[Stories & Tips]

Recently I realized that the place you are in and the book you are reading are inexplicably tied together. The same way a smell or a song reminds you of a certain moment in your life, the setting in which you read the book will help form your attachment to the story, and vice versa. From this concept emerges an important principle: it is important to have just the right book to suit the place you are going. Now, sometimes the reading the right book happens by chance—it looked cool at the airport, was given to you by a friend for plane reading, etc. However sometimes you need a suggestion to help you along the way. Generally the right book has something to do with the area you are traveling in, or the mood of the book is similar to the local culture. Below is a list of books from my personal collection to complement your trip and/or just to get you pumped (warning: the list is biased towards my taste, sorry. Will come up with a better one next time).

Italy:
- Read Room With A View by E.M. Forrester. One of those rare, well-written novels that isn’t depressing. About an English girl in the 19th century who takes a trip to Italy with her chaperone, and adventure ensues.

Russia:
- Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. This book is long, but so good. And so Russian. It follows the life of Dr. Zhivago, who lived during the Russian Revolution & Russian civil war. Incredibly romantic, incredibly intense war scenes.
- Any Tolstoy. Duh.

Japan:
- The sound of waves by Yukio Mishima. I’ve never been to Japan, but this book made me want to go.

France
- If you speak French, read Le Petit Prince. To me that book is France.

The Dominican Republic
- In The Time Of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. The book is about the Mirabal sisters, who, in real life, rebelled against the awful dictator Trujillo. Not a particularly happy book, but gives very good insight to the county’s past.

Pakistan and/or Kashmir region
- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. While it reads like a hagiography, it’s very educational. I particularly enjoy the descriptions of the mountains and gorges… it makes me want to go.

England
- Seriously, read any classic literature—Dickens, Austen, Bronte, even Shakespeare—and you will immediately get a feel for the country. Travel anywhere in the countryside and you will feel like you’re in a novel.

In general
- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. Excellent book to read while traveling. A novel about love covering England, Algeria, Canada, Italy and even sometimes India. Taking place in WWII, the central characters are a nurse and a mysterious burn victim (and no, they do not become lovers). Read!
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. An excellent book about a young Spanish shepherd’s mysterious journey to find an alchemist. One of the best selling books in history.