Summer Vacation Through Books
By Lauren Grandestaff
Sometimes, a summer vacation just isn't in the cards every year. Whether you're stuck in our beloved, land-locked Missouri, or need to dream of somewhere exotic, enchanting, or other-worldly, these titles, with their places and settings as characters, will be sure to provide the escape you need.
"After Dark" by Haruki Murakami
In a city with over nine million people, anyone is bound to run into the strange and exotic wonder that is Tokyo. This short novel documents a series of encounters during the witching hours between midnight and dawn. This page-turner is gripping, mesmerizing, and interweaves time and space seamlessly. Sure to leave readers transported to Japan!
"The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
From the wild nightlife of the Left Bank in Paris to the brutally real dangers of bullfighting in Spain, this classic by Hemingway allows readers to escape to the time of anything-goes post-World War I. If you've ever longed to be an American in Paris, this novel will be sure to transport you to another time and place.
"A Room with a View" by E.M. Forster
Classic romance at its finest! Our main character, Lucy Honeychurch, falls in love while visiting the enchanting city of Florence, Italy. The relaxed and relatable writing style of Forster lends itself well some 100 years later and will have readers yearning for exciting new love in a city as captivating as Florence.
"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman
Set in the quiet English countryside of Sussex, "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" is anything but dull. After returning to his childhood home, our narrator is transported back to a time of dark forces and magic that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. This novel is full of mystery, terror and the unknown, and is perfect for those long, hot summer nights.
"The BFG" by Roald Dahl
While many of us grew up reading Roald Dahl as children, "The BFG," as well as most of Dahl's titles, is a book the whole family can enjoy. Snatched from the orphanage and bounding their way through Giant Land, Sophie and the BFG devise a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants. Readers will not only long for adventure but also a BFG of their own!
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
Even though you may have read this classic twenty years ago, picking it up again will transport you to your youthful days at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Harry and his friends make their way through their first year at Hogwarts, mysterious and dangerous secrets present themselves. Relive the excitement and wonder of Hogwarts all over again with the first book in the Harry Potter series.
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt
Many stories of the Old South can seem like fictitious tales of intrigue coupled with plots full of twists and turns. However, this story is one of nonfiction! Berendt weaves accounts of eccentric characters with an unpredictable landmark murder case in Savannah, Georgia in the early 1980s. While summertime in the South may not appeal to everyone, this book will be sure to transport you to the upper echelon of southern society.
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