"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, June 11, 2018

TTT: Books that have awakened the travel bug in me


Top Ten Tuesday: Books that have encouraged the travel bug in me.

I just got back from a road trip this past Friday. This meme is perfectly timed.
1. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Amy and Roger don't know each other. They have just partnered to drive a car from California to Connecticut. But one can't spend hours alone with another person without getting to know them a bit. That is when Amy and Roger decide to take a few side trips. The book makes me want to jump back in my car and take few detours myself.
2. Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith
Matt and Karen visit all 58 National Parks and write emails back to their friends, Bob and Sue. I love visiting National Parks because of their pristine beauty and the interesting visitor centers. I just visited the Badlands National Park in South Dakota a few days ago, as a matter of fact. I want to see more. 
3. Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Arthur less just wants to escape the country so he won't have to attend his x-boyfriend's wedding. So he plans a round the world trip which will keep him busy and far away. Though not a travel book, per se, it certainly made me want to go to Italy, Germany, Tunisia, India, and Japan.
4. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Every time Bill Bryson walks out his door, another travel bug is ignited within me. This book is all about Australia. He covers the whole country and discovers some really fun and funky things on his journeys Down Under. I am currently saving my pennies for an Australian trip.
5. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl was completely ill-equipped to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the California/Mexican border to the Oregon/Washington border, but she did it anyway and then wrote about it. I am not sure if I want to do the whole thing, but I would like to hike part of the trail.
6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Though not a favorite book, in fact I didn't even finish it, I did enjoy the bits related to her travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia. After reading this book I was determined to travel differently...to get to know countries more deeply by investing myself in the culture and the language, the food and the people.
7. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Truth is often stranger than fiction as is the case with this murder mystery set in Savannah, Georgia. The city is full of such quirky characters and describes such exotic locations, I really want to go visit Savannah for myself.
8. The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper
I used to live in Liberia, West Africa, when I was a kid. This book is set in Liberia right before and during the early stages of Liberia's revolution. I wanted to go back and see the country with adult eyes after reading this book.
9. The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein
Set in Scotland, this novel describes the beautiful setting and the unique history of this part of UK. 
10. The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Venice as it is today and how it was in yesteryear. This book made me anxious to visit the city before it completely sinks into the ocean.
11. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Moveable Feast is a book of essays written by Hemingway while he lived in Paris in the 1920s. The Paris Wife is a fictional account of the same time period but with the focus on his first wife, Hadley Richardson, and her impressions of Paris and life with Hemingway. Both books made me want to visit the city of lights.
12. Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell
Set in Japan this beautiful novel is full of Japanese pop culture and folk mythology. I felt like I was really there and now want to travel to Japan for real.
13. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
This is a beautifully written book about memories. The main character, now near the end of her life, recalls what it was like to live in Leningrad and work at the Hermitage Museum before and during WWII. The descriptions of the art and the museum made me want to visit the city and more specifically the museum.
14. Washington Curiosities by Harriet Baskas
One Spring Break I decided to investigate weird places and oddities right near where I live. My husband and I embarked on a Weird Washington tour and discovered a troll living under a bridge; a statue of Lenin in Seattle; a ghost town; mima mounds; a document museum which was practically right under our noses but we didn't know existed; a bunch of houses painted completely black in Olympia; an old gas station built into the shape of a cowboy hat and boots; and a dive bar built into the shape of a coffee pot. I got all the ideas to do this from the book Washington Curiosities. I bet your state has some similar book. I highly recommend taking a road trip to do the wackiest things your state has to offer.

21 comments:

  1. Wonderful list Anne. I can see why these books would awaken the travel bug in you. Especially Eat, Pray, Love! My TTT

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    1. As much as I didn't like that book, it did make me want to travel to the locations she mentioned.

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  2. Aww! 'Amy & Roger' is cute. I don't remember details but do remember I thought it was a fun read. :)

    Thanks for visiting Finding Wonderland.

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  3. I've heard good things about Wild. And Amy & Roger's sounds great! I love road trip books... :)

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  4. These are definitely the sorts of books I love. Some I have read, but many I have not. Thanks for adding to the wishlist for one of my favorite genres.

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  5. Yes, Wild was a very interesting read.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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  6. I really think Eat Pray Love is the number 1 book that made me want to travel!

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  7. Awesome list of books that inspire travel! Bill Bryson definitely makes me want to hit the road.

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  8. Scotland is gorgeous though I have to admit, I'm a little biased since I've been living there nine months out of the year for the past three years for Uni!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/12/top-ten-tuesday-163/

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  9. Midnight in the Garden made my list too! And I haven't read that Bryson (or honestly any, though he's on my list!), but Australia is definitely a place I'd love to visit someday too!

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  10. The Bill Bryson book is such a hoot. We listened to the audiobook narrated by him and his comedic timing is so droll.

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  11. Wild definitely made me want to hike the PCT too, even though I would also be incredibly ill-prepared to do so!

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  12. I wasn't a fan of Amy and Roger, but that had nothing to do with the road trip plot. Definitely wouldn't mind taking a similar detour.

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  13. Less has been on my TBR for far too long! I really need to get around to it. Great list :)
    Dani @ The Restricted Section

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  14. I love books that incorporate different locations because we learn so much about the people and culture. (even ones in our own country's varied regions) I too disliked "Eat, Pray, Love." Such a self-absorbed person.

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  15. what a well written post!! And congrats on your trip, that sounds like a great place to see!! I have some good ones on my list you might like also!!

    http://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/06/top-ten-tuesday-10-books-that-makes-me.html

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  16. I really loved Andrew Sean Greer's The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells and I can't wait to read Less too!

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  17. I hope you had fun on your road trip - it is definitely well-timed for this post. 🤗

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  18. Great list! So many good titles and what I don't know are very intriguing. I love that Amy & Roger's Epic Detour begin the list because it was one of the first books I thought of when I saw this weeks topic--it really does make you want to get in the car and go, go, go.

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  19. I hope you had fun on your road trip - it definitely had a good timing with this week’s theme! I don't recognize most of the books if any, but I hope one day you'll get to visit all the amazing places that are mentioned in these books. 🤗

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  20. I don't know why I haven't read The Pearl Thief yet. Great list!

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