Books to Take You Away

I don’t know if it’s just me, but in some nonsensical way February seems to be the longest month every year. The dreary weather and looming midterms have me wishing that I were anywhere other than a classroom in Chapel Hill. Unfortunately, school is considered “mandatory” and all of my friends can tell you that I’m infamous for having a perpetually low balance on my debit card, so I have to satisfy my wandering mind in an easier, more affordable way. I do this mainly by getting lost in a book because reading (along with travelling) is one of my favorite hobbies. Nothing makes me happier than reading a book whose author has done their due diligence in describing a scene or setting so well that it makes me feel like I’m in that place. To help everyone pass the rest of the cold February days and temporarily forget about that major research paper that’s coming up, I have compiled a list of 4 books to take you away from the real world.

(Photo Credit: Goodreads)

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (France)

The Alice Network not only takes you to another country, but it also takes you to another time period. This book interweaves stories from two different time periods, WWI and post-WWII, to tell the story of an English, female spy’s quest for revenge. The story is set in multiple lesser-known cities throughout France, so it’s a refreshing break from the typical Parisian backdrop. Even though this book is mainly about women, everyone would love this book. But, I’ll warn you that if you pick up The Alice Network, be prepared to cancel your plans and lose some sleep because you won’t be able to put it down.

(Photo Credit: Amazon)

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (South Carolina)

I am definitely biased because he is my favorite author and I’m a South Carolinian, but I couldn’t make a list about an impeccable book setting and not include a Pat Conroy novel. I’m recommending The Prince of Tides because it’s my favorite book that he’s written, but if you’re looking for the most beautiful, captivating descriptions of the South Carolina Lowcountry, you won’t find anything better than his books. Within the first few pages of The Prince of Tides, you will be able to taste the salt air on Sullivan’s Island and feel the rough shells of the oysters that Conroy so affectionately describes. If you’ve never been to the coast of South Carolina this book will make you feel like you have; and if you have been, it will make you want to go back immediately.

(Photo Credit: Goodreads)

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (Paris)

A Moveable Feast is an extremely well known, extensively reviewed Classic, so I may not be giving anyone a new recommendation with this book. This memoir that describes Hemingway’s life as an expatriate writer in Paris in the 1920s provides very detailed accounts of the cafés he frequented, the bars he loved, and people he met. When I first read A Moveable Feast, my inner literary nerd freaked because I learned that Hemingway briefly lived on the Rue Notre Dame des Champs. This was special to me because the school that I attended when I studied abroad in Paris, Le Collège Stanislas, is on this same street. Therefore, if you’ve ever been to Paris it’s highly likely that you’ll recognize or connect with one of the places mentioned in Hemingway’s “love letter” to City of Lights.

(Photo Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing)

The Improbability of Love (London) by Hannah Rothschild

One of my favorite cities in the world is London, and The Improbability of Love is a lighthearted, fun novel that constantly makes references to different streets, landmarks, and areas around London. This book is centered on a fictional Rococo painting, so Rothschild interweaves some of London’s famous galleries and museums, like the Wallace Collection and the National Gallery, into the story. If you’re at all interested in London or its art culture, you will definitely want to get lost in this romantic, feel-good novel.

Although these books may not be able to substitute a real vacation, they can act as the next best thing. Happy reading!

xx