Have Book, Will Travel

Here is a piece of advice for you. Don’t bring a real page-turner kind of book on your honeymoon. Yes, I admit that while we were enjoying the sandy beaches in Mykonos, Greece, my mind sometimes wandered elsewhere. In between seeing the larger-than-life windmills, enjoying authentic Mediterranean cuisine, and drinking copious amounts of ouzo, I was also lost in the streets of Washington, D.C. I was reading The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer.

Oh, I was right in there with those young law clerks who were fortunate enough to work next to Supreme Court Justices. I got caught up in the politics, secrets, betrayal, and mystery of it all. Who wouldn’t?

I intended to read it on the seven-hour flight to Athens. But, the book was so good that I couldn’t put it down. Thankfully my husband forgave me. In my defense, he knew who he married. 🙂 I didn’t go anywhere without a book or two in hand. Besides, we had the rest of our lives together. What can I say? I had to know how the book ended!

Over the years, books have served as my tour guides. Right now, I am reading about 1950’s Hollywood and the starlets who did everything possible to make their dreams come true. In this novel, not only do I get to explore new and exotic locations  – like film sets and mansions – but I also get to do a little time travel. It is fun to plant myself in the land of the rich and famous. The book is all glamour and grit at their very best.

And since we haven’t been able to travel due to the pandemic, the next best thing has been discovering new countries and historical periods from the comfort of my couch. Here is where I’ve been so far:

• Acapulco, Mexico in American Dirt
• Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in Big Summer
• New York City, New York in Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Food Critic
• A small town in Kentucky during the Great Depression in The Giver of Stars
• 20th century Soviet Russia in The Secrets We Kept

Where have you traveled to in your reading life? And where do you hope to go next? In the meantime, I’m going to look for a nice historical fiction novel set in the Greek Islands.