Let's Go Southeast Asia - Let's Go

Advantages: Good if on a budget, accurate descriptions on the whole
Disadvantages: Sometimes pricing a bit out, occasional inaccurate review of accomodation

...I assume my book is the same as the one shown, though the front cover is much more "funky". My personal copy was called Let's Go! Australia, on a Budget. Let's Go is an American series of travel guides but despite being English myself I still found it very useful. I bought this travel guide from Borders before I went to travel the east coast of Australia (for 2 months as part of my gap year) in February 2008. It appealed to me as it seemed suited to the younger traveller (I'm 19) and specifically those on a budget. I think it cost approximately £15, which is a standard price for travel guides as they tend to be pretty thick books! I found it especially useful as it didn't waste pages (or what I saw as wasted pages), like the lonely planet does - telling me of the top places to eat, stay, party, etc...all I wanted was cheap... Read review

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Advantages: Very comprehensive; largely accurate; informative
Disadvantages: Not overly portable; the central tenet of “budget travel” is not adhered to in all sections; significantly more useful for Americans

...It was a close call, but in the end, my two would-be traveling companions and I chose the Let’s Go guide to Europe over Lonely Planet, its long-time competitor. This decision was reached because the former appeared to be marginally more comprehensive - it had, for instance, a whole section devoted to Liechtenstein, one of our chosen destinations (though in hindsight, quite misguidedly selected). Let’s Go is, of course, well known as an American-centric guidebook, which is why many may opt instead for Lonely Planet. “Let’s Go: Europe 2001” covers every single country in Europe, including Russia and former Soviet satellites, which of course means that buying the £15 almanac is only worth it if one plans to visit more than a mere handful of European countries, or if the target countries happen... Read review

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Advantages: Compelling, superbly-crafted page turner which resonates in the memory
Disadvantages: An ultimately bleak vision of an alternative reality

...Kazuo Ishiguro is a wonderful writer and this, his latest novel, is in my view one of his best. Ishiguro cannot be called a prolific writer; "Never Let Me Go" is only his sixth novel since his first, "A Pale View of Hills", was published in 1982. However, with work of this quality, you can't really complain about the long gaps. Ishiguro is an interesting character; born in Nagasaki in 1954, he moved to Britain as a young child and was educated at a Surrey grammar school. Afterwards he worked as a grouse-beater at the Queen Mother's residence at Balmoral before taking up a place to study English and Philosophy at Kent University. He has worked as a social worker, but has been a full-time writer since 1982. While some of his novels have dealt with his Japanese heritage, others - notably the Booker Prize-winning "The Remains of the Day... Read review

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