Jessie: Basking like a lizard in the warmth that has finally arrived in New Hampshire!
Most people agree summer is a great time for travel. The recent spike in the temperature in my village has me thinking about books that have sparked my interest in a variety of travel destinations, both near and far.
You know those books that make you wonder what it would be like to vacation in a place you had never before considered visiting? Often times a novel will prompt me to go digging into non-fiction resources about the setting. I have a list of places I’d love to see because of books I’ve enjoyed.
M.C.Beaton‘s books have encouraged an interest in the Scottish Highlands and the Cotswolds. Elly Griffiths inspires consideration of Norfolk, England. Elizabeth Kostova‘s The Historian makes me want to book a trip to Turkey and to Eastern Europe.
Henning Mankell‘s Dogs of Riga and Annie Proulx‘s The Shipping News make me long to see Latvia and Newfoundland.
Alexander McCall Smith makes Botswana sound like one of the loveliest places on Earth. Kerry Greenwood has done the same for Australia. Leighton Gage shared a compelling view of Brazil in his Chief Inspector Mario Silva mysteries.
I love being an armchair traveller but what I love even more is following through with actual travel plans. Thanks to Arnaldur Indridason’s work, I’ve planned a trip to Iceland in the autumn. I hope my books set in New Hampshire and my upcoming mystery, Whispers Beyond the Veil, have caused some readers to want to visit New England someday too!
Readers, have you ever been inspired to visit a place based on the way it is portrayed in a novel?