I am a homebody. I typically have little desire to jet set around the world and travel to exotic locations. I’d much rather curl up on the sofa with my family and a good movie or roast s’mores out back by the fireplace. 

But. 

This summer feels different. I need something new, something exciting, something much different than the basement walls I’ve been working in for multiple years now. 

But hopping on an airplane isn’t something we can do just yet, even though we’re all yearning to get away and experience a bit of a distraction to our own lives. 

Enter books. 

This month, I’m dedicating most of my reading life to satisfying my wanderlust. I’m going to read books with a strong sense of place in as many different locations as I can. I’ll build my bucket list and once I’m ready to take flight, I’ll have a list of destinations at the ready thanks to my TBR stack. 

Here they are with a blend of my own reviews and the descriptions from Goodreads.

Just click on the image or title to see the book on my Amazon link or browse my collection on Bookshop instead. 

And remember…if you’re a member of my Get Lit(erate) community, you’ll get a daily wanderlust book recommendation in my bibliotherapy book calendar to add your TBR stack this month. 

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone. But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is go back home. But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

LAfter receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Hope Is Our Only Wing by Rutendo Tavengerwei

For fifteen-year-old Shamiso, struggling with grief and bewilderment following her father’s death, hope is nothing but a leap into darkness. For Tanyaradzwa, whose life has been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis, hope is the only reason to keep fighting. At a time of national upheaval in Zimbabwe, an unlikely friendship illuminates the power of hope and the possibility to heal–in the face of tragedies beyond any teen’s control.

Metropolis by B. A. Shapiro

In Metropolis we meet six unforgettable characters who never would have met if not for their rental units at Metropolis Storage Warehouse. When a harrowing accident—or is it an accident?—occurs in the building, each character is forced to consider their life circumstances.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.

Honolulu: A Novel by Alan Brennert

Honolulu is the rich, unforgettable story of a young “picture bride” who journeys to Hawai’i in 1914 in search of a better life. With its passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawai’i far off the tourist track, Honolulu is most of all the spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices, and friendship.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime. You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything Actually, a lot.

Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Five years. That’s how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, crisscrossing the nation. It’s also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after”.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. 

There you have it! A bibliotherapy book list of titles sure to satisfy your wanderlust. Tell me: What are your favorite books with a strong sense of place to help you escape? Share them in the comments below!