I remember a distinctively adolescent moan I once had at my parents, complaining that we never went anywhere exciting for family holidays. The (very reasonable) response was that this would have been wasted on me anyway as I spend all of every such holiday with my head in a book. It was a fair point.
Fortunately, I’ve recently found the perfect way to legitimately enjoy my books on holiday. I call it location reading – picking your literature in order to fit in with where you’ve gone. Below is my wish list for holiday reading, though, in the interests of honesty, I should confess that I haven’t actually managed all (or even most) of the experiences listed below. Still, the list is ready and waiting for when I plan my next trip!
Dublin Florence Australia Canada Paris
Prague Botswana South Korea India DRC
Bath Rye Cornwall Lake District Cambridge
Of course, all of this is really procrastination because, instead of dreaming about future holidays, I’m really supposed to be organising myself so I can leave for New York in a few days. Fortunately, Nicola at LiteraryRamblings has been helping me with my massive NYC book list!
Shoshi's Book Blog 
Good selection!
I read Dubliners a long time ago and enjoy it very much.
I haven’t actually read it in Dublin – but I do fully intend to at some point!
Wow! What a selection. I am feeling jealous.
Well … so far I’ve only read ‘Room with a View’ and ‘Therese Raquin’ in location – the others are all aspirational holiday plans …
I would recommend Atwood’s Surfacing if you’ve read and enjoyed Atwood before, but it is an odd, surreal read. Nice piece!
Thank you! ‘Surfacing’ really is wonderful, and it is beautifully imbued with a sense of place, though of course I could have said the same about any of Atwood’s books. At some point I’d also like to read ‘The Robber Bride’ in Toronto…
Very much so – it’s not her best, but it’s a very interesting and beautifully composed novel. Still meaning to get round to The Robber Bride. I’ve read a fair amount of Atwood but her oeuvre is intimidating in its length!
It’s true, her books are getting longer. Personally I’m happy knowing that there are still some books by here waiting for me (which is how I like to interpret the fact that I re-read her old books more than discovering her the new ones)
I am a complete sucker for books on location. If you’re at all interested in crime fiction, I’ve got a few suggestions here for typical holiday locations:
http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2013/07/summercrime-holiday-reads-for-2013/
Thank you for the link – so many great holiday reads!
Such an interesting selection! I really enjoyed Seth’s A Suitable Boy – his prose is lyrical, almost poetic in style.
I found A Suitable Boy such a joy, I didn’t know what to expect (other than a very very long book) and then the writing was so fluid and readable. Never read it in India though…
I’m not a hugely enthusiastic traveller so I’d just stay home, read the books and pretend! Like visiting the places without the airport delays… 😉 Great list, though – making a list is nearly as much fun as having a holiday anyway!
It’s armchair travelling at its best, especially as I know I’m not going to get to all of the fantastic locations I read about.
I’m very much an armchair traveller, and that looks like a fabulous itinerary. Though, as a Cornishwoman I have to say that we have more interesting ways to visit that Jamaica Inn:
http://shinynewbooks.co.uk/bookbuzz02/reading-cornwall/
What a great link! Thank you for sharing and I stand duly corrected
Great list! I have moved around a great many times so also like reading books that remind of places that I once loved and can’t get back to easily. Mapp and Lucia there remind me of a few years of my childhood in Sussex, the Brontes take me back to Yorkshire, etc 🙂
The Brontes! Of course! I really want to do a Bronte weekend up in Yorkshire some time soon in order to read parts of the novels out on the moors
I really love your location reading checklist!!! Food for thought, as always. Safe travels and look forward to hearing all about your reads on location while you are on holiday, etc x
Thank you, and thank you again for the fantastic NY book list and literary holiday tips!