You’d probably believe me if I told you that in the last year, I’ve traveled to Waterbury, CT, several towns in upstate New York, New Orleans, and the Biltmore estate in North Carolina. You’d have no reason to doubt me if I said my travels included a small town in middle America full of cornfields or if I mentioned visiting Hawaii.
But what if I said I’ve also been to an empire inspired by Ancient Rome, several planets in distant galaxies, and a kingdom full of dragons that can take human form (twice!)? And that is only a handful of the many, many places I’ve been. Now you might be starting to question my honesty, or possibly my sanity. I can assure you, however, that I have been to all of these places.
You want to know how? Books! (Just in case all the book covers above didn’t tip you off to what I was talking about.) 😉
With two kids under the age of five, my days of wandering the bookstores of London, swimming with the sharks in Tahitian waters, and running marathons in Alaska (all things I’ve done in the flesh) are currently limited. For now I have to rely on my imagination to take me places.
And you know what? I’m kind of okay with that. I love traveling to new places and old favorites, and I’m sure I’ll get back on an airplane one of these days. For now I’ll content myself with cracking open (or writing) a new story because I can travel anywhere in between the pages of a book!
Interested in seeing what I’ve read this year? Check out My Year in Books on Goodreads. Where did your favorite books take you in 2015?
#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by me, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (January is all about travel), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.
I do love reading a book with a setting of a place I’ve been, like Paris, for example. It feels like I’m in on the secret. Part of it at least. Thanks for the ripple!
That is fun! It adds a dimension to the setting that makes the story seem even more real. I actually prefer writing about places I’ve been (or in the case of my fantasy novels, settings inspired by places I’ve been).
Reading is the ultimate travel. Yup.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! 🙂
That’s one of the wonderful things about reading. One can travel to places around the world, real and imaginary. The past or the present. And see places we’ve only dreamed or heard about. Great post.
Thanks, Beverly! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Getting lost in a good book is one of the great joys in life.
It is! Happy New Year, Ann!
I love travelling through books, too. Happy 2016, Katie! Here’s to more fabulous reads this year.
Thanks, Claudine! Here’s to a 2016 full of reading adventures.