4 GREAT TRAVEL BOOKS

“To travel far, there is no better ship than a book”- Emily Dickinson.

Travel and literature go together in this series of great travel books.  Today I am pleased to recommend to you four great books that I have enjoyed reading and that I hope you will like too. Ready to travel to New York, Russia, Sweden, and Japan?

 

Silk by Alessandro Baricco.

I read this book back in 2004 and the story has stayed with me all these years. Written by the popular Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, it is an intense and touching short novel to be devoured in a matter of hours. Silk evokes images of distant Japan and the silk road route.

 

Great Russian stories (I have read the Spanish publication).

Short stories and tales were one of the favorite genres of the 19th Century in Russia.  This wonderful selection features 29 essential works by Pushkin, Gógol, Turguénev, Dostoievski, Tolstói, Leskov, and Chekhov. The anthology, from Pushkin to Chekhov,  includes a rich array of themes and styles that describe the Russian life and the human condition and is a great way to learn more about the vast Russian literary tradition and its complex history. 

 

 

Smile of a Midsummer Night by Lars Gustafsson and Agneta Blomqvist.

This is a poetic personal guide to Sweden by the eminent authors Lars Gustafsson and Agneta Blomqvist. It is a loving description of the country and some Swedish traditions: “semla” sweets, Saint Lucy’s day, the Midsummer festivity and  “Fredgsmys” Fridays.

Above all, I loved the passionate defense of nature and the consideration of forests as part of the Swedish culture. A must-read book for all those traveling to this beautiful country.

 

The Red Notebook by Paul Auster.

“Because I finally believe it’s the reader who writes the book and not the writer”.

This volume brings together all the short and nonfiction stories of this best selling author based in Brooklyn, New York. My paperback copy contains additional prefaces, interviews and also includes the essays “A Prayer for Salman Rushdie” and “Why Write?“.  Reading these stories with its wonderful endings is a great literary experience.

 

In this article, you will find Amazon affiliate links. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything extra, but if you purchase something through these links World Kids gets a small – really really small- amount to buy more books for review. Thank you!