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broodings from the burrow

February 17, 2026


top ten recommendations for armchair travelers
posted by soe 1:28 am

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is recommendations for armchair travelers:

  1. Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence (British couple goes on vacation, falls in love with the region, and buys a fixer upper there. Hilarious to read about, but probably not to live through.)
  2. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (Girl and boy meet by chance in New York City and have an adventure.)
  3. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (A widow moves her family to Corfu, Greece, in the late-1930s)
  4. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods (Middle-aged man and his out-of-shape buddy embark upon a hike of the Appalachian Trail)
  5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (No matter your opinion of Cathy and Heathcliff, you can’t deny the power of the moors)
  6. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (A teen ends up bound to the Mayan god of death and must travel around Mexico to help free him—and her)
  7. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (A forced proximity romance between a widow and an MLB pitcher trying to overcome the yips in a coastal town in Maine)
  8. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia (A treasure hunt through Boston)
  9. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (The fictionalized adventures of a vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s)
  10. Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson (A woman finds a map to a secret city and travels to Belize to follow it)

Honestly, I feel like there are certain cities (New York, London, Paris…) that I could do individual lists for.

How about you? Are there books you’d recommend especially for the setting?

Category: books. There is/are 5 Comments.

5 Comments so far
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Peter Mayle’s book has been on my TBR list for a LONG time, I really need to read it (so thanks for this very good nudge!) I loved My Family and Other Animals as well as All Creatures Great and Small… I mean, is there a better place than the Dales? I would add The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and James Rebanks The Place of Tides… both are fantastic books that take you to amazing places!

Comment by Kat 02.17.26 @ 7:22 am

I love All Creatures Great and Small and My Family and Other Animals so much.

Comment by Lauren @ Al 02.17.26 @ 9:27 am

I love the variety of reads you have here! I will have to give a few of these a try.

I am shocked I have not read any of these yet.

Here’s my TTT: https://readintowonderland.blogspot.com/2026/02/t10t-books-i-liked-but-cant-remember.html

Comment by Harlow Rose 02.17.26 @ 11:58 am

Bill Bryson’s travelogues are always such fun to read.

Thanks for sharing your #TTT

Comment by Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out 02.17.26 @ 12:20 pm

Bill Bryson has been a popular choice this week. I really need to read one of his books.
Here’s my TTT post: https://readbakecreate.com/time-to-plan-that-vacation-books-featuring-travel/

Comment by Pam @ Read! Bake! Create! 02.17.26 @ 1:37 pm



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