Reading book worth carrying?

[jkb122]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

 

[Davey Boyd]

if you really want a book I recommend

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by David M Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson

It is a bit big though!

Davey

 

[andywild]

I decided not to take a mobile phone to save weight. Unfortunately because this meant I didn't have access to Google I had to pack a full set of leather bound encyclopedias. People mocked until an argument about the capital of Nigeria broke out..

 

[VNwalking]

I love to read, but for me the book of the Camino is engrossing enough.

If I were to carry anything it would be poetry - something that takes me into the heart, rather than information that takes me into the head. So some John O'Donohue would be perfect, starting with this:

For the Traveler
Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

 

[jkb122]

if you really want a book I recommend

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by David M Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson

It is a bit big though!

Davey

Great suggestion, thanks! Although it is heavy...

 

[Leibniz]

I really enjoyed NOT having a book with me. I loved finding stuff to read in albergues on the way.

 

[trecile]

Only you can decide if the extra weight is worth it.

 

[jkb122]

I love to read, but for me the book of the Camino is engrossing enough.

If I were to carry anything it would be poetry - something that takes me into the heart, rather than information that takes me into the head. So some John O'Donohue would be perfect, starting with this:

For the Traveler
Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

Thanks so much-- love this...yes I was also thinking poetry if I were going to take anything to read

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I take a small and compact New Testament with Pslams for a devotional and prayer time just before I start my daily walk in the mornings. It is the same one I carried in various military-sponsored tours of Southeast Asia a few decades back.

I find that in general, while I love reading, I just do not miss it while on Camino. I'm too busy walking, sight-seeing, doing chores, eating, visiting, or sleeping.

 

[Tincatinker]

I recommend Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 for whenever you’re wondering why the Camino isn’t unfolding as you expected

 

[Jeff Crawley]

A well thumbed edition of Collected Short Stories of Saki - Hector Hugh Munro is a treasured traveling companion. A hefty 340gm (yes, I just weighed it); it has stories to suit all occasions all of which have been read many, many times.

 

[Tincatinker]

Ah Saki. Heller’s vision but through more crystalline eyes

 

[Deleted member 67185]

What about Michener's 'Iberia'?

 

[VNwalking]

poetry

Consider also...
Rilke

 

[twh]

I find that in general, while I love reading, I just do not miss it while on Camino. I'm too busy walking, sight-seeing, doing chores, eating, visiting, or sleeping.

Dave is right on with this statement. I love to read but I had no time or desire to do so during 5 weeks on the Camino because I was busy living life instead of reading about it. Do your "research" reading ahead of time.

If you have the personality type where you get anxious if you are not constantly doing something than maybe you need a book. One of the most special things about the Camino is the ability to disconnect from routines, responsibilities and expectations we have at home and sometimes unknowingly bring with us to the Camino.

 

[Glenshiro]

I recommend Joseph Heller’s Catch-22

Just this. The only book I have read three times.
Although, on the Camino, I make a point of bringing (but on Kindle, I'm afraid) an unread classic - Vanity Fair was my last one. I'll probably take a Trollope when I set off next week.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

What about Michener's 'Iberia'?

Ooh, I wonder what happened to my copy? Weight for weight far more than my Saki!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Just this. The only book I have read three times.
Although, on the Camino, I make a point of bringing (but on Kindle, I'm afraid) an unread classic - Vanity Fair was my last one. I'll probably take a Trollope when I set off next week.

As James Major was once reputed to have said: you can't beat a good Trollope!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Ooh, I wonder what happened to my copy? Weight for weight far more than my Saki!

Access it via the smartphone Kindle App and it doesn't add much more that a few bytes of weight

 

[timr]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

A book which I come back to time and again is by John O'Donohue and is a posthumous collection of radio talks. It is Walking on the Pastures of Wonder, edited by John Quinn. It has recently come out in paperback and there seems to be an edition in the USA called Walking in Wonder. It is an easier read than some of his other works - very conversational. Very good on landscape, and walking, and being still, and being quiet. And much else. And it contains a selection of his poetry, one for each chapter. I haven't taken it on a camino, but a lot of it is in my head now! The only book I have taken to read in paper is a small NT. Oh and a Kindle!! - but I find I read very little when walking.

 

[Sheffield James]

You may wish to consider....
Monsignor Quixote is a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1982. The book is a pastiche of the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes with many moments of comedy, but also offers reflection on matters such as life after a dictatorship, Communism, and the Catholic faith. (Wikipedia)

 

[Laliibeans]

I'm a die hard reader, but didn't take a book when I walked, I took a travel journal instead (lightweight Moleskine, always a winner). I still felt that I didn't get enough time to write in it after walking, setting up in the albergue, showering, washing clothes, eating, chatting, basking in the afternoon sun, and sightseeing. But then again, you can always take one from a second hand place and if you aren't reading it or it's too heavy you can donate it to an albergue or another pilgrim.

 

[Turga]

I recommend Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 for whenever you’re wondering why the Camino isn’t unfolding as you expected

Yes, everybody can get a share and you have to be out to be in

 

[Frances Bat]

I took and enjoyed Laurie Lee's account of his travels on foot around Spain in 'As I Walked out one Midsummer's morning'. I had a kobo with me though, so I also had The Pilgrimage Road, Basho's haikus, the Bible and some Xena fan fiction. You never know what you might need.

 

[jkb122]

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful suggestions: I haven't decided if the extra weight is worth carrying, but I wanted to know if anyone else carried a favorite book (or tablet). I appreciate all the responses, and have a lot to think about

 

[Hurry Krishna]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

I read on my iPad and so weight is not an issue. If you want to read a flippant, entertaining novel set on the Camino, then I strongly recommend ‘Two Steps Forward’ by an Aussie husband and wife couple. Buen Camino

 

[oursonpolaire]

What about Michener's 'Iberia'?

If you want an "about Spain" book, I think that Giles Tremlett's "Ghosts of Spain" would be lighter and more current.

My reading on Caminos usually involves a pocket Oxford edition of one of Trollope's novels. They were written to be read as stand-alone episodes, much like a TV serial, in a narrative. You can read the 15-25pp of each chapter without worrying what happened to the archdeacon that week. However, I found myself distracted by the vision of the sky turning indigo while sitting in a plaza, the stones still warm from the day, and it usually takes me a full month to finish the book.

Gitlitz and Davidson is gold for the Frances; the wicked pilgrim can read up about their next day's stop in advance, so that they can casually drop references to Wamba III's unfortunate fate, commemorated above the apse in the 12c church of San Ildefonso, so reminiscent of the work of the Maestro Sancho of Navajas. The downside is that you risk being thrown down a well by annoyed pilgrims.

 

[benny aumala]

"The Way is the Goal" by Raimund Joos. A splendid guidebook for CF.
Conrad Stein Verlag ISBN 978-3-86686-517-4 about 17 €.
But weight is 260 grams, and I decided to read it at home.
Instead, there is myriad of free programs for phone without additional weight.
For a paper guide I recommend Michelin "Camino de Santiago" for CF: 85 grams.
www.michelin-boutique.com
Ignore, if your interest is more for leasure reading novels or like.

 

[JamesVT]

Just this. The only book I have read three times.
Although, on the Camino, I make a point of bringing (but on Kindle, I'm afraid) an unread classic - Vanity Fair was my last one. I'll probably take a Trollope when I set off next week.

Yes, Trollope is always a pleasure. Great characters and observation.

 

[Mark McCarthy]

Some Albergues run book exchanges and I think it's OK to carry 1 luxury item.

 

[KinkyOne]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

Never in my life a book was extra weight, not even when I was climbing. People looked at me as if I was crazy though
For Camino I always choose thick but lightweight paperback with small font letters (in English - because it is not my first language) so it can last through the whole Camino. On two Caminos Jonathan Franzen was with me but I can't really recommend any author or book although Iberia would be quite adequate as already suggested.

Wish you nice read on your nice Camino

 

[Paladina]

Pilgrims often say they don’t have time to read on the Camino. If reading is important to you, you will make the time for it. I never leave home without at least one book in my bag. The choice of whether and what to bring is yours alone.

 

[Martyduc]

I'm a reader too,,, but you can read on your phone,,, kindle or PDF,,, why carry extra weight

 

[Purky]

How about Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a good trip in more ways than one. If only because the author does a very good job of pointing out that "it's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top".

 

[oursonpolaire]

I'm a reader too,,, but you can read on your phone,,, kindle or PDF,,, why carry extra weight

I agree with you in theory, and electronic readers have the very real advantages of being able to adjust font size and provide their own lighting, but there are a few of us who love the feel of a book, and have even been known to haul out our pens and use them as notebooks and address books. It's entirely irrational, but if we were entirely rational beings, we might not be stomping through the backwoods of Spain....

 

[Moonstruck]

"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce

 

[J Willhaus]

I carried a guide book and also had a 6 inch Kindle. At that time I did not have a smart phone so used the Kindle for email, maps, etc. when I had wifi. I did not have time to read for pleasure, but used these to help guide my journey.

 

[Martyduc]

A

I agree with you in theory, and electronic readers have the very real advantages of being able to adjust font size and provide their own lighting, but there are a few of us who love the feel of a book, and have even been known to haul out our pens and use them as notebooks and address books. It's entirely irrational, but if we were entirely rational beings, we might not be stomping through the backwoods of Spain....

and I too agree in theory, ,,but after walking today on the Camino de San Salvador,, across the pass to Pajares,,,, I'm happy not to be carrying any extra weight!!!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

How about Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a good trip in more ways than one. If only because the author does a very good job of pointing out that "it's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top".

How about Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a good trip in more ways than one. If only because the author does a very good job of pointing out that "it's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top".

I was halfway through reading it when somebody told me what happened to Chris (in real life) and I never finished it.

 

[Purky]

I was halfway through reading it when somebody told me what happened to Chris (in real life) and I never finished it.

It was indeed a shame what happened to Chris, but that took place about five years after publication of the book, and for me didn't 'spoil' it. On the contrary, I had to read it about four times to finally figure out what Pirsig was on about. I'm a bit slow on the uptake, I'm afraid...

 

[Peter Thompson]

if you really want a book I recommend

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by David M Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson

It is a bit big though!

Davey

Got it on Kindle, well worth it. When off the Camino I sometimes pull out my phone and read a section.

 

[Letsgocamino]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

On both Caminos I took a paperback AND my kindle. I LOVE to read so for me it was worth it. This August when I'm on St.Cuthberts Way I will only be taking my phone to read from....or maybe a paperback! Not THAT much weight to worry about.

 

[Luka]

The last few Caminos I took one paperback with me and used to switch it for another book in an albergue on the way.

 

[Delphinoula]

I did not want to bother with an expensive item like a tablet or a kindle. I had my phone and accessed my library book on tapes a sorry now my audio files or my listening library when I liked some night bed time stories for canceling out the night time snorers. Plus itibitty little print on cell no good for me. That way I relax with soothing voices.
If you are a Napolionic war the peninsular campaign buff the Sharp series from Cornwell is great.

 

[NorthernLight]

A copy of War and Peace would last the entire camino ... and the next two caminos too.

I'm a fan of reading classics while travelling. Great Expectations? Moby Dick? Both lighter than W&P.

 

[Delphinoula]

A copy of War and Peace would last the entire camino ... and the next two caminos too.

I'm a fan of reading classics while travelling. Great Expectations? Moby Dick? Both lighter than W&P.

Oh a fellow Napoleonic times fan. War and peace and can double as a pillow to or self defense device. I one threatened a intruder with hitting him over the head with my Britannica, but than it just was my better half having forgotten the back door key.

 

[jkb122]

I agree with you in theory, and electronic readers have the very real advantages of being able to adjust font size and provide their own lighting, but there are a few of us who love the feel of a book, and have even been known to haul out our pens and use them as notebooks and address books. It's entirely irrational, but if we were entirely rational beings, we might not be stomping through the backwoods of Spain....

Thank you for this reply! Also, I don't seem to retain what I read on a screen...it is just different, and I try to avoid it

 

[koilife]

Thank you for this reply! Also, I don't seem to retain what I read on a screen...it is just different, and I try to avoid it

My original plan was to read Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle from the Kindle app on my phone, but I found, as others above, that I had little interest in reading at the end of the day's walk. So, I changed up and downloaded the Audible version of it and listened as I walked. I found that, as my undistracted Camino-mind slowed down, I was able to listen deeply to the nuance of text in a way that I normally couldn't if reading with my multi-tasking everyday-mind. I might only listen to a chapter and then ponder for an hour or two, or resume after a cafe stop or friendly chat with someone else along the way. On my next Camino, I walked to the audio text of Imitation of Christ to the same delightful, focused awareness of nuance and otherwise easily missed meaning. I can't imagine any book that I'd haul with me for my next Camino than can compare to walking with a good audiobook.

I use guidebook apps or Kindle versions on the phone. I can't justify the weight of a physical guidebook.

On the other hand, I'll take my breviary, which is odd because I'll use a breviary app at home more than the physical books, but something in my soul cries for the tangibility of the book when I'm walking. Odd, but there it is.

 

[Miki Goldie]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

Be the book you want others to read....
Love

 

[Sho]

I'm going to be in Europe for awhile before the Camino, so I'll have an iPod with some relevant audiobooks with me--Don Quixote, Orlando Furioso.... And a paper pocket book of the birds of Spain.

 

[Anamya]

I'm also on the "I love to read, but not on Camino" side of the spectrum.
Maybe take a cheap paperback copy with you, and if you think it's too heavy, just donate it to another pilgrim or albergue after a few days

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

A Journey to the West by Domenico Laffi
(Diary of a 17th century Italian priest and pilgrim to Santiago)

 

[Holly West]

Thanks so much-- love this...yes I was also thinking poetry if I were going to take anything to read

Love this! Thank you!

 

[Kiwi-family]

If you could just get over your aversion to reading on your phone just for the weeks while you’re walking then you could take every single suggestion - and even if you didn’t read a page of them you’d have lost nothing!

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Only on the Way for a few weeks this time, so can't read anything too demanding...... My choice? San Manuel Bueno, Martir, by Unamuno. Read it many years ago. Time to read it again.

 

[jkb122]

Only on the Way for a few weeks this time, so can't read anything too demanding...... My choice? San Manuel Bueno, Martir, by Unamuno. Read it many years ago. Time to read it again.

Really interesting choice--thanks for the suggestion!

 

[tangata hikoi]

I'm read 'The Unnamed' by Joshua Ferris, about a man who has a mysterious condition in which he is compelled to walk.
Megg

 

[AnaRosario]

Hello! I plan on starting my first Camino in September 2019: any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? I am not interested in taking a kindle, or reading from my phone. I was thinking about something from John O'Donohue; or maybe the Pilgrimage book by Phil Cousineau? I would love to hear if anyone really felt the book they carried was enlightening and not just extra weight. Thanks!

I would say.. the purpose driven life by Rick warren

 

[Sha-Ron]

Robinson Crusoe or a similar classic adventure, a small new testament with psalms and proverbs, and a lightweight journal.

 

[KariC]

I'd urge you to reconsider your "no kindle" position. That was my lifesaver - I could read at night in the albergues without bothering other pilgrims with a light; I could read on the plane, and what I got through between airports, planes, and reading myself to sleep at night would have added several pounds to my pack, had I brought them on paper!

 

[John H.]

… any thoughts on a book that you felt was worth its weight to carry? ...

Perhaps one of these:

Self-Help For Blister Sufferers by Rebecca Rushton
Fixing Your Feet (6th Ed) by John Vonhof
Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery by Ripoll, De Prado and Golano