With the kids back to school, you may find yourself with an extra hour (OK, 15 minutes!) of “me” time. Why not take a travel adventure on your own?
Here are several great suggestions to inspire a little daydreaming and maybe even a call to your travel agent.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Cheryl Strayed
Knopf, $15
Oprah’s recent book club pick is “Eat, Pray, Love” meets “Into the Wild.” The true story of author Cheryl Strayed as she tackles a solo hike from the Mojave Desert north to Washington.
The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling
Little, Brown & Company, $35 (available September 27)
Yes, THAT J.K. Rowling. It’s her first major literary work post-Potter and her first geared toward adult audiences. Get carried away to a mythical English town where a sudden death leads to mystery and mayhem.
The Sandcastle Girls
Chris Bohjalian
Doubleday, $26
Bohjalian’s follow up to “The Night Strangers” takes readers to Syria and New York. It’s a mysterious love story that begins during World War I between a young American nurse and an Armenian widower, ending with a secret revealed.
The Tao of Travel
Paul Theroux
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $19
Do you enjoy travel stories? This book’s for you— Paul Theroux’s fifty years of globetrotting are perfectly encapsulated here, along with pieces from other popular travel writers.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Katherine Boo
Random House $16
Much heralded earlier this spring, this nonfiction piece takes readers to the slums of Mumbai. The characters will mesmerize as you read their tales of hope and ingenuity in the face of dismal odds.
Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents
Elisabeth Eaves
Avalon, $12
Sometimes, it’s nice to escape into a story where the best relationships are the long-distance ones. Enjoy Eaves’ journey, both physical and emotional, as she travels from one continent to the next.
Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate)
Amy Thomas
Sourcebooks, $11
Tasty! Combine your love of food and travel with this wonderful story, which crisscrosses the Atlantic between New York and Paris.
Pilgrimage
Annie Leibovitz
Random House, $30
If pictures are worth a thousand words, your cup will runneth over with renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz’s most recent compilation. The book highlights places that hold special meaning from Yosemite to Niagara Falls, and the residences of people like Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud.
