Books
Books Prompt Travel . . . and Vice Versa
Aug 22nd
Several best-selling books in the past few years have led their fans to travel to the locations in which the plots are set. A whole industry seems to have sprung up offering tours and packages built around the settings of Elizabeth Gilbert‘s memoir Eat, Pray, Love – which will likely go into overdrive with the recent release of the movie based on the book. Popular excursions based on sites mentioned in Stieg Larsson‘s Millennium series of thrillers are selling out in Sweden. One community which has perhaps benefitted the most, proportionately, from fan interest in the locale of their favorite books is tiny Forks, Wash. Ever since the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series was published, the community at the edge of the continent which had suffered through severe economic decline as the logging and fishing industries sagged has enjoyed a welcome influx of tourist dollars.
Certainly, this is not a new phenomenom in the worlds of publishing and tourism. Readers of Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes for years have sought locations in London and throughout the U. K. mentioned in the books penned by J. K. Rowling and Arthur Conan Doyle. (I remember my girls being thrilled, several years ago, to be traveling through King’s Cross Station, from which the Hogwart’s Express departs for the wizarding school in the Potter series.) Surely, any writer who has the skill to describe a foreign place in intriguing and enticing prose (and populate it with enchanting characters in a thrilling plot) will likely set his readers to dreaming of visiting that spot. Indeed, for many of us, our first introductions to worlds outside our familiar circuits probably came through the pages of a book.
Conversely, the memories of and lessons learned by travelers have for centuries led them to share their experiences in books that have become literary classics — and in turn sent their readers off on explorations of their own. John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley and William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways early gave me a desire to hit the road and explore our country. Even more ambitious journeys such as those related in Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft and Honeymoon with My Brother by Franz Wisner can set one to dreaming and considering the possibilities of life-changing travels of one’s own.
Do you have a favorite travel book? Is there a book, fiction or nonfiction, which has spurred you to journey to see the sights it describes (or at least dream of doing so?)? Have you chosen to read a book based solely upon its setting? How have books affected your travel plans?
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor
Summertime and the Reading is Easy
Jul 1st
Yay, summer! School is out and it’s time to crack open a book.
All across America, kids are tackling their summer reading lists — some willingly flipping pages, eager to discover what happens next, maybe already on their second or third book. Others have just (begrudgingly) opened the cover of that first required tome, dreading the “punishment” of having to read. (Which type of reader were you as a kid?)
Maybe I was a nerd, but I loved summer reading, and still do. For me, summer has always been synonymous with reading for pleasure. Wherever I am, my nose will be in a book every chance I get — in an Adirondack chair in my own backyard, on a plane, on a beach, by the pool, on the porch of a rented cottage or a B&B. A book is the first thing I pack. Don’t leave home without it.
We didn’t have required summer reading lists when I was growing up. For me, reading was pure pleasure, a form of recreation. I grew up in a small rural town, and books became a way to escape to other places to learn about other people. I explored every nook of our tiny public library, and when I had exhausted the supply in the small children’s section (libraries were not what they are now), I got special permission to venture into the “adult” collection upstairs. I can’t remember her name, but the upstairs librarian, though kind, was very strict about what children should read. And what I was often allowed to check out were books about other countries and cultures and, often, National Geographic magazines — in effect, I became an armchair traveler at age 10. (If Global Traveler had been around back then, I’m sure it would have been in my stack!)
Even today, I like books to take me away to another country or to explore another culture (Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, set in Barcelona; Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, China; Carlos Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana, Cuba).
Back when my husband and I owned a bookstore, it was great fun — and sometimes a challenge — to recommend books for customers. Summer was my favorite season. Some customers wanted the perfect beach read or something to occupy them on a long-haul flight. Some looked for a light-and-easy-it’s-summer-don’t-tax-my-brain kind of book, while others saw summer as the chance to dive into that 600-page classic they always meant to read.
But the real joy came from helping the kids — especially those reluctant readers who trudged in, tattered reading lists in hand. You could see the dread in their eyes: I have to read. I don’t want to read. Don’t make me read. The challenge was not just to get them to read what was required, but to help them discover a love of reading. And for some, it happened. By finding the right book, something they could connect with and enjoy, they began to look forward to reading. By summer’s end, they couldn’t wait for the next great read. Sometimes it was a fantasy that grabbed them, sometimes stories of people in places they had never heard of. (Check out this fun site for kids to connect with other kids about summer reading.)
I’m heading to the bookstore later today to build my own summer reading list. (And remember to support your local independent bookstore!)
In addition to the latest issue of GT — what are you taking along to read this summer?
– Jan Hecht, senior editor
Thoughts for the Traveler
Mar 19th
On journeys through the States we start,
(Ay, through the world, urged by these songs,
Sailing henceforth to every land, every sea,)
We willing learners of all, teachers of all, and lovers of all.
from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
 A traveler is, at once, diplomat and refugee, observer and participant. And what is, perhaps, most beautiful about traveling is that none of these roles are played consciously.
I recently picked up a copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and have since found myself floored by its beauty. Whitman wrote of the connectedness and utter sameness of all men and women, how you can only know yourself by knowing others. While his poetry contains truths that apply to all, I think travelers have the insight to really understand Whitman’s words.
In the upcoming months I will be visiting France, China and Portugal, three countries containing three very different and unique cultures, but I know that in each I will find that the people all have the same basic needs as you or I — the need to love, the need to be loved, the need to be happy, the need for meaning. Whatever language is spoken or religion followed, or however different the culture may seem, by keeping in mind our sameness, we are in a position to bridge the differences that don’t matter. Then we can learn about another way of life without appearing ignorant and teach others about ours without seeming arrogant.
I challenge every traveler to pick up Leaves of Grass and not feel as though Whitman had put on paper the truths of your heart and the words of your head.
– Kate Gallagher, advertising and editorial coordinator
A Good Gadget
Mar 5th
In 2009, GT readers voted the Amazon Kindle Reader the best travel gadget of the year. Coincidentally, I received my very own Kindle for Christmas. The device also happened to be one of the best sellers for the 2009 holiday season. I’d say Amazon is pretty happy with its product, which has spawned numerous other similar products. Barnes & Nobles’ Nook was released right before the holidays, and Sony has The Reader, the most expensive of the bunch.
I am completely happy with my decision to go electronic. I’m a huge reader, so I was a little skeptical at first, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the Kindle. My book habit was getting expensive; in an attempt to save money, I tried going to the local library, but then my late fees were costing me an arm and a leg. It’s hard to put a time restraint on a book. Plus, books were bulky on my travels, and it always seemed like I was just about to finish a book just as I was leaving for a trip, so I ended up lugging two books around. And I hated the lull in between books. I would finish reading one and not have another to start until I had the time to go buy one.
The Kindle was the solution to all my problems. All the books, magazines and newspapers are cheaper on Amazon then buying them in the store. So even though I’m still shelling out money, I’m saving too. I just bought a book that is a bestseller for $4.98. The device is super lightweight and can store up to 1,500 books. I can lug hundreds of books around at once without any back pain. My Kindle works wirelessly around the world, and books download in seconds. I can finish a book and be started on a new one in minutes. And the best part is, I can read a free sample of any book before I buy it. If you are a voracious reader, you should definitely consider purchasing a Kindle.
And I didn’t have to give up on printed books. My grad school professor made sure I had to purchase plenty of them!
Travel tip — Kindles are treated like laptops, so be sure you take them out and put them in a separate bin before going through security.
– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
