Literary Transportation

     No I'm not talking about books on wheels, or even bookmobiles, but we'll get to that in a second. Sorry it's been a while, and sorry in advance for whining about being sick. This past week I was a little sick (read: I slept the entire day Sunday) but thankfully we had a national holiday on Tuesday, and most of the children had off from school on Monday as well, so I had plenty of time to recover. Until Wednesday when I hurt my ankle. Oh well. Made it through the week. It was tough having a full three classes for the work-week, let me tell you, but I braved my way through it ;)
    Lately I've been walking a lot and listening to Harry Potter audiobooks 1) because Harry Potter is amazing, 2) because it's the only set of books on my iPod, 3) because it's very boring to walk for over an hour anywhere even with music and 4) because I refuse to give up my daily walk to work even though we moved 8 metro stops further away. Am I crazy? Probably, seeing as I decided to stubbornly walk home from a class in Vitacura, a neighborhood THREE HOURS away from mine. However, my stubborn butt made it the 8.6 miles home in only 2.5 hours. Hence, the crappy ankle and countless blisters; nonetheless, the walk was enjoyable thanks to Harry's courageous efforts in the graveyard where Voldemort attempts to duel with and kill him yet again (HP and the Goblet of Fire, for those less crazy fans).
     There's something about listening to a book as you walk instead of music. I just feel more removed from everyone, more in my own world. I even cried a bit at this moment, "Mrs. Weasley set  the potion down on the beside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother." It was too dark for anyone to notice thankfully, but there is something magical about a book that can move you to tears. I've only read a few books in my time here thus far, but traveling and reading go hand in hand for me. For many people I believe. There are countless book exchanges in hostels across the globe; people read on trains, in airport terminals, on the bus, and waiting for whatever journey is next on their list. If you don't have the means to travel, books can take you just as far away from your home without even having to deal with the smelly man who stole your aisle seat on the plane or the nonexistent "breakfast" your hostel guaranteed you.
     Though I have been extremely lucky in my life to travel so much in such a short time, I continue to make leaps and bounds across our planet, through space and even time, with books. They have such a power that many people ignore. I can be living in Chile while on a train through the Alps. This summer I hope to expand and then shrink my reading list with many new titles recommended from fellow travelers. What's on your reading list for the summer? Any good titles I should look for in the next hostel?