ARMCHAIR
TRAVELER: BOOKS THAT LET YOU
TRAVEL THE WORLD
(WITHOUT LEAVING
YOUR HOME)
BY MICHELLE BLANCHARD ARDILLO
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS/ ROSTISLAV_SEDLACEK
S ometimes the ability to travel abroad is just not possible.

If health issues, budgetary concerns, work obligations
or family responsibilities are preventing you from
traveling to far away places, there’s always a second option:
Pick up a good book!
Books allow you to experience the culture, customs and
traditions of foreign lands right at home. Here are some novels
to enjoy during those quiet moments away from kids that will
sweep you away to another place, and in some cases, another
time. No need for a passport or foreign currency, just grab
your e-reader, or take a trip to your nearest public library or
bookstore. 1.

“A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW”
by Amor Towles
The current political climate aside, pre-revolutionary
Russia, with its splendid architecture and royalty, was
a place of grandeur. Towles takes the reader to the
Metropol Hotel in 1922 Moscow, post-revolution, where
the protagonist has been sentenced to house arrest. This
novel of historical fi ction, heavily reliant on actual public
fi gures and historical events, is as rich and colorful as a
Fabergé egg.

18 August 2018
washingtonFAMILY.com 2.

“THE DUCHESS OF BLOOMSBURY STREET”
by Helene Hanff
This charming, slim non-fi ction book is a travel journal
of author Hanff ’s fi rst trip to England. It was writt en
after the publication and great success of its prequel,
“84, Charing Cross Road,” which was a series of lett ers
between Hanff and British bookseller Frank Doel over
the course of twenty years about post-war London,
literature and more. A feminist well before her time,
Hanff ’s sharp prose and quick wit is a window into a
London that is long gone.




3.

“A WEEK IN WINTER”
by Maeve Binchy
6. Binchy was a prolifi c writer, and at the time of her death
in 2012, was still producing excellent work such as this
character-driven novel where the very sett ing is almost a
character itself. Set on Ireland’s west coast in the fi ctional
town of Stoneybridge, the novel explores the tenacity
and sheer determination of one woman’s drive for
independence and acceptance. Reading this book made me
yearn for a week in an Irish country inn, taking long walks
on the rocks overlooking the sea with the wind in my hair.

4. “BEL CANTO”
by Ann Patchett
Known for her unusual plots and quirky characters,
Patchett does not disappoint in this psychological drama
set in an unnamed South American country. Drawn
loosely from the headlines of political unrest and a
hostage situation that actually took place in Lima, Peru
in 1996-97, this novel makes housemates of terrorists,
foreign diplomats, international businessmen and a
world-renown opera singer. Add to that a classic case of
Stockholm syndrome, and you have a story that doesn’t
miss a beat.

5. “CIRCLING THE SUN”
by Paula McLain
A great storyteller, McLain wowed readers with her
historical fi ction based on Hemingway’s early years
living in Paris, told from the perspective of his fi rst wife,
Hadley. This novel takes the reader to the ‘20s, to Kenya
and Great Britain’s early colonization of parts of Africa.

Aside from bringing to life Beryl Markham, one of the
fi rst bush pilots in Africa’s history and the fi rst female
to fl y solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west,
McLain’s descriptive and fl owing prose paints a picture
of the African plains, the tribal customs and the animals.

“SOY SAUCE FOR BEGINNERS”
by Kirstin Chen
Before stumbling upon Chen’s debut novel, I knew very
litt le about soy sauce and even less about Singapore.

The protagonist leaves her unfaithful husband, her San
Francisco home of 15 years and her music studies to
return home to Singapore, where she becomes embroiled
in two familiar batt les: her mother’s drinking and the
family artisanal soy sauce business. After immersing
yourself in the Asian culture of this novel, you will think
twice next time you ask for soy sauce to add to your
Chinese takeout.

7. “THE MARTIAN”
by Andy Weir
No passport required for travel to this sett ing, although a
full physical and a science background may be necessary
for approval by NASA. This science fi ction blockbuster
tells the story of a NASA astronaut left behind on the
surface of Mars. His ingenuity and problem-solving skills,
including growing potatoes in outer space to stay alive,
keep the plot moving at the speed of light.

If hopping on an international fl ight to Russia, the UK, South
America, Africa or Singapore is out of the question for you,
be an armchair traveler instead. Head on down to your local
library and check out one of these books. Download one on
your e-reader. Mason Cooley said it best, “Reading gives us
someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo is a local freelance writer and middle
school language arts teacher whose literary passport is chock-full of
stamps from foreign destinations. Follow her @michardillo on Twitt er
or Goodreads, or on her website at www.michelleardillo.com.

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