Dos questions here, pertaining to different kinds of books from oftentimes the queen of silly questions:

1. Okay, how many books do you usually read when you are gone?

I’m a pretty big reader, and found the bookstores abroad to be expensive. And it also helped b/c last time I was traveling with friends and we all brought a couple and then just circulated them.

I guess I have this question b/c this time I will be by myself and wonder if that means more or less time on journal/books/xword puzzles/etc.

2. I will be going to Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czech Rep., Hungary and possibly Slovenia. I will also be going to Belgium but I’m meeting friends that live there.

So: I have probably been to every bookstore imaginable (& my library which has super crappy selection) and all the books contain the first three countries in one guidebook and and the 2nd three in another. And then in each of these there are 500 other countries I don’t need. These are expensive.. so I don’t know if anyone has any suggestions for what to do?

I have looked at individual country books where I really don’t need that much in depth info and then "area" books i.e. central europe, eastern europe, etc. which have way too many countries and don’t cover all mine in one.

I know I could get a lonely planet europe or something.. and rip out what I need.. but I was wondering if anyone had any experience getting an all-encompassing book b/c do they cover enough material and then go into enough depth??????

Hope this puppy made sense.. I know it’s long winded.. Please help!

A thousand thank you’s!