Iceland, Defrosted.
''This is the story of one Englishman’s
obsession with a half-frozen, roughly duck-shaped island in the cold north
Atlantic. That Englishman is me. That duck-shaped island is Iceland. It’s an
obsession that started with hearing Sigur rós in a record shop, and one that
shows no sign of abatement.''
Iceland,
Defrosted by Edward Hancox is ‘The story of one man’s obsession
with the people, places and music of Iceland.’
Edward Hancox is a puffin loving Englishman with a passion for Iceland.
Iceland, Defrosted is his first book, which evolved from his blog of the same
name about all things Iceland.
''I found that the real Iceland is well beyond the confines of a hire car, or a weekend trip to Reykjavík. It doesn’t exist in current guidebooks, and can’t be brought with a stuffed puffin toy. The real Iceland is one where warmth, friendship, creativity and quality of life abound, making this small community into something really special.''I
discovered the book through the wonder that is social media. When I
moved to Iceland I set up my own blog to keep my friends and family updated on
my experiences and adventures. I linked the blog to twitter and followed a lot
of Iceland related accounts one of them being Ed Hancox. I started to read
about this book that was newly published with the help of Kickstarter. So here
I was, in Iceland reading these incredible reviews for a book written by a
fellow Englishman about one of my favorite places. It was a no brainer. I had
to purchase it and wow am I glad I did.
This book is not intended as a travel guide, it’s not a history book
it’s just a book about one man’s passion for Iceland that just so happens to be
an incredible travel guide and a very interesting history book. I read this
book in my first week of being here and it inspired me to get out and see the
country immediately. I was desperate to get up to the West Fjords and down to
the South Coast as soon as I could.
Ed is honest in his writing, not shy to tell you when actually he
didn’t really enjoy a certain experience or that it was a bit touristy for his
liking. Something I have a lot of respect for. However, when he writes about an
experience he found interesting or amazing you can feel his excitement in his
writing and it is infectious like his love for Icelandic coffee, puffins and
Beer. He talks about some incredible places off the beaten track, with just
enough information that a savvy traveler could research themselves but not with
so much information that the whole world will have descended on them by next
summer.
Ed covers all manor of topics from Elves to Einstök. Coffee to Cows,
Seals to Shellfish and a recurring theme in the book his bad luck with seeing
the Northern Lights or rather not seeing them.
The book is informative, funny and and times a little emotional. His
word have stayed with me and whilst traveling the south coast last week I had
a little Iceland, Defrosted voice in the back of my head reminding me of Ed´s
experiences in the same locations or advice on the area.
I can't recommend this book enough. I have an e-reader copy but have
already decided I need a paper copy too as I want to take it everywhere I go
this year for the advice and information. I have already noticed it in a number
of bookshops around Reykjavik and I know that a number of independent bookshops
in the UK are stocking this fabulous read too.
Ed can be found on twitter here talking about all things Iceland. Just
today he posted a brilliant link to his Unofficial Iceland, Defrosted
soundtrack.
He is also trying to collect pictures of his book located all around
the globe, so why not see if you can contribute to his collection.
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