Off The Rails by Tim Cope & Chris Hatherly

Title: Off The Rails
Author: Tim Cope & Chris Hatherly
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 0-670-04046-0
Published: 2003
Comments: 10000km in Fourteen months - Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, and China... what a book! Not necessarily the best writing, but it is great reading. The two authors alternate chapters so you get to see both sides of the story. The places they went and the people they met made this a really interesting book. I'd never read much about Russia, so I learnt a thing or two.

The Year 1000 by Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger

Title: The Year 1000 - What life was like at the turn of the first millenium
Author: Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 0-349-11278-9
Published: 1999
Comments: A fascinating book about life in early England: Monks, Kings, Vikings, etc... I enjoyed this shortish book (201 pages) as I find early English history interesting (thanks to Edward Rutherfurd).

Wrong About Japan by Peter Carey

Title: Wrong About Japan - A Father's Journey with his Son
Author: Peter Carey
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 1-74051-325-8
Published: 2004
Comments: Interesting book about Manga (Japanese Cartoons, but with more character) and how it fits into Japanese culture. Quite short, only 121 pages, but worth reading.

A First Year in Canterbury Settlement by Samuel Butler

Title: A First Year in Canterbury Settlement
Author: Samuel Butler
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: N/A
Published: 1863
Comments: A really easy to read book about Samuel Butler's early days in Canterbury, New Zealand. Assembled from letters and journals that he wrote during the time it reveals interesting facts about the Canterbury region that perhaps not many people know - for instance the fact that there were glaciers on this side (east) of the South Island (these days only on the west coast). At only 162 pages, I'd recommend this book to anyone who has the slightest interest in the history of Canterbury.

Foreign Babes in Beijing by Rachel DeWoskin

Title: Foreign Babes in Beijing
Author: Rachel DeWoskin
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 1-86207-816-5
Published: 2005
Comments: Wow! What a great book... easy to read & well written. I enjoyed seeing Chinese culture through someone else's eyes - I've been a few times now - and it is good to know that my perceptions aren't just my own, others have seen the same things (and more, in this case). If you have any interest in China or have Chinese friends/colleagues, then read this book!

Down Under by Bill Bryson

Title: Down Under
Author: Bill Bryson
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 0-385-40817-X
Published: 2000
Comments: A truly fascinating book of Bill's travels around Australia, learnt a whole heap that I didn't know and filled in some gaps of things I did know (but not enough). I'd recommend this book to those that like to read about other countries.

Affluenza by Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss

Title: Affluenza
Author: Clive Hamilton & Richard Denniss
Type: Non-fiction
ISBN: 1-74114-671-2
Published: 2005
Comments: An intriguing read, agreed with the whole materialism is rampant thing, but towards the end it took a turn towards socialism that doesn't "quite" align with my way of thinking. Still worth reading (even though it is about Australia) regardless if you are Right or Left leaning in your political views.