Want to get immersed in your next destination in a different way? When you’ve planned a trip, check out the list of destinations below and pack one of these books in your case, writes Emma Killick.
Afghanistan – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. A wonderful story about friendship, class, courage and culture, set in 1970s Afghanistan. The movie has been favourably reviewed, but the book is worth reading because it is sweetly and eloquently written and very moving.
Barcelona – Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. A mystery and thriller set in post Civil War Spain. It begins by being told from the perspective of a little boy and follows his life-long adventures arising from his possession of a forgotten book.
Carcassonne – Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. A novel that flips between the present day and the thirteenth century, exploring the Cathars and the history of this beautiful medieval town in Southern France. If you are sick of Grail-type books, though, I’d give this one a miss.
Crete (Spinalonga) – The Island by Victoria Hislop. Featuring the former leper colony off the north coast of Crete (which you can now visit), this is definitely the light-reading version of a Cretan history. If you want oodles of details, you won’t find them here, but it is perfect if you want to read something while you are snacking on tzatziki.
Easter Island – Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes. Two stories told by two women from different eras; one a wife who accompanies her husband on an expedition to Easter Island just before the Great War and the other a scientist in the 1970s studying the ecosystem. This book doesn’t possess the prosaic excellence of some of the others on the list, but it is an enjoyable read and it has some good information about the Moai, the island’s history, and theories about how the ecosystem has been all but destroyed.
Florence –Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King. Some might say this book’s a little dry, but I think it is fascinating, about the building of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore (the big one on all the postcards). The building was designed and nearly finished in the 1300s, but by the 1400s the dome still wasn’t built because no one knew how. A competition was held and Brunelleschi, a goldsmith, won. This little jewel also provides a detailed backdrop of the time – with all the superstitions, wars, and rivalries of the era.
Guernsey – Lying with the Enemy by Tim Binding. Historical fictional account of the German occupied island during World War II and how the lives of the locals and the occupiers became intertwined.
Hungary – The Book of Fathers by Miklos Vamos. Beginning in 1700 and winding its way toward the present, this novel traces the story of one family through multiple generations. Each eldest son passes down both a magical book and a special gift to the next eldest son of each generation, who each write their histories in The Book of Fathers. Quite devastating at times, it provides an understanding of the Magyars and the horrendous fate that has plagued them over the years – in fact centuries. It’ll make you want to hug any Hungarian you see!
London (the Tower of London in particular) – The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. This is a fictional account, written within strict historical parameters, about the young princes confined to the Tower of London who allegedly were murdered by Richard the III. Weir manages to bring historical accounts to life better than just about anyone else.
Madrid – Winter In Madrid by C. J. Sansom. I thought it owed a lot to Shadow of the Wind when I saw the cover, but this book isn’t riding on Zafon’s coat-tails. Set during the Spanish Civil War, this thriller and love triangle story has a Graham Greene flavor to it (war plus love).
Napa Valley, California – Sideways by Rex Pickett. As usual, while the movie is very good, the book is even better. The book is funnier with punchy lines and is far more detailed about the Napa Valley and the qualities of different wines, so take this with you if you are doing a driving tour of the area.
The Netherlands (Amsterdam and Haarlem) – Tulipomania by Mike Dash and Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach. The latter is similar to the former, with a big chunk of Barbara Cartland thrown in. Both have educational value, but if you want to read just one, pick Tulipomania for its fascinating telling of the amazing history of the tulip. From the time tulips were first transported to Europe from Turkey in the 1600s, to the astronomical prices charged for bulbs (a single bulb could cost more than a house), to the almost inevitable crash of the market for tulips, this book will make you look at tulips differently. The pictures of the most valuable tulips are fascinating, and have made me pause whenever I see tulips in a garden, in case there’s a Semper Augustus in there somewhere . . .
St. Petersberg – Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie. A brilliant, heart-wrenching book about the last tzar of Russia and his family. This is beautifully crafted historical fiction, providing great swathes of historical detail that manages to transport you to early twentieth-century Russia.
South Africa – Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. This is an inspiring tear-jerker following Peekay’s journey through life as well as a revealing book about the cultural attitudes and realities in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s (the Boers, the mixing of races, the treatment of black South Africans, and the influence of Hitler). Peekay’s solitude, abandonment, and survival skills, teamed with nurturing by unexpected friends, makes for a real page-turner.
