No time for a real vacation? These books will take you to exotic and faraway places—passport and suitcase not required.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin; $15). The title pretty much says it all: After a painful divorce and a gut-wrenching rebound romance, the author treats herself to the trip of a lifetime. She visits Italy in search of pleasure, she studies devotion at an ashram in India, and she goes to Indonesia to find balance. This memoir of self-discovery is beautiful proof that travel can help you see your world with new eyes.
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World, by Rita Golden Gelman (Crown; $14.95). In 1986, Gelman left her posh Los Angeles life to become a citizen of the world. She lived in a village in Mexico, slept on the beach on the Galápagos, and met interesting and exotic natives along the way. Twenty years later, she still has no permanent address. This book will inspire people who crave change, have insatiable wanderlust, or want to change the world for the better.
The Shadow of The Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin; $15). The only work of fiction on this list, this deliciously dark tale is a must-read—especially if you’re planning a trip to Barcelona. The story winds through the city’s Gothic buildings, twisting streets, and romantic courtyards, meandering to a thrilling ending. The only drawback? It’s just a teensy bit scary (pack your flashlight!).
Sand in My Bra and Other Misadventures: Funny Women Write From the Road, by Jennifer L. Leo (Traveler’s Tales Guides, Inc.; $14.95). Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Lamott, and some of your other favorite writers and comediennes share their travel triumphs and woes. The stories are comic, bizarre, and just plain frightening (can you imagine being locked out of the hotel room wearing only your skivvies?). The unforgettable adventures will have you laughing out loud and thankful that your experiences have been so tame in comparison.
The Gastronomical Me, by M.F.K. Fisher (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; $15). Ten days after she got married in 1929, Mary Frances Kennedy (M.F.K.) Fisher boarded a boat with her new husband and headed off to France. She was 19 years old, and the experience truly changed her life. She writes about the boat, her travels, the food and wine, her marriage, and her quest to find herself. Fisher was one of America’s most prolific food and travel writers, and this book is a beautiful and intimate introduction to her work.
