10 BOOKS TO TRAVEL FROM YOUR SOFA

What we are in uncertain times is well known to all. Many of us, that we are not used to staying in one place for a long time, we long for that sense of adventure and that drip of adrenaline that comes with venturing into the unknown.

But we still have a way to experience traveling to faraway places and enjoying different cultures, of walking the trails of the English countryside, or to venture on a journey through India from the comfort of our homes: through the books. Reading has always been one of the best ways to escape reality and a source of inspiration., and it can also help us see life from a different perspective.

So I won't get involved anymore and here I leave you a detailed list with 10 books to travel from your sofa, So I won't get involved anymore and here I leave you a detailed list with (Or weeks depending on how fast you read!).

Funeral rites – Hannah Kent (Iceland)

A heartbreaking story about mortality and existence, Burial Rites unfolds within the dramatic landscape of Iceland, where Agnes is sent to a rural and isolated farm while waiting for her next execution. After murdering his teacher, Agnes is avoided at first by her host family, so he turns to a priest named Tóti for spiritual guidance.

With its rugged terrain and extreme weather, rural Iceland seems like the perfect setting for a murder novel with a slightly poetic twist; Iceland's nature seems to throb alive, from its spitting geysers to its throwing volcanoes. The desert of this near Arctic country seems almost like another world and will make readers dream of secluded walks and extremely beautiful road trips through the surroundings of Iceland.

Night train to Lisbon – Pascal Mercier (Lisboa, Portugal)

Introvert Raimund Gregorius is a Latin teacher at a high school in Switzerland, who still mourns the remains of her failed marriage, when he meets a beautiful Portuguese woman on a bridge that will change the course of his life forever. Overnight, Gregorius packs up his life in Switzerland and gets on a night train to Lisbon, guided by the writing of the author Amadeu de Prato.

The night train to Lisbon will leave readers madly in love with the Portuguese capital, with its steep and twisted streets, its noisy yellow trams and its sparkling river. As Gregorius follows in the footsteps of his esteemed writer (fictional), roam the different areas of Lisbon, discovering both himself and the city.

Kafka on the shore – Haruki Murakami (Japan)

Kafka on the Shore tells the parallel stories of an old man named Nakata and a fifteen-year-old fugitive named Kafka., living in the Japanese city of Takamatsu. In the typical Murakami style, both characters are quirky and intricate, intertwined with elements of the supernatural, which may or may not have something to do with the large number of talking cats featured throughout the book.

A celebration and reflection of Japanese culture, particularly from the religious traditions of Japan, both Kafka and Nakata try to navigate life in the city in their own way, leaving readers desperate to explore the culture that is so well captured in this book.

In the Antipodes – Bryson Bill (Australia)

If you want a fun book about what it's like to travel around Australia, this is definitely for you. Bill Bryson writes about the fascinating history of Australia along with misadventures and funny moments that will make you laugh out loud. So I won't get involved anymore and here I leave you a detailed list with, but it is a must read if you plan to travel there or are interested in learning more about this country.

Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts (India)

An escaped Australian convict named Lin takes refuge in India and seeks love while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums while also working for the Bombay mob.

It is one of the best written novels I have read and takes you directly into an incredible story full of love, beauty, treason, brutality and compassion. The book has been criticized for being more fiction than fact, However, I still recommend it as a great travel book. It's incredibly entertaining and exhilarating both ways.

So little life – Only Yanagihara (NY, EE. UU.)

A novel mainly about people, human relations and love, with 800 pages of pure emotion, that can be easily read even in a single day. Willem, Jude, JB and Malcolm are four college friends who move to New York after graduation: the story follows the twists and turns of their lives as they navigate their existence within the city.

The city described in the novel is real, raw and rough, and its robustness makes it even more attractive.

Harold Fry's unusual evergreen – Rachel Joyce (England)

When Harold Fry retires he receives a letter from a lost friend, telling him he doesn't have much time left to live, this typically english man embarks on a completely unexpected journey. Starting from his picturesque little house on the south coast of England, Harold travels across the country, traverse some of the UK's most stunning landscapes and traverse charming towns and villages.

For anyone looking for a breath of fresh air, Harold Fry's improbable pilgrimage shows the beauty of the English countryside and shows that leaving your comfort zone can completely change your life and perspective.

Call me by your name – Andre Aciman (Italy)

With the impressive backdrop of the Italian Riviera during the decade of 1980, this novel is predominantly a love story, who explores the burgeoning romance between a teenager and his father's summer assistant.

With an incredibly picturesque Italian villa, with spacious grounds and elegant furniture, the landscape of this novel is almost as exciting as the story itself; In the sleepy squares of rural northern Italy, old men gather around tables in local bars, fountains drip into the distance.

The romance between Elio and Oliver, which lasts only a couple of months, will change both men forever, and will also leave readers dreaming of lazy summers in the Italian countryside.

A tour of the Hindu Kush – Eric Newby (Afghanistan)

After 10 years working in haute couture, Eric Newby decided to invite his friend Hugh Carless to join him on a hiking trip to Afghanistan.. No previous experience as a mountaineer, sets out to conquer the formidable peak Mir Samir, and enters the Nuristan, thus visiting places that few readers will ever have the opportunity to know except for this book, one of the great modern classics of the travel book.

So I won't get involved anymore and here I leave you a detailed list with.

The island – Victoria Hislop (Chalk, Greece)

A story spanning four generations, The Island is based on the infamous Spinalonga Island, in Crete: the ancient leper colony of Greece. Alexis travels from her London home to this northeast part of the Cretan coast, hoping to uncover details of her mother's past, but instead he came across a dark secret about his great-grandmother and his family.

Located in the charming fishing village of Plaka, who is in front of Spinalonga, This book is a perfect representation of Cretan life and the way tradition has been maintained throughout the years.. Expect bright blue seas, endless beaches and sleepy Greek villages, bathed in sunlight.

 

Have you read any of these 10 books to travel from your sofa?, What do you think?
If you have any other suggestion I would love to share it with me in the comments to add it to the list of my next readings!

 

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