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Travel around the world with these 20 novels

Experience the world from the comfort of your home with a great book.

In Jules Verne’s adventure novel Around the World in Eighty Days, the main character and his valet accept a bet from friends to circumnavigate the world. Besides the time devoted to the endeavor, it was quite expensive. Travel has much improved since the novel was published in 1872 but most of us don’t have the time or money to take on such a trip. (Alas!)

Luckily for us, there’s an easier, more affordable way to experience and learn about the world at large: literary tourism. Books take us on the grandest of adventures while we stay cozied up at home (or commute to work). You can go from Japan to Antarctica and back in no time flat!

Is there a country that’s long been on your travel wish list? Or perhaps a place you visited years ago and want to rediscover? Maybe you have an upcoming trip and you’d like to read about your destination in advance. Whatever your interest, there’s a book for you.

We’ve gathered an assortment of novels set around the globe for our new book list but we’ve only scratched the surface. We’d love to hear about your favorite books set around the world in the comments. Don’t miss this month’s selection in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club: Hala Alyan will join us on October 27 to discuss The Arsonists’ City and we’d love to see you there.

Novels that will take you around the world

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The Luminaries

The Luminaries

Author:
This bestselling, Man Booker Prize-winning novel is set in New Zealand during the gold rush of 1866. At 848 pages, this novel is an investment. Despite the length the plotting remains tight, which means there is A LOT of story packed into these pages, told from a dizzying dozen+ viewpoints. But those who are up for the challenge are rewarded with a large cast of well-drawn characters, a sophisticated structure, enticing employment of both astronomy and astrology, and an intricately developed and ultimately rewarding mystery. More info →
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The Chestnut Man

The Chestnut Man

Author:
From the creator of the television show The Killing, Sveistrup’s Scandinavian noir debut is about a brutal serial killer haunting Copenhagen. He leaves handmade dolls made of two chestnuts and matchsticks at his grisly crime scenes. The chestnut dolls are the only link between the victims but the detectives don’t have much to go on in order to catch the killer. But when they discover a fingerprint belonging to one of the past victims, they’ll have to think outside the box before time runs out in this slow burn mystery. More info →
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Next Year in Havana

Next Year in Havana

Author:
After her beloved grandmother dies, a Cuban-American woman travels from Miami back to Havana and unearths a treasure trove of family secrets. If you love stories that go back and forth in time, this is for you. In 1958, 19-year-old Elisa falls in love for the first time—with a dangerous revolutionary. In 2017, Elisa's granddaughter Marisol travels to newly-open Cuba, ostensibly to write an article on tourism, but really to learn more about her grandmother and the complicated country she loved. Before reading this I didn't know much about Cuba, then or now, and really enjoyed the experience. More info →
The Boat People

The Boat People

Author:
In her powerful and timely debut, a cargo ship carrying more than 500 refugees fleeing war-torn Sri Lanka docks on Canada's coast near Vancouver, thinking their journey is over, and they have made it to safety. After all, in the words of one character, "Canada has a reputation for being a soft touch." But government officials wonder if the ship holds members of a terrorist cell, and so all the occupants remain in detention until the national security crisis—whether real or imagined—is resolved. Bala uses three perspectives to great effect: a refugee, his lawyer, and a new adjudicator who feels woefully unprepared to make these potential life-or-death decisions. More info →
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Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone

Moving between India, Ethiopia, and New York City, we follow the story of identical twin brothers, born of a secret union between an Indian nun and the British surgeon she assisted. Part coming-of-age story, part mystery, part sweeping family story, this novel defies easy genre categorizations and ranks as the favorite book EVER of legions of readers. This engrossing story combines medicine, family, and politics to great effect. There are some difficult scenes, and it starts slowly—but I found it to be 100% worth every page. More info →
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Strange Weather in Tokyo

Strange Weather in Tokyo

Author:
Lucy Tan put this book on my radar when she called it one of her favorites following this episode of What Should I Read Next. Elegant and spare, simple and poignant, this story of loneliness and love unfolds as a series of vignettes when Tsukiko runs into her old high school teacher at the sake bar. Fun fact: this was first published as The Briefcase; read it and you'll see why. Originally written in Japanese, Allison Markin Powell's translation has been much-praised. More info →
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The Fishermen

The Fishermen

Author:
When 9-year-old Ben’s strict father takes a job in another city in western Nigeria, he and his three brothers decide they will use this time to become fishermen in the forbidden Omi-Ala river. The first several weeks are idyllic, until a mentally unstable man prophesies the oldest son Ikenna will be brutally killed by a fisherman and Ikenna believes it will be one of his own brothers. This prophecy leads to tragedy as the previously close knit family becomes undone. With a rich background of the political landscape of Nigeria in the 1990s, Obioma’s powerful storytelling is an intimate portrayal of family and revenge. More info →
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Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Author:
The first book of Laini Taylor's wildly creative and highly original YA fantasy series about monsters and angels is set in the beautiful city of Prague—an absolutely perfect setting for the otherworldly battle a young art student inadvertently gets tangled up in. When Karou meets Akiva, their star-crossed love turns the world upside down. Many readers who don't typically read these genres have found this series a delightful surprise. More info →
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Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy Book 1)

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy Book 1)

Author:
When Economics professor Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend Nicholas Young, she has no idea his family is worth billions. Instead of the lovely vacation she imagined, she spends her days navigating the complicated and perilous world of three mega rich Chinese families, as Nick's mom schemes to drive the couple apart. This is an insider look at wealthy Singapore society that toes the line between fun romp and over the top parody. (I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version as well.) More info →
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Faithful Place

Faithful Place

Author:
The third standalone book in the Dublin Murder Squad series follows detective Frank Mackey and the demons from his past. His dysfunctional family lived in a small flat on Faithful Place in Dublin's inner city but he yearned to get out and even planned to run away to London with his girlfriend Rosie—but she never showed the night they planned to leave. Frank assumed she changed her mind and left without him. But 22 years later, Rosie's suitcase is found hidden in their planned meeting spot. The cops don't trust Frank to be unbiased in his childhood neighborhood but the neighborhood doesn't trust cops, period—not even one of their former own, which leads Frank to take up his own unauthorized investigation. He never got over Rosie, and he'll do whatever it takes to uncover what happened. This is a sad, sad story, but it's such a good one. Please note this contains much profanity and violence. More info →
Clap When You Land

Clap When You Land

Acevedo dedicates this novel in verse to the memory of the lives lost on American Airlines flight 587, the passenger flight that crashed en route to Santo Domingo from JFK on November 12, 2001. Taking this historical event as her leaping off point, she tells the story of two teenage girls—one in New York, one in Santo Domingo—who are shocked to discover they are sisters in the aftermath of the crash, when the truth of their father’s double life was unceremoniously revealed. The girls tentatively bond as they explore the pain—and love—they share, leading up to a triumphant ending. A lyrical, heartfelt exploration of what it means to discover secrets, to find family, and to discover your own hidden resources in the face of great loss, and surprising joy. More info →
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My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels Book 1)

My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels Book 1)

Author:
The first installment of Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet revolves around the friendship between Elena and Lila who grew up in a poor neighborhood in Naples during the 1950s and 1960s. The story begins when the girls are in first grade and carries them through adolescence. Their coming-of-age journey also tells the story of a changing nation. This isn't a quaint friendship story, though. The girls' relationship is complex. Thought-provoking, beautifully written, and realistic enough to be quite difficult in places. But readers who love this LOVE IT. Originally written in Italian and beautifully translated by Ann Goldstein. I adored this series on audio. More info →
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The Yield

The Yield

Author:
Originally published in Australia, Tara June Winch's latest novel weaves together three strands: the first focuses on Gus, who returns home after learning of her grandfather's death and finds herself with mixed feelings about her homecoming as a huge mine threatens to destroy her family's land. The next is a hundred-year-old letter from the reverend who founded a mission for the Wiradjuri people. And finally, beautiful stories from Gus's grandfather, whose life mission was to compile a dictionary of his native language, filled with words, stories, personal history, and more. Winch brings it all together with gorgeous prose; Australian actor Tony Briggs brings the story to life on audiobook. More info →
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The Arsonists’ City

The Arsonists’ City

Author:
I was quickly swept up in the story of the complicated Nasr family, with its Syrian mother, Lebanese father, and three adult children flung across the globe. When the patriarch of the family dies, his widow and their three adult children gather in Beirut to sell the ancestral home. What nobody knows is that every family member is hiding an explosive secret from the rest of the family, and perhaps none is more potentially damaging than the one the mother has been holding onto for nearly four decades—one that she knows would devastate her children. In vivid flashbacks, set first during the Lebanese Civil War and later in California after the parents' emigration, Alyan unspools the riveting backstory. (This is our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club October 2022 selection.) More info →
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A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow

Author:
In this well-loved historical novel, Towles tells the story of Count Alexander Roskov, an aristocrat who the Bolsheviks sentence convict in 1922 for crimes of state (involving poetry). His punishment is house arrest, confining him to a small room inside the elegant Metropol Hotel, across the street from the Kremlin. Towles show us how, over many decades, the Count makes a life for himself after his walls literally close in. With a rich, transportive (if claustrophobic) setting and endearing characters, this novel lingers in readers' minds long after the final page. More info →
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No Land to Light On

No Land to Light On

Author:
This contemporary novel follows Sama and Hadi, Syrian refugees who fall in love at school in Boston and who then get separated under the worst possible circumstances when Hadi returns for his father’s funeral in Jordan. This is about their struggle to be reunited, which is all but impossible due to the implementation of the very real executive order issues on January 27, 2017. The story unfolds in alternating narratives from each partner's perspective, as well as texts, newspaper clippings, voice mails, and office memos. It's an emotional journey that unfolds over a short span of time yet manages to feel sweeping. More info →
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The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind

This atmospheric novel is built around a literary mystery: who is Julián Carax, and why is someone systematically burning his books? I had a hard time getting into it at first, but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough once I got oriented. I loved the post-war Barcelona setting, the rich cast of characters, and the surprising twists and turns the story took. It's a mystery, a love letter to literature, and a beautifully written masterpiece. The plot reminds me somewhat of personal favorites The Thirteenth Tale and The Distant Hours. Originally written in Spanish and translated by Lucia Graves. More info →
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Dom Casmurro

Dom Casmurro

I wasn’t familiar with this Brazilian novel from 1899 until Peter Heller put it on my radar. Machado de Assis is considered to be one of the most important writers in Brazilian literature and this is considered to be his greatest work. It’s a classic adultery tale, following Bento, our unreliable narrator, who believes his wife has done him wrong. Was she unfaithful or is Bento’s paranoid jealousy steering him wrong? Despite the subject matter, this is darkly funny and I’m glad I gave it a chance. More info →
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All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See

Author:
The characters in this captivating war novel are fascinating and altogether unexpected, and the book’s setting couldn’t be lovelier: much of the action takes place in Saint-Malo, France, a unique walled port city on the English Channel. Though it is a heavy hardcover, it doesn't feel overlong: its 500+ pages give Doerr plenty of room to build a believable world, and give his characters depth and feeling. An intelligent, detailed, literary novel that stays with readers long after turning the final page, and the 2015 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. More info →
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The Historian

The Historian

Kostova's brooding literary thriller is hard to slot into a genre: she combines gothic, adventure, travelogue, and mystery writing in her epic novel exploring the battle of good vs. evil. What is the truth about Vlad the Impaler and could Dracula still live today? A young woman stumbles across ancient papers in a library that lead her through Istanbul, Budapest, and parts of Eastern Europe on the research trip of a lifetime. Kostova drew inspiration from childhood stories she heard from her father, as well as the classic Dracula tale for this dark novel—brace yourself for some fantastically weird storytelling. But her themes run deep; Kostova calls the Dracula tale "a metaphor for the evil that is so hard to undo in history." More info →
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Have you read any of these titles? What’s one of your favorite books set in a different country? Please tell us all about your favorites in the comments section!

P.S. 20 books to take you around the world, 20 travel memoirs to take you around the world (from the comfort of your couch), and our whole literary tourism series.

Travel around the world with these 20 novels

45 comments

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  1. Adrienne says:

    This is an amazing selection of books! Cutting for Stone and All the Light We Cannot See are two of my all-time favorites, and I have a copy of The Luminaries calling to me (rather loudly) from my TBR shelf. Did anyone see the miniseries of the Luminaries? If so, I’d love to know what you thought. I have not and wonder if I should read the book first before watching it.

    The Yield, No Land to Light On, and The Arsonist’s City look fascinating to me. I’m going to have shoulder surgery in a couple of weeks, so will have some time off, and hopefully that will give me some additional reading time.

    Happy Reading!

  2. Jill says:

    SO many of my favorites on this list–Gentleman in Moscow, All the Light We Cannot See, Shadow of the Wind, Clap When You Land.

    I’m traveling to Japan this summer, so I’m adding Strange Weather in Tokyo to my TBR.

    • Tracey says:

      Another Japanese novel that I highly recommend is Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. It is set in Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It’s a coming of age story, a love story, and so much more. It’s one of my all time favourites.

    • Patty says:

      Hope you enjoy your trip to Japan as much as I did. I would recommend Ghosts of the Tsunami by Lloyd Perry and A Beginner’s Guide to Japan by Iyer. I have read so many wonderful books about that country. U

  3. Ashley says:

    I can’t wait to dive into these books! Another that transports me to a quaint town in Europe is the Midnight Ladies Swimming Club by Faith Hogan. When I need a cozy feeling book that features darling friends in the loveliest setting in Ireland. I turn to this book again and again when I want to take myself to Ireland and when I’m seeking inspiration for aging with curiosity . I just wish I could find more books that give me this same feeling of falling in love with a town!

  4. Mary Ann says:

    I’ve read a few of these and have a few on my TBR (one is sitting on my shelf here at home) and am currently in the middle of The Arsonists’ City. I may need to add a couple more! Another one I’d recommend is One Italian Summer – I read it shortly after my first trip to Italy and it took me right back to the Amalfi Coast.

  5. Laura Spotts says:

    The Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman, set in Sweden. Really, I’d recommend all of his books, but this trilogy is particularly noteworthy. Also from Sweden is the Mellinnium series (Stieg Larsson), and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

    From England, The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce. She also wrote The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, which is an outstanding pair.

    Finally, Soy Sauce for Beginners (Kirsten Chen, Singapore), Three Daughters (Consuelo Saah Baehr, Palestine), A Long Petel of the Sea (Isabel Allende, Spain/Chile), and Khaled Hosseini’s books.(Afghanistan).

    • Jessi says:

      I will echo anything by Fredrik Backman- but especially his Beartown trilogy. Backman makes you feel that you are in Sweden and understanding the idiosyncrasies between the 2 towns and then the 2 towns and the city. In my humble opinion he is also one of the greatest character writers. His characters are so well rounded and multi-facted. I have yet to read one of his books and not experience a gamut of emotions, the strongest being how much I wish the story wasn’t over when I come to the end. This is a great time to get into the Beartown trilogy as his 3rd and final book was just recently released in the US.

  6. Sandy says:

    I have read many of these – Cutting for Stone, My Brilliant Friend, A Gentleman in Moscow, the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, All the Light We Cannot See, and The Historian, and I would add for armchair travel “The Night Tiger” and Connie Willis’s “Black Out” and All Clear.”

  7. Sara Bell says:

    Go straight to Italy with Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes. It’s a light, fun read about women of a certain age who take on new adventures in a new country. For non-fiction travel, pick up Tsh Oxenreider’s At Home in the World. She has literally traveled the world with her family & this is her story.
    From my own shelf, Honolulu & Moloka’i by Alan Brennert are on my TBR when I need a quick trip to Hawaii. I have, however, immediately ordered Anne’s suggestion, The Chestnut Man, for some spooky Halloween reading. Thanks, Anne!

    • Aimee says:

      We LOVED At Home in the World by Tsh! We listened to the audiobook, narrated by her, during a family road trip a few summers ago. Our daughter still comments on memories she has from the book. Excellent recommendation. Just jotted down Women in Sunlight for my TBR.

      Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island continues to be a favorite and never fails to make me laugh.

  8. Nichole says:

    The Shadow of the Wind is part of a series that should not be missed. The whole thing is fantastic from beginning to end.

    I also really loved The Kite Runner and Sparks Like Stars both of which take place in Afghanistan.

    And finally my book club read American Dirt (set in Mexico) and while I didn’t love the writing I did find the story thought provoking.

  9. Sandra Knight says:

    Our book club read Next Year in Havana and All The Light You Cannot See and really enjoyed both. Visit the Galápagos Islands in Wish You We’re Here by Jodi Picoult. You will think you lived there!

  10. Aimee says:

    Cutting for Stone and Gentleman in Moscow are masterpieces. Crazy Rich Asians is a very fun read and from friends who have lived in Singapore, pretty close to the truth. A friend’s anecdote about all the children at a birthday party receiving iPads as party parting gifts. !!!

    That said, otherwise this ‘travel around the world’ list is awfully depressing – lots of murders, mental instability, and general darkness. When I read to travel the world, I’d rather have at least a smidge of positivity in the place!

  11. Tracey says:

    I’ve only read a couple of these and some others were on my TBR and I’ve added a few more. Some favourites I would add:
    -the In-Between World of Vikram Lal by MG Vassanji (Kenya, 1950s)
    -Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan, 1960s)
    -Such a Lonely, Lovely Road by Kagiso Lesego Molope (post-Apartheid South Africa)
    -Brother by David Chariandy (Scarborough, Canada, 1990s)
    -The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine (Lesbos, contemporary)
    -Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai (Sri Lanka, 1980s)
    -Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana and US, 18th-21st Centuries)
    -Last Night at the Telegraph Club (1950s San Francisco)

  12. Valeriia says:

    in Gentleman in Moscow the count’s name is misspelled. Rostov is an old family lineage in Russian Aristocracy and I believe he would have been upset to see his name written otherwise

  13. Carrie says:

    The Mountains Sing by Que Mai Phan Nguyen is a remarkable novel about Vietnam and the power of family. It is told from two perspectives: a grandmother and granddaughter. The author is a renowned Vietnamese poet and this is her first novel. She wrote it in English! I read it prior to a first trip to Vietnam and could not put it down. It is amazing that this is the author’s first novel AND that English is not her first language. Definitely worth the read.

    • Janice says:

      I agree completely. This book is absolutely captivating. I’ve read it twice, and will probably read it again in the future.

  14. R says:

    I love “Cutting for Stone” so much. Also one of my favorite books ever! It’s hard to explain why it’s one of my favorites, other than it’s excellent and so moving.

  15. Denise Sande says:

    I love this list; I have read 10 of them and added a few to my TBR. We are traveling to Charleston after Thanksgiving. We will get to tour this historic city set up for the holidays. Any books set in Charleston I should read?

  16. Beth says:

    Shadow of the Wind is one my all-time favorite books. The entire series is captivating. I also loved The Historian. Can’t wait to read The Arsonist’s City and The Boat People. Another reader mentioned American Dirt. Outside of Freedom by Johnathan Franzen, this may be my favorite book ever. It sticks with you a long time. I honestly cannot look at a Mexican immigrant without thinking of that story.

  17. Jessi says:

    For a trip to Ireland I would highly recommend Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s books. Her Finfarran series has the feel good stories that are cozy for this time of year and they contain such vivid descriptions that I feel that I’m back in Ireland. I picked up her book The Library at the Edge of the World when I was in Ireland in 2016 as it was on all the staff recommendation shelves in the bookstores we visited. I immediately fell in love with her writing. She also several two non-fiction books. Two that I have reread multiple times chronicle her move to the Dingle peninsula (my favorite spot in Ireland). Every time I am wishing that I lived there I pick one of these treasures up and am whisked back to the west coast of Ireland.

  18. Angela S says:

    I just read The Hacienda for a book club by Isabel Cañas . It is great for spooky season as it is very much a gothic / haunted house story but it is set in Mexico in the 1800s after the War for Independence and Mexico at that time is very much a character in this story . I couldn’t put it down.

  19. Kim says:

    Casting Off by Nicole R Dickson (audiobook) – set in Ireland- have listened to it several times – it’s one of my favorites

    The Number One Ladies Detective series set in Botswana by Alexander McCall Smith- delightful series – always looking forward to the next installment

  20. Shani says:

    A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, set in India, will amaze and break your heart.
    Someone asked about The Luminaries TV drama. I was disappointed, it was confusing and hard to follow. I did finish the book, all 800+ pages.

  21. Tripti says:

    The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk is a loving portrayal of Istanbul. Love’s yearnings and cultural memory are beautifully intertwined. Has made me want to visit Istanbul. And this novel has also spun off a museum for real – a collection of all the loved objects in the novel as artefacts!

  22. Susie says:

    Four Seasons in Rome was such a great insight to the city, I can’t wait to go back and see all he saw! Also I Will Always Write You Back should be required reading for high school. It’s an amazing true story of pen pals and the life of the child in Africa is eye opening. It is one book I will never forget. I read it in a day

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