Good afternoon Saloners! Today finds me thinking about my two trips into Europe later this year. I’m going to Amsterdam and Bruges with my friend at the end of August and then (hopefully) Rome with my husband in October. As these are creeping up on me, I’m already thinking about the books I want to read before I go there. I haven’t made up lists yet, but I already have two I know I want to read – Amsterdam: The Brief Life of a City by Geert Mak and I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I have the second one out from the library and I’m waiting for the first. Do you have any suggestions for great books set in Amsterdam, Bruges, or Rome? History or fiction?
Which brings me to my second decision of this weekend – I am not going to buy any books until after my travels for the year are over. That would be towards the end of October. I need that money more for experiences, and with 450+ books sitting around waiting for me to read them, it’s not like I’m going to suffer from having nothing to read. (Even if I did, I have enough books that I plan to reread to keep me going for years). As ever, though, I have some exceptions, so I don’t chafe too much about this new rule.
- I’m still allowed to buy anything I’ve already preordered, though these run out in July.
- I’m also still allowed to buy the next Wheel of Time books should I get that far in the series reread before the end of October, A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin, and The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss when I reread the first in that series.
- I’m allowed to buy books on my travels as souvenirs.
- I can still take in any book that’s free, either from the library, review copies, or programs like Amazon Vine.
What I’d really like to do is get my TBR pile below 400 this year, but I don’t really think my resistance is going to last that long. I’d rather just think about saving money towards my trips!
As a bit of a recap for those who weren’t around this week, I reflected on my reread of Anne of the Island, reviewed Chasing Aphrodite and a number of great romance novels, and wrapped it up with a few tips about SEO for book bloggers. This week I’ll be hosting an interview with Elizabeth Chadwick for the release of her newest book, Lady of the English, and reviewing hopefully quite a few books to catch up on my backlog. I have tomorrow off, so plenty of time to actually do so.
Wishing all of you a fantastic week!
Your trips sound so exciting!!
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Good luck with your travels (so exciting!) and with your TBR plan! I’ve decided to put myself on a book-buying ban as well, even including ebooks. I need the money for other stuff, and it’s not like I don’t have a ton of books already I need to read!
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Your travel plans sound amazing! Glad to know I am not the only one with so many books awaiting me on my shelf… I just can’t stand having room to spare on my bookcase, hehe.
Looking forward to your interview with Elizabeth Chadwick! She is by far one of my favorite authors and I am dying to read Lady of the English. Enjoy!
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I read Angels & Demons right before I went to Rome, and it was awesome! Especially since we were staying in a hotel a block away from the Vatican. I totally started geeking out when I saw the angel on top of the Castel St. Angelo. So I definitely recommend that book.
Hahaha good luck! I know I set this goal for myself, all the time, and then just fail…terribly.
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Good luck with your book buying sabbatical. I have sort of been on one for awhile now. It helps that I am not reading much. Like you, I really should focus on my TBR collection. I hope you have a great week.
Such lovely, enticing travel destinations! I hope your readers chime in with lots of book recommendations. Personally, I was charmed by Anthony Capella’s “The Food Of Love”, a mouth-watering, romantic novel set in contemporary Rome.
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Sob!!!!!!! I love Brugge — one of my favorite places in the world. No reading suggestions: buy chocolate, take photos.
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I’m very curious about what books reader recommend for Bruges. I was there in May for the tail end of my honeymoon. Its a beautiful city. If you can, rent a bike and ride along the canals or just around the city. You can ride from one end of the city to the other in about 20 minutes. I went biking along the canal (former moat) and past the 4 old windmills. We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast (thank you Rick Steves) and ended up getting the whole house to ourselves. I hope you have a lot of fun on your trip!!
Good luck with your no buying plan. I’ve just come to the end of mine and am now entering into an attempt at ‘buying more sensibly’ life lasting plans.
I went to Bruges a couple of years ago and I wish you great weather, as it tipped it most of the time we were there. Recommend the beer hugely if you drink and the traditional frites. It might sound weird, but the military museum is well worth a visit, because you can get to a spectacular view at the top of it. As for Rome I hope you have a lovely time. I’ve been twice now and it’s just so…oh, to realise where you are when you get to the big monuments(Classics geek). I like all the really old stuff the best (and the fountains), but Vatican is beautiful too (if a bit crowded). There’s tons of stuff I’d recommend for Roman novels etc, you’ve probably read them already but you can’t go wrong with a bit of Conn Igullden prep before you go. And Juvenal’s satires are well worth a read for a bit of a reality check on how people found Roman society at the time.
For books set around low countries, try the “Niccolo” series by Dorothy Dunnett. Wonderful!
Hello! Have you read Lindsey Davis’ Falco series starting with The Silver Pigs? It’s set in Rome during Vespasian’s reign and really gives you a feel of what it was like to live during that time with a mystery thrown in. Enjoy your holiday!
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