TRAVELS
Books That Inspire BY S T E V E N
by Steven Eidelberg
L
ast month I focused on some of the movies that have inspired travel, and this month the focus will be on books. Books are often more of an inspiration to me than movies when written by authors who know how to describe a sense of place. A good travel book tells you where to go; a great travel book lets you imagine you are there!
Top: Aiguines Castle, Provence, France Center: The Shakespeare and Co. bookstore, Paris, France Bottom: New Orleans, USA
A Year in Provence – The first in a series of entertaining, funny and fast reads by Peter Mayle. His books take you through the trials and tribulations of moving to Provence, France, and then once settled, of the gastronomic wonders and quirkiness of this wonderful area of the world. From truffle hunting to frogs’ legs festivals and of course wine, these books made me fall in love with Provence and southern France before I ever set foot there. Leave Paris behind, and discover the area’s wonders. A Movable Feast – Speaking of Paris, my desire to travel to the City of Lights began once I read this fantastic Ernest Hemingway memoir. Centered around his friends and acquaintances who frequented the now-gone original bookstore Shakespeare & Co., the author’s expert prose makes you want to travel to a Paris where glimpses of that fascinating period between the wars existed (a second Shakespeare & Co. became a bohemian hangout in the 50’s and is still there). A Confederacy of Dunces – Pulitzer Prize winning novel by John Kennedy Toole which takes place in New Orleans. It focuses on odd characters which are lovable at times and despicable at times, but paint the true color of the city. Having lived there and returned numerous times (read an article I wrote in an earlier issue), the way to truly know the city is to get into the mind of the residents, and this hilarious romp through the French Quarter will do that.
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September 2020 / ISSUE 116 / Vero’s Voice
