BOOKS VS ???: Books vs Vacations

Please welcome Wesley of Library Educated 

as she explores BOOKS VS VACATIONS!

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When I saw this call for posts in the June edition of the Book Blogger’s International newsletter my first thought was “Well, I better email Tif and get in on this before someone takes the topic that I want”. And I did! ☺

Trying to figure out what books I’m going to take with me on vacation is always an anxiety ridden task for me. I don’t like to fly, and I don’t sleep on planes so I have all kinds of time available to me to be keeping my brain occupied with a good book. So I pack a lot of them.

Here are suggestions of books that would be good, or not so good to read at a given vacation spot. This is not to say that the “bad” books are books that should not be read, because that’s not true! But something about the book means you probably shouldn’t be reading it at that location.

Mexico 

Good vs Bad 

On the “good” side of things you have “Like Water for Chocolate”, an international bestseller about a Mexican family filled with romance, tradition, and food. On the “bad” side of things it’s “The Ruins”, a story about a bunch of tourists who get trapped on top of an old Mayan ruin with an evil, sadistic plant. (That doesn’t make it sound scary, but it actually is. Not like “Boo!” scary, but like what-do-I-do-when-I-face-almost-certain-death/psychologically scary.)

Czech Republic 

Good vs Bad 

The “Smoke and Bone” trilogy is a super fun read for Prague. Though they are hefty books, so maybe an e-book is the way to go! Magical creatures, romance, loyalty and family are all themes that come to play in the story that has a lot of its action in Prague. The action that happens in Prague is more of a violent type in “Galerie”; it will have you looking over your shoulder if you read it while in the city!

Canada 

Good vs Bad 

In “Never Cry Wolf”, a scientist who is isolated in the Canadian wilderness to study caribou learns about wildlife, native peoples and himself in this great, classic book (also some of the most desolate scenery I’ve ever seen in a movie) in this “good” pick. The “bad” pick is book that I think about ALL THE TIME. It’s the tale of a group of teenagers who live in a poverty stricken Canadian outpost whose lives crumble when the Devil himself comes to town. “A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain” is spine-tingling tense and gripping.

Germany 

Good vs Bad 

A small town in 1960s-ish Germany is unsettled when a village girl goes missing from a busy village celebration (dressed as Snow White, ironically enough), but then another girl goes missing too. "The Vanishing of Katharina Linden” is a reminder that sometimes the stinky kid in class is a good friend to have… “Your House is On Fire, Your Children All Gone” is yet another book that I picked up and can’t stop thinking about. This book follows a bunch of incredibly creepy/evil German kids who are basically homicidal- stone cold monsters. The very first few pages tell the story of a little boy who trades his sister's soul for a peak into hell itself. It’s so creepy and scary I don’t know why I love it but I do.

Japan 

Good vs Bad 

“The Housekeeper and the Professor” brings us a math professor with a traumatic brain injury and an incredible short memory, a determined housekeeper and her son. It sounds like a heartwarming tale about family and living life as you are dealt it. A heartwarming tale with math? I will read it and let you know! I’m not going to lie to you guys, “Silence” is a tough read. It follows a Jesuit missionary in Japan in the 1640s. If you are like me, previous to picking up this book, you might not know what an INCREDIBLY dangerous situation that this could be. Based on true stories there is torture, betrayal and men and women who are martyred for being Christians. I can’t believe that in all my years of religious schooling I was never assigned to read this book. It’s a gut punch, but it also is short and informative and worth the queasy feeling in your stomach you will get occasionally.