I did a search in case these had been asked recently, or if at all, with a 'nil return'. So here goes:

1 Has any book inspired you enough to want to visit its location?
2 What has been your most memorable holiday read, why and where?
3 What book are you taking on holiday, and
where will you read it?

Hope the question will create some interest and an even longer list of books to read for me.

I'm a sucker for book questions...Peter Mayle's books ( A Year in Provence, etc) definitely made me want to visit France and eat all of the wonderful food that was described. Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth got me interested in visiting cathedrals everywhere...and Edward Rutherford's London definitely flashed into my head when I was there.

I can't think of a book I associate with a particular trip...but I'm planning on taking a few with me to Spain in September.
Five Quarters of an Orange (same author as Chocolat)
Lovely Bones and
the ever-popular Seabiscuit top my current reading list.

I, too, am a sucker for book questions...
I was hoping visiting Yorkshire this spring was going to inspire me to enjoy Wuthering Heights, which my book club was reading. No luck. Loved Yorkshire, but still find Wuthering Heights awful.
Two summers ago when we were in Malta, I read "The Brass Dolphin" by Joanna Trollope, and enjoyed reading about Malta when it was under seige during WWII.
Heading out later this week for a short cruise out of Galveston and planning to take "brain candy" for reading by the pool:
A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George -- I love her English mysteries, and
No Angel by Penny Vincenzi -- I hear it's a great English family saga.
Annette

1. The 2 that come to mind are Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet and Jorge Amado's Gabriella: Clove and Cinnamon. So far I haven't made it to either Egypt or Brazil, but I am optimistic.

2. Impossible to say -- too much travel and too many books! Sometimes if the book is good enough, the place makes me think of the book, even if the 2 had no connection.

3. I just read The Passion of Artemisia while in Italy. It's a fictionalized biography of the first woman to be admitted into the Florence art academy, in the 1600's. Too often it seems I am reading about somewhere on the other side of the world rather than the place I am in. (But I have a bio of Eleanor of Aquitaine that I'm saving for my next trip to France.)

Hi

After reading "Innocents Abroad" I decided to travel.

"Betsy and the Great World" by Maud Hart Lovelace made me want to travel to Munich, Bavaria, Venice, Paris, London, Switzerland, and the Azores. Been to all numerous times except have not made it to the Azores. AA does not fly there.

Ira --

Hi
I've answered this sort of thing here before, there are old threads, but I love discussing books.

My first trip to Europe was to Greece, eons ago. Why? "In Search of the Moonspinners" by Mary Stuart, had read it as a high school student. It's a charmingly chaste romance/mystery, not great literature, but very compelling about the Crete of 40 years ago.
There are others of her books that are also very atmospheric and evocative of place.

I'm currently reading "The Professor and the Madman", a short book about the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Next on my list are Frances whathername's "Under the Tuscan Sun" and
also "Seabiscuit." Just loved the movie. So far I'll be reading them Chez Moi.

I also enjoyed reading Under the Tuscan Sun..I believe that the writer last name is mayer or meyer...I am Terrible with names...The writer is truly in love with Tuscany... and try to spend a lots time there with her poet husband.
I have read many books about different countries...but I dont have any particular book in mind,but I have read all Pearl S. Buck books about China.
When I was very young I always wanted to go to Asia..I was able to fulfill my dreams years ago, my husband was still in the Air Force then, and we were lucky to have an assignement to Taipei, Taiwan for a couple of years..I will always cherish the time spent there, what a faboulus country used to be.!!!

Frances Mayes, and sorry to burst the romantic bubble but I think she and her husband are now divorced.

I was unlucky enough to have my whole luggage 'nicked' at the end of a fabulous two weeks - and the thing that bothered me most, I had left the last few pages of a wonderful book for the plane journey home. "Tuscan Soup" by Lou Wakefield. This is a great comic read, with wonderfully drawn characters, some of whom enjoy the art and architecture of that region. Anyone else read it (don't tell me how it ends)? I will certainly being going to Tuscany and visiting the villages/cities described.

Oh, and on the way from work this afternoon Radio 4s 'Good Read' featured Tender is the Night, and reminded me how much that book made me want to visit South France.

When I was in my early teens, I devoured any book by Victoria Holt. Not highbrow (!), but I lovvvvved those Gothic romances. It gave me a burning desire to visit England, which I did, and even better, I eventually married my very own Gothic romance--an Englishman. (though he thinks romances are trash, boo hoo!) Later I started reading Somerset Maugham, which got me interested in the Far East. I was thrilled to visit the Raffles Hotel in Singapore since I had read of it in so many stories! My most memorable holiday read was an hysterically funny book that was set in Florida, and I read it while on the beach in Florida: Carl Hiassen's book "Basket Case." It's a stitch. For my next adventure, I won't be taking a book. Favorite books to me are old friends, and if I brought one with me, I'd have to bring it back home as well. So I'm bringing a ton of magazines, which I can leave for other readers to pick up when I done with them. However, I will have to bring a guidebook, because it has all my wonderful Fodorite tips & tricks written in the margins!

Marilyn (or anyone else), are you saying the Mayes is divorced from Ed? Or are you referring to her first husband? Enquiring minds want to know!

DLN, I also loved to read Victoria Holt books. They were a quick read and interesting.
She also wrote under a different name,
which I cannot remember. Do you know
what it was???

dln, I love Carl Hiasson, along with Elmore Leonard -- the perfect "airplane" books.

Nutella, I read something about making the film of Under the Tuscan Sun. They changed the story (of course) so instead of buying the house with her husband Ed, she is single and gets romantically involved with an Italian. (Got to feed that fantasy, eh?) Somewhere in there I seem to recall the remark that Ed was now out of the picture anyway. But it's idle gossip at this point. Maybe I'll google it and see if I can get some hard data.

I don't take books on vacations any more. I used to, but I finally figured out that they are dead weight since I never have time to actually read them.

Marilyn, I usually love all things Italian, but am DREADING that movie! Single women (myself included) falling in love with Italy are enough of a cliche as it is. I'll admit I'm not up on the story (although I know it's nothing like the book), but it will only confirm my family and friends' suspicions that the only reason I love Italy is because of some Italian guy I've met there (unfortunately not true, for the most part LOL)! Me: I'm going to Italy again. Them: What's his name?

Ok, I'm officially eating my words. As far as I can tell, Frances Mayes is still married to Ed, who has actually taken HER last name. (He is now Ed Kleinschmidt Mayes.) Another happy ending.

bbonz2, Victoria Holt wrote historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy, and in the 70s she also wrote under the pseudenym Philippa Carr. Our daughter's name is Philippa, but I assure you that is mere coincidence... By the way, since Victoria Holt has passed away, I now read Regency Romances (okay, okay, no loud snickering here).

Marilyn, add Marian Keyes to your list of authors. Her book "Rachel's Holiday" was not as belly-laugh as Hiasssen, but runs a close second!

Thanks, dln. I don't know her but will put her on my list. I am an omnivorous reader and LOVE recommendations.