Like many people, my first encounter with Victor Hugo came through musical theatre. Growing up, I remember the excitement of seeing Les Misérables on the West End stage for the first time…Jean Valjean’s struggle for redemption, the relentless Javert, the doomed revolutionaries, the poverty and injustice, and that unforgettable score – it had it all! I loved it so much that I knew all the lyrics by heart. It was only much later in life that I discovered the incredible novel behind the musical, and the remarkable man who wrote it.

Victor Hugo’s life story was almost as dramatic as one of his books. While he is best known today for Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Hugo was also a prolific poet and playwright, a prominent political figure and a tireless campaigner for social reform. He used both his writing and his political platform to speak out against poverty and inequality, and to campaign for causes such as universal suffrage and the abolition of the death penalty.

His political convictions, however, came at a heavy price. When Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte seized power in a coup d’état in December 1851, Hugo fiercely opposed him, joining the resistance in the streets and denouncing Napoleon in his writing. With the threat of arrest hanging over him, Hugo fled France, beginning nineteen years of exile that would take him from Brussels to the Channel Islands. Yet despite this turmoil, his years in exile proved to be some of the most productive of his life, during which he wrote some of his greatest works.

Today, you can walk in Hugo’s footsteps by exploring some of the extraordinary places connected to his life and legacy: his Paris apartment on the Place des Vosges; Notre-Dame, the cathedral he helped make famous around the world; Hauteville House, the home he created during his exile in Guernsey; and the Panthéon in Paris, where he rests alongside some of the most influential figures in French history. Here’s a short guide to each of these locations, which together reveal the story behind one of France’s greatest literary icons.

Maison de Victor Hugo - 6, Place des Vosges

The Place des Vosges sits in the heart of the Marais district and is one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Paris. In 1832, at the age of 30, Victor Hugo moved into a second-floor apartment on the corner of the square (at no. 6) with his wife Adèle and their four children. During the sixteen years they lived here, Hugo regularly entertained the likes of Alexandre Dumas, Honoré de Balzac and the composer Franz Liszt. It was also here, at his desk, that Hugo began writing Les Misérables and several of his major theatrical works.

Today, the apartment has been turned into a free museum dedicated to Hugo’s life and work, and it is quite something to walk around! Each room has been decorated to represent a different period of his life, with his original furniture, manuscripts, drawings and portraits on display, alongside the extraordinary interiors he designed himself.

Hugo had a passion for collecting and re-purposing objects. He incorporated Renaissance chests and Chinese lacquer panels into elaborate pieces of custom-made furniture, often combining objects and styles in unexpected ways. The result is wonderfully eccentric and gives you a real sense of his personality.

Travel Tip: While entry to the museum is free, I would recommend paying for the audio guide to get the most from the rooms and exhibits. There is also a lovely café in the courtyard which offers a quiet place to relax after exploring the apartment.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris – Île de la Cité

During the early part of Victor Hugo’s life, Notre-Dame cathedral had fallen into a state of disrepair, having suffered severe damage during the French Revolution and decades of neglect. Its Gothic architecture had also fallen out of favour with the public, with many people regarding it as crude compared to the classical style. It’s hard to imagine now, but there were even serious proposals to demolish parts of the building.

Hugo was appalled by this neglect and wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, in part, as an act of advocacy for the cathedral and France’s medieval heritage. By placing Notre-Dame at the centre of the story, Hugo helped inspire a new appreciation for the building and the need to preserve it.

The popularity of the novel helped build support for a major restoration project which began in 1844, restoring the cathedral and adding some of its most familiar features, including its famous spire. Today, Notre-Dame is recognised around the world as one of the great symbols of Paris - a legacy that is in no small part due to the influence of Victor Hugo and his writing.

I have visited Notre-Dame many times over the years, but have yet to see inside after the devastating fire of 2019. I am told that the restoration is incredible!

Travel tip: Access to the cathedral is free. You can join the regular queue on the forecourt, but if you book a free timed-entry slot via the official website a few hours beforehand, it may save you a long wait.

Hauteville House, Guernsey

The next chapter of Hugo’s life took him far from the streets of Paris. After fleeing France in 1851 under threat of arrest for his opposition to Napoleon III, he spent a year in Brussels before eventually settling in Jersey. But in 1855, he was expelled from the island as a result of his continued opposition to Napoleon III. Undeterred, Hugo moved with his family to nearby Guernsey, where he would spend the next fifteen years.

Using the profits from his bestselling poetry collection Les Contemplations, Hugo purchased Hauteville House - a property perched high above St Peter Port and Havelet Bay. It was the only house he ever owned, and he set about transforming it in his own inimitable style.

Built over five levels, almost every aspect of the interior was designed by Hugo himself. He filled the house with furniture, antiques and architectural details that reflected his writing and philosophical beliefs - the effect is quirky but spectacular!

At the top of the house is the Crystal Room, a glass-walled room overlooking the sea, where he spent his mornings writing. It was here that he completed Les Misérables and wrote The Toilers of the Sea, The Man Who Laughs and The Legend of the Ages.

The Toilers of the Sea is set on Guernsey itself and is inspired by the island’s people and seafaring traditions. It would make a great companion for a visit to the island as it includes real locations such as Havelet Bay, Vale Castle and the Town Church, all of which you can explore for yourself.

Today, Hauteville House is open to the public from the months of April to September. It’s really worth a visit, offering a fascinating window into Hugo’s imagination and eccentric personality. Places on the tours are limited though, so make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment.

The Panthéon, Paris

When Napoleon III’s regime collapsed in 1870, Hugo returned to France to a hero’s welcome. Back in Paris, he continued to write and campaign, remaining an influential public figure well into his later years. In 1881, to honour his contribution to French society, the avenue where he lived was renamed Avenue Victor Hugo.

When Hugo died in 1885, thousands of people gathered outside his home. Despite his request for a modest funeral, the French Republic insisted on giving him a full state ceremony, but in keeping with his wishes, his coffin was carried on the hearse of the poor - a simple public carriage traditionally used to transport those who could not afford a funeral.

His funeral procession passed through the streets of Paris, with enormous crowds lining the route. His coffin was first taken to the Arc de Triomphe where more than 2000 French and foreign dignitaries paid their respects, before its final journey to the Panthéon, where he was buried alongside some of the great figures of French history.

The Panthéon is a very special place to visit in Paris, and provides a fitting end to Hugo’s story. Located in the Latin Quarter, it was originally built as a church, but during the French Revolution it was transformed into a national mausoleum for the remains of distinguished French citizens. The building is decorated with the most amazing murals and sculptures celebrating French history, while the crypt contains the remains of more than 80 of France’s most influential figures, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile Zola, Alexandre Dumas and Marie Curie.

Travel tip: I would, again, recommend paying extra for the audio guide, which takes you on a tour through the building. It explains the incredible artworks, and then takes you down into the crypt, where Hugo and other celebrated figures are buried. Just make sure you take some extra layers – it was very cold when I visited!

And that brings us to the end of this tour through the places connected to Hugo’s life and legacy. After tracing his footsteps through France and Guernsey, I feel as though I have gained a much deeper insight into the man behind the novels and the musical I fell in love with as a child.

Have you visited any of these locations connected to Victor Hugo’s life? I would love to hear your experiences!

**The links to books in this article take you to my online bookshop, powered by Bookshop.org. If you purchase a book through one of my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you and your purchase also helps support independent bookshops at the same time. For more information about Bookshop.org’s mission, click here

This is the second part of my literary journey through Italy, where I pair travel routes with books that feel connected to each stop along the way.

The first part of this journey explored the route from Venice to Florence, travelling through some of Italy’s most iconic Renaissance cities and landscapes. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here:

La Bibliotrek | Read the World

A Grand Tour of Italy: A Literary Journey

This is the second post in a series of literary travel itineraries, where I pair travel routes with books that feel connected to each stop along the way…

Read more

2 months ago · 44 likes · 24 comments · La Bibliotrek | Read the World

In this next stage of the journey, I leave the rolling hills of Tuscany behind and continue south to Rome, before travelling onwards to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

As before, the books I have included are titles that I have either read myself or discovered through my bookshop wanderings that feel connected to the place in question - sometimes directly, sometimes more loosely. If, like me, you enjoy reading about places almost as much as visiting them, I hope these literary itineraries will offer inspiration for your next book, your next trip or both. And if travel isn’t possible right now, perhaps they can serve as a way of exploring somewhere new from your armchair.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

A Literary Journey Through Italy - Part II

First Stop: Rome

The first stop on this leg of our Italian journey is Rome - a city that was once the beating heart of an empire stretching from Britain to the Middle East. Over two thousand years later, traces of that extraordinary past are still visible everywhere you turn: from the Colosseum where the gladiators once fought, to the Pantheon where Romans worshipped their gods, and the Forum where Rome’s political and social life unfolded. Yet the story of Rome doesn't end with antiquity. Woven among these ancient ruins are magnificent churches, grand Renaissance palazzos and bustling neighbourhoods filled with cafés, trattorias and everyday Roman life, making a stroll through the city feel like you are walking through centuries of history.

Travel Tip: One of my favourite discoveries from a recent trip was the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a beautiful but often overlooked Renaissance palace in the heart of the city. It houses a wonderful collection of art and, unlike the city’s better-known galleries, there are barely any crowds.

My reading picks for Rome capture very different sides of the city:

I Claudius by Robert Graves is a classic work of historical fiction, presented as the secret autobiography of the Emperor Claudius (10BC - 54AD). It offers a gripping and often darkly funny portrait of life at the heart of imperial Rome, full of suspicion, backstabbing and family betrayals. As well as being a riveting read, it provides a brilliant history lesson, painting a vivid picture of the reigns of the emperors Augustus, Tiberius and the infamous Caligula.

Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich captures a very different side of Rome to the one most visitors experience. Set in the 1970s, the story follows a young man drifting through the city’s cafés, bars and streets, searching for direction. His aimless existence takes a dramatic turn after a chance encounter with a woman leads to a brief love affair. The writing is highly atmospheric and captures a more melancholic side of Rome - one of loneliness, faded beauty and sweltering summer heat.

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr offers yet another perspective on the city, this time through the eyes of a writer. Doerr moved to Rome with his wife and newborn twins after receiving the Rome Prize, a year-long writing fellowship. Part memoir, part meditation, the book chronicles that year - reading Dante and Keats in the piazzas they once wrote about, and the small moments that made up his everyday life in the city.

A Day Trip to the Vatican City

No visit to Rome could be complete without a day trip to the Vatican City, the spiritual centre of the Roman Catholic Church. There is so much to see, from the magnificent St Peter’s Basilica to the sprawling Vatican Museums and, of course, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Make sure you book your tickets well in advance and give yourself plenty of time to take it all in.

To accompany your Vatican visit I have two book suggestions:

Conclave by Robert Harris is a tense thriller set almost entirely within the walls of the Vatican. It depicts the twists and turns of the Conclave, the secret gathering of cardinals from across the globe who meet in the Sistine chapel to elect a new Pope. Full of political intrigue, it offers a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most secretive traditions. The film adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes is brilliant too.

Raphael, Painter in Rome by Stephanie Storey tells the story of the young Raphael as he arrives in Renaissance Rome determined to become the greatest artist of his generation. Summoned by Pope Julius II to decorate the Pope’s private apartments, he finds himself in fierce competition with Michelangelo, who is painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Reading it before your visit is a wonderful way to bring the Vatican’s artistic treasures to life.

Stop Two: Naples

Less than 90 minutes by train from Rome brings us to our next stop: Naples, a vibrant and slightly chaotic coastal city with a personality unlike anywhere else in Italy. Founded by the Ancient Greeks over two thousand years ago, who named it Neapolis (“new city”), Naples has a history stretching back centuries. It can feel overwhelming at first - scooters weaving through crowded streets, laundry hanging from balconies, street vendors calling out and graffiti-covered alleyways - but beneath the chaos is a city full of character with some of the best food in Italy.

My reading picks for Naples capture very different sides of the city:

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is the first book in the four-part Neapolitan series following the friendship between Elena and Lila as they grow up in a working-class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples during the 1950s. Naples is as much a character as it is a setting, shaping the girls’ lives, their ambitions and the choices available to them. It is a wonderful read and the TV adaptation is excellent too.

The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard follows a young Englishwoman who moves to Naples in the 1950s to work as a translator. Alone in the city and far from home, she gradually becomes drawn into the lives and relationships of those around her. The novel beautifully captures the faded grandeur of post-war Naples and the beauty of the Bay.

Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano is a work of non-fiction investigative writing about the renowned crime organisation, the Camorra which has had a devastating impact on Naples and the cities and villages along the Neapolitan coastline. Saviano explores the organisation’s influence on everyday life and the damage it has inflicted on his home region.

A Day Trip to Pompeii

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pompeii is just 40 minutes by train from Naples and is an absolute must-visit for history lovers. Buried beneath metres of volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius's catastrophic eruption in 79 AD, the ancient Roman city was preserved in extraordinary detail, remaining hidden until excavations began centuries later. Walking through its streets today gives an amazing insight into daily Roman life - their homes, shops, temples and public spaces. From experience, I would advise you to be well-prepared: shade is limited, so pack a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water!

For this stop, I am recommending Pompeii by Robert Harris. It tells the story of the city’s final days through the eyes of a young aqueduct engineer, a wealthy landowner, his daughter and the historical figure of Pliny the Elder. Meticulously researched, it taught me a great deal about Roman engineering, daily life and the disaster that destroyed Pompeii. It is the perfect read before your visit.

Stop Three: Sorrento, Capri & the Amalfi Coast

Just a short drive from Naples brings you to some of Italy’s most beautiful coastal landscapes. The Sorrento Peninsula, the island of Capri and the dramatic villages of the Amalfi Coast have attracted writers, artists and travellers for centuries, drawn by their spectacular scenery, clear blue waters and pastel-coloured towns.

When I visited, I used Sorrento as a base and took day trips to both Capri and the Amalfi Coast. You can reach both by ferry or, in the case of Amalfi and Positano, by public bus. A word of warning though: while the views are incredible, the bus journey along the winding coastal road isn't for the faint-hearted!

For this part of the journey, I have a few different book suggestions. If you're planning to visit Capri, these two books are well worth considering:

Contempt by Alberto Moravia tells the story of a marriage slowly falling apart. When a disillusioned screenwriter and his wife are invited to a film producer’s villa on Capri to work on a film adaptation of The Odyssey, the island provides the backdrop as their relationship begins to unravel. It’s a melancholic novel that uses Capri’s beauty to heighten the tension between the characters.

The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe is an unusual memoir by a Swedish doctor who fulfilled his dream of building Villa San Michele on the island of Capri. The book is a collection of his memories from his remarkable life, interwoven with reflections on the island and its people. It became an international bestseller and helped establish Capri’s reputation as a haven for artists, writers and travellers. Today, Villa San Michele is open to visitors and is well worth exploring.

My suggestions for the Amalfi Coast include:

Positano by John Steinbeck is a lovely piece of travel writing inspired by his visit to the Amalfi Coast in the 1950s. It is only a short essay, but it captures the charm of Positano and its people, and offers a snapshot of the village before it became one of Italy's most famous travel destinations.

If you enjoy fantasy novels, The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner is well worth a look. The novel follows a nautical archaeologist who arrives in Positano to investigate a series of mysterious shipwrecks. Upon her arrival, strange events begin to unfold and, through her investigations, she uncovers legends of sorcery and an ancient curse woven into the history of the Amalfi Coast.

The classic psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith is also worth mentioning here. The first part of the novel takes place in the fictional seaside village of Mongibello, widely believed to have been inspired by Positano, before moving on to other Italian destinations, including Rome and Venice.

And here ends the second part of our Italian journey. Whether you read these books before, during or long after your visit, I hope they add another layer to your experience of these remarkable places.

In the next part of the journey, we’ll continue south from the Amalfi Coast towards Calabria and the Straits of Messina, before crossing over to Sicily.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your recommendations. Which books do you think best capture Rome, Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast? Let me know in the comments.

With the summer holidays upon us, I have been thinking about where I’d most like to escape to this year. Living in the UK, there are so many exciting options within easy reach that it’s often easy to overlook some of the wonderful places closer to home.

The Channel Islands are the perfect example. They offer beautiful harbour towns, golden beaches, turquoise waters and dramatic coastal walks, but they often get overlooked in favour of destinations further south.

For those of you unfamiliar with them, the Channel Islands sit in the English Channel, just 30 miles off the coast of Normandy. The two largest islands - Jersey and Guernsey - have a distinctly different character to the British mainland. Although English is the primary language and the British pound is widely used, the islands have their own separate governments and legal systems. Add in their French street names, continental atmosphere and (in my experience) noticeably better weather, and they feel quite unlike anywhere else in Britain.

They also have a fascinating and surprisingly little-known history. It wasn’t until I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer that I realised how little I knew about their past, particularly the story of their occupation during the Second World War.

Set in 1946, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society follows Juliet Ashton, a writer living in post-war London who unexpectedly receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of Guernsey she has never met. Having acquired a book that once belonged to Juliet, Dawsey writes to ask if she can recommend any others by the same author. Their ongoing correspondence gradually introduces Juliet to the island's unusual literary society and the extraordinary stories of its members who lived through the German occupation.

It's a wonderful novel, brilliantly written in epistolary form, but for me, reading it also provided a much needed history lesson. I had no idea that the Channel Islands had been occupied during the Second World War, or how profoundly that experience had shaped everyday life there.

If you are planning a trip to Guernsey, I would really encourage you to read the book before you go. Many of the locations connected with the story can still be visited today, offering a fascinating insight into both the novel and the island’s wartime history. To provide some inspiration for your visit, here’s a short guide to some of the real-life locations you can visit from the book:

St Peter Port

St Peter Port is where Juliet first arrives on Guernsey, having made the crossing by mail boat from London. She describes the town as “rising up from the sea, with a church on the top like a cake decoration”, a wonderful description that still rings true today.

With its colourful waterfront and picturesque harbour, St Peter Port remains one of the island’s most beautiful places to explore. But behind its picture-postcard appearance lies a tragic wartime history that forms the backdrop to the novel. In June 1940, as German forces prepared to occupy the Channel Islands, thousands of children were evacuated from this harbour, leaving many families separated for years. In the novel, the character Eben describes the heartbreaking choice that many islanders faced: whether to send their children away for safety or keep them at home in Guernsey.

The evacuation boats were still departing St Peter Port on 28 June 1940 when the German air force attacked. Tragically, the Germans mistook long lines of tomato trucks waiting to be shipped to Britain for military vehicles, and launched a devastating bombing raid. The attack killed 34 civilians and remains one of the darkest moments in Guernsey’s wartime story.

Today, visitors can discover this history through memorials dotted around the harbour, including one dedicated to those who died in the bombing raid, and the Liberation Monument, made of Guernsey granite and unveiled in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of Guernsey’s liberation.

The Ship & Crown

Just along the harbourfront stands The Ship & Crown pub, formerly known as the Crown Hotel. In one of his letters to Juliet, Dawsey explains that he is repairing the hotel’s roof as the owners are hoping that tourists will return to Guernsey for the summer. It’s a small detail that perfectly captures the island’s efforts to rebuild after the hardships of the occupation.

The building also has a fascinating wartime history of its own. During the German Occupation, the Crown Hotel served as the German harbour office and naval headquarters, and it was here, on 9 May 1945 (Guernsey's Liberation Day) that the German commander Vice Admiral Friedrich Huffmeier was captured.

Today, it's the perfect place to stop for a drink or a bite to eat. Inside, you will find occupation-era photographs lining the walls, offering a window into the island's wartime past.

The High Street and The Pollet

A short walk from the harbour, the High Street and The Pollet lead into the heart of St Peter Port. In the novel, Juliet walks these streets with Amelia and Kit, noting how the shop windows are beginning to fill with new goods again after years of strict rationing and shortages under German rule.

Today, these historic streets are lined with independent shops and cafés that still retain their old-world charm. If you are looking for a coffee break, I’d head to Café Emilia on The Pollet, a cosy independent café serving great coffee, cakes and light lunches - it’s a lovely place to sit down with a copy of the book, or to simply watch the world go by.

One interesting detail is that the name “Pollet” comes from Guernésiais, the island’s traditional Norman-French language, which was once widely spoken before the Second World War but has since gone into decline. It is thought to derive from a word meaning “pool” or “a landing place for boats”, reflecting the street’s historic proximity to the water before the modern harbour was built.

St Martin’s Parish & Jerbourg

On the south east side of the island, St Martin’s parish and the cliffs of Jerbourg reveal a quieter, more rural side of Guernsey that forms the backdrop to much of the novel. Many of the members of the literary society lived in this part of the island - a landscape shaped by farming and community, with idyllic winding lanes, traditional stone farmhouses and rolling pastures that run down to the sea.

Jerbourg point offers sweeping, panoramic views across the Channel and on clear days, the other islands and the coast of France are visible from here. It was around this area, on the headlands, that one of the characters, Elizabeth, came to watch the German planes flying overhead on their way to bomb London. Today, it remains a beautiful part of the island, with a number of coastal hiking routes that let you take in some of Guernsey’s most spectacular scenery.

The Little Chapel

Hidden away in the Guernsey countryside, the Little Chapel is one of the island’s most unusual landmarks. Barely large enough to hold a handful of people, it is covered inside and out with intricate mosaics and is a true work of art. In the novel, Dawsey brings Juliet here as he shows her around the island, and she describes it as “a tiny church every inch of which is a mosaic of broken china and smashed pottery”.

The chapel was built in 1914 by Brother Déodat, who aimed to create a miniature version of the grotto at Lourdes, using shells, pebbles and fragments of broken china as decoration. The building we see today is actually the third version - Brother Déodat demolished and rebuilt his earlier creations twice in the pursuit of perfection. It is now regarded as one of Guernsey’s most distinctive landmarks, and is often described as one of the smallest consecrated chapels in the world.

The Legacy of the Occupation

Walking around the coastline of Guernsey, you will often encounter the remains of German fortifications built during the occupation. After the invasion, Hitler ordered his men to transform the Channel Islands into an “impregnable fortress”, and by 1944, Guernsey’s coastline was covered in bunkers, gun emplacements and miles of underground tunnels, much of it built using forced labour. Many of these structures still survive today, providing a reminder of Guernsey’s wartime history.

If you want to explore this aspect of the island further, two particularly worthwhile stops are the German Underground Hospital and the German Occupation Museum. Although they do not appear directly in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, they help bring to life the world experienced by the islanders during five years of German rule.

The German Underground Hospital is the largest surviving reminder of the German occupation in the Channel Islands. Hidden beneath the countryside, this vast network of tunnels was originally constructed as part of the German military defences before being converted into a hospital. Walking through its cold concrete corridors gives a real sense of the scale of the occupation and the immense effort that went into turning Guernsey into a fortress.

The German Occupation Museum focuses on what everyday life was like for the islanders between 1940 and 1945. Its collection offers a more in-depth insight into the experiences described in the novel, from rationing and restrictions to the challenges of maintaining a sense of normality during the occupation.

And that marks the end of my literary tour of Guernsey! But there is plenty more to explore, from its dramatic coastline and historic castles to its museums and wartime sites. If you’re planning a trip, then the Visit Guernsey website is an excellent resource for accommodation, walking trails, guided tours and general inspiration.

I’d love to know: have you read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or visited any of these locations yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

You can purchase a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

I recently re-watched Sofia Coppola’s iconic film Lost in Translation - a melancholic comedy-drama starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. They play two Americans who form an unlikely friendship while drifting through Tokyo, bonding over their personal struggles and shared sense of disorientation as they try to navigate an unfamiliar culture. Throughout the film, the city almost feels like a character in its own right - from the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya to late-night karaoke bars, crowded streets and quiet temple gardens.

Watching it reminded me why Tokyo has sat near the top of my travel bucket list for years. I'm fascinated by how centuries-old temples, ancient shrines and tranquil gardens can coexist alongside futuristic skyscrapers, dazzling neon districts and some of the busiest streets in the world. It seems to be a city where deep-rooted tradition and modern innovation sit comfortably side by side in a way that few other places can match.

Those who have read my previous posts will know that one of my favourite ways to explore a place - second only to walking its streets - is through books. When I travel, I always look for reads that will deepen my understanding of my surroundings or let me see them through a new lens. For places like Tokyo, which I haven't yet visited, books are the closest thing I have to wandering the streets myself - and over the years, different novelists have shown me many sides of the city: its neighbourhoods, its legendary food scene, its quiet, residential pockets and the everyday routines of the people who call it home. Each book has revealed something new, and only made me more excited to experience Tokyo for myself one day.

Below, I’ve selected a few of my favourite Tokyo-centric reads, alongside several non-fiction titles that are on my TBR list and look like the perfect companions for a future trip. It's a mix of literary fiction, crime, memoir and history, with each capturing a different side of the city. These are just a taster - you'll find my complete list of Tokyo-inspired reads in my online bookshop, powered by Bookshop.org.

Whether you’re planning a trip to Tokyo or exploring the city from the comfort of your armchair, I hope these books bring the city to life for you.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

Sanshirō - Natsume Sōseki

Set in Tokyo at the dawn of the twentieth century, during the Meiji era, Sanshirō follows a young man from rural Kyushu as he arrives in the capital to begin university. As he settles into university life and makes new friends, he becomes increasingly drawn to Mineko, a young woman he meets in Tokyo, and finds himself caught up in a complicated and often confusing relationship. I particularly enjoyed experiencing Tokyo through the eyes of a newcomer as Sanshirō tries to find his feet in the city, encountering its streets, neighbourhoods and intellectual circles along the way. Through his eyes, we get a sense of a capital undergoing rapid transformation as Japan embraces modernity and turns increasingly towards the West.

Strange Weather in Tokyo - Hiromi Kawakami

Strange Weather in Tokyo follows Tsukiko, a woman in her late thirties who unexpectedly reconnects with her former high school teacher, known simply as “Sensei”, in a small neighbourhood izakaya (a Japanese pub). What begins as a series of encounters over shared meals and sake gradually develops into a tender relationship. The novel captures a quieter side of Tokyo, far removed from the neon lights and frenetic pace often associated with the city. I was particularly captivated by the mouthwatering descriptions of Japanese food, with shared meals and conversation becoming central to Tsukiko and Sensei’s growing connection. The novel also ventures beyond Tokyo into the mountains and a remote island, offering a broader glimpse of Japan.

Out - Natsuo Kirino

Out couldn't be more different from the gentle world of Strange Weather in Tokyo. Set among a group of women working the night shift in a suburban bento factory, the novel begins with a murder before spiralling into a dark and deeply unsettling thriller. Be warned, it is very gruesome in places, with scenes of graphic violence and sexual assault that won't be for everyone, but beneath the horror lies a powerful critique of contemporary Japanese society. Kirino explores the pressures placed on women, the expectations of marriage and motherhood, economic hardship, and the patriarchal structures that leave many of her characters feeling trapped. In doing so, she reveals a working-class, suburban Tokyo far removed from the city's tourist image.

After Dark - Haruki Murakami

You can’t compile a list of books set in Tokyo without including Haruki Murakami. Many of his novels are deeply connected to the city, from the Tokyo of 1960s student life in Norwegian Wood to the strange, dreamlike suburban neighbourhoods of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Of all his Tokyo novels, however, After Dark is my personal favourite. Set over the course of a single night, the novel takes us into a different side of the city - the Tokyo that emerges once the crowds disappear and the neon lights take over. Moving through the streets of Shibuya, from jazz bars and late-night diners to convenience stores and love hotels, Murakami creates a mysterious, atmospheric portrait of a city suspended somewhere between reality and dreams.

Tokyo Ueno Station - Yu Miri

Tokyo Ueno Station is perhaps the most unusual book on this list. Told through the ghost of a homeless man who haunts Ueno Park after his death, it explores inequality, displacement and the people who are often overlooked in one of the world's wealthiest cities. Alongside glimpses of Tokyo's parks, railway stations and busy streets, the novel contrasts the city experienced by tourists with the very different reality of those left behind by Japan's post-war economic boom. It prompted me to read more about the labourers who came to Tokyo from poorer regions of Japan to build the city's infrastructure, some of whom later found themselves jobless, penniless and homeless. It is a strange and unsettling story, but an important one that shines a light on the forgotten people who helped build modern Tokyo.

The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino

Crime fiction is hugely popular in Japan, and The Devotion of Suspect X is a brilliant example of the genre. The novel follows Yasuko, a single mother whose life is turned upside down by a devastating event, and Ishigami, a brilliant maths teacher living next door who becomes entangled in her story. What unfolds is a captivating battle of wits between Ishigami and physicist “Detective Galileo” Yukawa, as two scientific minds collide in a high-stakes contest of logic and deception. Although it does not evoke Tokyo quite as vividly as some of the other books on this list, I enjoyed the intimate details of everyday life woven throughout the story - from bento shops and nightclubs to tatami rooms and the warmth of a kotatsu. It is a gripping read, and a great introduction to one of Japan's most popular crime writers.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa

I wrestled with whether to include Days at the Morisaki Bookshop on this list. To be completely honest, it was not entirely my cup of tea, but I couldn't resist including it for its setting alone. It follows Takako, a young woman whose life is turned upside down after a personal heartbreak and who finds unexpected comfort among the shelves of her uncle's tiny second-hand bookshop in Jimbochō. I have always wanted to visit Jimbochō - Tokyo's famous book district and a paradise for book lovers, with hundreds of second-hand bookshops, publishing houses and cafés. While the plot didn't completely win me over, I did love reading about this bookish corner of Tokyo. If you are looking for a light, easy read to take with you, this might be just the thing - and it would be lovely to read it in a cosy café in the neighbourhood where the story unfolds.

Non-Fiction Books

Most of my Tokyo-centred reading so far has been fiction, but for those of you who are after some non-fiction, here are some well reviewed books that are currently on my TBR list that I thought I would share:

Tokyo: A Biography - Stephen Mansfield

Stephen Mansfield's Tokyo: A Biography traces the history of the city from its origins through earthquakes, war and reconstruction to the sprawling metropolis it is today. It sounds like the perfect book for understanding how Tokyo has evolved and why the city looks and feels the way it does.

A Tokyo Romance - Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma’s memoir, A Tokyo Romance, explores his experiences of arriving in Tokyo as a young film student in 1975 and immersing himself in the city’s avant-garde theatre and underground cultural scene. It offers a very different Tokyo from the one most visitors experience - a city of cabarets, eccentric performers and experimental artists.

Underground - Haruki Murakami

In Underground, Haruki Murakami examines the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, carried out by the religious cult Aum Shinrikyo. Through interviews with survivors and victims, as well as members of the cult itself, Murakami attempts to understand what happened and how such a devastating act of violence could have taken place. This is a much darker book than the others on the list, but I am interested in reading it because it offers such a specific insight into Tokyo's modern history, and as a fan of Murakami's fiction, I'm curious to see how he approaches real-world events.

Pure Invention - Matt Alt

Pure Invention is a broader history of how Japan’s popular culture has shaped the modern world, from karaoke and the Walkman to video games, kawaii culture and the rise of Japanese pop culture. Although it is not specifically about Tokyo, it looks like the perfect read before a visit to gain a better understanding of the cultural influences and ideas that have helped shape the Japan we see today.

If you have any Tokyo-centred books (both fiction and non-fiction) that you think I should add to my TBR list, please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear your recommendations before I finally make it to Tokyo!

✨ For more Tokyo-related titles, you can explore my full Tokyo book list at: Bookshop.org Books to Read in Tokyo. All purchases support independent bookshops and this Substack at the same time ❤️

Prague is one of Europe’s great literary cities, and walking through its historic centre, it’s easy to see why. Literature here is woven into the very fabric of the streets: into Baroque reading rooms, historic cafés, independent bookshops and centuries-old neighbourhoods. From Franz Kafka and Rainer Maria Rilke to Milan Kundera and Václav Havel, generations of writers, artists and thinkers have drawn inspiration from Prague’s distinctive atmosphere. Here’s a curated walking tour through one of Europe’s most enchanting capitals.

1. The Head of Franz Kafka

Few writers are as closely associated with their city as Franz Kafka is with Prague. Born here on 3 July 1883, Kafka spent almost his entire life in the Czech capital, and its streets, squares and skyline shaped much of his writing.

Outside the Quadrio shopping centre, Kafka is reimagined in one of Prague’s most striking modern artworks. Created by Czech artist David Černý, the sculpture stands 11 metres high and is made up of 42 rotating stainless-steel layers that periodically shift and spin, briefly forming and dissolving Kafka’s face. The result is hypnotic and slightly disorientating, an ever-changing portrait of a writer whose work is often described as unstable, fragmented and surreal.

📍 Charvátova, 110 00 Nové Město, Prague 1

2. Café Louvre

Opened in 1902, Café Louvre is one of Prague’s great historic coffeehouses, where literature, science and politics came together. Franz Kafka and his close friend Max Brod were regular visitors, and Albert Einstein is also known to have spent time here during his years in Prague, attending discussions and intellectual gatherings.

With its high ceilings, pink pastel walls and elegant chandeliers, the café retains much of its early 20th-century character. Today, it remains a busy working café and a piece of living cultural history where you can still enjoy coffee and cake.

📍 Národní 22, 110 00 Nové Město, Prague 1

3. Globe Bookstore & Café

A cornerstone of Prague’s English-language literary scene, the Globe Bookstore & Café has been a meeting point for readers, writers and students since the early 1990s. One of the city’s first independent English-language bookshops after the Velvet Revolution, it quickly became a hub for Prague’s growing international community.

Alongside shelves of contemporary fiction, classics and academic titles, the café hosts regular author events, book launches and discussions, making it one of the city’s liveliest literary gathering places.

📍 Pštrossova 1925/6, 110 00 Nové Město, Prague 1

4. Café Slavia

Overlooking the Vltava River opposite the National Theatre, Café Slavia is one of Prague’s most iconic meeting places for writers, artists and intellectuals. Founded in the 1880s, it quickly became a hub for the city’s cultural life, its large river-facing windows drawing generations of regulars.

Among those linked with Slavia are the composer Bedřich Smetana, the poet Jaroslav Seifert, and the writer Rainer Maria Rilke. During the years of Communist rule, the café became a well-known gathering place for dissidents, including the playwright and future president Václav Havel.

The café occupies the ground floor of Lažanský Palace, home to the renowned FAMU film school, where Milan Kundera, author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, taught world literature.

Tip: Before your visit, I recommend listening to Bedřich Smetana's Vltava (The Moldau) the famous symphonic poem inspired by the river Vltava which flows just outside the café's windows.

📍 Národní 1012/1, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague 1

5. Klementinum Library

Hidden within the vast complex of the Klementinum, the Baroque library hall is one of Prague’s most breathtaking interiors. Built in the 18th century as part of a Jesuit college, it is filled with ornate frescoed ceilings, carved wooden shelves and globes that reflect centuries of scientific and philosophical inquiry.

Today, access is carefully controlled to preserve the space, but guided tours allow you to view the interior of the library from the doorway and to climb the adjacent Astronomical Tower for views across the Old Town. Make sure to book ahead.

📍 Mariánské nám. 190/5, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague 1

6. Municipal Library & the “Idiom” Installation

Just a short walk from the Klementinum, Prague’s Municipal Library houses a vast collection of Czech and international literature, but it is perhaps best known to visitors for one unforgettable installation. Inside the entrance hall stands Idiom, a towering column made entirely of books, stacked in a spiral that stretches upwards toward the ceiling. Mirrors inside the sculpture create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books - an image that has made it one of the most photographed literary artworks in the city.

📍 Mariánské nám. 1/98, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague 1

7. Franz Kafka’s Birthplace

Kafka was born in a house on the edge of Prague’s historic Jewish Quarter. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1896, and the present house was built in its place in 1902. The original Baroque entrance doorway was preserved and is marked by a bronze bust of the author. Inside, a small exhibition and bookshop explore Kafka’s connection with Prague.

📍 Náměstí Franze Kafky 24/3, 110 00 Staré Město, Prague 1

8. Josefov & the Old Jewish Cemetery – The Golem Legend

Prague’s former Jewish Quarter is one of the city’s most atmospheric districts. Its narrow streets and synagogues preserve centuries of Jewish life, memory and storytelling, much of it shaped by the enduring legend of the Golem.

According to tradition, the Golem was a creature formed from clay and brought to life in the 16th century by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel to protect the city’s Jewish community. The story has since been retold by writers including Gustav Meyrink in The Golem and has become part of European literary mythology.

At the heart of Josefov lies the Old Jewish Cemetery, where centuries of layered headstones create one of Prague’s most haunting historical sites.

📍 Josefov / Old Jewish Cemetery, Široká 3, 110 00 Prague 1

9. Franz Kafka Museum

Housed in a former brickworks on the banks of the Vltava River, the Franz Kafka Museum explores the life and work of Prague’s most famous writer through photographs, letters, manuscripts and immersive installations. The exhibition traces Kafka’s relationship with the city that shaped his imagination, revealing how Prague’s atmosphere and geography influenced his writing.

Outside, David Černý’s sculpture of two men urinating into a pool shaped like the map of the Czech Republic remains one of Prague’s most talked-about public artworks.

📍 Cihelná 2b, 118 00 Malá Strana, Prague 1

10. Shakespeare & Sons

Located in a historic street in Malá Strana, Shakespeare & Sons is one of Prague’s best-loved English-language bookshops. Founded in the early 2000s, it has become a gathering place for readers, with shelves filled with English and French literature, classics, poetry and second-hand discoveries.

📍 U Lužického semináře 10, 118 00 Malá Strana, Prague 1

11. Strahov Library – Hradčany

Perched above the city near Prague Castle, the Strahov Monastery Library is one of Europe’s most beautiful historic libraries. Founded in the 12th century and expanded in the Baroque period, it contains two magnificent halls - the Theological Hall and the Philosophical Hall - adorned with frescoed ceilings, carved woodwork and rows of ancient volumes.

Access to the main halls is restricted, and visitors usually view them from the doorway as part of a guided visit in order to preserve the historic interiors.

From the terrace outside, there are sweeping views across Prague’s rooftops, making this one of the most beautiful vantage points in the city. After following Prague’s writers, cafés and libraries through the streets below, it is a fitting final stop for this literary walk.

📍 Strahovské nádvoří 1/132, 118 00 Hradčany, Prague 6

Have you visited any of these literary spots in Prague? Or are there any favourite bookshops or hidden literary corners I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your recommendations.

This is the second post in a series of literary travel itineraries, where I pair travel routes with books that feel connected to each stop along the way.

The first itinerary explored Coastal California, travelling from San Francisco to Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here:

La Bibliotrek | Read the World

Coastal California: A Literary Road Trip Down the Pacific Coast

I love planning trips almost as much as I love taking them. There’s something deeply enjoyable about researching routes, plotting scenic detours, deciding where to stop and what not to miss. It all adds to the sense of anticipation…

Read more

4 months ago · 17 likes · 6 comments · La Bibliotrek | Read the World

This time, I’m heading to Italy. The first part of my route runs from Venice to Florence, moving from canals and northern cities into the landscapes of Tuscany. It is a journey through some of the country’s most enduring centres of art, history and literature. In later posts, I will continue south through Rome and Naples, before the series concludes in Sicily.

As before, the books I have included here are titles that I have either read myself or come across through my bookshop wanderings that feel connected to the place in question - sometimes directly, sometimes more loosely. If, like me, you enjoy reading about places almost as much as visiting them, I hope these literary itineraries will offer inspiration for your next book, your next trip or both. And if travel isn’t possible right now, perhaps they can serve as a way of exploring somewhere new from your armchair.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

A Literary Journey Through Italy

First Stop: Venice

Venice feels like the perfect place to begin a journey through Italy. There is nowhere quite like it: a floating city built on water, where canals replace roads, gondolas and vaporettos take the place of cars, and waterways lined with faded palazzos serve as the city’s main thoroughfares. Away from the Grand Canal, narrow, cobbled labyrinthine streets open onto small bridges and hidden courtyards, providing endless opportunities for exploration.

I last visited in spring, when the cafés were spilling out onto the squares and the city was full of life. One day, I’d love to return during Carnival, when Venice reveals its more theatrical side, with ornate masks, elaborate eighteenth-century costumes and historical pageantry transforming the streets.

My reading picks for Venice capture very different versions of the city:

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant is set in Renaissance Venice and follows Fiammetta Bianchini, a celebrated courtesan who is forced to flee Rome after the Sack of 1527 and rebuild her life in Venice with her companion, Bucino. Surviving through intelligence, charm and careful negotiation of the city's social hierarchies, she reveals a Venice shaped as much by trade, politics and ambition as by art and beauty.

Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon follows Commissario Guido Brunetti as he investigates the murder of an American soldier whose body is found floating in one of Venice's canals. What begins as a seemingly straightforward case gradually exposes corruption reaching far beyond the city itself. Along the way, Leon moves beyond the landmarks into the neighbourhoods where Venetians actually live, revealing a modern city where beauty, bureaucracy and everyday life coexist.

If you're drawn to a more poetic portrait of the city, Joseph Brodsky's Watermark - an essay rather than a novel - is one of the most beautiful things ever written about Venice. Inspired by his many winter visits, it captures the city's canals, architecture and distinctive light, making it an ideal companion if you're visiting during the quieter months.

Tip: Take a day trip to Murano from Venice

If you have time while staying in Venice, it is well worth taking a vaporetto across the lagoon to Murano. Famous for its colourful glass, the island has a very different feel from Venice. It is quieter, less crowded and centred around working glass furnaces rather than grand palazzos and busy piazzas.

Before you go, consider reading The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier. This historical novel spans several centuries of Murano’s glassmaking tradition, and it offers a fascinating insight into the families whose livelihoods have been tied to the furnaces for generations.

Stop Two: Ferrara

Heading inland from Venice, Ferrara is an easy next stop, just under an hour away by train. Surrounded by Renaissance walls and dominated by the Castello Estense, a 14th-century moated fortress built by the powerful Este dynasty, the city is much quieter than its more famous neighbours. Its broad streets and largely traffic-free historic centre make it a great place to explore on foot or by bicycle.

My two reading picks for Ferrara explore the city at very different moments in its history:

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani is perhaps the novel most closely associated with Ferrara. Set in the years before the Second World War, it follows the narrator's friendship with Micòl Finzi-Contini, whose wealthy Jewish family's walled garden becomes a refuge as Fascist racial laws gradually exclude Ferrara's Jewish community from public life. Bassani reveals early on that the family did not survive the war, lending even the novel's most idyllic scenes a quiet sense of foreboding.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell is set partly in Florence, but it is in Ferrara that the novel truly comes into its own. After her marriage into the Este court, Lucrezia de' Medici finds herself living within the walls of the Castello Estense, where suffocating courtly ritual and expectation begin to shape her life. It’s the perfect companion before exploring the Castello yourself.

Stop Three: Bologna

Just 30–45 minutes south of Ferrara lies Bologna. Home to the world's oldest university, it has a lively student atmosphere that sits alongside its medieval streets, terracotta-red rooftops and almost 40 kilometres of covered porticoes, making it one of Italy's most distinctive cities. It is also widely regarded as the country's culinary capital, so this is the perfect place to slow down over a long lunch of fresh pasta and a glass of local wine.

For readers who don't mind a dark, gritty thriller, my reading pick for Bologna is Almost Blue by Carlo Lucarelli. This psychological crime novel follows Inspector Grazia Negro as she hunts a serial killer with the help of a blind young man whose extraordinary sense of hearing makes him the only witness able to identify the murderer. As the investigation unfolds through Bologna's streets, arcades and student neighbourhoods, the city becomes far more than a backdrop, revealing a darker side beneath its lively university atmosphere.

If you prefer contemporary coming-of-age fiction, Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band by Enrico Brizzi offers a very different portrait of the city. Set in 1990s Bologna, it follows two teenagers navigating first love and growing up, with bike rides beneath the city's famous porticoes and afternoons in the surrounding hills capturing the city's youthful energy.

Stop Four: Florence

From Bologna, you can be in Florence in under 40 minutes by train. Widely regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance, it is a city where art and history are woven into everyday life. The magnificent Duomo dominates the skyline with Brunelleschi's iconic dome, while the medieval Ponte Vecchio and world-renowned galleries such as the Uffizi and the Accademia make it easy to see why Florence has inspired artists, writers and travellers for centuries.

One of the highlights of my visit was taking a walking tour with an art historian, who brought the city's streets, churches and galleries to life in a way I would never have appreciated on my own. Seeing Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's masterpieces felt completely different once I understood the stories behind them.

My two book choices approach the city from different angles:

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster is a timeless classic set in the early twentieth century. It follows Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman travelling in Italy whose carefully ordered view of life begins to change during a stay in Florence. The city becomes a place where she questions convention and starts to see both herself and the world differently.

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant is set in late fifteenth-century Florence and follows Alessandra Cecchi, the daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant whose passion for art and learning sets her apart from the expectations placed upon women of the time. Against the backdrop of Medici Florence and the rise of the fiery preacher Savonarola, the novel brings the city's artistic brilliance, political upheaval and religious fervour vividly to life.

Tip: Take a day trip to Siena

If you have an extra day in Florence, Siena makes an easy excursion, around 1 hour 20 minutes away by bus. With its medieval streets, shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and striking cathedral, it feels very different from Florence despite the short distance between them.

One of Siena’s defining traditions is the Palio di Siena, a fiercely contested horse race run twice a year around the Piazza del Campo. The city’s different neighbourhoods compete against each other in a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, where local pride and rivalry matter as much as the race itself.

For a literary companion, Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato brings the city’s Palio horse race to life in a story of intrigue and romance set against its tightly woven streets.

The Tuscan Countryside: Val d’Orcia

Further south, beyond Florence and Siena, the landscape opens into Val d’Orcia. This is where Tuscany becomes most iconic: wide rolling hills, vineyards, cypress-lined roads, scattered farmhouses and hilltop towns arranged across the valley.

My two book picks explore Tuscany in very different ways:

Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun is a memoir that follows her experience of restoring an abandoned villa in the Tuscan countryside and gradually building a life there. It traces her experience of rural Tuscany through the seasons and the ongoing work of renovation, as the house and surrounding landscape slowly reveal themselves.

For a more historical perspective, Iris Origo’s War in Val d’Orcia is a wartime diary set on her estate at La Foce during the Second World War. It records daily life as conflict moves through the valley, and as a once peaceful farming landscape becomes caught up in the realities of war.

And here ends the first part of our Italian journey. Whether you read these books before, during or long after your visit, I hope they add another layer to your experience of these remarkable places.

In the next part of the trail, we’ll leave Florence and Tuscany behind and continue south to Rome, before making our way to Pompeii, Naples and the Bay of Naples.

I'd love to hear your recommendations too. Which books do you think best capture Venice, Ferrara, Bologna, Florence or Tuscany? Let me know in the comments.

I have just returned from a walking holiday in Devon, hiking a spectacular stretch of the South West Coast Path from Bigbury-on-Sea to Dartmouth. It had been several years since my last visit and I had forgotten just how beautiful the county is, with its golden beaches, sheltered coves, dramatic estuaries and rolling green hills. Perhaps I am still under Devon's spell, but I am convinced the sea is bluer there than anywhere else in the UK.

As every holidaymaker in Britain knows, a successful staycation often depends on the weather, and fortunately it was mostly dry and sunny during my stay. That left only the occasional overcast day to explore some of Devon's cultural attractions, away from the coast. Given my love of books, I was delighted to discover that Devon has close links to one of the world's best-known crime writers: Agatha Christie.

Born in Torquay in 1890, Christie remained deeply attached to Devon throughout her life, returning time and again to the county that would inspire some of her most memorable stories.

Greenway: "The Loveliest Place in the World"

Of all her Devon haunts, Christie's favourite was Greenway, a grand Georgian house overlooking the River Dart. She had admired the property since childhood and finally purchased it in 1938 with her husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan. Christie affectionately described Greenway as "the loveliest place in the world", and it became the setting for countless family holidays, Christmas celebrations and gatherings with friends. Here, away from the demands of fame, she could play croquet on the lawns, take boat trips along the Dart, enjoy long lunches in the garden and read drafts of her latest manuscripts aloud to guests.

The house and grounds would later inspire several of her novels, most notably Dead Man's Folly, featuring the celebrated Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Readers familiar with the book will recognise many of Greenway's landmarks woven into the story.

Today, Greenway is run by the National Trust and is open to the public, so naturally it was one of the first places I wanted to visit. Determined to arrive in style, I chose to travel there by boat. A river cruise from Dartmouth carried me up the beautiful Dart estuary, passing wooded hillsides, secluded creeks and elegant riverside homes before dropping me off at Greenway Quay. From there, a leisurely walk through the woods led up to the house.

Inside Agatha Christie's Home

Greenway is not especially grand from the outside. Its pale exterior is slightly weathered and run down, but inside is a real treat. The rooms are filled with the Christie family's collections: fine furniture, paintings, ceramics, silverware and, of course, books. First editions of Christie's novels sit alongside family photographs and personal mementoes, creating an intimate portrait of the woman behind the literary legend.

One thing that struck me while wandering through the house was how modest Christie remained despite her extraordinary success. She is the best-selling fiction writer in history, yet she shunned publicity, rarely gave interviews and preferred gardening and writing to the demands of celebrity. One of the guides pointed out that her Dame Commander of the British Empire medal was once discovered tucked away at the back of a dining-room cupboard rather than displayed for visitors to admire - a detail that seemed entirely in keeping with her character.

Greenway also revealed another side of Christie: her fascination with travel and the wider world. Several of her most famous novels, including Death on the Nile and Murder in Mesopotamia, were inspired by her travels in the Middle East with her husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan. While he worked on excavations in Iraq and Syria, Christie often accompanied him, helping to catalogue discoveries and clean delicate artefacts (often using her face cream!). Display cases throughout the house contain pottery, figurines and souvenirs gathered during these expeditions, offering a glimpse into a side of her life that I knew little about. One of the more amusing exhibits was her portable wooden toilet seat, which she insisted on taking on archaeological digs!

One of my favourite rooms at Greenway was the drawing room, where the family gathered for music, games and conversation, and where Agatha often read drafts of her latest manuscripts aloud to trusted friends and relatives. Standing in one corner of the room is her magnificent Steinway grand piano. As a keen pianist myself, I was fascinated to learn that Christie had once trained seriously as a concert pianist and possessed considerable talent. However, her extreme shyness ultimately prevented her from pursuing a professional career in music; she was reportedly reluctant to even play in front of her own family. Perhaps that was fortunate for the rest of us. Had she become a concert pianist, the world might have been deprived of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple!

One of the highlights of my visit came when a member of staff kindly allowed me to play her piano. Like Christie, I am not a natural performer, but I knew I would never have another opportunity like it! Sitting at the instrument she once played, and placing my fingers on the same keys was a genuinely special moment, and a memory I will treasure forever.

Gardens, the Boathouse and Dead Man’s Folly

Outside, the grounds were every bit as captivating as the house itself. The gardens stretch all the way down the hillside towards the River Dart through a mixture of woodland and winding pathways, with plenty of secluded benches dotted around for visitors to pause and enjoy the views. My favourite spot was a secret walled garden near the top of the estate where I sat quietly on a bench, looking out over the beautiful estuary below. Sitting there, I could completely understand why Christie loved this place so much.

At the foot of the estate sits Greenway's most famous feature: the Boathouse. Perched beside the River Dart, it played a central role in Dead Man's Folly, becoming the scene of a murder that Poirot must investigate. The television adaptation, starring David Suchet as Poirot and Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver, was filmed extensively at Greenway, and photographs displayed around the boathouse showed the cast and crew at work.

In real life, however, the boathouse was one of Christie’s favourite places for entertaining. Friends and family gathered here for picnics, parties and lazy summer afternoons watching boats drift up and down the Dart. Standing on the terrace, it was easy to see why Christie later transformed it into the scene of a murder in Dead Man’s Folly. The setting is undeniably beautiful, yet there is also a sense of isolation from the rest of the estate - the perfect backdrop for a mystery.

Before leaving, I stopped for tea and cake in the café overlooking the gardens and spent far too long browsing the National Trust second-hand bookshop, one of those places where it is impossible to leave empty-handed. It felt like a fitting way to end a day immersed in Christie’s world before boarding the boat back to Dartmouth and drifting once more along the beautiful River Dart.

Burgh Island and Murder on the Coast

After my visit to Greenway, I returned to my cottage at Bantham Beach, a beautiful sweep of golden sand where the River Avon meets the sea. From the shoreline, there are wonderful views across the water to Burgh Island, a small tidal island that can be reached on foot at low tide or by its famous sea tractor when the tide returns. It is another corner of Devon forever associated with Agatha Christie.

Dominating the island is the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel, one of the most distinctive and atmospheric hotels in Britain. Opened in the 1920s, it quickly became a fashionable retreat for writers, actors, politicians and socialites. Christie was a regular visitor, and the island's tidal isolation provided the inspiration for the setting of And Then There Were None, often regarded as her masterpiece and one of the best-selling crime novels of all time.

Even today, the hotel seems frozen in the glamour of the inter-war years. Guests are encouraged to dress formally for dinner, Art Deco details survive throughout the building and the ever-changing tides create a sense of separation from the mainland. Standing on Bantham Beach and looking across to the island, I found it easy to understand why Christie was drawn to the place. Beautiful though it is, there is also something mysterious about it - the perfect setting for one of her murder mysteries.

Devon and the Queen of Crime

As my week in Devon drew to a close, I found myself reflecting on how deeply this landscape shaped Agatha Christie’s imagination. While readers often associate her with the glamour of the Orient Express or the archaeological sites of Egypt and Iraq, some of her most enduring inspirations were much closer to home. Visiting Greenway felt like I had stepped briefly into her world - a world of family gatherings, river views and, of course, perfectly plotted mysteries.

I left Devon with a deeper appreciation not only of Christie's novels, but of Christie herself. Behind the record-breaking book sales and famous detective stories was a shy, private and enigmatic woman whose life seems every bit as fascinating as her fiction. I have since picked up Lucy Worsley’s biography of Christie and am very much looking forward to learning more about her.

And having discovered that Devon hosts an annual Agatha Christie Festival celebrating her life and work, I have a feeling that my journey into Christie's world is only just beginning!

Have you visited Greenway or Burgh Island? Or have you attended the Agatha Christie Festival? I would love to hear your experiences - let me know in the comments.

Buying books through the links in my articles helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you ❤️ If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

The Taj Mahal is one of those iconic world monuments that seems to feature on almost every traveller's bucket list. I've never visited, but would love to see it up close and in person. In many ways, it already feels strangely familiar, thanks to countless images in magazines, travel programmes and on social media. And yet, no matter how often I see it, I still find myself staring in awe. There is something extraordinarily beautiful about its design: the flawless symmetry, the graceful curves of its gleaming white marble dome, the ornate vaulted arches, the elegant minarets, and its perfect reflection in the long pool below. It is an exquisite piece of Islamic architecture that, to my mind, fully deserves its place among the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Unfortunately, I haven't got any trips to India planned for the foreseeable future, so for now I'll have to make do with admiring it from afar. Recently, though, I decided to do the next best thing and travel there from the comfort of my armchair, through the pages of a book:

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors is a sweeping historical romance that brings the Taj Mahal’s creation to life. The story is told through the eyes of Jahanara Begum, the daughter of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. Looking back on her life in old age, Jahanara recounts the events that led to the building of the Taj Mahal, the grand artistic vision behind its design, the immense undertaking of its construction and the turbulent family rivalries that followed.

Many of you will already know that the Taj Mahal is the product of one of history's most famous love stories between the Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal (Jahanara’s parents). With that in mind, you might be forgiven for expecting their romance to sit at the heart of the novel, but John Shors takes the story in a different direction. Taking considerable liberties with the historical record, he imagines a forbidden love affair between Princess Jahanara and the chief architect of the Taj Mahal, and it is this relationship that forms the core of the narrative.

Normally, I prefer my historical fiction to stay fairly close to the facts. Yet despite these embellishments, Shors skilfully interweaves his fictional narrative with real historical figures and events, creating an engaging blend of fact and imagination that completely swept me up in the story. And, as all good books tend to do, it sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole as I began digging into the real history behind the novel.

The Construction of the Taj Mahal

What I discovered was that the Taj Mahal was far more than a beautiful monument to love. It was one of the most ambitious construction projects of its age - an extraordinary expression of imperial power, wealth and artistic achievement on a staggering scale. Built between 1631 and 1653 on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, northern India, it was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their fourteenth child.

Mumtaz Mahal is often remembered simply as the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built, but she emerges from both the historical record and Shors' novel as a fascinating figure in her own right. Although women of the Mughal court rarely held formal political power, contemporary accounts suggest she was Shah Jahan's trusted companion and adviser. She accompanied him on military campaigns, was entrusted with his imperial seal, and appears to have exercised considerable influence behind the scenes. In Beneath a Marble Sky, Shors portrays her as intelligent, perceptive and deeply involved in affairs of state. While this portrayal is undoubtedly romanticised, it is not entirely divorced from reality.

Overcome with grief after her death, Shah Jahan set out to create a monument in her memory unlike anything the world had seen before. More than 20,000 craftsmen, artisans and labourers worked on the project over two decades. One of the things I particularly enjoyed in the novel was the way it brought this immense undertaking to life, vividly describing the design and construction of the monument and the extraordinary skill of the people who built it.

One detail I hadn't fully appreciated was just how richly decorated the interior of the mausoleum is. The white marble walls are covered with intricate floral patterns created by inlaying semi-precious stones such as jade, crystal, lapis lazuli and carnelian directly into the stone. Delicate inscriptions from the Quran, picked out in black marble, frame doorways and arches, while flowers and geometric designs bloom across the walls. Even the acoustics were carefully considered, allowing sounds to reverberate beautifully beneath the vast dome. Beyond the mausoleum itself, formal gardens, waterways and reflecting pools were designed to evoke the Islamic vision of paradise, creating the serene setting visitors see today.

It is one thing to read about it, but quite another to actually see it. I came across this wonderful YouTube video that offers a rare interior tour of the Taj Mahal, including the main chamber, the intricate marble inlay work and the surrounding mosque buildings, bringing the scale and atmosphere of the place vividly to life:

The Mughal Empire

As fascinating as I found the story behind the construction of the Taj Mahal, the novel also opened a window onto a world about which I knew remarkably little: the Mughal Empire at the height of its power. Through Jahanara's eyes, I was introduced to the workings of the imperial court, the lives of the women within the harem, the influential role played by eunuchs, and the immense wealth and splendour of one of the most powerful dynasties in the world.

Founded in the early sixteenth century by descendants of both Genghis Khan and Timur, the Mughal Empire eventually came to rule much of the Indian subcontinent. Its rulers were Muslim, but the vast majority of their subjects were Hindu, creating a diverse society in which different cultures, faiths and traditions lived side by side. Questions of how these communities should coexist would become increasingly important during the empire's history and lay at the heart of the struggle for succession that followed Shah Jahan's reign.

At the centre of this succession battle were two of Jahanara's brothers: Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

Dara Shikoh, the elder brother, was Shah Jahan’s preferred heir and was also strongly supported by his sister Jahanara. He was known for his intellectual curiosity and his interest in building bridges between different religious traditions. A liberal-minded Muslim, he studied Hindu philosophy and mysticism and wrote a treatise called The Confluence of the Two Seas which explored the common ground between Hindu and Islamic thought. He favoured a highly inclusive vision of the empire.

His younger brother, Aurangzeb was very different. A formidable military commander and deeply religious man, he favoured a more orthodox interpretation of Islam and a stricter style of rule. Whereas Dara sought common ground between different faiths, Aurangzeb believed a ruler should govern more explicitly according to Islamic principles. He viewed Dara’s religious policies as a threat to the Islamic identity of the Mughal Empire and positioned himself as the defender of traditional orthodoxy.

In Beneath a Marble Sky, the contrast between the brothers is drawn in much starker terms. Dara emerges as wise, compassionate and enlightened, while Aurangzeb is cast as the villain of the piece. The more I read around the novel, the more I came to understand that the reality was considerably more complicated. As is often the case, history tends to be messier than fiction.

When Shah Jahan became seriously ill in 1657, the tensions that had long simmered between the brothers erupted into open conflict. A brutal war of succession followed, ending in Aurangzeb's victory. Dara was captured and executed, while Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort, where he spent the last years of his life under the care of Jahanara. Legend has it that from his prison quarters he could gaze across the river toward the Taj Mahal, the monument he had built for the wife he never stopped mourning. His suffering during these years is depicted movingly in the novel.

A Turning Point in Indian History

Aurangzeb would go on to reign for nearly 50 years as the last of the great Mughal emperors. He expanded the empire to its greatest territorial extent, but his rule was also marked by increasing religious conservatism and a series of costly military campaigns that drained the treasury. His more orthodox religious policies, including the imposition of taxes on non-Muslims, strained relations within the empire, contributing to growing rebellions from groups such as the Marathas, Sikhs and Jats. By the time of his death in 1707, the empire was overstretched, and over the following century it gradually fragmented, creating opportunities for regional powers to emerge and eventually for the British East India Company to expand its influence.

How much of the decline of the Mughal Empire can be attributed to Aurangzeb remains a matter of debate. Some historians have argued that his more orthodox approach weakened the delicate balance that had helped hold together a religiously and culturally diverse state. This has led to continued speculation about what might have happened had Dara prevailed instead. It is impossible to know, of course, but the real question is whether a different approach - one in which Hindu and Islamic traditions could coexist within a shared political framework - might have held the Mughal Empire together for longer, and in doing so altered the course of Indian history.

Today, the fascination with Dara and Aurangzeb endures because their rivalry touches on questions that still resonate in modern India: religious identity, pluralism, tolerance and the relationship between different communities. In many ways, the two brothers have come to symbolise competing visions of society: one rooted in dialogue and accommodation between traditions, the other in religious orthodoxy and central authority.

And for me, that was the real gift of reading Beneath a Marble Sky. While the novel uses some poetic license, it opened a door onto a fascinating chapter of Mughal history that I might never otherwise have explored. Before picking up the novel, the Taj Mahal existed in my mind primarily as a beautiful image. Now, when I look at photographs of that great marble dome reflected in its pools, I see the devotion of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, the brilliance of the imperial craftsmen, the resilience of Jahanara, and the tragic struggle between two brothers whose rivalry helped shape the history of the Indian subcontinent.

One day I hope to stand before it in person. Until then, I am more than happy to continue exploring the Taj Mahal and the wider Mughal Empire from the comfort of my armchair.

If you've read any other novels set in Mughal India, I'd love to hear your recommendations. And if you've been lucky enough to visit the Taj Mahal, I'd love to know what it was like. Let me know in the comments.

Further Reading

If you’d like to explore the Taj Mahal or the Mughal Empire further, I’ve found a few other books that may also be of interest:

Fiction

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan is the first in a highly regarded trilogy following Mehrunnisa (later Empress Nur Jahan), one of the most powerful women in Mughal history. It offers a vivid portrait of court life and the inner workings of the Mughal zenana (harem). The series continues with The Feast of Roses and Shadow Princess, which moves into the world of Shah Jahan’s court and Jahanara Begum.

Empire of the Moghul Series by Alex Rutherford. A sweeping multi-volume historical series charting the rise and decline of the Mughal dynasty. Often described as the “Game of Thrones of Mughal India”, it blends court politics, war, and family rivalry on an epic scale.

Non-Fiction

The Taj Mahal by Giles Tillotson is an authoritative study of the monument itself, covering its architecture, symbolism and historical context.

Taj Mahal: A Love Affair at the Heart of the Mughal Empire by Diana & Michael Preston gives a narrative account of both the building of the Taj Mahal and the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.

The Great Mughals and Their India by Dirk Collier gives an overview of the Mughal Empire at its height, ideal for readers wanting the bigger historical picture.

Daughters of the Sun by Ira Mukhoty gives an account of the women of the Mughal court, bringing figures like Jahanara and Nur Jahan into focus.

The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719 by Munis D. Faruqui provides a more analytical look at Mughal succession politics, and the brutal system that shaped the rivalry between princes like Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

I don’t think I have ever read a sentence that more perfectly captures the feeling I get upon arriving in New York City – that moment of pure excitement and anticipation when the skyline first comes into view, and the city stretches out before you, full of possibility. No matter how many times I visit, that feeling never quite goes away.

I have been lucky enough to visit NYC several times over the years, and it is somewhere I know I will keep returning to. There is just so much to explore: the leafy charm of Greenwich Village; the rich cultural history of Harlem; the creative energy of Brooklyn; the skyscrapers of Midtown, and the vast green spaces of Central Park. There is truly something here for everyone.

On my most recent visit, I travelled with a group, and we decided that rather than following our own individual itineraries, we would take turns choosing experiences for everyone to do together. Over a few days, we found ourselves exploring corners of the city we might never have chosen on our own: watching a basketball game at Madison Square Garden, climbing aboard a submarine at the Intrepid Museum, listening to live jazz into the early hours at Birdland and spending a day in the bars, cafes and restaurants of Greenwich Village. It was one of those trips that will stay with me for life.

Those who have read my previous posts will know that one of my favourite ways to explore a place - second only to walking its streets - is through books. Whenever I travel abroad, I always try to pack a few books set in my destination that will either deepen my understanding of where I am, or allow me to see it through a different lens. For my last NYC trip, I brought with me Rules of Civility by Amor Towles:

Set in 1938, the novel opens on New Year’s Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where we meet Katey Kontent and her roommate Eve Ross. A chance encounter with the wealthy and charming Tinker Grey sets in motion a chain of events that carries Katey from a Wall Street secretarial pool into the upper reaches of Manhattan society. Along the way, she encounters a cast of memorable characters that will shape her life in New York.

I was already a fan of Towles’s other novels - A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway - and so had high expectations for this book. Luckily, Rules of Civility more than delivered. Beyond the elegant prose and wonderful characters, what I enjoyed most was Towles’s vivid portrayal of 1930s New York. Through Katey’s eyes, we move between boarding houses, jazz clubs, publishing offices and Manhattan apartments, gaining a glimpse of the city’s social hierarchies and unwritten rules. The novel is as much a portrait of New York as of the people trying to find their place within it, and reading it while wandering the city’s streets only made me appreciate it more.

Below, I’ve selected a handful of other books that, in their own ways, capture something of NYC - its history, its dynamism and its ever-evolving identity. I’ve tried to include a mix of fiction and non-fiction, spanning different decades, boroughs, and perspectives on the city. These are just a taster: you can find my full list of NYC-inspired reads in my online bookshop powered by Bookshop.org.

Whether you’re heading to NYC soon or simply want to explore the city from your armchair, I hope these books bring the place to life for you. And if there is a New York book that you think captures the city particularly well, I’d love to hear about it - let me know in the comments.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

New York – Edward Rutherfurd

Beginning in seventeenth-century New Amsterdam and continuing through to the twentieth century, New York tells the story of the city through the fortunes of several interconnected families. Along the way, readers witness the growth of New York from a small colonial settlement into one of the world’s great cities, encountering many of the events and communities that shaped its identity. Meticulously researched, it is an ideal read for anyone interested in the history of New York.

The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton

Set in the rigid, high-society world of 1870s New York, The Age of Innocence follows a young lawyer who is torn between duty and desire when he falls for his fiancée’s unconventional and free-spirited cousin. Through lavish drawing rooms, opera houses and old-money Manhattan society, Wharton paints a vivid portrait of a city governed by etiquette, appearances and social expectation. It is a beautifully written tale of love, sacrifice and duty that remains one of the defining novels of old New York.

Bright Lights, Big City – Jay McInerney

Framed by the hedonistic 1980s Manhattan club scene, Bright Lights, Big City follows a young fact-checker working at a high-profile magazine who attempts to numb his personal heartbreak by losing himself in a haze of cocaine and late-night partying across downtown bars and glamorous clubs. Fast-paced and darkly funny, the novel perfectly captures both the overwhelming energy of the city and the glamour and underlying emptiness of the era.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith

A heartfelt coming-of-age story set in early twentieth-century Brooklyn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows Francie Nolan as she grows up in the impoverished tenements of Williamsburg. Amid poverty and the hardships of working-class life, Francie finds solace in books, education and her vivid imagination as she dreams of a brighter future. The novel serves as both a love letter to Brooklyn and a poignant portrait of the resilience of the city's working class.

Another Country – James Baldwin

Set amongst the smoky jazz clubs, bohemian apartments and restless streets of 1950s Greenwich Village and Harlem, Another Country captures the raw, electric energy of New York City at a cultural turning point. The novel follows a group of interconnected artists, writers and musicians as they grapple with intense passions, forbidden relationships and the racial and sexual tensions of the era. It is a brilliant, emotionally charged and challenging read that offers a vivid portrait of a city undergoing profound social change.

The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster

Blurring the lines between detective fiction and philosophical meditation, The New York Trilogy follows a series of solitary characters wandering the streets of Manhattan in search of meaning and identity. Across three interconnected novellas - City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room - Auster weaves tales of missing persons, obsessive surveillance and mysterious manuscripts that gradually unravel the investigators themselves. Dreamlike, mysterious and unsettling, his vision of New York transforms the city into a labyrinth of empty streets, anonymous windows and strange chance encounters.

Harlem Shuffle – Colson Whitehead

A stylish, witty novel, Harlem Shuffle follows a hardworking furniture salesman who finds himself pulled between respectability and the criminal underworld surrounding him. Colson Whitehead brings 1960s Harlem vividly to life - from its crowded streets and neighbourhood politics to its colourful cast of characters. As entertaining as it is insightful, the novel explores race, class and the compromises people make in pursuit of the American Dream.

Open City – Teju Cole

Narrated by Julius, a Nigerian-German psychiatrist who spends his evenings wandering the streets of Manhattan, Open City unfolds through a series of observations, encounters and reflections on history, art, music and identity. As he moves through the city’s parks, museums and neighbourhoods - and occasionally beyond to Brussels and elsewhere - his solitary walks become a lens through which both New York and his own life are examined. It is a highly atmospheric novel that captures the haunting beauty of New York and the loneliness of modern urban life.

Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann

Centered around Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, Let the Great World Spin weaves together the lives of a diverse cast of New Yorkers from across the city. From Bronx prostitutes and an Irish monk working amongst the poor to grieving mothers, artists and a young judge, their stories intersect in unexpected ways. The result is a rich portrait of gritty 1970s New York, capturing both the city's struggles and the unexpected connections that bind its residents together.

Just Kids – Patti Smith

Part memoir and part love letter to New York’s creative scene of the late 1960s and 70s, Just Kids chronicles Patti Smith’s life-changing relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as they navigate living in Manhattan together. From the Chelsea Hotel to downtown art clubs, the book evokes a city teeming with creative energy and ambition. Beautifully written and filled with nostalgia, it captures a vanished era of bohemian New York.

The Power Broker – Robert A. Caro

More than a biography, The Power Broker is an epic account of how unelected urban planner Robert Moses reshaped New York City during the twentieth century. Through the construction of highways, bridges, parks and public housing, Moses transformed the physical landscape of the city while amassing extraordinary political power. Monumental in scope yet surprisingly readable, it offers a fascinating insight into the forces that created modern New York.

Here Is New York – E. B. White

Part essay, part love letter to the city, Here Is New York is a timeless reflection on the enduring appeal of New York. Written in the late 1940s, it captures the city’s energy, diversity and unique ability to attract dreamers and newcomers in search of a different life. Despite being written decades ago, many of his observations about the city still feel strikingly relevant today.

✨ For more NYC related titles, you can explore my full NYC book list at: Bookshop.org Books to Read in NYC. All purchases support independent bookshops and this account at the same time ❤️

Edinburgh was the first city in the world to be named a UNESCO City of Literature, and walking through the city, it’s easy to see why. Literature here is woven into the streets themselves: into towering monuments, atmospheric pubs, cobbled closes and secondhand bookshops. From Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson to Ian Rankin and J.K. Rowling, generations of writers have drawn inspiration from the city’s distinctive character. Here’s a curated tour of some of its most significant literary spots.

1. Scott Monument – Princes Street Gardens

Dominating the Edinburgh skyline, the Scott Monument is one of the largest monuments dedicated to a writer anywhere in the world. The soaring Victorian Gothic spire is a fitting tribute to Sir Walter Scott, whose novels, including Waverley and Ivanhoe, helped shape Scotland's romantic national image. At its base sits a monumental statue of Scott with his beloved deerhound Maida, sculpted from a single 30-ton block of marble. Inside, a small museum explores Scott's life and legacy before the narrow staircase winds upward - all 287 steps of it - to panoramic views across the city.

Fun Fact: Scott's influence runs so deep that Edinburgh's central railway station is named Waverley after his novel.

📍 Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh EH2 2EJ

2. The Oxford Bar – Young Street

No literary tour of Edinburgh would be complete without a pub stop. The Oxford Bar is forever associated with Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novels and serves as the preferred drinking haunt of Edinburgh’s most famous fictional detective. Rankin himself was also a regular, and the pub’s stripped-back interior - unchanged for decades - mirrors the no-frills world of the Rebus books. Unlike some more commercialised literary landmarks, the Oxford Bar still feels entirely authentic: a traditional Edinburgh pub that happens to occupy an iconic place in modern Scottish fiction.

📍 8 Young Street, Edinburgh EH2 4JB

3. The Writers’ Museum & Makars’ Court – Lady Stair’s Close

Hidden away down a cobbled close just off the Royal Mile, the Writers’ Museum is easy to miss but is very much worth finding. It celebrates three towering figures of Scottish literature: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Inside are manuscripts, portraits and personal belongings, including Burns’ writing desk and Stevenson’s travelling chest.

Just outside the museum lies Makars’ Court, where quotations from Scottish writers spanning centuries are inscribed into the paving stones underfoot. Together, the museum and courtyard make this corner of the Old Town one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive literary spots.

📍 Lady Stair’s Close, Edinburgh EH1 2PA

4. National Library of Scotland – George IV Bridge

A short walk down George IV Bridge brings you to one of Scotland’s most important literary institutions. The National Library of Scotland is one of the great research libraries of Europe, housing rare manuscripts, archives and centuries of Scottish writing. Among its treasures are the final letter written by Mary, Queen of Scots and original first-edition printings of Scott’s novels. The library offers a free guided tour (check the website for details), and entry to the reading rooms and permanent displays is free. It also runs a regular programme of temporary exhibitions drawn from its vast collections.

📍 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW

5. University of Edinburgh Old College

Few institutions have shaped Edinburgh’s literary and intellectual life more profoundly than the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1583, it educated generations of writers including Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J.M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan), Muriel Spark and Ian Rankin, all of whom studied here at different points in the university’s long history.

The grand neoclassical Old College remains one of the city’s most striking academic buildings, with its elegant quadrangle forming the historic heart of the university.

Fun Fact: Old College featured prominently in Netflix’s 2024 adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel One Day. It provided the setting for the memorable graduation night scene where Emma and Dexter first meet.

📍 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL

6. Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of Edinburgh’s most atmospheric sites. Its weathered stones, gothic setting and history of grave robbing helped feed the city’s darker literary imagination and contributed to Edinburgh’s long association with gothic storytelling.

The kirkyard also has close ties to Sir Walter Scott, with several members of the Scott family buried here. Today, it is perhaps best known for its Harry Potter connections. Tucked away near the historic Flodden Wall are the real-life headstones of Thomas Riddell, William McGonagall and Elizabeth Moodie - names that are thought to have inspired characters in J.K. Rowling’s novels.

Just outside the gates stands the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the famously loyal dog whose story became immortalised in Eleanor Atkinson’s 1912 novel Greyfriars Bobby.

📍 Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh EH1 2QQ

7. The Elephant House & Victoria Street – George IV Bridge

Few literary cafés are as famous as The Elephant House on George IV Bridge. Closely associated with J.K. Rowling, it was here that she wrote sections of the early Harry Potter books in the 1990s, often seated at a corner table with a view of Edinburgh Castle. Unfortunately, the café was severely damaged in a fire in August 2021 and only reopened recently after an extensive restoration. During its closure, a second Elephant House opened around the corner on Victoria Street and remains open today. Victoria Street - a sweeping, colourful Georgian street - is widely believed to have inspired Diagon Alley, and is well worth a wander in its own right.

📍 21 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EN & 30 Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2JL

8. Armchair Books

No literary city is complete without great secondhand bookshops, and Armchair Books is one of Edinburgh’s finest. Located in the historic West Port area, it is packed floor-to-ceiling with creaking shelves, oriental rugs and what the owners cheerfully call “very nearly alphabetized chaos.” Browsers are warned: it is near impossible to leave empty-handed.

📍 72–74 West Port, Edinburgh EH1 2LE

9. The Scottish Storytelling Centre

This vibrant venue - the world’s first purpose-built centre for live storytelling - celebrates Scotland’s long tradition of oral storytelling. Alongside year-round programmes of poetry, music and spoken-word performance, the centre hosts the Scottish International Storytelling Festival each autumn. There is also a bookshop specialising in Scottish folklore, and a welcoming café. If you are new to storytelling traditions, an Open Hearth session is an excellent introduction.

The centre also incorporates John Knox House, one of the oldest surviving medieval buildings on the Royal Mile, dating back to the 15th century, and well worth visiting in its own right.

📍 43–45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR

10. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Edinburgh

Edinburgh also played a key role in the creation of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in the city in 1859 and later studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. It was there that he met Dr Joseph Bell, a professor renowned for his extraordinary powers of observation and deductive reasoning, who became the direct inspiration for Holmes. Doyle watched Bell diagnose patients from their appearance, gait and mannerisms alone, and saw in that method the seed of his greatest creation.

Today, a striking bronze statue of the detective stands near Picardy Place close to Doyle’s original birthplace. Just across the street sits The Conan Doyle, a traditional Victorian-style pub celebrating the author’s connection to the city.

📍 Picardy Place / 71–73 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3JD

11. Topping & Company Booksellers of Edinburgh

Located at Blenheim Place, Topping & Company is a reminder that Edinburgh’s literary culture is very much alive. With handcrafted wooden bookshelves stretching to the ceiling, rolling library ladders, complimentary tea and coffee for browsers, and a packed calendar of contemporary author events, it is one of the city’s finest independent bookstores. It is spaces like this that ensure Edinburgh remains a thriving literary capital.

📍 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH

Have you visited any of these literary spots in Edinburgh? Or are there any favourite bookshops or hidden literary corners I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your recommendations.

I have been lucky enough to visit Barcelona several times over the years, and each trip has shown me a different side of the city. There’s the vibrant picture-postcard Barcelona of sangria on the beach, crowded tapas bars and long evenings by the waterfront. Then there’s the older, quieter Barcelona of the Gothic Quarter, where narrow medieval streets seem to twist in on themselves. The city’s architecture has always fascinated me too, particularly the work of Gaudí, whose imagination seems to be everywhere, from the soaring Sagrada Família to the colourful mosaics of Park Güell. On my most recent trip, I climbed up to Montjuïc Castle and saw the city in a completely new light, with sweeping panoramic views stretching out toward the sea.

After my last visit, I picked up a copy of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I thought I already knew Barcelona well, but Zafón introduced me to a darker version of the city - one of forgotten alleyways, hidden libraries and stories shaped in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. I finished it within days and immediately began planning my return.

For the uninitiated: the story follows Daniel Sempere, a young boy growing up in post-Civil War Barcelona, whose father takes him to a hidden place known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There, among endless shelves of neglected stories, he is allowed to choose a single book to adopt and protect for life. The novel he selects - The Shadow of the Wind by an obscure author named Julián Carax - pulls him into an obsessive search for the truth after he discovers that someone has been methodically hunting down and destroying every copy in existence. What follows is part mystery, part love story, part ghost story - and almost impossible to put down.

One of the things that makes Zafón's novel so memorable is how inseparable it is from the city itself. The streets, squares and old bookshops shape the story as much as the characters themselves. And the best part for fans of the book is that many of these places are real, or rooted in locations you can still visit today. Here's a guide to following Daniel's footsteps through the city.

La Rambla

The novel opens on La Rambla, one of Barcelona’s most famous boulevards, stretching from Plaça de Catalunya down to the Columbus Monument and the sea. Today it’s a lively, bustling street packed with tourists, flower stalls and market sellers, but Zafón shows it in a very different light. In the early pages of the novel, Daniel walks along La Rambla with his father at dawn, when the city is still half-asleep and the streets are almost empty. It’s an opening scene that immediately sets a mysterious and slightly eerie mood, and it is from here that father and son walk into the mystery that shapes the rest of the story.

Carrer de l’Arc del Teatre

To reach the hidden entrance to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Daniel and his father turn off La Rambla into a narrow, shadowy street called Carrer de l’Arc del Teatre - a real street in the El Raval neighbourhood, just behind La Rambla. It’s the kind of place you could easily walk past without noticing: dark, quiet and run down, with old archways and faded façades. I love the idea that such an unassuming street is where you might find an entrance to a mysterious, hidden world of books.

Plaça Reial

Just a few steps back across La Rambla, Plaça Reial is one of Barcelona’s most recognisable and atmospheric squares - lined with elegant arcades, palm trees and a central fountain, featuring whimsical iron lamp posts designed by a young Antoni Gaudí. The square appears several times in The Shadow of the Wind. It is here that Daniel visits the palatial apartment of his first love, Clara Barceló, and her uncle Gustavo, the wealthy bookseller who draws him deeper into Julián Carax’s story. And it is on his way out from the apartment, beneath the arches of the square, that Daniel first encounters the unforgettable Fermín Romero de Torres - the ragged, witty and eccentric man who becomes his loyal companion. Today, Plaça Reial still feels elegant, though there’s also an air of faded grandeur about it.

Carrer de Santa Anna

Running close to Plaça de Catalunya and just off La Rambla, Carrer de Santa Anna still has the feel of old Barcelona, with its traditional shopfronts, worn façades and tucked-away cafés. Zafón places the fictional Sempere & Son, Daniel’s family bookshop here. While the shop itself doesn’t exist, wandering down the street lets you imagine the old wooden storefront and interior, stacked floor to ceiling with books. Nearby stands the peaceful Church of Santa Anna, a Romanesque and Gothic refuge with hidden cloisters that is also well worth a visit.

Els Quatre Gats

Opened in 1897, this historic café-restaurant became a legendary meeting place for Barcelona’s artists, writers and bohemians, including a young Pablo Picasso, who held one of his first exhibitions here. The café sat at the heart of the city’s Modernist scene, a world that also included figures such as Antoni Gaudí and the composer Isaac Albéniz. In The Shadow of the Wind, Daniel visits the café with his father to meet Gustavo Barceló, the wealthy bookseller who helps propel his search forward. Its dark wood interiors, chandeliers and old-world atmosphere still perfectly evoke fin-de-siècle Barcelona.

Plaça de Sant Felip Neri

Tucked away in the Gothic Quarter, this small, enclosed square feels completely removed from the busy streets nearby. Pale Baroque buildings surround the Church of Sant Felip Neri at its centre, and if you look closely at the stone walls, you can still see the scars left by bombing during the Spanish Civil War, now marked by a simple plaque commemorating the victims. In the novel, this is where Nuria Monfort lives, and Daniel’s visits to her apartment become pivotal to the story, gradually helping him unravel the tragic history of Julián Carax.

Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar

Moving into the El Born district, this 14th-century Catalan Gothic masterpiece is often called the “people’s cathedral”. Built largely by local merchants and dockworkers rather than by royal patronage or the Church, it is a brilliant reflection of the working community that shaped this part of Barcelona. Inside, its soaring stone columns and filtered light create a remarkable sense of stillness in contrast to the busy city outside. In the story, Zafón uses the church as a recurring landmark - a place that Daniel passes by during his search, grounding the novel in the city’s real history.

Carrer de Montcada and El Xampanyet

Just steps from Santa Maria del Mar lies Carrer de Montcada, one of Barcelona’s most beautiful medieval streets, lined with grand Gothic and Renaissance palaces built by wealthy merchants. It perfectly captures the faded aristocratic atmosphere that Zafón evokes, and its historic buildings helped inspire the fictional Santa Llúcia Hospice, the setting for one of the novel’s most emotionally powerful scenes. One of these buildings now houses the Picasso Museum.

Tucked along the same street is El Xampanyet, a tiny bar that has been serving sparkling wine and traditional tapas since the 1920s. In the book, Daniel and Fermín stop here briefly during their investigations. With its colourful tiles, marble counter and bustling local energy, it remains one of the most characterful spots in El Born today and is the perfect place to pause and soak up the atmosphere.

Extra Stops for Book Lovers

Beyond the main locations featured in the novel, here are two additional spots that don’t feature in the book but have become fan favourites due to their strong atmospheric connection to the novel:

Baixada de la Llibreteria

While Sempere & Sons is placed on nearby Carrer de Santa Anna, many fans of the book associate this narrow, sloping street in the heart of the Gothic Quarter with the spirit of Daniel’s world. At its corner with Carrer de la Freneria you’ll find Papirvm, a delightful shop selling handmade paper, antique-style notebooks and elegant fountain pens. In the book, Daniel is enchanted by a luxurious Montblanc pen supposedly once owned by Victor Hugo and it’s easy to imagine Daniel lingering at a similar window, mesmerised by the displays.

Ateneu Barcelonès

Housed in a magnificent 18th-century palace just a short walk from Plaça de Catalunya, the Ateneu Barcelonès is one of the city’s most prestigious cultural institutions. Founded in the 19th century, it boasts a grand library, elegant reading rooms, and a long history as a meeting place for intellectuals, writers and artists. While it isn’t the primary setting for Daniel’s research, the Ateneu strongly mirrors the bookish world of Gustavo Barceló and the hidden literary societies Daniel interacts with while researching Julián Carax’s past.

This feels like a fitting place to end our literary tour - somewhere between real history and the imagined worlds that Zafón builds so beautifully in the novel.

I would love to know: have you read the book, or visited any of these locations yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

You can purchase a copy of The Shadow of the Wind at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

And if this article has inspired you to add Barcelona to your travel wish list, the official tourist website offers practical information on where to stay, dining options, walking tours, maps and local attractions.

I love planning trips almost as much as I love taking them. There’s something deeply enjoyable about researching routes, plotting scenic detours, deciding where to stop and what not to miss. It all adds to the sense of anticipation.

I approach books in much the same way. I spend an unreasonable amount of time building future reading lists and wandering around bookshops in search of my next read. The end result is a home full of chaotic, overflowing bookshelves and a permanently unmanageable “to be read” list.

Recently, it struck me that it would be fun to combine these two habits by creating literary travel itineraries - mapped-out road trips paired with books that feel like they belong to each stop along the way. These aren’t necessarily books I’ve already read, but titles I have come across through my bookshop wanderings that seem to capture something essential about a place. If, like me, you enjoy reading about places almost as much as visiting them, I hope these itineraries will offer inspiration for your next book, your next trip or both. And if travel isn’t possible right now, perhaps they can serve as a way of exploring somewhere new from your armchair.

For this first route, I’ve chosen Coastal California - from San Francisco down to Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway. This journey mirrors the first half of one of the most memorable trips I took during my twenties. It covered such a variety of places that it often felt like travelling through several different states in one journey. I’ll save the second half of my trip - which took me through some of California’s incredible national parks - for a future post.

I would love to hear whether you have been to any of these places or read any of these books. And do let me know in the comments if you think there are any additional stops or books that would work with this itinerary.

A Literary Road Trip Through California

First Stop: San Francisco

San Francisco feels like the perfect place to begin a California road trip. It is one of those cities that feels instantly recognisable: steep hills, historic cable cars, colourful Victorian houses, a bustling waterfront and, of course, iconic landmarks like Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. Together, they give the city a character unlike anywhere else in California. One of the things I remember from my trip was how quickly the weather could change - the fog would suddenly roll in and transform the whole city, so make sure you pack some layers!

My two reading picks capture very different sides of the city:

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is the first in a popular series of novels following a group of interconnected characters living in and around 28 Barbary Lane, a quirky boarding house in 1970s San Francisco. Through its overlapping storylines of friendship, romance and sexual awakening, it captures the city during a vibrant era of freedom and reinvention, offering an affectionate portrait of gay and bohemian life in the city.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett is a classic 1930s detective novel that follows private investigator Sam Spade as he navigates a treacherous web of deception, greed and betrayal involving a mysterious statuette. Set in the foggy streets of San Francisco, it helped define the iconic noir image of the city as a beautiful but dangerous place where nothing is quite what it seems.

Stop Two: Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea

Heading south from San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea offer rugged shorelines, crashing waves and long stretches of ocean views. Monterey feels inseparable from the sea, from the historic Cannery Row waterfront to the sea otters floating in the bay, while nearby Carmel has a quieter, more artistic atmosphere, with galleries and windswept cypress trees. I grew up on the UK coast, so I remember this part of the trip feeling like a slightly sunnier home away from home - I could easily have spent more time here.

For this stop, I of course had to choose Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Set on Monterey’s sardine canning waterfront, it follows the lives of an eccentric cast of characters. Rather than focusing on a single plot, it unfolds through interconnected vignettes that capture a world shaped by hardship, but also by humour, resilience and unexpected moments of community. It has become one of the defining literary portraits of Monterey, capturing the atmosphere of the harbour and the spirit of the historic waterfront.

Stop Three: Big Sur

The drive into Big Sur feels like the point where the California coast becomes far more dramatic. The road narrows and winds along sheer cliffs, with the Pacific stretching endlessly on one side and steep, forested slopes rising on the other. Landmarks like Bixby Creek Bridge and McWay Falls capture that sense of scale and isolation - it is one of the most unforgettable stretches of the journey.

My two reading picks approach Big Sur from very different angles:

Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller is a memoir and essay collection reflecting on the years he spent living in Big Sur, where he sought a life shaped by solitude and creative freedom. Mixing personal anecdotes, philosophical musings and vivid descriptions of the rugged landscape, the book celebrates the wild beauty of the California coast and its influence on artistic life.

Big Sur by Jack Kerouac draws on Kerouac’s own experiences and follows Jack Duluoz, his fictional alter ego, as he retreats to a remote cabin on the Big Sur coastline in search of peace and escape from fame and excess. Instead of finding serenity, he confronts deepening loneliness, alcoholism and mental collapse. The novel contrasts the wild beauty of the Pacific coast with the narrator’s inner turmoil, presenting Big Sur as a place of both sublime natural power and profound isolation.

Stop 4: Santa Barbara

Leaving the raw cliffs of Big Sur behind, the coastline gradually softens as the road approaches Santa Barbara. The landscape becomes more ordered, with white stucco buildings, red-tiled roofs, palm-lined streets and a long stretch of coastline that feels more Mediterranean in character. It is often described as the “American Riviera,” and there is a noticeable shift in feel - it’s calmer than the dramatic stretches of coast further north.

Both of my reading picks use Santa Barbara’s sun-drenched affluence as the backdrop for something considerably darker:

A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton is the first in her alphabet detective series. It follows private investigator Kinsey Millhone as she reopens a murder case years after a woman was convicted of killing her husband. Set in the fictional town of Santa Teresa (inspired by Santa Barbara), the mystery unfolds against the backdrop of wealthy coastal neighbourhoods. What begins as a focused re-investigation quickly grows more dangerous as Kinsey uncovers hidden secrets and layers of deception.

Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg is a novel set in mid-1970s Santa Barbara that follows two disillusioned men - a directionless drifter who scrapes by largely on his looks and charm, and a Vietnam veteran struggling with physical and psychological trauma. After witnessing a possible crime, they become entangled in a risky plan targeting a wealthy local figure. What starts as a thriller gradually deepens into a darker, more cynical portrait of the city’s underlying moral decay.

Final Stop: Los Angeles

Arriving in Los Angeles feels like entering a different version of California entirely. After the winding coastal road, the landscape opens into something vast and sprawling - freeways stretching in every direction, palm trees lining long boulevards and neighbourhoods that feel more like separate cities than one place. I was surprised at how vast the city felt, and how the glamorous image of Hollywood existed alongside a much more grounded, lived-in urban reality.

My two reading picks for Los Angeles explore very different versions of the city:

Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion is set in 1960s Los Angeles and follows Maria Wyeth, a former actress drifting through a world of Hollywood parties, studios and desert motels. Battling emotional numbness, Maria finds her only sense of control behind the wheel on the L.A. freeway system. The novel captures a hauntingly empty version of the city, exposing the nihilism beneath its glossy surface.

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley is set in postwar Los Angeles and follows “Easy” Rawlins, a Black World War II veteran who becomes drawn into a dangerous investigation while trying to make a living in a segregated and rapidly changing city. As he moves through different neighbourhoods and social worlds, the novel reveals a Los Angeles shaped by inequality, racial tension, ambition and hidden violence.

And here ends our journey for now. Whether you read these books before, during, or long after a visit to California, I hope they deepen your experience of this remarkable stretch of coast. In a future post, I’ll share the second half of my trip through the state, which took me into California’s inland landscapes and national parks.

Until then, happy reading and safe travels!

— La Bibliotrek

If this article has inspired you to add California to your travel wish list, the official tourist website offers lots of useful practical information to help you plan your trip.

And if any of these books have caught your fancy, buying through my links will help support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those culturally significant novels that I’m slightly embarrassed to admit sat unread on my bookshelf for years. I finally picked it up for the first time last month and, within just a few pages, understood exactly why it has earned its place as a modern classic. I was captivated by the story and finished it in a matter of days.

Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s, the novel follows young Scout Finch as she grows up alongside her brother Jem. Together, they watch their father, Atticus - a principled lawyer - defend a Black man falsely accused of rape. Through Scout’s curious, innocent eyes, Harper Lee confronts the ugliest realities of the Jim Crow South: racial injustice, prejudice, class division and the cruelty that can fester within small-town communities. Yet despite these difficult themes, a genuine warmth, gentle humour and sense of childhood wonder shines through the narrative.

It’s this delicate balance between light and shadow - and its unforgettable cast of characters - that makes To Kill a Mockingbird so powerful. Despite the injustice at its core, the novel still left me with a sense of hope: that empathy, compassion and moral courage can push back against society’s worst impulses.

Monroeville: the town behind the story

Whenever I finish a book, I find myself drawn to researching the places, people and inspirations behind the story. In this case, I was interested to find out that the fictional setting of Maycomb wasn’t purely imagined - it was inspired by Monroeville, the small Alabama town where Harper Lee grew up.

Much like its fictional counterpart, Monroeville in the 1930s was a close-knit community shaped by tradition and deeply ingrained social hierarchies. The Great Depression hit the town hard, opportunities were limited, and daily life revolved around the church, the school and, crucially, the courthouse in the centre of town. Beneath this quiet and familiar way of life, however, lay deeply entrenched divisions - of race, class and privilege - that shaped both everyday social interactions and the workings of justice. Growing up in this environment, without much in the way of material comforts, Harper Lee - a tomboyish and imaginative child - created her own worlds through storytelling and play.

A defining friendship during her childhood was with Truman Capote (then known as Truman Persons), who lived next door with his relatives during the summers. The two bonded over reading and writing, often crafting stories together on a typewriter provided by Lee’s father. Lee’s protective instincts towards the more sensitive Truman would later help inspire the characters of Scout and Dill in the novel.

The most iconic figure in the book, Atticus Finch, is widely believed to have been modelled on Lee’s father, A.C. Lee - an attorney who served in the Alabama Legislature and a man of moral conviction. As a child, Harper would often sit in the courthouse balcony in Monroeville watching him practice law. His real-life legal journey, however, was marked by tragedy; in 1919, he defended two Black men accused of murder. When they were convicted and executed despite his efforts, he was so disillusioned that he largely stepped away from criminal law. It’s difficult not to see echoes of this experience in Atticus Finch’s quiet resolve and the moral stakes of the trial of Tom Robinson at the centre of the novel.

The real-world parallels with the book don’t stop there. In 1934, a Black man named Walter Lett was convicted of raping a white woman near Monroeville on the basis of weak evidence in front of an all-white jury. Reading about this case alongside the novel is genuinely chilling - a stark reminder that Tom Robinson’s story wasn’t simply fictional, but rooted in the systemic injustices of the time.

Experiencing Maycomb today

Monroeville today retains much of the character that Lee describes from her childhood - its central square, clock tower and small-town atmosphere offer glimpses of the setting Lee brought to life on the page.

At the heart of it all is the Old Monroe County Courthouse Museum - a tangible connection to the novel’s most powerful scene, where the trial of Tom Robinson unfolds under Scout’s watchful gaze from the balcony. Inside, you are free to explore the space at your own pace: to stand at the judge’s bench, sit in the witness chair, or climb the balcony where Harper Lee once sat as a child, observing her father at work.

For an even more immersive experience, the courthouse hosts an annual stage adaptation of the novel. The 2026 production - which began on March 27th - unfolds across two acts, moving between outdoor and indoor settings. Audience members can even be called upon for jury duty during the courtroom scene - an unexpected and memorable way to become part of the narrative!

If you’re planning a trip through Alabama, pairing a visit to Monroeville with a reread of the novel is about as close as you can get to a fully immersive reading experience. There would be something remarkable about standing in the place that shaped such an important story, and being reminded of just how closely fiction and reality can intertwine.

Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird, or visited Monroeville? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

You can purchase a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

If this article has inspired you to add Monroeville, Alabama to your travel wish list, the official tourist website offers practical information on where to stay, dining options, walking tours, maps and local attractions.

I have just returned from a wonderful week in Athens - my first trip to a city I’ve wanted to see for a very long time. As someone with a longstanding fascination with Ancient Greek history and philosophy, it felt incredible to finally stand in the places I had read about for years: to walk beneath the Acropolis, to wander through the Agora, and to imagine the voices of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in the spaces where they once taught and debated.

April proved to be an ideal time to visit. The days were warm and sunny, yet remained cool enough to make long walks through the city a real pleasure. Alongside visiting the main archaeological sites, I watched the changing of the Guard outside the Greek Parliament in Syntagma Square, wandered the winding, cobbled streets of Plaka with its small shops, tavernas and neoclassical houses, and climbed the slopes of the Acropolis to discover the hidden alleys and whitewashed walls of Anafiotika.

On days when I wanted more peace and quiet, I retreated to the beautiful National Gardens, and climbed Lycabettus and Philopappos Hills for sweeping views across the city. From their summits, the sight is unforgettable: the Acropolis rises above the rooftops, and beyond it, the city stretches all the way to the sea and the port of Piraeus.

Those who have read my previous posts will know that one of my favourite ways to explore a place - second only to walking its streets - is through books. I always try to choose something that will deepen my understanding of where I am, or allow me to see it through a different lens. For this trip, I brought with me The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault.

Set in Athens during the final decades of the fifth century BC, the novel follows Alexias, a young Athenian coming of age against the turbulent backdrop of the Peloponnesian War. Central to the story is his deep bond with Lysis, a slightly older athlete and soldier, a relationship Renault renders with great sensitivity and emotional depth. Together, they move through a city alive with ideas, studying under Socrates and engaging with the political and intellectual life of classical Athens. As the war with Sparta unfolds, Alexias is drawn ever more deeply into the city’s shifting fortunes, and through his eyes we witness its slow unravelling through military defeat, political instability and the brutal rule of the Thirty Tyrants.

Renault does a wonderful job of bringing the world of classical Athens vividly to life. Through her descriptions, I was able to imagine the agora, the gymnasia and the symposia as they once were - part of a living city rather than distant history. Her portrayal of Socrates was particularly memorable, transforming the familiar marble bust I have seen in countless museums into a living, breathing person at the heart of the city’s intellectual life. Reading the novel while walking through the ruins of Athens added so much to my experience of the city, helping me to imagine more clearly the people and events that once shaped this extraordinary place.

Below, I’ve selected a handful of other books that, in their own ways, capture something of Athens or wider Greece - its history, its intellectual heritage and its evolving modern identity. I’ve tried to include a mix of fiction and non-fiction, spanning from the ancient world through to the complexities of modern Greece, with many of them rooted in the city itself. These are just a taster: you can find my full list of Athens-inspired reads in my online bookshop powered by Bookshop.org.

Whether you’re heading to Athens soon or simply want to explore the city from your armchair, I hope these books bring the place to life for you.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

Foundational Mythology:

Mythos – Stephen Fry

A lively and accessible retelling of the Greek myths, revisiting the stories of gods, heroes and creation that were widely known across the ancient Greek world, and which continue to echo through the art and sculpture of Athens today. Fry brings humour and clarity to complex tales, making them easy to engage with, whether you are encountering them for the first time or returning to familiar ground. It is an ideal companion for understanding the mythological world that still underpins much of Greek culture and imagination.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Iliad & The Odyssey – Homer

These two epic poems form the foundation of ancient Greek literature, shaping the myths, values and storytelling traditions of the ancient Greek world. The Iliad explores the heroism and tragedy of the Trojan War, while The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long and perilous journey home. Though not set in Athens, both were central to the shared cultural imagination of the Greek world and would have been widely known in classical Athens.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Classical Athens: Glory and Turbulence

The Gates of Athens – Conn Iggulden

Set during the Greco-Persian Wars, this novel follows Athens as it faces invasion from the vast Persian Empire. Moving through key moments such as the Battle of Marathon and the wider Greek resistance, including Thermopylae, it brings to life the political manoeuvring and military strategy that shaped the Greek response. Through figures like Xanthippus and Themistocles, the story captures Athens at a moment of extraordinary pressure, as it struggles to defend itself and define its identity in the face of overwhelming odds. It is the first in a two-book series charting the Persian Wars and the emergence of classical Greece.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Tides of War – Steven Pressfield

Set during the Peloponnesian War, this novel recounts the rise and fall of the Athenian statesman and commander Alcibiades, narrated by a soldier awaiting execution who served under him. Moving between battlefield campaigns and the political life of the Athenian Assembly, it captures a city under immense strain - its democratic ideals and imperial ambitions gradually fracturing under the pressures of a prolonged and brutal conflict with Sparta.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Hemlock Cup – Bettany Hughes

A biography of Socrates that doubles as a vivid reconstruction of Athens at its most dynamic and turbulent. Hughes brings the city to life in remarkable detail - its bustling streets and public spaces, its philosophical debates and political tensions. It’s an accessible and engaging way to understand the world that shaped classical Athens and is the ideal companion for a visit to the city.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Parthenon – Mary Beard

Mary Beard explores the long and complex history of Athens' most iconic monument, moving beyond its classical origins to examine how the Parthenon has been used, reinterpreted and contested across the centuries. The perfect companion when visiting the Acropolis, adding depth and perspective to what you see.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives – Plutarch

Plutarch's nine portraits of key Athenian figures - among them Themistocles, Pericles, Alcibiades and Nicias - offer something no modern writer can replicate: a direct line to the ancient world's own way of thinking about its great men. Rather than offering a continuous history, Plutarch reflects on character, leadership, ambition and moral failure, using individual lives to illuminate Athens' rise and eventual decline. It is not the easiest read on this list, and rewards some prior knowledge of the period, but for those who have been gripped by Mary Renault or Bettany Hughes and want to go deeper, it is a really fascinating primary source.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Last Days of Socrates - Plato

A collection of four dialogues by Plato that together recount the trial and death of Socrates. Beginning with his defence before an Athenian jury and ending with his final hours in prison, they offer a powerful and deeply human portrait of one of Athens’ most enduring figures, while bringing the intellectual and civic life of the city vividly to life.

Tip: Climb Philopappos Hill, where a rocky chamber traditionally identified as the prison of Socrates can still be seen. Though its exact historical authenticity is uncertain, standing there offers a powerful moment of connection to these texts and to the final days of one of Athens’ most enduring figures.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Modern Athens: War, Dictatorship, and Change

Those Who Are Loved – Victoria Hislop

Set in Athens in the years leading up to and during the Second World War, this novel follows Themis and her family as their lives are shaped by political division and war. Beginning in the city under the shadow of occupation, the story moves outward into the wider upheavals of resistance, civil war and political repression that follow. Through this journey, it offers an emotional portrait of love, ideology and survival across some of the most turbulent periods of modern Greek history.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The House on Paradise Street – Sofka Zinovieff

Told through the perspectives of two generations of women, this novel follows the aftermath of a Greek family tragedy rooted in the Second World War and its political divisions. When the past resurfaces after the death of Nikitas, his English widow begins to uncover the story of his mother Antigone, a communist partisan whose life was torn apart by the Greek Civil War, imprisonment and exile. As the secrets of the past emerge, the novel moves across Nazi-occupied Athens, the years of dictatorship and into the modern city, revealing how ideology and conflict fracture both families and memory itself.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens – Sofka Zinovieff

A warm, funny and sharply observed memoir of an Englishwoman’s first year living in Athens in 2001, after she moves there with her Greek husband and two young daughters. Trained as a social anthropologist, Zinovieff captures the textures of everyday life - neighbourhoods, family routines, markets, tavernas and the Byzantine complexities of Greek bureaucracy.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

92 Acharnon Street – John Lucas

Set in the early 1980s, this memoir offers a candid look at at Athens during a period of significant social and political transition. Moving away from the typical tourist paths, Lucas documents daily life on one of the city’s busiest streets. He focuses on the local realities of the time - the heat, the noise and the bureaucratic hurdles - alongside the personal stories found in neighbourhood cafés and apartments. It is a clear-eyed portrait of Athens as a lived-in, complex and often chaotic city.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Broader Histories

Athens: City of Wisdom – Bruce Clark

A sweeping narrative history tracing Athens from antiquity through Byzantine and Ottoman rule to the modern day. Clark weaves together politics, culture and everyday life to show how the city has continually adapted and reinvented itself, offering a valuable framework for understanding Athens as a living, evolving place rather than a static relic of the past.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation - Roderick Beaton

A compelling account of Greece’s modern history, from the struggle for independence in the early nineteenth century to the present day. Beaton traces the formation of the Greek state, the upheavals of war and occupation, the trauma of population exchange with Turkey, and the turbulent decades of dictatorship and democratic transition. Scholarly yet highly readable, it provides essential context for understanding modern Greece and Athens today.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

✨ For more Athens related titles, you can explore my full Athens book list at: Bookshop.org Books to Read in Athens. All purchases support independent bookshops and this account at the same time ❤️

1. The White Horse Tavern

A cornerstone of Greenwich Village literary life, the White Horse Tavern is most famously associated with Dylan Thomas, who was a regular here in the final months of his life. It was also frequented by writers such as James Baldwin, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer.

Thomas is said to have spent his final New York nights drinking heavily here before collapsing shortly afterwards - a story that has become inseparable from the tavern’s identity. It remains one of the defining literary drinking establishments of post-war New York.

📍 567 Hudson Street

2. The Plaza Hotel

Few New York hotels are as closely tied to literary glamour as The Plaza. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald stayed here frequently during their years in the city, and the hotel appears in The Great Gatsby as the setting for the novel’s climactic confrontation between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan.

Decades later, Truman Capote famously hosted his Black and White Ball here in 1966, one of the most iconic literary-social events of the 20th century which brought together writers, politicians, and celebrities in a single theatrical night.

📍 768 Fifth Avenue

3. Hotel Chelsea

More than just a hotel, the Chelsea became a long-term home for generations of writers and artists. Arthur Miller lived here for several years following his divorce from Marilyn Monroe, and Dylan Thomas also stayed here during his final New York trip. He collapsed in the hotel shortly before his death in 1953 after drinking heavily at the White Horse Tavern nearby.

📍 222 West 23rd Street

4. The Algonquin Hotel

The Algonquin is inseparable from the Algonquin Round Table, the legendary group of writers, critics and actors who met here regularly for lunch in the 1920s. Among them was Dorothy Parker, whose sharp wit came to define the group’s reputation for caustic humour and intellectual banter. Their lunches became famously theatrical affairs, known as much for rapid-fire insults as for literary discussion.

The hotel’s literary legacy continued in later decades, with writers such as Maya Angelou using it as a regular base in New York. She even drafted early notes for her screenplay adaptation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on the hotel’s stationery.

📍 59 West 44th Street

5. Delmonico’s

Delmonico’s, one of America’s earliest fine dining restaurants, has long been associated with visiting literary figures. Charles Dickens dined here during his American tours in the 19th century, and Mark Twain celebrated his 70th birthday here in 1905, hosting over 170 guests for an evening that the New York papers covered as one of the social events of the year.

📍 56 Beaver Street

6. McSorley’s Old Ale House

One of the oldest continuously operating bars in New York, McSorley’s has drawn generations of writers. John Steinbeck was known to drink here during his time in the city, while E. E. Cummings immortalised the bar in his poem “i was sitting in mcsorley’s.” Its sawdust-covered floors and unchanged interiors make it one of the most historically intact bars in New York.

📍 15 East 7th Street

7. Minetta Tavern

Minetta Tavern was part of the old literary Greenwich Village scene and has long been associated with the writers and artistic community who made the neighbourhood their home in the early 20th century. Among those linked to the tavern are Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, and Joe Gould. The tavern’s tiled floors and dark wood panelling still evoke that creative bohemian world.

📍 113 MacDougal Street

8. Caffe Reggio

Caffe Reggio sits at the heart of Greenwich Village’s historic café culture, a space closely tied to the intellectual energy of the Beat era. Figures such as Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, James Baldwin were part of the wider literary scene that gathered in cafés like this across the Village, where conversations about writing, politics and art often continued for hours over coffee.

Open since 1927 and largely unchanged, it remains one of the oldest café interiors in the city, preserved much as it was in the early 20th century. It has also appeared in films including The Godfather Part II, Shaft, Serpico and Inside Llewyn Davis.

📍 119 MacDougal Street

A note for visitors: the Minetta Tavern and Caffe Reggio sit just doors apart on MacDougal Street, and together with the White Horse Tavern on Hudson Street they form a natural walking circuit through the heart of literary Greenwich Village - an afternoon and evening well spent for any serious book lover!

Have you visited any of these places? Or do you know of any other literary spots in NYC? I would love to hear your experiences!

Have you read The Island by Victoria Hislop? If not, it makes for an unforgettable holiday read - an emotional tale of love, sacrifice and human resilience set against the beautiful, sun-drenched backdrop of Crete in Greece.

The story follows a young woman named Alexis, who travels to Crete in search of answers about her mother’s secretive past. Her journey leads her to Spinalonga - a small, rocky island just off the coast of Crete, whose tranquil setting belies a heartbreaking history. As Alexis begins to uncover long-buried family secrets, the island’s own story unfolds alongside hers: a narrative shaped by hardship, isolation and the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.

Spinalonga: A Real Place with a Remarkable Past

While The Island is a work of fiction, Spinalonga is very real, and its history is every bit as compelling as the novel. Located in Mirabello Bay, just off the northeastern coast of Crete, the island has played many roles over the centuries.

In the 16th century, the Republic of Venice fortified it as a strategic stronghold, building one of the Mediterranean’s most impressive fortress systems to protect vital trade routes and the surrounding coastline. The imposing stone walls, bastions and gun emplacements still dominate the island today.

But Spinalonga’s most poignant chapter began in the early 20th century, when in 1903 the Cretan authorities designated the island as a leper colony. The first patients arrived a year later, and it remained in operation until 1957, making it one of the last leper colonies in Europe. People diagnosed with leprosy (now known as Hansen’s disease) were sent here in enforced isolation from the mainland, entering the island through a dark, low-ceilinged tunnel known as "Dante’s Gate" - so named because many patients felt they were passing into a place where all hope was lost.

At the time, there was no effective cure for leprosy, and fear of the disease led to widespread stigma. Although we now know that leprosy is not highly contagious (it spreads only through prolonged close contact and affects only a small percentage of people exposed) it remained deeply misunderstood for centuries. An effective treatment finally emerged in the 1940s, eventually making the disease curable. But before that breakthrough, the human cost of isolation and separation from loved ones was immense.

Despite the terrible hardships they faced, the residents of Spinalonga created a vibrant, functioning community. They built homes, opened shops, established places of worship and formed deep social bonds, determined to live with dignity and purpose under extraordinarily difficult conditions. This is something Victoria Hislop captures beautifully in her novel, giving a voice to those who were once forgotten and highlighting the extraordinary resilience that can flourish even in the darkest of circumstances.

Visiting Spinalonga Today

Today, Spinalonga is one of Crete’s most fascinating historical sites and a deeply moving place to visit. Accessible by boat, the island is just a short crossing from the charming coastal villages of Plaka and Elounda or the larger town of Agios Nikolaos, with regular services running throughout the day, particularly in the summer months.

Once ashore, you can wander through the preserved remains of the settlement: narrow streets lined with crumbling houses, abandoned shopfronts, a church, a cemetery, and traces of everyday life frozen in time. Informational panels and guided tours bring the island’s history vividly to life, explaining how the community functioned and how medical advances eventually ended its long period of isolation, leading to the colony’s closure in 1957.

For readers of The Island, visiting Spinalonga is a truly special experience, allowing you to step straight into the world of the book. But even if you haven’t read the novel, the island’s real story makes it a powerful and worthwhile destination, one that leaves a lasting impression long after you leave.

If you’re planning a trip to Crete, I highly recommend reading the book before you go. Exploring the island with the story in mind will add a deeper layer of meaning to your visit.

Have you visited Spinalonga, or read The Island? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

You can purchase a copy of The Island at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

If this article has inspired you to add Spinalonga to your travel wish list, the official tourist website offers practical information on how to get there, together with maps, photos and a detailed history of the island.

You can’t beat Paris in the springtime, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the city’s streets, cafés and parks come alive as Parisians shake off the last chill of winter. This time last year, I spent a week in a lovely apartment near the beautiful Parc Monceau - and I still catch myself daydreaming about it now. The weather was glorious - nothing but deep blue skies and sunshine - so instead of touring the museums and galleries as I had originally planned, I spent my days wandering the streets, soaking up the architecture and distinct atmosphere of each neighbourhood. There was Le Marais, with its hidden courtyards and graceful, centuries-old hôtels; the bookish, slightly bohemian Latin Quarter with its maze of narrow streets and historic bookshops; the restless, artistic energy of Montmartre, where artists sketch beneath the white domes of the Sacré-Cœur; and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, with its classic cafés and elegant boutiques.

My trip was transformed by a lucky find in a second-hand bookshop: an old, out-of-print guidebook, Walking Paris: Thirty Original Walks in and Around Paris by Gilles Desmons. Each route led me through a different part of the city, giving some structure to my wandering while encouraging me to slow down and notice the details I would otherwise have missed: a forgotten plaque on a wall, an intricately carved doorway, a hidden church, or a sun-drenched square filled only with locals. If you can track down a copy, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Those who have read my previous posts will know that one of my favourite ways to explore a city - second only to wandering its streets - is through books. I love reading novels set in the places I visit, memoirs and biographies of famous residents who lived there, or histories that deepen my understanding of what I am seeing around me. For this trip, I chose the classic memoir, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway.

It is a fascinating read, offering an intimate glimpse into Hemingway’s early life in the city as a writer with more ambition than money to his name. Hemingway’s Paris is one of cold apartments, long hungry walks across the city, cheap meals in simple cafés, and the daily struggle of trying to carve out a life as a writer. The book is filled with sharp, often funny anecdotes of his encounters with the literary giants who defined the Parisian scene of that era - figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce. Through its pages, the sights, sounds and restless energy of 1920s Paris come vividly to life. It was the perfect read over a café crème at one of the many beautiful cafés I stopped at during my walks.

Below, I’ve selected a handful of other books that, in their own ways, capture something of the city’s spirit, its culture and its past. These are just a taster: you can find my full list of Paris-inspired reads in my online bookshop powered by Bookshop.org.

Whether you’re heading to Paris soon or simply want to explore the city from your armchair, I hope these books bring the place to life for you.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

– La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

Les Misérables - Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece follows the former convict Jean Valjean as he struggles to rebuild his life in 19th-century Paris while being relentlessly pursued by the obsessive Inspector Javert. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1832 June Rebellion, the novel paints a sweeping portrait of Parisian society and the revolutionary spirit of its underclass. Tip: When exploring Le Marais, don’t miss Victor Hugo’s apartment on Place des Vosges, now a free museum that gives a real sense of his life in Paris.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Belly of Paris – Émile Zola

Set in and around the overflowing food markets of Les Halles - the “belly” of the city - this richly descriptive novel paints a vivid portrait of 19th century Paris’s bustling food trade and its stark class divides. It follows Florent, an escaped political prisoner who returns to a city obsessed with consumption and bourgeois comfort. Through his outsider’s eyes, Zola delivers a powerful critique of consumerism, gluttony and social inequality, contrasting the indulgence of the wealthy with the hunger of the working poor. Tip: For dedicated fans, Zola’s house in Médan (about 45 minutes west of Paris) is open to the public for guided tours and includes a museum dedicated to the Dreyfus Affair.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Bel-Ami – Guy de Maupassant

A sharp, cynical portrait of ambition in late 19th century Paris, Bel-Ami follows Georges Duroy, a charming but unscrupulous former soldier who climbs the social ladder through manipulation, seduction and betrayal. Set against the city’s cafés, boulevards, newspaper offices and glittering high-society salons, the novel mercilessly exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of bourgeois society. Paris here is glittering on the surface, but morally hollow underneath.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Paris Wife – Paula McLain

A vivid reimagining of 1920s Paris, this novel tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson, as the couple immerses themselves in the city’s vibrant expatriate literary scene. Through her eyes, we glimpse the cafés, studios and salons of the Left Bank, as well as the fragile realities behind the glamour. It is a bittersweet exploration of a marriage unravelling amidst the intoxicating and competitive atmosphere of literary Paris.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux

Blending Gothic horror with tragic romance, this novel tells the story of a masked, disfigured musical genius who haunts the subterranean depths of the Palais Garnier, Paris’s grand opera house. When the Phantom becomes obsessed with a young soprano, it leads to a series of mysterious disappearances and dramatic confrontations within the theatre. Leroux’s vivid depiction of the opera house makes a visit to the real Palais Garnier all the more atmospheric. Tip: If you do go, it’s well worth booking a guided or multimedia tour as they weave in some fun references to the novel.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

After the Circus - Patrick Modiano

Set in the atmospheric streets of 1960s Paris, the story follows a young man who becomes entangled with a mysterious woman after a chance encounter during a police interrogation. As their brief, intense affair unfolds, he follows her through the city’s cafés, streets and transient hotels, their relationship steeped in a growing sense of unease. It’s a haunting and dreamlike novel that blurs the lines between reality, memory and mystery.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Dressmaker’s Gift – Fiona Valpy

Set between Nazi-occupied Paris and the present day, this dual-timeline novel follows three young seamstresses working in a high-fashion atelier as they navigate life in a city under siege. Each harbours dangerous secrets that test their loyalty and friendship, and their choices send ripples across the generations. Decades later, the granddaughter of one of the women returns to Paris to uncover the long-buried truths of their courage and sacrifice. It’s a moving exploration of female friendship and the enduring legacy of wartime trauma.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Flâneur – Edmund White

Part memoir, part cultural exploration, this book is a love letter to the art of wandering Paris without purpose. Drawing on his own experiences as an expatriate, White guides the reader through the city’s streets, history and hidden corners, reflecting on everything from architecture to sexuality. It’s a reminder that Paris is best experienced slowly, with no fixed plan and plenty of curiosity.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Paris to the Moon – Adam Gopnik

A warm and witty account of modern Paris, this collection of essays chronicles the author’s years living in the city with his family as expatriates. Gopnik captures both the joys and frustrations of raising children, navigating daily life and absorbing French culture. From strikes, politics and the bureaucratic quirks of the city to its parks and café culture, he blends humour with insight into what makes Paris so enchanting.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

✨ For many more Paris related titles, you can explore my full Paris book list at: Bookshop.org Books to Read in Paris All purchases support independent bookshops and this account at the same time ❤️

I will never forget my first encounter with Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude. It was my first foray into magical realism, and while I can’t pretend to have fully grasped its layers of symbolism on that first reading, I was nonetheless completely captivated by García Márquez’s unique style of storytelling. His seamless blending of ordinary, everyday life with magical, supernatural events made me feel as though I was reading the book in a fevered, dream-like state, where the improbable felt entirely natural.

The novel follows the lives of seven generations of the Buendía family who live in the isolated, mythical village of Macondo - a seemingly utopian world of tropical abundance founded by the family’s patriarch. In its early years, Macondo is almost completely cut off from the outside world, its only connection being the annual visits of a band of travelling gypsies, who dazzle the townsfolk with scientific wonders they have never encountered before: magnets, telescopes and - most famously - ice.

But as the years pass, the outside world encroaches, and conflict, political upheaval and foreign influence arrive with it. García Márquez skilfully weaves echoes of Colombia’s turbulent history into the story, including the civil strife of the Thousand Days’ War (1899–1902); the arrival of American fruit companies; and the devastating violence of the 1928 Banana Massacre, when striking plantation workers were gunned down in their thousands.

Yet even as the plot darkens, the magic persists: yellow butterflies trail behind forbidden lovers; ghosts age alongside the living; and a beautiful woman ascends to heaven while folding her laundry. It is this rich tapestry of myth, memory and Colombian history that has made the novel one of the defining works of Latin American literature, earning García Márquez the Nobel Prize in 1982.

For all its fantastical qualities, the world that García Márquez creates is deeply grounded in his own lived experiences, drawing on the people, stories and atmosphere that surrounded him as a child in Aracataca, Colombia.

Gabriel García Márquez’s Childhood in Aracataca, Colombia

García Márquez - known affectionately in Colombia as “Gabo” - was born in Aracataca in 1927, a small banana-plantation town not far from the Caribbean coast. When he was just eight months old, his parents left for the coast in search of work, and he was raised instead by his maternal grandparents in a house that would later inspire the Buendía family home.

This upbringing provided Gabo with two distinct, almost competing educations. His grandfather, a veteran of the Thousand Days’ War, filled his imagination with stories of the harsh realities of civil war, political rebellion and Colombian history. Meanwhile, his grandmother introduced him to a world alive with omens, spirits, ghosts and local legends. She would often recount the most extraordinary, supernatural tales in a calm, matter-of-fact tone that would later become a hallmark of his writing.

Young García Márquez absorbed these stories, along with the sights, sounds and rhythms of daily life in Aracataca, and they would go on to form the foundation of his fiction. Decades later, he reflected that “the atmosphere of my books is the atmosphere of my childhood,” going so far as to say that there is hardly a line in his work that does not trace back to those early years.

Walking in García Márquez’s Footsteps

Today, Aracataca has fully embraced its dual identity as both a lived-in Colombian town and the real-world twin of the mythical Macondo. Local historians and literary enthusiasts offer guided tours that bring the connection to Gabo vividly to life, weaving together biography, history and storytelling. Some of the key stops on their tours include:

• The Gabriel García Márquez House Museum

This is the lovingly restored and partially reconstructed house owned by Gabo’s grandparents (located on Carrera 6), where García Márquez spent his early years. It faithfully recreates the original layout when Gabo lived there, now filled with period furniture, family photos, manuscripts and bilingual displays quoting passages from One Hundred Years of Solitude and his memoir Living to Tell the Tale.

Wander through the rooms and you’ll recognise echoes of the novel: the workshop where Colonel Aureliano forged his tiny gold fishes; the kitchen where the scent of guava and spice still lingers; the long corridor and patio where the family would sit to tell stories as the sun went down; and the modest room where young Gabo slept.

• The Streets of Aracataca

Step outside, and the town itself begins to feel like an extension of the novel. The streets that shaped García Márquez’s imagination are lined with colourful colonial-style houses, lively plazas and markets that mirror scenes from the story.

Yellow butterflies are painted on walls and doorways throughout the town - a tribute to his character, Mauricio Babilonia, the lover forever accompanied by a cloud of wings. And at the town’s entrance, a sign proudly proclaims “Aracataca–Macondo,” a testament to how completely the town has embraced its fictional twin.

• Local Landmarks and the Local Cemetery

In the local cemetery stands a symbolic tomb for Melquíades, the wandering gypsy who first brought wonders (and ice) to Macondo. It is a poignant spot that beautifully blurs the line between a real community and the fictional characters that made it famous.

A short walk away, you’ll also find the Monument to Remedios the Beauty, a statue dedicated to one of the novel’s most unforgettable characters. In the story, Remedios is so ethereally beautiful and otherworldly that she ultimately ascends into heaven while folding the laundry - a moment that perfectly captures the essence of Gabo's world.

How to Visit Aracataca, Colombia

To visit Aracataca, most travellers base themselves in Santa Marta, a vibrant coastal city around 1.5 to 2 hours away, and make the journey as a day trip - either independently or on one of the excellent guided literary tours that include transport, lunch and expert storytelling.

If you do go, make sure you sit for a while in the town square, watching daily life unfold and read a few pages of One Hundred Years of Solitude in the place where its spirit was first formed.

Have you read One Hundred Years of Solitude? Or have you visited Aracataca and seen the house and streets that inspired Gabo's world? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

You can purchase a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting both independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

I first came across the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series in the early 2000s, when the books had just come out and were flying off the shelves. I had recently started a new job in London and was enduring the daily grind of commuting on a hot, stuffy, overcrowded underground train. These books offered the perfect escape from my commute, transporting me to the wide blue skies and dusty roads of Gaborone, Botswana.

The series is based on the larger-than-life character, Precious Ramotswe - or “Mma Ramotswe” as she is known to everyone – Botswana’s first (and only) female private detective. After her beloved father’s death, she uses her inheritance to open the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. She’s joined by her sharp, endlessly opinionated assistant Grace Makutsi (a proud graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College with a mark of 97 percent), and later by her gentle fiancé (and eventual husband) Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.

The cases Mma Ramotswe takes on are not terribly serious and usually revolve around ordinary people’s everyday worries: a woman who suspects her husband is being unfaithful, a father anxious about his daughter’s secret boyfriend, a missing relative who may (or may not) have fallen foul of traditional healers, and a seemingly erratic doctor whose patients are growing suspicious. There’s blackmail, a stolen car, even a touch of witchcraft rumour, but nothing truly dark or violent. Mma Ramotswe solves them all using her own instincts and intuition, along with endless cups of red bush tea. The real joy of the books lies in the memorable characters, the gentle pace of the storylines and the celebration of ordinary life in Botswana.

Alexander McCall Smith’s descriptions of the country draw deeply on his own experiences of living there. He spent part of his childhood in nearby Zimbabwe, and later in life he moved to Botswana to help establish and teach at the law school at the University of Botswana. His affection for the country’s landscapes and culture really comes across in his writing. He often lingers over small details: the smell of dust after rain, the view of Kgale Hill rising above the town, and the quiet, sun-drenched streets of Gaborone in the afternoon heat.

What makes the books even more special is that many of the locations that feature in the stories actually exist in real-life. McCall Smith blended fiction with actual streets, buildings and neighbourhoods, so fans can quite literally walk in Mma Ramotswe’s footsteps.

Here are some of the highlights you can visit in and around Gaborone:

• Kgale Hill - The fictional detective agency is described as sitting at the foot of Kgale Hill, the distinctive rocky landmark that rises just outside the city. The hill itself is hikeable and from its slopes, you can look out across Gaborone and see that “blue shimmer of heat” described in the opening pages.

• Mma Ramotswe’s house: This can be found on Zebra Way (called Zebra Drive in the books) – a quiet, tree-lined residential street that feels worlds away from the bustle of the city centre. The actual corner house that inspired it belongs to friends of the author. While it is private, tours stop outside so visitors can admire the veranda and imagine Mma Ramotswe sitting there with a cup of red bush tea after a day of detective work.

• The President Hotel: A Gaborone institution, which appears in several of the stories often as a meeting place where characters gather for conversations or business over tea. Visitors can still enjoy a cup of tea on the terrace overlooking the market, just as Mma Ramotswe might have done.

• The Botswana Book Centre: A real bookstore located in the main mall and that features in the stories – a perfect spot for book lovers to browse.

• Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors: In the books, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni’s garage sits along the road leading toward the village of Tlokweng, where much of the action of the series unfolds. Visitors can drive past and see the actual location for themselves.

• Mochudi: The village where Precious grew up. It’s a short drive from Gaborone and still feels much as it’s described in the books, with its hills, goats, cattle and strong sense of community. It represents the more "traditional" Botswana that Mma Ramotswe holds so dear.

  

Several tour companies in Gaborone now offer No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency tours, taking visitors to key locations from the novels. Tours typically include Zebra Way, Speedy Motors, the President Hotel, Kgale Hill, the Three Dikgosi Monument, and Riverwalk (where Mma Ramotswe shops). Some guides even stop for tea in true Mma Ramotswe style, and extended tours venture out to Mochudi. It’s a relaxing and joyful way to experience the city through the eyes of one of literature’s most beloved detectives.

If you’ve never read the series, or if it’s been years since you last picked one up, I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you’re planning a trip to Botswana. The books are still the perfect antidote to a stressful commute or the general busyness of everyday life. They’re the kind of books I know I’ll return to whenever I feel the need to escape for a while.

Have you read the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books? Which location would you most love to visit? I’d love to hear in the comments – and if you’re heading to Botswana, let me know if you end up on one of the tours!

You can purchase a copy of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency at my online bookshop powered by bookshop.org - a wonderful alternative to Amazon that offers an easy, convenient way to purchase books online while directly supporting both independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. For more info on bookshop.org’s mission click here.

And if this has inspired you to add Botswana to your own travel wish list, this website offers practical information on when to visit, how to get there, and what to explore. It’s a useful starting point for planning a trip and discovering more about the country beyond the novel.

I still have such wonderful memories of a trip I took to Madrid nearly a decade ago. I stayed in an apartment just steps away from the historic Mercado de San Miguel - a beautiful, covered marketplace packed with the delights of Spanish cuisine. In the evenings, the atmosphere around the market was electric; there’s something magical about late-night Madrid, when the heat of the day has finally faded away and everyone spills out onto the streets to enjoy tapas, wine and lively conversation.

During my days in the city, the heat encouraged me to adopt a slower pace of life. I took long, leisurely walks through the beautiful El Retiro Park, stopping at cafés by the boating lake to read and people-watch, and of course I couldn’t resist browsing the atmospheric Cuesta de Moyano bookstalls just outside the botanical gardens. This charming row of open-air book kiosks has been a fixture of Madrid’s literary life since the 1920s, and wandering between them reminded me of the iconic bouquinistes along the Seine in Paris.

On cooler days, I explored some of Madrid’s historic and architectural treasures - the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral and the Prado museum - and took an unforgettable day trip to the magnificent El Escorial, just northwest of the city. Built in the sixteenth century by Philip II, this vast complex served as a royal palace, monastery and mausoleum for the Spanish monarchy, and is one of the most remarkable historic sites I’ve ever visited. If you ever find yourself in Madrid, I highly recommend making the journey there.

As those who have read my previous posts will know, one of my favourite ways to explore a city - second only to wandering its streets - is through books. I love reading novels set in the places I visit, biographies of famous residents who lived there, or histories that deepen my understanding of my surroundings. For this trip, I chose the historical spy thriller Winter in Madrid by C.J Sansom.

Set in the bleak aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the novel follows British intelligence officer Harry Brett as he arrives in a hungry, fearful Madrid during the freezing winter of 1940. Tasked with spying on an old school friend who has become a powerful businessman in the new regime, Harry is quickly pulled into a dangerous web of old loyalties and shifting political alliances.

It is a gripping story of espionage and betrayal, but what makes the book so memorable is its portrait of the city itself. Sansom vividly captures a Madrid still bruised by conflict: cold, drafty apartments, desperate ration queues snaking through the streets, and shadowy cafés where tense, whispered conversations reflect the heavy atmosphere of early Francoist Spain. Reading Sansom’s haunting depiction of Madrid in the 1940s while wandering the sunlit, vibrant streets of the modern city gave me a much deeper appreciation for Madrid’s history and the resilience of its people.

In the years since my visit, I’ve discovered many more books that shed light on Madrid’s rich and complex character. Below is a small selection of titles that offer different glimpses of the city - from its history to its culture and everyday life. These are just a taster; you can explore my full list of Madrid-inspired reads in my online bookshop at Bookshop.org.

Whether you’re heading to Madrid soon or simply want to explore the city from your armchair, I hope these books bring the place to life for you as they did for me.

Happy reading, and safe travels!

- La Bibliotrek

P.S Buying through my links helps support independent bookshops and this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to learn more about Bookshop.org’s mission, you can find more information here.

The Fountains of Silence - Ruta Sepetys

Set in 1950s Madrid under Franco’s dictatorship, The Fountains of Silence follows 18-year-old American Daniel Matheson as he becomes captivated by the city through his photography. Through his growing connection with Ana, a spirited hotel maid, Daniel is drawn into the lives and hidden struggles of locals still scarred by the Civil War.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Fortunata and Jacinta - Benito Pérez Galdós

Often called the ‘War and Peace’ of Spain, Fortunata and Jacinta is a sprawling, immersive masterpiece. Set in 19th-century Madrid, it follows the intertwined lives of two women from opposing social worlds: the passionate, instinctive Fortunata from the working class and the elegant, refined Jacinta from the bourgeoisie. Bound by rivalry and shared romantic ties, their personal dramas expose the era’s class tensions, with the city’s streets, neighbourhoods and social fabric shaping every turn of the story.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Hive - Camilo José Cela

Set over three stifling days in 1943, The Hive is a panoramic portrait of Madrid in the grim aftermath of the Civil War. Through a fragmented narrative involving over 300 characters, Cela captures the hum of daily survival in the city’s cafés, cramped apartments and bustling streets. It is a haunting depiction of a society marked by hunger and a desperate search for connection in the shadows of the Franco regime.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Leaving the Atocha Station — Ben Lerner

Set in early 2000s Madrid, Leaving the Atocha Station follows Adam, a young American poet on a prestigious fellowship, as he immerses himself in the city’s literary scene. Navigating museums, cafés and poetry readings, he becomes entangled with a small circle of friends and wrestles with ambition, identity and the blurred line between observation and participation. Ben Lerner brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the Prado and the Reina Sofía, delivering a witty exploration of art, language and the experience of life in a foreign capital.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

The Forging of a Rebel — Arturo Barea

This autobiographical work, The Forging of a Rebel, follows Arturo Barea’s early life in early 20th-century Madrid, tracing his experiences from childhood to young adulthood in a city shaped by social upheaval, political tension and the looming Spanish Civil War. Through his work in the postal service, military service and encounters with ordinary Madrileños, Barea recounts the daily struggles, injustices and small acts of resilience that shaped the every day lives of the city’s residents.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

Ghosts of Spain - Giles Tremlett

Although this book explores Spain as a whole rather than focusing solely on Madrid, it provides invaluable context for understanding the country’s capital. Journalist Giles Tremlett examines how the legacies of the Spanish Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship and the transition to democracy continue to shape modern Spanish society. For readers wanting to understand the deeper historical forces behind the Spain they encounter today, it is an illuminating and highly readable guide.

👉 Buy this book on Bookshop.org

✨ For many more Madrid related titles, you can explore my full Madrid book list at: Bookshop.org Books to Read in Madrid. All purchases support independent bookshops and this account at the same time ❤️