writer/European audience and the "other"/African residents, tribespeople and servants.

You can see I got myself a titch worked up. Then I came home and searched through the Chapters database for "travel" and "adventure and literary travel." Things got better from there, actually. There's more of a diversity of women's writing on travel, and it isn't all of the Sand in My Bra/humour fold or the "Paris! Men! Shopping!" genre.

Still, some questions carrying forward:

Do women who write about travel slip into the natural style of women's magazine writing because that's what women want to read about? Would we prefer to read about "a woman alone in (insert country here) overcomes cultural differences" than "a woman startlingly begins hitch-hiking through the Middle East, then hops onto a train across much of Asia, a boat across the Pacific, and a motorcycle through the Canadian west coast"?

Do popular women's travel titles simply reflect a high interest in the memoirs of those who have lived "happily ever after" in our Oprah-inspired age of "buy shit, live the dream?" And what is the male counterpart to "buy shit, live the dream" if they are busy reading travel stories about guys retracing the steps of Genghis Khan?

Finally, am I being terribly humorless about all this, and should I really set my mind to school work?

"how Elizabeth Gilbert ruined Bali"

This Jezebel article is kind of a must-read -- I find the idea of Bali falling victim to an international obsession with Elizabeth Gilbert herself, a fictionalized version of her courtesy Eat, Pray, Love the book and movie, and Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert absolutely fascinating.

Which is weird, since I've not yet read the book and I am fairly certain I won't be able to find anyone to join me for the movie....

But one community getting sort of rich lady cougarized (pardon the sexist and inappropriate categorization) is interesting. And the idea the characters in Gilbert's book would become caricatures of themselves is all the more interesting -- could the same happen to any of us? And, as the author of the Jezebel post rightly points out, if you're following someone else's path to enlightenment -- or love or self-understanding or whatever it is Gilbert found -- can you really find anything at all?

Excerpt: With its Pilates classes and plentiful shops selling overpriced flowing clothing, Ubud has catered to women seeking spiritual harmony since long before Gilbert, but the book was a tipping point for the temple-strewn town. Gilbert's haunts here have become destinations of their own, stop-offs on an Eat, Pray, Love pilgrimage. Many of these places now have waitlists and, in some cases, have begun charging exorbitant prices. The prices are paid with due reverence by Gilbert's devotees, women wearing stylish resort wear and similar Buddha-like smiles.

(Image from this site.)

on being shallow and having role models

I've been working on some academic stuff, but it hasn't stopped me from reading a super shallow book just for fun.

And that shallow book is Vancouver, a novel by David Cruise and Alison Griffiths.

This one's been on my bookshelf for years -- probably since its 2003 publication. (Which, incidentally, also means I've dragged it across the country at least once. Interesting.) At 914 pages, though, I just didn't get around to reading it.

Now, I can't really put it down. As this reviewer argues well, the book is super formulaic. Kinda sexy. Kinda silly. Not a bad read if you're in the mood for something you don't really have to invest much thought in.

Kinda like eating Lucky Charms for dinner.

Not that I've done that more than once in the last seven days.

Speaking of food, the most recent issue of Vogue has a fantastic piece by Sophie Dahl called "Secrets of the Flesh." Dahl, who has a new cookbook out, has an amazing take on food and body image.

Frankly, her article is like having a really awesome talk with your super self-confident friend who actually likes eating and doesn't really care what size she is.

It's a little ridiculous how refreshing that is and how much I actually want to hug a former model.

Last offering of the evening: A couple weeks ago, Jian Gomeshi talked to Elizabeth Gilbert on Q. Even if you don't buy into the whole Eat, Pray, Love/Committed thing (I don't either), it's totally worth listening to Gomeshi's take on romance....

By the way, did everyone already know Eat, Pray, Love was set to be a movie with Julia Roberts?

I have concerns. Mostly because of Julie&Julia, which was exactly half a good movie. As in, loved Meryl Streep and Julia Child. Hated Julie Powell. I am not sure I have much patience with movies about women who write all about themselves all the time. (Says a woman who writes a lot about herself.)

On the other hand, Eat, Pray, Love is directed by the dude who brought us Glee. So he's already earned a place in my heart.

<3

intrigued, charmed, bored

I've never really had an interest in reading Eat, Pray, Love. Aside from the time my friend was reading it outside in a park and somehow its very zenny presence drew a hot firefighter to her. Seriously. Although likely because my friend is awesome, not because of what she was reading.... Nonetheless, no real interest in the story. But apparently there's a happy ending to be read out there. And somehow that appeals to me.

Also of note, did you read this story in Sunday's Journal? I know the charming tale of what oddities can be found in used books is, perhaps, the kind of story only a book nerd would like. But you're here, so you're exactly the kind of book nerd who will understand just how those quirky finds might reflect on real humanity.

Now, for something of a book review.... I think I've told you before about Beginner's Greek, a romance novel written by James Collins.

To be frank, it's a bit much. Basic story: Peter, like many of us, gets on airplanes and hopes to find himself sitting beside the love of his life. Like many of us, when the potential love-of-his-life does sit beside him, he's frozen. Impotent. Unable to follow through.

And that, really, is the best possible description of everything about Peter. The man is incapable of putting anything to action. He gets mad, he's frozen. Hurt, frozen. In love, frozen.

In fact, all the tragedy that follows from Peter and Holly's first meeting on the plane -- he loses her number, when he finds her again he is incapable of doing anything to be with her, etc. -- is a result of his total and complete impotence.

The book gets to be a pain in the ass, frankly. It's 441 pages with way too many characters, twisty stupid story lines, words you have to look up in the dictionary (and not in a good way that makes the story better, but in a pretentious tiresome way) and... blerg. I just didn't like it.

And I was offended by the Library Journal's review, "Jane Austen fans will feel right at home."

Sure. They will feel right at home. If they just finished reading Mansfield Park and wanted to irritated by the male version of Fanny Price.

(Question: If I really dislike the book, might I like the movie? For one, it'll be put on screen by the guys who wrote (500) Days of Summer. And I really, really loved that film.)

additionally....

By the way.... Was this really a surprise to anyone? I know, if you're not from Alberta, you don't care. If you are living in Alberta these days, you're probably wondering who the Liberals have to sell their souls to to get elected.

Also, I've been meaning to mention&question this: My friend was reading this book in a park the other day when she was approached by a guy. A cute guy, too. Not to give too much away, I would note he has one of those jobs women sort of swoon over....

I bring this up because I would love to know: If you were to have a Totally Romantic, Approached in a Park moment, what book would you want to be reading? (And I should note here that my friend is simply awesome, and so what she was reading likely had nothing to do with The Approach. Still, if books read in public teeter ever so close to being props....) Alternatively, is there a book that would push you over the edge and make you approach someone?