The Travel Bookshelf – What To Read On Holiday?

Immerse yourself in your destination by reading something set in your destination, or written by an author from that region.  Here are some ideas for the places featured on my blog…

America:

A Walk In The Woods	Bill Bryson	Appalachian Trail – the author walks the trail and attempts to rediscover America.
Cannery Row	John Steinbeck	Monterey – colourful cast of characters working in a sardine cannery during Great Depression
Crossing to Safety	Wallace Stegner	Vermont & Wisconsin – 2 couples meet and become friends despite differences.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas	Thompson S Hunter	Las Vegas – exhausting rollercoaster of drug fuelled road trip and misadventure
Moondust	Andrew Smith	Houston – space race stories touchingly told through an astronaut’s memories
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous	Ocean Vuong	Connecticut – identity, family and immigrant experience of Vietnamese-American man
Postcards from the Edge	Carrie Fisher	Los Angeles – dry witted commentary on Hollywood, from first hand experience
Snow Falling on Cedars	David Guterson	Island north of Seattle – man accused of murder faces courtroom whodunnit
Tales of the City	Armistead Maurine	San Francisco – series set in shared house following cultural changes from 1970s onwards
Travels with Charley	John Steinbeck	Road trip – with his French Poodle to find the real America (1962). Wonderful writing.
The Secret History	Donna Tartt	Vermont – inverted crime novel involving group of Classics students at college

Australia:

Cloud Street	Tim Winton	Perth – chaotic character-driven family drama set in house over 20 year period
The Light Between Oceans	M L Stedman	WA – 1926, lighthouse keeper and wife face a decision that will change their lives

Canada:

A Tale for Time Being	Ruth Ozeki	British Columbia – Ruth finds the moving diary of Japanese girl in a lunchbox on a beach
Tears in the Grass	Lynda A Archer	Saskatchewan – cross generational novel of relationships and secrets

Costa Rica:

In Search of Captain Zero	Allan Weisbecker	Costa Rica – surfer Max has been missing for 5 years, his friend goes looking for him
The Longest Way Home	Andrew McCarthy	Costa Rica – Brat Pack actor writes about his travels to avoid settling down

England:

Murder on the Orient Express	Agatha Christie	A classic from Agatha who was found in Harrogate after a period of having gone missing.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum	Kate Atkinson	York – generational family saga narrated by young Ruby trying to make sense of life

Germany:

Alone in Berlin	Hans Fallada	Berlin – Wartime thriller following one man’s attempts to defy Nazi rule
Stasiland	Anna Funder	Berlin – fascinating true stories from behind the Berlin Wall in East Germany

Greece:

The Figurine	Victoria Hislop	Greece – historical fiction to transport you to Greece and times gone by
The Magus	John Fowles	Greek island – psycho thriller following an unlikely friendship which develops on an island

Italy:

Four Seasons in Rome	Anthony Doerr	Rome – memoir of the American author’s time living in Rome and raising twins
The Lost Daughter	Elena Ferrante	Italian beach resort – dark story of Divorcee forced to confront her demons
To Venice with Love	Philip Gwynne Jones	Venice – midlife couple move to Venice, find their feet and slowly become locals

Mexico:

La Lacuna	Barbara Kingsolver	Mexico/USA – fictional memoirs of William, across the decades and two countries.
The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo	F.G. Haghenbeck	Mexico – fictional account of the artist’s life based on discovery of her notebooks.

Netherlands:

The Miniaturist	Jessie Burton	Amsterdam – mystery unfolds for new wife Nella in a 1680s Amsterdam canal house
Tulip Fever	Deborah Moggach	Amsterdam – love and intrigue during 1930s tulip mania in Amsterdam

Northern Ireland:

Milkman	Anna Burns	Belfast – set during The Troubles when it pays to remain anonymous
Trespasses	Louise Kennedy	Belfast – story follows a young lady’s naive affair with an older man during the Troubles

Oman:

Arabian Sands	Wilfred Thesigner	The Empty Quarter -record of Thesigner’s journey through the desert during late 1940s
Celestial Bodies	Jokha Alharthi	Omani village – follow the lives and loves of 3 sisters against changing societal norms

Spain:

The Life Impossible	Matt Haig	Ibiza – retired teacher is left a house in Ibiza by friend and she attempts to work out why
The Orange Grove	Rosanna Ley	Seville – a mother’s secrets are unearthed during the quest to make marmalade!

UAE:

The Dog

Joseph O’Neill

Dubai – New York attorney accepts job in Dubai and struggles to thrive as an ex-pat