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.