Briefcase Encounters: A Review And Some Cool News For A Change

Yes, Imaginarians, I have had a time of it, but while things are still very dark, there is finally a little teeny tiny crack of light. Your continued support means the world to me. I just wanted to make to tell you that I'm not stopping blogging or anything, just have to drop out every now and again to ride the waves. It'll be like that for the foreseeable future, but I've got my head up and I should be okay.

Check this. Oh. My. God. I am Top at The Movie411 Awards for Sexiest Female Author. Nothing like being called sexiest when the world is off-kilter and careening out of control. You can vote here for moi, if you so choose, but most importantly just get your fine selves over there and vote for your fave cinegeeks, cinephiles and fellow wicked awesome bloggers. It's a hellagood party.

Now on to this review. I am very excited Imaginarians, because one of my favorite authors, Alexander Hammond, has just released a new collection of tales. Brief(case) Encounters is a witty, thought-provoking and self-effacing collection of travel stories that will have you howling with laughter and picking your jaw up off the floor all within the space a few paragraphs. Part erudite comedian, part no-holds-barred tour guide with a slice of philosopher and a dash of cultural anthropologist mixed in, Encounters offers a unique take on world travel.

Hammond has a way with language that just leaves me green with envy. His metaphors are true gems that paint an exact picture without ever straying into the realm of cliché or over use. For instance in Thai Tribulations, one of my favorites, he is on board a vomit comet of a boat in very rough seas, hiding up on deck to keep away from the seasick. He writes “Eventually my bladder asserted itself and I made my way to the conveniences, forgetting that I had to pass through the ‘sick room.’ I took one look. It was a Hogarth etching come to life, a vision Gustave Dore would have been proud to have created… People were lying around groaning on the floor beyond caring what they looked like. I regret to confess that natural compassion escaped me in that moment. I immediately forgot my own physical needs and returned to the deck, profoundly grateful I wasn’t one of them.” Oh God, what an image.

This book is chock full of these hilarious, nightmarish anecdotes that leave you with the dichotomy of wanting to never board a plane and yet, also having the unbearable desire to experience this stuff in person to see if it's real. In short, you have to read this book if you get the chance. For more info on Alex and to read about more of his travels, visit his blog. To purchase Brief(Case) Encounters please go here. You can also purchase his wildly brilliant, Tales From The Edge Of Forever here. Both are also available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.