Travel the World Through Books

Books Set in Different Countries

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Has the pandemic got you with a severe case of wanderlust? All the time spent in lockdown has many of us dreaming about a time in the future when we'll be able to travel safely and freely again.

In the meantime we can travel the world through the pages of the books we read. 

Today's post is in collaboration with Bookish Blog Hops and we're taking on the topic "A book set in a country you want to visit" so hopefully by the end of this post you'll have plenty of ideas of books about countries around the world.

Are you a book blogger? Join the Bookish Blog Hops team here

A book set in a country you want to visit

I live in Rome, Italy and so a lot of the books I read are set in a different country to where I live. So for my pick I wanted a book that captured my interest not just because it's set in a different country I would one day like to visit (FYI I want to to visit all the countries!). 

I decided on a book from my Net Galley TBR called Journey to Paradise by the author Paula Greenlees. I've not read any books by this author before but this one called to me. 

The book is set in Singapore and follows the story of a British ex-pat. As a British ex-pat myself this is definitely a bonus for me. 

Did you know?

Singapore is placed highly in key social indicators: education, healthcare, quality of life, personal safety and housing, with a home-ownership rate of 91%. Singaporeans enjoy one of the world's longest life expectancies, fastest Internet connection speeds and one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. - Wikipedia

The country may look like paradise but Miranda feels like an outsider, both to the people of Singapore and the tight-knit community of British ex-pats who quickly close ranks against her. Gerry cannot understand how his wife won’t simply embrace their new life, and the more he pushes, the more Miranda withdraws. Soon the terrible realisation dawns on Miranda that she has moved half-way around the world for a man who doesn’t love her, and whom she no longer loves.

So when the kind (and curiously handsome) Dr. Nick Wythenshaw asks if Miranda might like to lend a hand volunteering with the sick children at the local hospital, it gives Miranda a purpose and through her work and her friendship with Nick, she slowly begins to feel something she hasn’t felt in a long time – true happiness, and perhaps something more…

I can't wait to find out what happens to Miranda and hopefully get some more insight into the history of Singapore at the same time.  

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Now it's time for others in the Bookish Blog Hops gang to share a book set in another country they want to visit. As we're all from different countries this is interesting. 

Here's their choices of books that take place in another country:

Kate @ Bitch Bookshelf www.bitchbookshelf.com

So many possibilities for this one! I’m going to go with The Royal We and its sequel The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. I would love to visit England one day, and wouldn’t mind experiencing some of the more posh parties royalty and celebs are treated to.

I love books set in Hawaii! One of my favorites is Sins of the Flesh by Debra Dunbar. When I listened to this audiobook, it almost felt like I was actually there and I loved how the story explored culture and myths in addition to the super cute holiday fling, haha.

There are soooo many countries that I want to visit. However, I am going to have to go with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I have wanted to visit Scotland my entire life. I have a limited ancestry that is Scottish (just a tiny bit) and so I’d like to go walk where they walked. I read about Glamis Castle and it’s hauntings when I was in middle school, so I would want to go there. It just looks like a magical, mystical and breathtaking country.

I immediately thought of The Little French Bistro by Nina George. If I ever make it to France one day, you will find me on the western coast. 

The list of countries I want to visit is pretty high!! So I just picked one of the books I remembered (rather miraculously) on my TBR (and my list of most anticipated books for the first half of 2021) that is set in Japan.

- The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

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You can find all the stops in the Bookish Blog Hops Spring Hop here:

https://www.owlbookworld.com/do-you-participate-in-reading-challenge/ https://bitchbookshelf.com/2021/03/02/how-your-reading-has-changed-this-year-spring-2021-bookish-blog-hop/ https://lovelyaudiobooks.info/book-blogger-favorite-books-2021/ https://www.jolinsdell.com/2021/03/bookish-blog-hops-books-set-in.html https://www.writersideoflife.com/a-book-set-in-the-past/ http://www.bookishlaura.co.uk/2021/03/03/what-are-you-currently-reading/ https://brandypotterbooks.com/2021/03/07/bookish-blog-hop-spring-hop-2021/

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What book set in another country do you want to read? Do you read books set in the country you plan on visiting before you travel there?