If you’re like me, you can’t travel as much as you’d like (or at all). These books will give you a peek into other places and cultures:
- Sweden: A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman’s brilliant debut novel tells the story of Ove, a cantankerous older man whose life is turned upside down when the new neighbors move in.
- Australia: Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty. Three mothers, each at crossroads in the lives, are involved in a riot at a school trivia night with an ensuing tragic accident. Just what really happened?
- China: The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan. While this could just as easily be listed as America, with much of it taking place in California, the stories of these immigrant women’s lives before they left China are captivating.
- India: The Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri. These masterfully written short stories span the globe on their own, some centering on immigrants in the Boston area, some taking place in India, and one with an American family visiting India.
- Ghana: Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. Two sisters are on opposite sides of Ghana’s slave trade. Follow the dual narratives of their descendants across two continents and two hundred years.
- Russia: Anton Chekhov’s short stories. Often humorous, sometimes dark, and occasionally suspenseful, Chekhov’s short stories give tastes of country and city life in 19th century Russia.
- Afghanistan: The Kite Runner, by Khaled Khosseini. This powerful story set during the final days of Afghan’s monarchy explores the friendship between a youth from a wealthy family and a servants son.
- Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez. This novel chronicles the Buendía family and is a landmark of the magical realism genre.
- England: Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series. While Poirot’s most famous cases take place abroad (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile), Miss Marple usually stays closer to home. These cozy mysteries offer glimpses into quaint English village life, generally in or around St. Mary Mead.
- The United States: Mystery lovers will enjoy Tony Hillerman’s tales of Navajo tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, set on and off reservations in the Southwest. Listening Woman is particularly thrilling.
In more of a mood for nonfiction? Stop by any branch and browse the 910’s to find travel guides and travelogues for around the world. Don’t want to leave the comfort of your home? Many titles available via Hoopla or Overdrive!
