Wow, you are a well traveled, well read, curious bunch. I was delighted by the response to last month's column about reading books before (or after) taking a trip. Here are some of your recommendations, and I wish I had room to run all of them:
"I always read books (and watch films) about the places I am going to travel to. My neighbor says I don't need to travel because I know everything before I go. [With the anniversary of the national parks], this is a good year to read 'The Hour of Land,' by Terry Tempest Williams." --LINDA ECKMAN, Plymouth
"I did my junior year abroad at the University of Aberdeen in 1982-83. I had read Shakespeare and the Bronte sisters and English poetry. The final impetus was '84 Charing Cross Road,' where Helene Hanff looks for the England of English literature. Fast forward to 'A Year in Provence.' This is the book I read when I needed a vacation but had to stay home. If that book is anything, it's a call to visit Provence."--DENISE KOSTER, Rochester
"After reading Diane Wilson's excellent 'Spirit Car,' I was inspired to visit places in Minnesota that were related to the U.S.-Dakota Conflict in 1862. It was a powerful, often heart-wrenching journey."--JUDY TAKKUNEN, Minneapolis
"Ireland: I did my homework and read 'Dracula,' James Joyce's 'Dubliners' and dabbled in Yeats. South Africa: I'm not sure who could visit South Africa and Robben Island and not feel compelled to read Nelson Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom.' Nova Scotia: I've gone back to my childhood to reread the Anne of Green Gables stories for a trip this fall."--CAROL WAHL, Minnetonka
"Some years ago, I became a fan of a vintage travel writer by the name of H.V. Morton. He wrote 'In Search of England' in 1927, a lyrical tour through England. His descriptions of driving through Cornwall were especially evocative. He stopped in out-of-the-way St. Anthony in Roseland and wrote about "Twenty tiny whitewashed cottages … covered with flowers. The bees were busy … briar roses and ivy geraniums." I read the book in 1991, and shortly thereafter we went to England, rented a car and drove down these ancient lanes of Cornwall all the way to St. Anthony in Roseland and the whitewashed cottages. Lovely."--DAVID KOEHLER, Minneapolis
"I recently discovered Nancy Pearl's book 'Book Lust to Go.' It is now my first stop for suggestions of books related to a planned travel destination. The subtitle is 'Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers.' "--BERNADETTE JANISCH, St. Paul
"I absent-mindedly bought Pierre Salinger's 'Mortal Games' at MSP before boarding a flight to Paris in 1989. I was stunned by his character's experiences of landing at Charles de Gaulle, traveling to his hotel on Rue Jacob and wandering through St-Germain-des-Pres. The descriptions of his tiny hotel, the lobby, the breakfast room and the narrow stairway to upper rooms fit my Rue Jacob hotel exactly. Although the story-line similarities soon ended (I was not involved in international espionage), I was hooked. I now pack a novel centered wherever I'm headed."--JIM CLINE, Plymouth
"I'm an avid mystery reader, and before I go on a trip I always check the website stopyourekillingme.com. In the location index, you can look up books set in every state and several countries."--LINDA KOUTSKY, Minneapolis
"We visit national parks frequently, and the Nevada Barr mysteries are made much more interesting while traveling in the park. A habit I have formed over the years is to buy a book written by a local author while traveling. The writers are usually obscure but sometimes a great read."--GERALDINE DONNELLY, Minneapolis
Laurie Hertzel is the Star Tribune's senior editor for books. On Facebook: facebook.com/startribunebooks
