My big vacation of 2012 took place two months ago, but I’ve got summer travel plans that span at least two continents. The itinerary includes hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visiting the Outer Banks, and spending time in Venice. When the heat in Houston is at its worst, I’ll hunker down in the British countryside, somewhere near the border between Devon and Somerset.
No, I’m not a trust fund baby, and, yes, I have responsibilities. That’s why I’ll be traveling vicariously via books. No one would mistake a library card for a Eurailpass, true, but both deliver adventure. What’s more, armchair travelers don’t have to contend with altitude sickness, strikes, blisters, or currency fluctuations.
Here’s a VERY partial line-up:
WILD, From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed A friend who’s hiked the Appalachian Trail twice did part of the Pacific Crest and found it tough going. Hiking and summer go together, especially when I don’t actually have to sweat.
KEEPER OF THE LIGHT by Diane Chamberlain This 1992 story unfolds in the Outer Banks. What’s summer without a book set on the beach?
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES by Donna Leon I’m halfway through Leon’s DOCTORED EVIDENCE, another Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery set in Venice. C’mon, who doesn’t want to escape to Italy? My method eliminates the crowds.
THE SUMMERHOUSE by Marcia Willett When Houston’s daytime temperatures reach the high nineties and stay there for weeks, I crave descriptions of people pulling on sweaters and rain boots in August—and then letting those damp sweaters dry near the Aga.
I’ve got more terrific books in the Kindle plus that library card, so I’m set for summer but always want recommendations of books set in places I’d like to visit—and I’d like to visit almost anywhere.
No, I’m not a trust fund baby, and, yes, I have responsibilities. That’s why I’ll be traveling vicariously via books. No one would mistake a library card for a Eurailpass, true, but both deliver adventure. What’s more, armchair travelers don’t have to contend with altitude sickness, strikes, blisters, or currency fluctuations.
Here’s a VERY partial line-up:
WILD, From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed A friend who’s hiked the Appalachian Trail twice did part of the Pacific Crest and found it tough going. Hiking and summer go together, especially when I don’t actually have to sweat.
KEEPER OF THE LIGHT by Diane Chamberlain This 1992 story unfolds in the Outer Banks. What’s summer without a book set on the beach?
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES by Donna Leon I’m halfway through Leon’s DOCTORED EVIDENCE, another Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery set in Venice. C’mon, who doesn’t want to escape to Italy? My method eliminates the crowds.
THE SUMMERHOUSE by Marcia Willett When Houston’s daytime temperatures reach the high nineties and stay there for weeks, I crave descriptions of people pulling on sweaters and rain boots in August—and then letting those damp sweaters dry near the Aga.
I’ve got more terrific books in the Kindle plus that library card, so I’m set for summer but always want recommendations of books set in places I’d like to visit—and I’d like to visit almost anywhere.
So, where will you be traveling via books?
11 comments:
Hi Pat!
I suppose I'll be enjoying Regency London in a ball gown (TO DESIRE A DEVIL by Elizabeth Hoyt), chasing a murderer in Montana (IN CLOSE by Brenda Novak) and hanging in small-town Georgebury, VT (ALL I EVER WANTED by Kristin Higgins.)
And Anaheim...
:)
What an exciting summer, Pat! But why stay in the real world at all? I'm going to Etherlin in Kimberly Frost's ALL THAT FALLS. Think I'll also take a sea voyage with Shana Galen's ROGUE PIRATE'S BRIDE. And, of course, I'll be living in Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands (in my head) while I finish my own WIP, SHADOWS IN THE DEEP.
I'm sure I'll come up with a dozen other destinations before fall. Armchair vacations are so wonderfully affordable!!!
what a lovely idea, Pat. I'm 'traveling' this summer the way I always travel...by whim and whimsy and wherever the road takes me. Right now I'm reading my second book by Lori Leger, which is set in small town Louisiana. very good stories
I just returned from an alternate Victorian Europe (Zoe Archer's SKIES OF FIRE), and I'm currently touring mythological universes via L. Sprague de Camp's MATHEMATICS OF MAGIC. I have Kimber Frost's Etherlin and Shana Galen's Regency worlds on the shelf, and a trip to Charleston in Amanda Stevens' THE PROPHET. And I'm sort of hoarding a visit to an alternate South America in Naomi Novik's latest Temeraire novel, CRUCIBLE OF GOLD. I could (and will) go on and on, and never have time enough to read them all.
Great idea, Pat. I'm heading to Texas this year by way of the heroine in my WIP. Perhaps my character could stop by your place for a cup of iced tea? :) Those afternoon temps are mighty warm...
Hi, Sarah,
I want to dance at a Regency ball, too. Thanks for reminding me. Good luck finding that murderer in Montana. A plus is that the weather shoulder be cooler than ours. Higgins is a joy, and Vermont's an excellent summer getaway. Bon voyage!
You're right, Lark, contemporary gets old, and earth's so, er, earthbound. Summer's synonymous with travel, so why not go as far as we can? Good luck with your WIP.
Hi, Louise,
Small town Louisiana means food, music, dialogue, and news traveling fast. What does a Canadian like you think of the South's lo-o-o-ng summer?
Oh, the places you go, Kay! No wonder your imagination can't be limited to this plane.
Hi, Sheila,
In Texas, we drink iced tea by the liter. I will pour you a cup but promise you'll want lots more, especially in the summer. In Houston, summer is hot morning, noon, and night. That said, c'mon down!
Great post for me to read upon my return from cold, rainy France to temps of over 100 degrees - in Ohio! Actually it was quite nice out when I got home a couple days ago, but the heat was forecast - maybe that's why I picked "Night of the Aurora" by JA Marlow, which is set in Alaska in winter, for my treadmill reading this week! I don't know why, but I love books set in Alaska, and this one's quite good so far.
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