Whether you can't wait to go abroad, are mourning the end of your abroad experience, are experiencing some wanderlust, or just want to escape, there is a book that'll satisfy your travel hungry soul. I dug through my personal bookcase for some of the novels that have made me wish I was on sandier shores or higher hills. Hopefully these summer reads will transport you far from your towel or beach chair, wherever you call home.
1. "The Vacationers" by Emma Straub
Where: The Balearic island of Mallorca
Why you should read it: It's a family vacation that despite the beautiful location is anything but. It'll probably make you feel better about your own nutty family who you're sure would seem a lot easier to handle on the shores of a Spanish island.
Beach readability: I read it last summer at the beach. It's definitely a relaxed read you could enjoy with your toes in the sand.
2. "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain
Where: Paris, France
Why you should read it: For fans of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, I would argue that this is a must. The description of Paris in the 1920's will have you yearning for the famous city of lights.
Beach readability: It's not too long or too heavy of a read so you definitely could manage it, but it won't have you dreaming of other sandy shores.
3. "A Room with a View" by E.M. Forster
Where: Italy
Why you should read it: Isn't it every girl's dream to meet a beautiful boy in the Italian countryside and have him follow you home with the hope of courting you? While the plot lends itself to the time period when it was written, the romantic sentiment of falling in love in a foreign country remains.
Beach readability: It definitely isn't a conventional beach read, but it also isn't so complex that it'll be giving you a headache on vacation. It'll also make your beach companions feel inferior.
4. "The Rocks" by Peter Nichols
Where: Also Mallorca, the beautiful Spanish island in the Mediterranean
Why you should read it: Besides now having an insatiable desire to see the island after "The Vacationers," it is also exciting from the first page of the novel. I mean what's more exciting than a married couple that hasn't looked at each other in over 50 years after a traumatic incident on their honeymoon deciding suddenly to hash it out?
Beach readability: It's the perfect summer vacation read. Just remember to put it down long enough to reapply your sunblock.
5. "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obreht
Where: An unnamed Balkan country
Why you should read it: This is for the unconventional traveler, the one who doesn't mind going off the beaten path. It is a story told in the same place at different times, crossing into some mystical realism with "the deathless man."
Beach readability: Vacation is the perfect time to pick up a book you'll need to savor. However, if you're looking to relax on the beach, you might want to save this for another time this summer.
6. "French Coast" by Anita Hughes
Where: Cannes, France
Why you should read it: It's a true guilty pleasure read that indulges all of your dreams about the French Riviera. More fluff than function, it'll have you closing your eyes and picturing yourself surrounded by beautiful clothes, boys and beaches.
Beach readability: This book was made to be read on a beach.
7. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Where: Spain and Egypt
Why you should read it: Frankly, everyone should read this at some point in their life. This is one of those novels that will change your life. It'll make you want to go on new adventures. It'll also make you appreciate what you come home to.
Beach readability: Read it wherever you can appreciate it most.
8. "The Little Paris Bookshop" by Nina George
Where: Paris, France and the French countryside
Why you should read it: This book answers the question why anyone should ever read. You'll be sailing down the French countryside with Jean Perdu and his floating apothecary, wishing you could see the vast vineyards and thin Parisian streets.
Beach readability: You can definitely bring this one to the beach with you, but you might not be able to bring any other books.
Bonus: the next three books on my list
"The Book of Lost and Found" by Lucy Foley
Where: England, Paris, and Corsica
"A Paris Apartment" by Michelle Gable
Where: Paris, France
"The Light of Paris" by Eleanor Brown
Where: Paris, France
Reviews on the last three are yet to come. Happy reading, friends!
