I find one thing a lot of us who have the travel bug also have is lots and lots of books on travel. I have a book shelf full of them. I have a massive collection of frommer’s, fodor’s and other planning books but they are not my favorite. I love the good narrative. When a book that transports me to another place and takes me on an adventure have a special place on my shelf.
I thought that in this post I share some of my favorites with you.

It’s All Greek to Me!: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina—and Real Greeks by John Mole is the colorful tale of a man who moves his family to an island in Greece. He spends much of the time converting a former goat shed with an amazing view into a house. You follow the joy and frustrations of a man navigating the Greek way of life. I know if you’ve ever been to Greece you automatically understand the speed of greek and can make the leap to how that plays in construction.

An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof is a wonderful tale of escape from the drone of normal life as you set sail with two Canadians as they take two year off from their careers to sail around the Caribbean. The story is a true and honest memoir of their trip. I truly appreciated its honesty by not glossing over the challenges of life on board a small sailboat. The people they meet and the freedom they have will have you wanting to buy a boat and set sail as soon as you finish.

A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream by Ferenc Mate is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The story of Ferenc and his wife Candace and their misadventures restoring a crumbling abbey and planting a vineyard will have you laughing until the tears come. I find it could be construed as a cautionary tale for would be wine makers as Italian tractors and exploding wine barrels make you think twice before chucking it all and moving to Tuscany.

I am eager to and ready to be transported to a far away place without leaving home. I’d love  know if you have any narratives that you’d like to share.