On the train home...

I read "The Golden Man" by Paul Theroux. Subtitled "Saparmurat Niyazov's reign of insanity" in a "Letter from Turkmenistan" from The New Yorker, May 28, 2007. (Abstract here and an article about Theroux writing the article here)

Theroux is a great wordsmith and infuses his travel pieces with humor and vivid description.

I strongly recommend his novel Hotel Honolulu, which is a must-read for anyone familiar with the Hawai'i culture of tourism. It barely misses my "Top 20 Favorite Books" list.