This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl, is about travel. Here are my ten and I have read and recommend each of these books:
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon - I read this book when I was in my twenties and loved it. Blue Highways for me set the bar for travel memoirs.
Nomadland by Jessica Bruder- such an important book about the high cost of housing in America and how many people are living in their vans. I fear Nomadland will be even more relevant ten years from now
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer - A powerful book about a young man who decides to head to Alaska and live in the wilds with tragic results. Very well written and thought provoking.
Kerouac by Ann Charters - Jack Kerouac was the consumate writer and traveler and this biography is excellent.
Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil by John Berendt - in the 1990's the author travelled to Savannah GA ito write a magazine story and stumbled upon a story bigger than he could have ever dreamed. 216 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and if you haven't read the book you should. The movie does not do the book justice.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James - A really fine novel about a young woman who moves to an out of the way town in upstate New York. She takes a job at a run down motel in the hope of finding out what happened to her aunt who worked at that same motel and disappeared over 30 years ago.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Read this in my twenties and as I recall it was a struggle. But it's an important novel about a poor farming family, the Joads, who move from Oklaoma to Calfornia during the Great Depression. It's possible I read it when I was too young and I definitely want to give this novel another chance.
Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden - A novel about a group of Anglican nuns who travel to the Himalaya mountains to open up a school and a medical clinic. The sisters are not really prepared for the beauty and remoteness of the area and the culture shock. Thus novel is very good with a haunting atmospheric quality.
Life And Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan - The plot centers around a young woman who get a very bad cancer diagnosis. She decides if they can't cure her why bother with treatment. And so she moves to an island in the Caribean that her mother, who passed away when she was a teen, loved. It sounds like a depressing read but I found it inspiring and hopeful.
Confederates In The Attic by Tony Horwitz - Tony Horwitz was such a great writer of history and travel and he combined his talent for both in Confederattes In The Attic.
Hope everyone has a great summer. Stay cool and Happy Reading
What a great list! I loved Nomadland...wish I'd thought of it for my TTT list this week. I liked Into the Wild and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, too. I thought this one was a fun one to do. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Lark and Blue Highways is very good too although it's been years since I read it. I love books where people hit the road to find out what they want in life.
DeleteI love books like that, too! :D
DeleteI love this theme for Top Ten. Never heard of Blue Highways, but not I am intrigued. I've been meaning to read Nomadland for a while now--yes, the cost of housing is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI've had Into the Wild on my TBR shelf for years--really want to read this. Need to make room for it.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is so good--yes, much better than the movie. I like John Berendt's books.
Grapes of Wrath is just so good--much better as a reread as an adult than as a first read as a high schooler!
I miss Tony Horowitz--Confederates in the Attic was so good.
Great post!
Thanks Jane and Nomadland is a book that I feat is going to become even more relevant in the future if we don't get housing costs and rents under control.
DeleteInto The Wild a thought provoking disturbing book. And I am looking forward to a Grapes of Wrath reread. Agree very sad about Tony Horwitz. I have read two of his books now and plan to read more.
Dayyyyum, Kathy!!!! All those sound good! I've read and loved two of them, Blue Highways and Grapes of Wrath so I trust your judgement and will add the other 8 to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteHi Jinjer, I have read them all and they are all worth reading. I loved Blue Highways too and Grapes of Wrath a very important book about what poor families went through in the 1930's. I hope you enjoy the other 8 and I think you will.
DeleteGood list Kathy. Man, Nomadland & Into the Wild cut like a knife. I still think of the Krakauer book sometimes -- so sad about Chris McCandless. I'm still trying to save him somehow. I need to reread Grapes of Wrath too ... but I remember all the dirt & dust on the road.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Susan. What was going on with Chris McCandless? It was tragic and the movie too was very powerful.
DeleteI haven't read many books about travel and I should try some memoirs. I like that you included some fiction too.
ReplyDeleteTravel memoirs can be very good provided you get the right book. I know I loved Blue Highways but I read it a very long time ago so I need to reread it to see if it still holds up.
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