17 - A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list

[Nadine in NY]

A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list.


Do you have a bucket list? I don't have a bucket list! I guess there are places I'd like to visit someday, but I don't have a firm list.


The destination will be different for each of us, so a group Listopia won't be useful here.

[Chelsea]

I don't have a firm list, but if the Galapagos are on yours, Enchanted Islands is a bit of a different one. I'm probably going to look for something set in Tokyo.

[Ron]

I might play it safe with Eclipse , because aside from the Seattle area, I don't really have many other places I'd like to visit.

[Deb]

If anyone wants to read Outlander they hit a few locations over several books. I may do a re-read of a Harry Potter book for this prompt. Not sure yet.

[*. tina ｡⋆୨୧˚]

if anyone has recs for Norway or Italy pls let me know!

[Anna]

I like drama and thrillers mostly and here are some books on my lists that would work for this prompt.

The Chestnut Man - Copenhagen
After She's Gone - Sweden
The Sandman by Lars Kepler - Sweden
Burial Rites - Iceland
Lyrebird Hill - Australia

Jo Nesbo is an author that has many books set in Norway. His one book The Snowman became a movie I also have the book The Son by him on my TBR.

[Dee]

Trip Fiction's website might be helpful here for many, many locations - https://www.tripfiction.com/find-a-book/

[Shaina]

Thank you for that link! I always have trouble with locations and settings.

[Ron]

Well, aside from the Twilight books, I might end up reading a book on Alaska instead this way it can be a NF book.

[Harmke]

*. tina ｡⋆୨୧˚ wrote: "if anyone has recs for Norway or Italy pls let me know!"

Norway: The Bell in the Lake. I wanted to go there after reading it. The Unseen is a great pick if you like small stories about ordinary people's life.

Italy: from Italian writers: My Brilliant Friend, The Eight Mountains

[Jennifer W]

I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of books set in Madagascar?

[Heather L]

*. tina ｡⋆୨୧˚ wrote: "if anyone has recs for Norway or Italy pls let me know!"

As already mentioned, there’s a lot of Nordic noir, but also playwrights and numerous Nobel Prize winners.

Henrik Ibsen — A Doll's House, An Enemy of the People, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, Peer Gynt

Knut Hamsun — Hunger, Pan, Growth of the Soil (We read Hunger last year in a classics group, but while some in the group loved it, I did not. I did, however, like Growth of the Soil

Sigrid Undset — Kristin Lavransdatter

Jostein Gaarder — Sophie's World, The Solitaire Mystery, The Ringmaster's Daughter, The Orange Girl

Jo Nesbø — The Snowman, Nemesis, The Bat (Flaggermusmannen), Phantom, The Redeemer, Midnight Sun

Jon Fosse — 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature — Melancholy, Septology, A Shining

Thor Heyerdahl — Kon-Tiki, The Ra Expeditions

Anne B. Ragde — Berlin Poplars

Jonas Lie — Weird Tales from Northern Seas: Norwegian Legends

If you like Neil Gaiman, try Odd and the Frost Giants (loved this one)

If you want a book for younger audiences, see if you can find the children’s book Trolls by Jan Lööf

[Heather L]

For Italy:

Frances Mayes — Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy (basis for the movie)

Marina Fiorato — The Botticelli Secret,

The Glassblower of Murano, The Daughter of Siena

Katie Hickman — The Aviary Gate, The Pindar Diamond, The House at Bishopsgate

Carlo Collodi — Pinocchio

Lise Friedman — Letters to Juliet: Celebrating Shakespeare's Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love

[Nadine in NY]

Jennifer W wrote: "I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of books set in Madagascar ..."




I have Return to the Enchanted Island on my TBR. No idea if it's good, but it's short!

[Jennifer W]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of b..."

It looks promising, but my library doesn't have it.

[Karen]

Jennifer W wrote: "I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of books set in Madagas..."

When my kids were in school and had to do geography reports, we got the Lonely Planet guides to Madagascar and Antarctica. They were extremely informative and quite readable with lots of history and local info on flora and fauna, locals. I read them both myself at the time. A new edition of Madagascar was due to come out this year.

Lonely Planet Madagascar

Antarctica

[Kole]

Scotland! Let me recommend Our Divine Mischief

From the description:
A sweeping YA fantasy inspired by Scottish history and folklore, Our Divine Mischief takes readers on a journey told in three voices: a determined heroine, an outcast young man, and a wish-granting canine.

[Allison]

Hoping to get to Ireland in 2024. Any books set there that you know about??

I like to read a book for the area where I am going to travel to so I can see some sites that I am "familiar" with and read about. So, I like this prompt a lot!

[Milena]

Allison wrote: "Hoping to get to Ireland in 2024. Any books set there that you know about??

I like to read a book for the area where I am going to travel to so I can see some sites that I am "familiar" with and r..."

I am reading The Bee Sting right now. It's really long, but I like it so far.

[Nadine in NY]

Allison wrote: "Hoping to get to Ireland in 2024. Any books set there that you know about??

I like to read a book for the area where I am going to travel to so I can see some sites that I am "familiar" with and r..."


I've got 58 books on my "Ireland" shelf - I add books to this shelf if the author is Irish AND/OR if it's set in Ireland - these are primarily mysteries and picture books, but there's some other stuff, too.
Nadine's Ireland shelf

[Cathy C]

Jennifer W wrote: "I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of books set in Madagas..."

Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo

[Jennifer W]

Cathy C wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "I don't have a bucket list per se, but I do have places I've always wanted to go. A lot of them, in fact, so this this might almost be a freebie prompt for me.

Anyone know of b..."

Thanks, but also not available at the library. :/

[Jennifer W]

Allison wrote: "Hoping to get to Ireland in 2024. Any books set there that you know about??

I like to read a book for the area where I am going to travel to so I can see some sites that I am "familiar" with and r..."

I have The Good People out from the library right now, I haven't started it yet.

[Katy]

Allison wrote: "Hoping to get to Ireland in 2024. Any books set there that you know about??

I like to read a book for the area where I am going to travel to so I can see some sites that I am "familiar" with and r..."


All of Tana French's books! Start with In the Woodsor The Searcher

[Jessica]

If Seattle/Washington is on your bucket list, here's some books that (as a Washington resident) I think are great! I'm also a librarian, so you could consider these recommendations:
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter is historical fiction set in Spokane in the 1910s. It's about two brothers in the fledgling labor movement, and is vividly written and fascinating. Many of the characters in it are based on real people.

Anything from Alexandria Bellefleur is going to be a super fun contemporary queer romance (some are F/F, at least one is M/F) set in Seattle and written by someone who lives here.

Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles Cross is set primarily in Seattle and Aberdeen, and is an incredibly well-written biography.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is delightful, funny and sly, about a dissatisfied woman who goes on the run from her supposedly perfect life in Seattle. From the private schools to the blackberries, this is written with the love-hate relationship so many of us have with the city.

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs is urban fantasy set in Eastern Washington's Tri-Cities. Mercy is a mechanic who's also a coyote shifter, trying to figure out her relationship with the pack of werewolves who moved in next door, and having to deal with the supernatural beings of the area.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is set in Seattle during WW2 and touches on the Japanese-American incarceration camps of the era. We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuniga tells the true story of his grandfather in Seattle, who helped keep his incarcerated Japanese neighbors' houses and businesses safe for them while they were detained. This is also a graphic novel.

[Kayleigh]

*. tina ｡⋆୨୧˚ wrote: "if anyone has recs for Norway or Italy pls let me know!"

Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Novels (that the show My Brilliant Friend is based on) are set in Italy and she is an Italian author. :)

[Sim1]

Grand Hotel Europa

[Dea]

If you enjoy lighthearted, humorous 1930s romance-thrillers, the Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen includes a lot of fun locations. All are set at least partially in England, and some are in Scotland.

Her Royal Spyness – Scotland and London, England
A Royal Pain – London, England
Royal Flush – Scotland (near Balmorral)
Royal Blood – Transylvania/Romania
Naughty in Nice – Nice, France (French Riviera)
Heirs and Graces – England
Queen of Hearts – Reno, Nevada; Hollywood, California; Transatlantic cruise ship
Malice at the Palace – London, England
Crowned and Dangerous – Ireland
On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service – Italy
Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding – London, England
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs – Kenya
The Last Mrs. Summers – England

[Irene]

Does "set in a travel destination" mean the characters in the book should travel to that location? I'm confused by the wording - I assume without the word "travel," it would just refer to the regular setting, although I guess the word "destination" is also not synonymous with setting since it implies travel as well.

[Nadine in NY]

Irene wrote: "Does "set in a travel destination" mean the characters in the book should travel to that location? I'm confused by the wording - I assume without the word "travel," it would just refer to the regul..."

it's worded awkwardly and open to interpretation. To me it means "set in a place that you would really like to visit someday."

[Irene]

Thanks Nadine, then I'll also disregard the travel part!

[Lisa Marie]

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

[Leona]

I have been able to travel the world so only a few left on my bucket list. Maybe, a bucket list for returning to a destination?
For Scotland, I have enjoyed Paige Shelton. They are cozy mysteries and her books make me want to return to Scotland.

[K.L.]

Dee wrote: "Trip Fiction's website might be helpful here for many, many locations - https://www.tripfiction.com/find-a-book/"

This is brilliant! I'll definitely be using this site to help me select books to take with me when I travel! Thanks for sharing the link!

[Julia]

(London)

[Anna]

I'd like to go to Istanbul (Constantinople would work as well) or Beirut. Any tips?

I know Swedish literature fairly well, if someone would like to read a Swedish novel that isn't crime.

[Tania]

Anna wrote: "I'd like to go to Istanbul (Constantinople would work as well) or Beirut. Any tips?

I know Swedish literature fairly well, if someone would like to read a Swedish novel that isn't crime."

I enjoyed Istanbul Express by T. Davis Bunn, and I don't know how it is but I have Constantinopolis by James D. Shipman on my TBR.

[Tania]

Some recommendations in case anyone needs them -

India: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

Argentina: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Scotland: Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey

Bolivia: The Puma Years by Laura Coleman

Philippines: Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir by Cinelle Barnes

Canada: Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

Nicaragua: Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer

Spain: Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones

[Robin H-R]

I read:
Burke & Hare by Owen Dudley Edwards

Finished: 01/202/2024
Rating: 4 stars

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland. I've been there, but I want to go back.

[Emerson]

Anna wrote: "I'd like to go to Istanbul (ConstantinoBirds Without Wingsple would work as well) or Beirut. Any tips?

Turkey
Birds Without Wings
Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul
Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora
Istanbul: Memories and the City
The Bastard of Istanbul
Authors
Elif Shafak
Orhan Pamuk

[Denise]

I want to explore my home state, California, a lot more. I will slot here Dear California, a book of letters and diary entries from all over California so the entire book takes place here

[Ron]

If I can't fit in The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir in the Biligrosman/coming-of-age prompt, then I'll be able to work it here since it takes place in Canada. I've only been there once, but would love to go back.

[Ron]

Yikes okay, I'm going with Midnight Sun on this one here instead.

I mean as a Twilight fan, you can't help but want to go to Forks, at least I can't.

[Diana]

I don't really have a bucket list, but there are some places I wouldn't mind going to see someday. Because of that I went with Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself. It's a travel journal/memoir by Luke Russert (son of tv journalist, Tim Russert) chronicling the roughly 3 years he spent re-evaluating...well everything in his life...and traveling six continents and some 60 countries.

[Stina]

I've been to England a few times but didn't get out of London much, so I went with The Keeper of Stories.

[Kristy]

“Out of Love” by Hazel Hayes. It mainly takes place in London and Ireland, but there is a trip to Paris. Paris is not on my bucket list, but the other two are.

[Britany]

Set in Copenhagen

Finished The Harbor by Katrine Engberg

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Aquaria]

Ngaio Marsh – When in Rome

[Kristen]

Ireland

[Dubhease]

Mortal Coil - It's set in Ireland, mostly Dublin