When I’m traveling, my favorite thing to do is pack a book that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the trip. A good sense of setting is powerful. Books help me connect to the places I’m in for many reasons –– sometimes they feature neighborhoods I wouldn’t have known to explore or hold hidden gems of history about my destination.
In August 2019, I visited San Francisco for the third time. On my previous trips, I’d had a good time, but I never felt like San Francisco was a place I could unlock. It didn’t matter what I did on my trip, be it tourist traps or activities off the beaten path –– San Francisco just wouldn’t reveal herself to me. But my third time, I brought a copy of “Sourdough” by Robin Sloan to read. All of a sudden, I felt like this place was mine, for just a little while. With its lovable characters, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and fantastically goofy twists, “Sourdough” was a traveling companion and a tour guide.
In the spirit of using books to connect deeper with place, here are some perfect reads for whatever your next vacation may be.
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“A Thousand Miles to Graceland” by Kristen Mei Chase is a big-hearted novel about a mother-daughter road trip from El Paso, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee. When Grace Johnson’s husband announces he wants a divorce, she decides to grant her mother’s 70th birthday wish and take a road trip to Graceland rather than wallow in her breakup.
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Pick this up for very complicated mother-daughter relationships, a little romance and lots of Elvis references. If you’re listening while driving on your own road trip, check out the fantastic audiobook narrated by Kim Mai Guest.
Warning: This book is going to make you grin so big your face might hurt. “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” by Talia Hibbert is a YA romance that follows two former best friends turned rivals who are going against each other for the same scholarship by attending a weeklong competition in the great outdoors.
Read this book for excellent mental health representation, difficult family relationships and camping hijinks. I wish I could go back and re-experience this book for the first time with a nightlight in a tent.
If you are putting your kids in the car and driving them to your nearest theme park –– or maybe you're just going with friends –– this is the perfect book to read while waiting in line for rides.
Set in Orlando, “With Love, from Cold World” by Alicia Thompson is a romance between two winter-themed amusement park employees who have to battle it out to come up with the best proposition for their park to earn more money. With some sweltering heat, this book has amazing holidays-in-the-summer vibes.
Full disclosure: I have never cried harder than while reading a book and to be honest, that feels totally appropriate for an NYC vacation.
Set in a magical apartment in Manhattan, “The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston is about a book publicist grieving her aunt who has recently died when she finds out that her aunt’s apartment sometimes randomly… slips seven years back in the past.
This book captures the magic of New York City, including its fast-paced work culture and foodie scene. I get goosebumps thinking about walking around the city with this book in my bag.
There are so many fantastic books set in New York City, it's impossible to pick just one. “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin is an urban fantasy set in a world in which every city has a soul –– and New York City happens to have six.
This book takes on the multiverse as six heroes emerge –– one for every borough of the city –– to defend New York, immersing the reader fully into the city.
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“Half-Blown Rose” by Leesa Cross-Smith is a complicated age-gap love story set in Paris, told through multiple timelines.
Vincent is the privileged daughter of artists who marries a novelist who becomes very successful. When he publishes a bestselling book divulging secrets of their marriage, she takes off to Paris to teach art and reconnect with herself. Instead, she connects with Loup, a 20-something Frenchman who reignites her passion and helps her fall in love with the city.
Picture yourself reading this book on Parisian patios, sipping wine and getting very invested in the drama.
If you need to get on a cruise ship, look out at the waves and be in your feelings, then I present to you “The Unsinkable Greta James” by Jennifer E. Smith.
Greta James is weeks away from the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album when her mother –– her biggest fan –– dies. When she falls apart on stage and stops playing, her career is suddenly at risk, which is something her father has always predicted. Months later, Greta and her father take an Alaskan cruise together to heal old wounds.
Full of big family feelings, a bit of romance and celebrity drama, this book will fit perfectly in your cruise cabin.
“Same Time Next Summer” by Annabel Monaghan is one of those reads that feels instantly nostalgic, like it’s been a part of you for a long while.
This is a second-chance summer romance about an engaged woman who comes face to face with her first love, a man she hasn’t seen in 14 years, which throws her entire life into question.
This book has magic in it, encapsulating those big, heady first-love feelings, and it simply feels like summer. Read Sam and Wyatt’s love story on the beach for maximum vibes.
I simply adored this book and I think the only way I would have loved it more is if I would have packed it in my bag for a long hike of self-discovery. “Something Wild & Wonderful” by Anita Kelly is a romance about two men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
This book has some very big feelings and is all about healing from our traumas and moving forward together. So tender, full of adventure, and lots of quiet contemplation, I think this is the perfect summer romance.
Kassie King writes about books through our content partnership with The Novel Neighbor, an independently owned and operated bookstore in St. Louis.
