Books That Inspire You to Travel

Big Stone Gap, Virginia

A love poem to the Appalachian community and its delightful quirks. It doesn’t get more picturesque Americana than Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Trigiani does a masterful job capturing the small town secrets and big hearts. Visit and you’ll be convinced everyone is Ava Maria welcoming you with open arms. Bonus feature: Big Stone Gap, the movie starring Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg, opens October 9, 2015. Read, visit, see the film: the perfect trifecta.

Zürich, Switzerland

Imagine a desperate, modern American housewife in the suburbs of old-world Zürich. That’s this powerful, debut novel. We’re privy to the complicated, inner life of Anna Benz’s Swiss world. Upon turning the last page, you’ll want to visit Zürich’s nearly 180-year-old Sprüngli café and have a wicked affair—with chocolate!

Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland

Based on true documentation that women dressed as men and joined the ranks during the Civil War. The novel follows one such brave soldier in masquerade, Rosetta Wakefield, as she ventures into the heart of bloody combat to be near her husband. This book will have you marching across Antietam Battlefield, aching with the story you carry and forever remembering the bravery of America’s forebears.

Charleston, South Carolina

Inspired by real-life abolitionist and suffragette Sarah Grimke in nineteenth-century Charleston, the book is a portrait of America’s historic racial conflict and a tribute to the good southerners who put their lives on the line for the sake of friendship and equality. You’ll be craving shrimp and grits, humming Gullah songs, and taking a tour of the Grimke house on Broad Street.