While I’ve got plenty of travel plans, for the next 12 year, the start of the new year sees me staying fairly close to home for the first couple of months. But although I won’t be going far geographically, that doesn’t mean I won’t be travelling in my mind, thanks to my reading obsession. I’ve always been a fast reader – checking my Kindle shows I got through 63 books over the last year, and that’s just the electronic ones. And although I’ll read all sorts of things, there are always a few travel-related choices in there, whether it’s a novel set in a place I’ve visited, a Lonely Planet guide to my next destination, or the story of an epic journey. So I thought I’d start an occasional new series where I share some of my favourite recent travel reads – and do let me know some of yours too so I can add them to my reading list.
More travel book recommendations: Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

Hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail – photo credit Miguel Vieira on Flickr
There are two types of travel book I’m drawn to – ones about destinations I loved or want to visit, and those about crazy true-life adventures that I have no intention of ever doing myself. Sitting well and truly in the second camp is Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed. After her mother died and her marriage broke down, Cheryl took on a 1100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert to Washington State. She’d never done a long-distance hike before and did it solo. The book tells how she faces her demons and pieces her life back together, all while tackling snowstorms, bears, lost toenails and a ‘Monster’ backpack. It’s one of those books that makes you want to set out on a journey of self-discovery yourself, though maybe a less energetic one for me.
Another extreme journey which I won’t be adding to my bucket list anytime soon but loved reading about was Love With a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche. Despite being a fellow seasick-prone worrier with a phobia of deep water, Torre (who’s also a travel blogger at Fearful Adventurer) abandons her city life to sail across the Pacific from America to Australia in a tiny two-person sailing boat. It’s a love story as well as an adventure, as the reason she does it is her sailing-obsessed Argentinian boyfriend. The book takes you to some beautiful places (I’m still dreaming about Pacific Island beaches) and manages to be a funny and entertaining read while dealing with big themes like facing your fears and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone when you’ve found something precious you can’t bear to lose.

Torre’s boat, the Amazing Grace, in the Cook Islands – photo credit Torre DeRoche
Over the last year I’ve been taking part in the Travel Book Club on Twitter, where each month a group of us read a travel-related book and then discuss it on Twitter (see #travelbookclub for more details). Love with a Chance of Drowning was one our choices for last year, as well as another recent favourite – The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi. Set in India, the book is a cross-cultural love story between Indian Babo and Welsh Siân. It shows how both characters adapt to the alien environments of each other’s countries, and make a life for themselves as a couple. After reading a few books that showed the harder, brutal side of Indian life (like Shantaram and The White Tiger), it was nice to see a more positive view.
A bit closer to home, a few years ago I did the Caledonian Sleeper train from London to Edinburgh and have been wanting to do the UK’s other sleeper service – between London and Cornwall – ever since. So when I heard about a mystery novel set on the train it was a must-read. The Sleeper by Emily Barr tells the story of two commuters on the train who strike up a relationship, despite both being married. But before they get their happy ending, one night’s journey ends with one of them dead and the other missing. It’s an interesting premise and will keep you guessing as to what happened. As well as being set in Falmouth in Cornwall there’s also a bonus destination with a section set in Thailand too.

Beautiful Cornish scenery in St Ives
Straddling the line between fact and fiction is New York by Edward Rutherfurd. One of a series on different cities around the world, he writes epic 1000-word-plus novels (good value for the fast reader!) which mix up actual historical events with the story of different generations of a fictional family. His New York book is my favourite (though I am looking forward to reading the latest one on Paris) and takes you through almost 400 years of the city’s history, from the early Dutch settlers up to 9/11. If you’ve been to New York you’ll recognise a lot of the locations and it’s fascinating to find out how places got their names and why things are where they are, and I got a lot of ideas of things to see on my next visit there.
Another book full of useful city details is Walk the Lines by Mark Mason – definitely one of those ‘I never knew that’ books where you keep quoting facts to anyone who happens to be nearby. Author and Londoner Mark Mason sets out to walk the route of each of London’s Tube lines overground and each chapter follows a different line. Despite having lived in London for ten years I learnt more reading this than I ever did living there, recognising a lot of the places I knew and getting to know the parts I didn’t. I loved his idea that anyone who has ever lived in London (or even just visited) can trace their own ‘Tube line’ through memorable places they lived, worked, visited or even just had a great night out in.

London Underground lines criss-crossing the city
So those are my recent favourite travel reads, but what are yours?
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Disclaimer: I’m an Amazon affiliate so if you buy anything using the links above I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you, to help with my heavy reading habit – thanks.
82 Comments
TripFiction
January 8, 2014 at 12:44 pmHi – was so pleased to read your choices, you read such a lot last year (and of course we are thrilled that you enjoy books that evoke location!!)! Wild apparently was one of Barack Obama’s picks for Christmas. And from your picks we have added Walk the Lines and The Travel Seekers…
Last year we really enjoyed reading The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne for Morocco; and Fallen Lane by Patrick Flanery for the Midwest….
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:50 pmThat’s great. I’m planning on visiting Morocco next year so will look out The Forgiven before I go and will see what else I can find on your site, should keep me going for a while!
Browsing the Atlas
January 8, 2014 at 12:51 pmI’m always looking for good book reco’s. thanks for these!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:51 pmYou’re welcome, I get through so many books I hoped it’d be helpful to highlight some of the best!
Ardun Ward
January 8, 2014 at 1:03 pmGood idea Lucy, I’m always keen to find another good travel read out there. I think this could be a good edition to your blog. 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:52 pmThanks Ardun, I’ve already got some great recommendations for the next edition so will try to do one every few months.
Kerry Ascione
January 8, 2014 at 1:47 pmA great book for anyone who loves ancient architecture and especially ancient Cathedrals is Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth, a historical novel about the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England. It’s an epic work and a fantastic read. It is also the first of a trilogy.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:53 pmThanks for the tip, it sounds really interesting so will check it out, I really like historical novels.
alexandrarobertshaw
January 8, 2014 at 2:46 pmReblogged this on Another Door Open.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:52 pmThanks for reblogging!
Josh
January 8, 2014 at 3:10 pmPinned! Thanks Lucy I’ve been hoping someone would post about this. I love travel novels but I must confess I am terrible at finding them. I’ve heard of a couple you’ve mentioned here, and I’ve read White Tiger – one of my favourites. I’d recommend The Mango Orchard by Robin Bayley. It’s a wonderful tracking-family-roots-type journey that takes place in Mexico.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:55 pmYou’re welcome! I usually have a list of good books to recommend to friends as they all know me as a speedy reader, so thought why not share them! The Mango Orchard sounds great so will definitely check that out for next time.
Culture Chameleon
January 8, 2014 at 3:38 pmNothing better than to be well-traveled, and well-read.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 8, 2014 at 3:52 pmVery true!
holidayaddict
January 8, 2014 at 6:33 pmSome fab suggestions – I’ve been looking for some new reading material! I really like the sound of The Sleeper. Intriguing indeed…
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:23 pmI really enjoyed the Sleeper, especially the bits about the train journey, reminded me of Strangers on a Train or Murder on the Orient Express (except a bit more modern!).
donzwebb
January 8, 2014 at 6:38 pmHappy Wednesday, Lucy! I’m soooooo impressed that you got through 63 books last year! Thanks for the recommendations. This is the perfect series for your blog.:) I’m currently reading The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett and Amanda Pressner. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you really should!: http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:24 pmThanks so much! Yes I am definitely a fast reader, so glad to have invested in a Kindle as it makes things a lot easier. I haven’t read The Lost Girls book yet though do read their blog, so will add that to the list, thanks.
donzwebb
January 9, 2014 at 5:23 pmYou’re welcome, Lucy!
curioustourist13
January 8, 2014 at 6:57 pmGreat recommendations to add to my growing list of “must-reads.”
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:24 pmSo many great books out there that list can get out of hand!
Dreamy Travels
January 8, 2014 at 6:57 pmThank you, Lucy for your book recommendations! I’m always on the lookout for great new books to come with on my long trips… I.LOVE. YOUR.BLOG!! 😀
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:25 pmThanks so much – hope the recommendations come in useful and do let me know if you come across any other great reads.
Dreamy Travels
January 9, 2014 at 1:48 pmThanks Lucy! I definitely will…Actually, for those like myself that have been immersed in Asian culture, or planning to, Lost on Planet China , by Marteen Troust is one of my faves…I’ve read it several times. It’s so very funny and entertaining but super informative as well…Enjoy!!! 🙂
Dreamy Travels
March 20, 2014 at 5:31 pmWill do!!! And I’m sure they will, Lucy 😀
shutterbugshea
January 8, 2014 at 10:29 pmHi…thanks for the suggestions! I suppose all of us gypsies are on the look out for out next adventure !
Happy New Year to you.!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:25 pmHappy New Year to you too, hope you have a great one!
atravelingb
January 9, 2014 at 12:19 amSome great suggestions! Thanks so much for sharing, I love adding books to my list that come well recommended. Wild is already on my list and sounds incredibly interesting, but Edward Rutherfurd’s books are definitely ones I will be looking into – especially before my next New York and Paris trips!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:26 pmThanks, I’m really looking forward to reading Edward Rutherfurd’s book on Paris too, love the city and it’ll be interesting to learn a bit more about it.
lucinda032
January 9, 2014 at 12:58 amI can’t think of many “travel books” that I’ve read, However, for inspiring me to travel, nothing has ever made me want to visit Italy or Bali more than Eat Pray Love. I spent the entire Italy section hungry! I also read James A Michener’s “The Drifters” when I was 18, and it made me want to see the world – and run with the bulls in Pamplona! It’s a great book too. The Da Vinci Code also had me researching Euorpe tours to see the artworks and landmarks (haven’t made it there yet though).
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:27 pmIt’s true that a travel book doesn’t have to be about travel, sometimes it’s the setting that shines through the story too!
Kritt Normsaskul
January 9, 2014 at 7:57 amThank you so much Lucy for the book recommendations 😀 Your recommendations couldn’t come at a better time for me – I am in Thailand right now!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 12:28 pmFantastic, hope that it comes in useful and have a great trip!
bevchen
January 9, 2014 at 3:22 pmOooh, I like the sound of The Sleeper. There’s another book added to the never-ending list… 😀
I bought my boyfriend a book called “On The Map” for Christmas. It’s all about maps through the ages, and how they developed from the first ones that were basically guess work to the world map we have now. It looks absolutely fascinating. I can’t wait for him to finish reading so I can borrow it!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 9, 2014 at 4:16 pmMy husband bought me ‘On the Map’ for Christmas too – you’ve obviously got the same good taste in books! I did a geography degree to soon so have always loved maps, so can’t wait to read it next.
tesorotreasures
January 10, 2014 at 3:36 amWow, thanks so much for all these great recommendations! I am always looking for good travel related books! I especially like ones that tell a story or historical fiction. I’ve learned so much from these so-called “fiction” books as I’m sure there’s a lot of research that goes into writing one. One that stands out in my mind is “Leonardo’s Swans” by Karen Essex. Even though it’s setting is Renaissance Milan, I found that it acted as a mini guide book for me when I was visiting. I wrote about it on an old blog of mine if you’re interested: http://tesorotreasures.blogspot.com/2009/09/historical-fiction-novels-and-real-life.html.
The other fiction book that acted as a guide book was the ever popular Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. We carried it around Rome with us and it was fun locating the places in the book 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
January 10, 2014 at 7:19 pmThat’s so true that it doesn’t have to be a travel book per se to inspire you or teach you about a destination – there are so many places that I’ve read about and then wanted to visit. It’s interesting to find out about the history of a place too, will look out Leonardo’s Swans if I make it out to Milan sometime!
wigginswordsandimages
January 10, 2014 at 4:18 amSince you have traveled in the U.S. southwest, you might like Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. It’s not strictly travel, more an appreciation of that part of the land, and beautifully written. (BTW, I thought Pillars of the Earth was a potboiler, a brick, and mostly a waste of time, so there you go. Be advised, anyway. And I love English cathedrals!)
Lucy Dodsworth
January 10, 2014 at 7:17 pmThanks for the tip on Desert Solitaire, I loved the southwest’s landscapes so will definitely look that one out!
Maddie
January 10, 2014 at 3:14 pmSome great suggestions here, I read the top two when travelling last year and loved them both! Intrigued by the Sleeper and also the New York book, added to the list 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
January 10, 2014 at 7:17 pmI’ve got a huge list to start on now so need a few long journeys to get through them all!
beautiful industry
January 11, 2014 at 3:30 amThank you for sharing these books. I made a resolution to read more this year. In the good days, I could as much as you. This year I building back up by making a goal of 12. Hopefully, I supersede those numbers. I am also checking out this twitter club.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 11, 2014 at 3:27 pmOne a month is definitely a good start! I tend to go weeks without reading at all and then get through about five books in a week when I’m travelling a lot, but must try and make more time for reading throughout the year. Do come join the Twitter Book Club too, would be great to have you on board!
frugalfirstclasstravel
January 11, 2014 at 6:46 amI’m currently reading (shamefully for the first time) On The Road. If you are looking for something in the literary travel style, I can recommend ‘Questions of Travel’ by Michelle de Kretser, an Australian author. It is set in Sydney, London and Sri Lanka. Very complex and modern.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 11, 2014 at 3:28 pmThat sounds interesting, will look it out. I remember reading On the Road somewhere on a beach in Asia when I did my RTW trip, still got lots of classics I need to get around to reading though too.
thegrownupgapyear
January 11, 2014 at 1:36 pmGreat list Lucy, that’s just added a few more books to mine! So pleased to have you as a member of #travelbookclub. I love our monthly chats and always look forward to them:)
Lucy Dodsworth
January 11, 2014 at 3:30 pmMe too, it’s been great to get to know you all! I’ve already got this month’s book too so no excuse to be late finishing it this time!
jpilkington09
January 11, 2014 at 10:14 pmWalk the Lines sounds great – I’ve always been interested in the history of the tube and loved the recent episode of Sherlock involving the Underground. Think I will be spending some pennies on Amazon shortly…
Lucy Dodsworth
January 12, 2014 at 12:48 pmLove that episode too (and random fact, the restaurant where Sherlock revealed he was alive to Watson is just down the road from me in Cheltenham and is where I got married!) – would be fascinating to go and see one of the ‘ghost’ stations, apparently there are very occasionally tours around the Aldwych one.
jpilkington09
January 12, 2014 at 1:24 pmAmazing! What a claim to fame, best I can do is meeting Konnie Huq haha. I would absolutely love to tour one! Think it could be a great tourism draw card.
lucykpickering
January 13, 2014 at 4:03 amGreat post Lucy – I’ve just downloaded The Sleeper and looked up #travelbookclub on your recommendation. Really enjoyed having more time to read since I’ve been away. My highlight so far has been Joe Bennett’s A Land of Two Halves about a journey hitchhiking around NZ. Its written with dry humour and cynicism – a world away from travel guides!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 14, 2014 at 1:56 pmGreat, look forward to seeing you (on Twitter anyway!) at the next #travelbookclub. A Land of Two Halves sounds good too, sure it’ll bring back lots of good memories from my travels around New Zealand.
Suzanne Courtney
January 13, 2014 at 5:44 pmSome excellent suggestions – really like the sound of The Sleeper which I’ll buy for my Kindle. Will try and join #travelbookclub for March – will be away for the Feb chat in Iceland and have just bought “Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland” by Sarah Moss to get in the mood!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 14, 2014 at 1:58 pmSounds like a good plan – I’ll have to start looking out books to match my next trips too!
Alexandra
January 15, 2014 at 6:21 amlooking forward to checking out some of your recommendations. Shantaram was one of my personal favorites.. I’d love anything along those lines. Thanks!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 15, 2014 at 12:39 pmI was totally gripped by Shantaram too (so much so I wrote a whole post about it – https://www.ontheluce.com/2012/11/16/my-on-the-road-reading-moment/) – such an amazing story! Hope you enjoy some of the other suggestions, and let me know if you come across any great books I should read.
Too Mutch For Words
January 16, 2014 at 11:31 amThanks for the recommendations – I always love adding new reads to my list, and will be sure to check these out : )
Lucy Dodsworth
January 17, 2014 at 10:06 pmGreat, hope you enjoy them, and if you come across any other good travel books do let me know!
Aggy
January 17, 2014 at 3:47 pmThanks for adding more books to my list 🙂
I absolutely love books, especially those connected to travelling. My favourite reads so far are Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Alchemist
Lucy Dodsworth
January 17, 2014 at 10:01 pmThanks, I actually have a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns on my shelf I’ve been meaning to read for a while, that might have to be my next book!
alongourway
January 17, 2014 at 7:38 pmGreat post! I just bought Wild for my kindle and I can’t wait to read it. Such a huge undertaking going solo like that, I only hope I could do the same someday.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 17, 2014 at 10:03 pmIt was an incredible journey – a bit too much for me, but after reading the book I was definitely keen to do a bit of a smaller scale solo journey like that to test myself.
Will Castillo
January 17, 2014 at 9:10 pmI’m really interested in reading Edward Rutherfurd’s book on Paris. Are any of these books available on Kindle?
Lucy Dodsworth
January 17, 2014 at 10:05 pmAll the books are available on the Kindle – Edward Rutherfurd’s Paris book is recently out so only hardback or Kindle at the moment. I’ve just downloaded it so can’t wait to get started, though am hopefully going out to Paris later this spring so should maybe wait til I’m there!
restlessjo
January 17, 2014 at 11:20 pmThe Edward Rutherford books sound fascinating, Lucy. I’ll look out for him 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
January 18, 2014 at 2:16 pmHe has written a few of them I think, with ones on Dublin, the New Forest and Russia as well as the one’s I’ve read. They’re quite the doorsteps at 1000 pages plus but really fascinating, I’m looking forward to reading the Paris one next.
Cathy Sweeney
January 19, 2014 at 6:10 amI love these recommendations. I was always a big reader, but lately I just haven’t had the time. But you’ve got me inspired to make the time. I might start with The Sleeper. It would be fun to read about Torre’s adventure, too. I know that’s something I’m just not going to do myself– ever!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 22, 2014 at 12:04 pmIt can be hard to fit in reading when you feel like you should be doing something more ‘productive’ isn’t it? Long journeys are definitely my best reading times. I loved Torre’s book so hope you enjoy it – made me really want to visit the Pacific Islands but no chance of getting me sailing there!
Pola (Jetting Around)
January 21, 2014 at 1:49 amWhat a nice collection – I am especially intrigued by the two last book picks (I have a thing for cities AND subways). And I share your love of reading – what better way to travel when you’re not actually traveling, haha. 🙂
My next book to read talks about a Canadian girl who traveled to SE Asia exploring the region and learning more about herself. I like the sound of that.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 22, 2014 at 12:05 pmExactly, it’s the nearest you can get to travelling without leaving home! Your next book sounds good, I love reading about SW Asia after spending lots of time travelling there.
Keryn Means
January 21, 2014 at 2:05 amOh how I love a good travel tale to take me away. Oddly enough I have my own winter book list coming out tomorrow. I can’t wait to dive into yours!
PS_ LOVE your header and background texture!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 22, 2014 at 12:48 pmLook forward to reading yours too, I have almost emptied my Kindle so am in desperate need of some books to top it up with!
Monica Suma
January 22, 2014 at 1:30 amWow, what a list. I was recently asked what my favorite travel reads were and for a moment there, I couldn’t name one. There are so many good ones, and you just proved the same! Thanks for sharing this. PS – I also love your header, the texture, the subtleness, the pastel colors.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 22, 2014 at 12:50 pmThanks Monica, I’m always tweaking with the blog design but always stick with these colours! Yes it can be hard to describe what makes a ‘travel’ book, so I have gone for a mixture, some of which are more fiction than travel but are really evocative of a place so that’s near enough for me!
Arianwen
January 25, 2014 at 7:07 amI’m always on the look out for a good book so thanks for sharing these! I think I need to give Walk the Line a go. It sounds like a really interesting take on a place I lived for over 7 years, and I always enjoy reading about places I’ve been to and see how others view them. Thanks so much for sharing!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 25, 2014 at 5:35 pmWalk the Lines is fab if you’ve lived in London – if you’re anything like me then there’s huge patches of the city you’ve never been to and know nothing about, so I feel like I know London way better than I did when I was living there!
rbrazill
January 29, 2014 at 10:41 amGreat choices…always good to have a good list of books on the kindle ready to go. I love Shantaram so will definitely give The Pleasure Seekers a go. I always find it interesting to read books on the history of a country but after I’ve been there as then I always feel so much more connected and seems more real but my opinion of the country hasn’t been affected before I get there. I’m new to your blog and love it!
Lucy Dodsworth
January 30, 2014 at 12:49 pmThanks so much, and hope you enjoy The Pleasure Seekers. Good point about reading about a country before you go there affecting your perceptions of it – it’s interesting to compare what it felt like on the page to how it does in real life!
rbrazill
January 31, 2014 at 1:16 amYeah definitely…though you also then end up with the other problem if you don’t read up on anything you might miss something awesome! Such travel dilemma’s!
anneharrison
February 2, 2014 at 7:30 amI’ve always liked travel books which give a sense of history – or history books which inspire travel. John Julius Norwich falls into the later for anyone who loves Venice / mediterranean. Thanks for recommending Edward Rutherfurd, I look forward to reading him
Lucy Dodsworth
February 3, 2014 at 6:37 pmThanks for the tip on John Julius Norwich, his books sound really interesting, I will definitely look them out. Hope you enjoy Edward Rutherfurd!
Steph
October 24, 2014 at 4:26 pmHave to read ‘Walk the Lines!’ Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is a great read and I was recommended by someone to read ‘Are you Experienced’ by William Sutcliffe all about backpacking.