Travel Book Challenge for 2019

The Challenge

If you love travelling or reading then this Travel Book Challenge is for you. See the New Year in by choosing your own travel books according to the guide below. This Travel Book Challenge, however, doesn’t have to just be for 2019, anyone can join at any time. Please share this challenge… the more, the merrier!

I’ll be naming the books I have chosen to read underneath the challenge and you can do the same books as me if you like! 

There are 12 challenges, one book per month and all travel-related! Enjoy 🙂

Read a book:

1. Set in a place that you want to visit.
2. About a place that you have already visited.
3. Recommended by a fellow travel blogger.
4. That teaches you a little about the history of a place.
5. Made into a film (travel-related).
6. A true travel story.
7. Introduces the culture of a place.
8. About migration.
9. The food of a place.
10. A fictional travel book.
11. Travel book written by a woman.
12. One that wouldn’t be your first choice.

If you undertake this challenge, please let me know in the comments or through social media and after that, we can discuss the books.

January – April

1.Read a book set in a place that you want to visit.

I have chosen to read The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies.

Ceylon, Sri Lanka is the location, a country I’d love to visit. I have been to Sri Lanka for a total of 12 hours as part of a layover (I did actually leave the airport and was in Colombo for 10 hours) but I want to properly explore this country. Also, it is Lonely Planet’s top country to visit for Best in 2019.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

2. About a place that you have already visited.

I have chosen The Beach by Alex Garland.

The film with Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant. The book, however, is supposedly even better. I love Thailand which is the country of the book and somewhere I have visited a few times.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

3. Read a book recommended by a fellow travel blogger. 

I have chosen to read Marching Powder by Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden.

For instance, a fellow travel blogger, Nomadic Matt recommended this book back in 2015 via this article. I am interested in the synopsis of this story which shows a different side to travel as well as an insight to Bolivia’s most notorious prison.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

4. Read a book that teaches you a little about the history of a place.

I have chosen First they Killed My Father by Loung Ung.

It is a true story of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge which I have learned a little about when travelling in Cambodia and therefore, want to further my learning through this book.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

May – August

 

5. Read a book that was made into a film.

I have chosen Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.

I have already seen the film so am looking forward to reading the book (the books are usually better)! The story grips you from the beginning because the protagonist decides to travel off the beaten path and literally gets lost.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

6. Read a book that is a true travel story.

I have chosen Step By Step by Simon Reeve.

Reeve is one of my favourite travel journalists. Recently, I seen him live in Cardiff and thoroughly enjoyed listening. Therefore, I want to read his book for even more of his fascinating stories.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

7. Read a book that introduces the culture of a place. 

I have chosen Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

I want to travel to Japan and read about Geishas because of their role within Japanese tradition. As a a result, this is an ideal option for me.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

8. Read a book about migration.

I have chosen The Leavers by Lisa Ko.

The story is about an undocumented female immigrant from China who moves to New York. Furthermore, when she goes missing, her son is adopted. I am interested in learning about sense of identity set in China and New York through this novel.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

September – December

 

9. Read a book about the food of a place.

I have chosen The Traveler’s Essential Italian Food Guide by WhichMeal.

It is not a cookbook but a guide to Italian cuisine and the best dishes to try. I love Italy and I love Italian cuisine so I am excited for this guide!

Click here to get it from Amazon.

10. Read a fictional travel book.

I have chosen The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

I have seen this book reviewed many times and thought now is a better time than ever to finally read it.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

11. Read a travel book written by a woman.

I have chosen The Lover by Marguerite Duras.

This book interests me because it’s a love story that is set in one of my favourite countries, Vietnam so I’ve put it on my list.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

12. Read a travel book that wouldn’t be your first choice.

I have chosen In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin.

Quite often we find ourselves preferring something we wouldn’t initially have chosen, and reading is no exception. Choose the book you wouldn’t initially read because you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Click here to get it from Amazon.

Again, I would love to know if you are a bookworm like me and undertaking this challenge and which books you are reading. Please let me know in the comments or through social media!

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