Five Happy Things
Stories that Take You Places
We had water damage in our place over the holidays and, finally, had our floors replaced last week. That involved moving ALL of our books - a huge task! But this weekend we got to put them back and that was so much fun. Laying hands on every single title, one thing that struck me was how much I love to travel by book. I love a book that really gives me a strong sense of place!
To be clear, these are not all books that make me want to go to that place in real life. 😂
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves - I was introduced to the Shetland series by the TV show, and now I love the books. Shetland is one of the places I definitely want to visit some day - but probably not in winter. 😂 (Bookshop link, Amazon link)
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys - This is set in 1989 Romania, a place (and time) I definitely don’t want to visit. But Ruta’s description of the horrors of life under Nicolae Ceaușescu was absolutely riveting. (Bookshop link, Amazon link)
Still Life by Louise Penny - This is the first book in the Inspector Gamache mystery series. I can’t visit Three Pines because it’s imaginary, but I can (and want to) visit similar small towns in Quebec. There’s even a website that links to real places that inspired Louise Penny. (Bookshop link, Amazon link)
A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley - This is the first book in the Detective Kubu series set in Botswana, a country I knew nothing about before I read this. Now I can’t wait to read them all! (Bookshop link, Amazon link)
The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill - I love this mystery series so much! Dr. Siri Paiboun is 72 years old and had planned to retire, but he gets appointed as the only coroner in 1978 Laos. His lab is criminally underfunded and his boss is incompetent, but Siri is incredibly funny and irreverent. (Bookshop link, Amazon link)
What about you? What books have taken you to interesting places?
You can find past newsletters with book recommendations here.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
A note about links. . .
Both the Bookshop and Amazon links are affiliate links. That means I earn a small commission if you purchase from those links, at no extra cost to you. Bookshop’s profits are shared among a large group of independent bookstores. If you have an indie bookstore in your area, please shop from them. They’re awesome!
In an effort to have fewer email providers chop my emails in half because they’re so dang long, I’ve moved my inspirations (book recommendations, favorite recipes, and awesome artists) to their own newsletter every Wednesday. Think of it as a quick way to fill your cup in the middle of the week. 🥰
If you’d rather not receive these Wednesday emails you can turn them off and still receive the regular monthly news and Friday archives.
Scroll down to where it says Notifications.
Click off the button for Five Happy Things.
Easy peasy!
I've read "I Must Betray You" and "".Both excellent reading. TY for reminding me.
There is another book called Still Life by Sarah Winman which takes place in Tuscany and London. It’s a really nice read, lots of characters.
The Poisonwood Bible and The Girl With the Louding Voice were also good reads set in Africa.
I would have more to recommend except that I read a lot on kindle and can’t remember the names of any of the books, grrr!!!