“Reading is like travel, allowing you to exit your own life for a bit, and to come back with a renewed, even inspired, perspective”
Laurie Helgoe
One of my favorite ways to get excited (and educated!) for an upcoming trip is to read some historical fiction on the location. More on the philosophy behind “homework” to get excited for your upcoming trip here.
For the kiddos, consider the Honeybunny the Unipuppy series, introducing your destination in a friendly way, getting them excited about the culture, language, and experiences ahead.
Here are some of my favorites over the trips we’ve taken over the years. OK, ok, some are biographies, not just fiction, but they’re all amazing! Any recommendations to add to the list? Comment below!
Africa
South Africa
![](<iframe title="Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_fuOlqssutJhpc7&asin=B01DHWACVY&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Asia
Japan
Pachinko is one of my very favorite books, a multi-generational story of Korean-Japanese history and culture.
![](<iframe title="Pachinko" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_xMxoEbB4kygsWq&asin=1455563927&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Memoirs of a Geisha is a wonderful book that really helps get deeper into the Geisha history, and appreciate the art. The movie was ok and not true to the book, but still worth a watch.
![](<iframe title="Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_ocLAFWHUVtdN6y&asin=0679781587&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_PUtWXvTlY7hR6M&asin=B00JNQIYGY&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Honeybunny the Unipuppy Visits Japan (Honeybunny Visits)" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_WGWvAvEzSjcrwr&asin=B0CHQ144F7&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Bali
![](<iframe title="Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_KkUXBVAvulbMsp&asin=B000PDYVVG&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Balilicious" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_GGIGJaQ7zFbFSa&asin=B008TGMP6Y&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
China
3 Body Problem
![](<iframe title="The Three-Body Problem (The Three-Body Problem Series Book 1)" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_RO8uwqIW1LkdaA&asin=B00IQO403K&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
US
Alaska
![](<iframe title="The Great Alone: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_7KuvQmZqXGgxOU&asin=B06Y5WRS2C&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Educated: A Memoir" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_VcvuLcxE1MfAU3&asin=B072BLVM83&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="The Snow Child: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_H2jDxvpdbpiB8v&asin=0316175668&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Hawaii
![](<iframe title="Honolulu: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_mSWVF5pHZ6iFeA&asin=B002LA0ADY&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Moloka'i: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_8CYOzS6pcqkzam&asin=B002H8ORMU&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Utah
![](<iframe title="Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_PwtPJhMyXFbpMT&asin=B000FC1R2S&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
California
![](<iframe title="The Four Winds: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_Awp4LfV7pwgaAb&asin=B087ZXSPGJ&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="The Language of Flowers: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_Z6MZUV6iAeikXY&asin=B004J4WLB4&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_rSE2nvRWvEiTGG&asin=B00FUZQYBO&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
New York
![](<iframe title="The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_TiEz9gm8tcenIT&asin=B00BAXFECK&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_2u4NLdHjAtfasZ&asin=B003K16PXC&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Oregon
![](<iframe title="Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_WgPPxM0YY6jPUv&asin=B0176M1A44&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Washington
![](<iframe title="The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_aWTA8Yp7DZkVq6&asin=B00SI02G7Y&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Oprah's Book Club 2.0)" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_54Z57GyvU1j2ik&asin=B005IQZB14&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Louisiana
![](<iframe title="A Kind of Freedom: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_y02oAyoo0VdxIt&asin=B0719CK9DM&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_OotwEgYQhmk06g&asin=B07XNG5L99&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Europe
Italy
![](<iframe title="Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_Xw9jDJ6Eo3bjGi&asin=B01L1CEZ6K&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Scandinavia
![](<iframe title="The Mercies" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_JumrPwCneheByI&asin=B07SGQ8M32&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
![](<iframe title="Deep River: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_K4x5Ib1fuUjFyy&asin=B075VCJF62&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
How Iceland Changed the World – Great book on audible while driving the Ring Road)
Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World
Germany
![](<iframe title="Man's Search for Meaning: Young Adult Edition" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_GT9Q0wcosD6iQr&asin=B01I85NQ9U&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
Latin America
Peru
Books by Mario Vargas Llosa
Brazil
![](<iframe title="City of God: A Novel" type="text/html" width="800" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_LILyB4yUIoj38l&asin=B005012PIY&tag=sparksflyin06-20"></iframe>)
