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Smiling Shelves

Top Ten Books for Readers Who Like to Armchair Travel

3/10/2015

15 Comments

 
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
I'm blessed to be able to have done a fair amount of traveling in my life. I've been to Europe ten times, and every time I go, I read like crazy beforehand. I like to know something about a place when I get there. So I have several shelves of travel narratives about Europe - and elsewhere, but it's just a fun genre to read! Here's my Top Ten list for armchair travelers like me:
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Living in a Foreign Language by Michael Tucker
A Year in the World by Frances Mayes
The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
My Heart's in the Lowlands by Liz Curtis Higgs
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In Search of England by H.V. Morton
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (Or really anything by Bill Bryson. . .)
A Walk Across France by Miles Morland
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
15 Comments
Becca @ Lost in Thought link
3/10/2015 12:19:03 am

What a great topic this week. For someone who is planning some exciting travels later this year I'm really trying to read some travel books or books about those countries. I have a ton of Bill Bryson books just waiting to be read (heard his books are amazing!) and a Year in the World looks interesting too! Great pick this week :)

Becca @ Lost in Thought
<a href="http://lostinthought-becca.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/top-ten-books-for-readers-who-like.html">My TTT!</a>

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/10/2015 01:16:52 pm

Thanks, Becca. Bill Bryson really is amazing. I hope you get a chance to read a lot of great books, and have a wonderful trip!

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Lindsay link
3/10/2015 01:55:59 am

I agree with Bill Bryson, I've read several of his travel books over the years and enjoyed them all. It's lovely to read how much you've travelled.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/10/2015 01:18:04 pm

Bryson has such a fun sense of humor. It's always good to laugh and learn at the same time! :)

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C.J. @ ebookclassics link
3/10/2015 03:40:14 am

I love this theme! So many interesting books, I'm going to check them out. Have you read any good books about Greece?

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/10/2015 01:19:07 pm

Thanks, C.J.! I actually haven't found a lot of books about Greece yet, but that's one my radar is up for. It's such a beautiful place with lots of history!

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Lisa @ Captivate Reader link
3/10/2015 08:07:24 am

Nice list of books for this week!! Here's a link to my TTT for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2015/03/top-ten-tuesday-ten-books-for-readers.html

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/10/2015 01:19:36 pm

Thanks, Lisa!

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Emily Wilson link
3/11/2015 03:12:55 am

I LOVE travel writing! This is a wonderful list! In a Sunburned Country is one of my favorites - and the book that inspired me to go to Australia last year. I love everything Bill Bryson writes. Adding In Search of England to my TBR list!

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/11/2015 01:36:59 pm

Australia is definitely on my travel list, but I think it may be awhile before I get there. I ran across In Search of England in a used bookstore, and have gradually been collecting Morton's other works. I hope you enjoy it!

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Michelle link
3/11/2015 06:36:41 am

visiting from `Top Ten Tuesday`

Interesting list.
I'm only familiar with two of the authors.

Have a great day!

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/11/2015 01:37:44 pm

Glad you stopped by, Michelle!

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Allison @ The Book Wheel link
3/13/2015 07:31:55 am

I’ve never heard of most of these books but I’m looking forward to checking them out. Thank you!

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
3/14/2015 08:38:17 am

I'm glad you enjoyed my list, Allison!

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Dina Bennett link
1/4/2016 01:28:42 pm

I agree with every book on this list. And I have to add The Places In Between by Rory Stewart. In 2013 my own travel memoir was published -- Peking to Paris: Life and Love on a Short Drive Around Half the World. I'm now working on a book of interwoven travel stories. There's not one "Top 10" or "what to see and do" in the bunch. They're my funny, sad, curious and amazing observations and misadventures on four continents. As a woman author writing for women readers I'm especially interested to know if you like travel story collections, the sort that you can return to over time without needing days to complete and which don't suffer from being put down for a month or two while you're off on your own adventures.

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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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