Shared byKatherine Ann Mark
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Here’s a question inspired by Susan and Jane’s thorough investigation of real world places from The Grey Wolf. Have your travels been inspired by books (not just LP’s books, but any other authors, since I know many of you follow other authors with just as much loyalty as you do LP’s)? If so, which books and where?

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11 Comments

  1. Well, another fun question. I am looking forward to other’s responses.

    I have two authors and real world places to recommend.

    First, Peter Tremayne and the Sister Fidelma series. Since it is set in 7th century Ireland, it takes a bit of extrapolation to decide where to visit. Having said that, the Rock of Cashel, historic seat of the kings of Muman (modern day province of Munster) is easy to visit. Most of the stories are set in the southwest of Ireland or west coast of Ireland. So, one can go just about anywhere for breathtaking scenery, welcoming people and good food and drink. Sister Fidelma is a dalaigh or lawyer. She travels too, so some of the stories are set in Rome, southeast England or Wales, but the most evocative landscapes are in Ireland.

    Second, Tony and Anne Hillerman and the Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito series. They are set mostly on the Navajo reservation although other parts of AZ and NM are included. Full disclosure here, I started this series when we were moving to NM 30+ years ago. The rez is not exactly easy to visit as it is huge, some of the sites described are isolated and not exactly brimming with travel amenities but it is still an amazing landscape and close to some amazing US national parks. If one can plan to visit, Canyon de Chelly is on Navajo land and the Navajo conduct tours to its remote dwelling and rock art. Both of the Hillermans understand, respect and accurately portray Navajo culture. You do not necessarily need to read these in order. If you run across a copy of “A Thief of Time,” that is where I started. While the characters are very different, I see some similarities between Armand and Joe Leaphorn, the senior, thoughtful officers who serve as mentors and Jean-Guy and Jim Chee, the brash, unconventional and talented junior officers.

    Bon voyage and best wishes for good reading.

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  3. Oh boy! Another Hillerman fan! I have always loved the Leaphorn/Chee books, and have been reading them for decades. I was so sad when Tony Hillerman died, and didn’t realize for many years that his daughter Ann had continued the stories— just came across them a year or so ago, and happily rejoined that world and read them all. Looking forward to many more, too! And good point — there are definite similarities between Joe/Jim Chee and Armand/JG, and that’s a type of relationship, if it’s well-written, that I’m drawn to reading about.

    I haven’t read that Tremayne series, but it sounds good!

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  4. Funny that you should ask that question. I attribute much of my traveling bug in my younger days to the Scottish author Dorothy Dunnett. I started reading her Lymond Chronicles when I was in high school, and was immediately smitten. I learned SO much in these books— history, geography, poetry, and appreciation for the arts (gee, that all sounds familiar, now that I think about it; perhaps that explains my attraction to the LP books!) The books were based in several European and Middle Eastern countries. Francis Crawford of Lymond was a black sheep son from a Scottish noble family who was a world traveler and got into all sorts of dilemmas. He was a complicated, flawed hero who did whatever it took to accomplish his goals, which were actually for the greater good, in general. Like Armand, he was a commander who had to make difficult, heart-breaking decisions; and like Jean-Guy, he was a young, handsome, talented, very private person pursued by his own demons who struggled to find happiness. A lot of the stories centered around the Scottish/French/English political scenes during the late 1500’s, particularly with Mary, Queen of Scots; Lymond also went to Russian, Malta, and the Middle East, so there was a lot to be learned from those stories, too. This was before Google, and my tools were the old fashioned card catalogue, many books, and many trips to the library, but I researched SO much while reading these books. And since Lymond and many of the other characters were polyglots, there were often phrases in other languages (particularly French) which were generally not translated, so it inspired me to start learning other languages (I’m still working on French)! I was able to make three trips to the UK (so far!), and spent a lot of time hunting down and enjoying many of the historical sites of England and Scotland that had been mentioned in the books (Lymond had several connections to Ireland, but none in the area I saw, that I recall; and they never really mentioned Wales in the book, though I spent some time there, too); I particularly loved walking around Edinburgh, the scene of some dramatic goings-on in the books. There were many sites in France that I was interested to see but never yet got to, so now, between the inspiration from those Dunnett books, All the Devils are Here, and the Martin Walker series about Bruno, Chief of Police, there is a lot I could enjoy if I ever decide to go to France, I’ll bet. And if I hade never read the Three Pines series, I would probably never have hopped in my car and driven to Quebec, and would have missed a wonderful experience there. Books have literally opened the world for me over the years and inspired me to grow and learn, for which I am eternally grateful.

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    1. Thanks. That series sounds amazing. It seems to me that reading, especially fiction, and interest in travel are practically inseparable. I am not sure which informs which more for me. I would love to visit Edinburgh and Scotland.

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      1. I agree– stories lead me into a new world, and it leads me to want to explore the reality and compare notes. I find that both the reading and the traveling experience can be enhanced that way.

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  5. I have not, but I am interested to learn more about these books and authors who have influenced members of this group so much. Maybe we can review some of these books together in our Book of the Month discussions. I find that I appreciate the books we discuss so much more after reading other member’s insights.

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  6. My love for French came from my father who took it when he was in high school. I wanted to be able to read the book that he had, so that led me to French in high school and a major in French in college. It was that love for French that led me to the Bruno series and the wonderful descriptions of that area of France and its food. The only way that I could afford to go to France was with a ski group. I do not ski and did not love my attempt. That ski group went to the French Alps, traveling there from Switzerland. A group of us took a train to Paris where I enjoyed a few days, trying to see as much as I could. I remember coming up from an underground station very early in the morning and seeing the Opera in front of me, but something seemed wrong with it. It was so dark that its dome was not visible and so the roof looked flat. Eating lunch in the Eiffel Tower was amazing with its sweeping view of the city.

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    1. Oh, that trip sounds like so much fun! Younger me would have loved it (though I wouldn’t have attempted the skiing in the Alps. Brava to you for even attempting it! I joined ski club in high school and spent most of the time on my face, going down the baby hill. I was much better at sipping hot cocoa in the lodge!)

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