Travel, Travel, Travel & Books, Books, Books

Do you recall where you were when the Twin Towers fell? Many of us can immediately picture the spot, hear the sounds surrounding us and smell the smells.

I was teaching in Dundalk. The principal’s voice calmly took over the building at the beginning of recess, asking us all to kindly proceed to the staff room for a brief meeting. Coats littered chair backs, lunch bags were set in a row along the snot-coloured table, and coffee bubbled in the background. Circling the principal, our mouths hung open in shock when we heard what had happened. We wheeled in the oven-sized TV and watched the updates before agreeing to remain hush-hush, plaster on smiles, and head back to teach our classes.  

You may be wondering, what does the crashing of planes in the World Trade Center have to do with books, books, books?

Although not as extreme an example, there are books that, when envisioned or discussed, bring me back to the exact spot where I read them. Memories of the place are occasionally so vibrant I pinch myself. Sometimes, those books seemed apropos for the spot. Sometimes not.

Cuba

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Reason for reading: Borrowed from my daughter (who had borrowed it from her aunt) when I finished my other vacation books quicker than expected.

Angle on the author: Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to hook you in and weave a tale. So much so that I didn’t even feel the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of sand fleas using my legs and arms as their full-day buffet.

What’s in it for you: If you’re a lover of fiction, juicy details about a Hollywood star’s black book, plot twists, and a main character so believable you want to invite her to Thanksgiving, then this is one for your vacation “to read” list.

Pairs well with: chaise lounge by the ocean or the pool, mojitos stuffed with fresh mint leaves, the scent of Coppertone, and the patio lunch table (because you can’t put it down).

Newfoundland, Canada

A Newfoundlander in Canada

Reason for reading: It just felt right to have Alan Doyle’s second book as my companion on our annual pilgrimage to our cabin (aka: workfest sprinkled with some relaxation, neighbourly hangouts, and visits to George Street).

Angle on the author: Lead singer of The Great Big Sea, Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, a town with just slightly less than 1000 people. Close to St. John’s, and less than an hour from our cabin, we’d visited the place when the kids and I nearly peed ourselves on its main tourist attraction, Canada’s longest zipline course.

What’s in it for you: If you love clever, heartwarming stories that might even make you spit Screech out of your nose, then grab this one off the library shelf. He writes his books like he writes his songs.

“Doyle’s songwriting often features humorous anecdotes and witty observations, typical of the folk tradition.” American Songwriter.

Pairs well with: Adirondack chairs, the caws of blue jays and the sound of a chittering red squirrel, and anywhere comfortable enough to allow the odd laughter-snort. Bonus: Hold it face up on your lap when you’re anywhere near Canada’s most eastern province and find out how quickly it starts a conversation.

Alaska, USA

Burn Book: A Tech Love Story

Reason for reading: We celebrate the end of our work week with “Friday Martini Nights”. After a meal and a hot tub, we cozy up on the couch with a dirty or a regular and try to stay awake for the entirety of Real Time with Bill Maher. After award-winning journalist Kara Swisher was his guest, I knew I wanted to read her latest book.

Angle on the author: If Swisher were a tennis player, she’d decimate Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Sinner—all playing on one team against her. She researches hard and she hits even harder. She’s not afraid to share the truth, and being frenemies with a lot of well-known techie giants helps her get the scoops. In the credits, Elon Musk calls her “an a$$hole”. That tells you something.

What’s in it for you: Ethics, knowledge tidbits, and the crazy backstories of the rich and the famous, all in an easy-to-read and digestible format. She wraps fear in hope.

 “When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane, you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution…. Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.” Kara Swisher

Pairs well with: outdoor cruise ship couches, cake day (and other calorie-laden) choices, and airplane travel (it will help you forget that your untalkative-but-sighing-loudly-and-continuously neighbour’s elbow is digging into your gallbladder for 5 hours and 10 minutes).

Read, read, read, and travel, travel, travel. And may you have books that bite into you and leave such a mark that you can’t forget when and where you ingested them.

Here are a few more recommendations:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Diaries of Sofia Tolstoy by Sofia Tolstoy, translated by Cathy Porter

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Rich AF: The Money Mindset that Will Change Your Life by Vivian Tu