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A5 Top Pick - Life of Pi, by Yann MartelLife of Pi is a simply brilliant fictional novel published in 2001 about a 16 year old Indian kid who is adrift and lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a small lifeboat, accompanied by some zoo animals including a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Piscene (“Pi”) Molitor Patel is a curious kid who thinks deeply about religion at an early age, deciding to embrace Christianity, Hindu, and Islam all at once, and that spirituality affects his experience while lost at sea. It is a symbolically rich story about survival and the ambiguity of truth. And, the ending is amazing. Click here for our review of Life of Pi.
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Explore. Dream. Discover. Read.
GREAT TRAVEL NOVELSOne of our favorite categories of travel books is the travel novel. The definition of a travel novel can be relatively broad, but perhaps the most typical example is where a location setting is an essential part of the story, especially as inspiration for places where we hope to visit someday. Some of the best examples include Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises (Spain), The Beach (Thailand), Shantaram (India), Memoirs of a Geisha (Japan), and Paul Bowles’ famous novel The Sheltering Sky (North Africa). Historical fiction is an easy and enjoyable way to learn about the spirit of a place and time. Books like James Michener’s Hawaii and Edmund Rutherfurd’s London bring an edifying perspective that not even the best guidebooks can. Sometimes we believe a travel novel tells the story of a life-changing journey, planned or unplanned, like What is the What, Dave Eggers' book about a Sudanese refugee’s experience in the United States. We have included a few recommendation on time travel novels, And sometimes, a travel novel can simply be something entertaining to pass the time while traveling. A meaningful journey often requires patience, with long flights and train rides, unexpected delays, and long open blocks of free time. A good book on a good trip is essential, a perfect opportunity to disconnect from the realities of daily pressures and to escape the allure of the television. It is no surprise that most people who love travel also love to read. Our selection of the travel novels listed here may not be all be fairly classified as travel literature, but these are all books we love. Here are our recommendations on 19 of the best travel novels.
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ONE OF OUR FAVORITE BOOKS
A5 RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BEST FICTION TRAVEL BOOKS
The Alchemist
An allegorical novel about finding treasure, and one of the most popular books of all time. |
The Sheltering Sky
An American couple ventures to North Africa to repair their marriage and to find themselves. |
Shantaram
An Australian convict escapes to hide in the crazy world of the slums of Bombay. |
The Sun Also Rises
Hemingway's classic story of "Lost Generation" American expats in Spain. |
The Martian
The best-selling novel about an astronaut accidentally abandoned on Mars. |
The Time Traveler's Wife
A love story about a wife and her husband's genetic disorder of involuntary time travel. |
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The Beach
A backpacker in Thailand discovers a secret and supposedly idyllic beach. |
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
A 1970 novella about a sea gull who dreams about flying. |
The Hobbit
A fantasy novel about a home-loving hobbit who gets pulled into an epic adventure. |
What is the What
A soulful and historically accurate novel on the life of a Sudanese child refugee who migrated to the US. |
Memoirs of a Geisha
The fictional narrative of Chiyo Sakomoto, a geisha working in Kyoto before and after WWII. |
The Prince of Tides
Best-selling author Pat Conroy's phenomenal novel about a South Carolina family. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
A humorous science fiction story about the world's best travel guide. |
THE BEST IN HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS
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