Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.
Today's theme is Books that Feature Travel and I have to admit that I initially thought I was going to struggle to come up with 10 books to include. I haven't actually read many road trip books but when I sat down to think of it I managed to come up with plenty of stories that involve travel in some form or another.
Anyway, lets have a look at a few of my favourites (links will take you to my reviews):
Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series has been one of my favourites since I was a teenager (the less said about the 6th and final book the better though!) and I've lost count of the number of times I've read them. The series is set around the time of the last ice age (35,000 years ago) and follows a young girl Ayla as she travels across whole continents in search of a place to call home. I love this series for the rich historical data but more for the emotional journey that Ayla goes on as she grows up and finds her place in the world.
From What I Remember is a more traditional road trip story that shows how one of the school's hottest guys Max ends up in Mexico with geek girl Kylie. The book is absolutely hilarious and I loved every minute of it!
Colleen Houck's Tiger series follows Kelsey on a journey across India as she tries to help brothers Ren and Kishan break a 300 year old curse. You get to visit various temples and the jungle, learn about some of the Indian gods and goddesses and fall in love with not one but two gorgeous Indian princes who have been cursed to spend the majority of their time living as tigers.
Between Shades of Gray is the heartbreaking story of a young Lithuanian girl called Lina and her family as they are captured by Soviet guards and forced to travel across Europe to a Siberian work camp in the Arctic circle. Set during WWII and based on true stories this book highlights the atrocities committed by Stalin and is an incredibly emotional read but it is a book that I can't recommend highly enough. If you haven't come across this book before take a few minutes to watch this video of the author Ruta Sepetys as she talks about the inspiration behind the story but make sure you have tissues to hand because you're sure to need them!
Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.
Liesel Schwarz's steampunk adventure takes you across Europe stopping off at London, Paris, Venice and Constantinople. Main character Elle is a dirigible pilot so you'll get to fly in an airship but you also enjoy a luxury ride on the Orient Express!
If you enjoy books aimed at a slightly younger audience or are looking for a fun family read then I'd definitely recommend Justin Somper's Vampirates series. Sail the seven seas with twins Grace and Connor in this futuristic world where the seas have risen and the waters are controlled by both pirates and vampirates (yes, you did read that right vampirates - vampires who are also pirates!)
I love Kresley Cole's adult books so I was excited to get my hands on her first YA novel Poison Princess last year. Set in the future after an apocalyptic event that Evie had been having visions of before it happened this is a fab story and something that's really unique. Main characters are based on the Major Arcana cards found in a Tarot deck and each have different powers and abilities. Evie teams up with sexy Cajun Jack to try and search for answers and they travel across the country looking for the other main players.
Fire and Thorns is a fabulous fantasy adventure that follows princess Elisa when she is sent far from home to marry a man she has never met. Follow her epic journey across the desert as she fights to find a place for herself in a new country when she doesn't know who her enemies are.
My last pick is a little bit of a cheat because although The Night Circus travels the world the focus of the story is much more on what is happening inside the circus than outside of it. It is such a beautiful novel that I couldn't resist including it anyway though and I can't recommend it highly enough!
So what books did you include on your list? Did we have any of the same picks? Leave me a link to your post in the comments and I'll stop by and check it out!
I love the Night Circus! It's one of the best books I've ever read. I am also thrilled to see Vampirates on your list because it's near the top of my TBR pile. Thanks for stopping by my site. :-)
ReplyDeleteI also love the Night Circus, it's really cool. And obviously the Hobbit is amazing. Also thanks for stopping by my blog. :D
ReplyDeleteAck! The Hobbit!!! Duh!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jorie's Reads today! Your site looks great! Jorie's Reads by Starry Night Elf
ReplyDeleteI completely forgot about Between Shades of Gray! Such an awesome book. And I'm glad to see From what I remember on your list too - I really liked that book. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read the others.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think to include Between Shades of Gray, but you're completely right.
ReplyDelete@ nikihawkes - Night Circus is a fabulous book isn't it! The Vampirates series is for a younger audience than most books I read but I really enjoyed the whole series :o)
ReplyDelete@ Inga Langfeldt - Yay for another Night Circus fan and the Hobbit is a classic for a reason LOL
@ Sarah Reads Too Much - You can't miss the Hobbit off of a list like this! I love your name by the way - the reads too much bit fits me really well too :o)
@ joriesreads - Thanks for returning the visit & I'm glad you like it :o)
@ Sammee - How could you not include Between Shades of Gray? LOL I loved From What I Remember too :o) Oh and I've now got a copy of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour after seeing it on so many people's TTT lists woohoo
@ Pretty Books - I think because I've not read many "road trip" books it forced me to think outside the box a bit for this one. I love that book though, such an emotional story :o)