Devil's Picnic Part 2

I started reading The Devil's Picnic by Taras Grescoe awhile ago (see earlier post here). I am almost finished - I know, how on earth can it take me this long to read a book? I keep track of all of the books I read in a small, red leather notebook, and the other day I counted 60 books I'd read in 2008 and I thought there had been more. I am also not as dutiful about recording the books I've read as I used to be. I think it'd be great fun though if when I was an old lady I put my reading glasses on and had a good look at this book. It might bring back book memories, which are always interesting. Reminds me of that bit from Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest, when the lady Gwendolen Fairfax says that she always carries her diary on the train so she has something sensational to read when she travels.

Anyway, this Taras Grescoe fellow is quite ingenious. I enjoyed this book so much that I did what I rarely do: I returned the library copy and ordered a copy off the internet. Yes Mr. Grescoe, you should be slightly richer now b/c of me. I am so inspired by this book that I have begun researching the prohibition of substances in general. Who benefits from prohibition? What are the psychological reasons why prohibition always fails? Do human beings need an escape from the daily drudge of reality as a natural part of life?

What does this have to do with travel you might be asking? For this book Mr. Grescoe travels the world exploring prohibited substances, that's what. And he does a mighty fine job of getting to know the places he travels to. I think it has taken me this long to get through it b/c I find myself re-reading paragraphs b/c the sheer weight of what is written needs a second read to sink in properly.

The author's name, btw, reminds me of my pen name as a young girl - Eman Terces. Now that I've typed it there it strikes me as odd that I would associate the two together b/c they're really not similar at all. Oh well, that's how brains work, or don't work sometimes. Anyway, Mr. Grescoe has another book out called Bottomfeeder which I am going to check out next. Here is an interview with him on the subject:

And here's another one:

Good luck to you! As someone who went to see Sharkwater and as a result, wrote a letter about shark fishing in Canada to my local MP, I will pay attention to this...