The era of Mad Men via novels, set in New York

 Mad Men is back on TV and to celebrate we have chosen some fiction to match! It's Season 6, and it's a very literary season! As it moves through the 1960s everything gets a lot more hairy, too, whether bodywise or plotwise! Click on the covers to find out more and purchase.

One of Don's first bed companions in Series 1 of Mad Men is not another woman, but The Best of Everything, this 1958 novel by Rona Jaffe ...It is a world of typing pools and tie-wearing at all times; of whiskey drinking and womanising; a world in which secretaries grope their way towards feminism with difficulty, and bosses grope their secretaries with with ease...As Draper himself might say: fascinating (The Times )

"The author really seems to capture the atmosphere of 1950's New York and I was totally transported there via these pages"


Lucia Sartori, now in her seventies, single, tells the story of her life to the only other single woman who lives in the same apartment block as her Kit who is mid twenties. It is the story of New York in the 1950s, of an Italian American family and their values.


And finally from New York magazine:

And if you know of any other 1950/1960s New York set great reads that we could feature, let us know in the Comments Box below. 

A novel set in Nemi near Rome

Ok, you are going to have to trawl the secondhand bookshops for a copy of this book... but it is absolutely wonderful to sit on a terrace cafe, overlooking the Lake at Nemi, eating some tarts, little wild strawberries snuggled in a crème patissière; perhaps even a glass of prosecco to hand. Put your feet up and read this book set here. Take yourself into the past and imagine Caligula playing warship games on the Lake (he would of course have called it Nemorensis Lacus), many sunken Roman warships atest to his activities. Take yourself to the villas that feature in this novel and imagine life as it was.....


And on the first Sunday in June every year they have a strawberry festival. As they say in Italian La sagra delle fragole a Nemi è un appuntamento imperdibile  Or, The Strawberry Festival at Nemi is an appointment not to be missed http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/371

Jubilee celebrations in London/Southern England (with a spot of political intrigue thrown in for good measure)

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend is fast approaching in the UK, so we have selected some novels to conjure up a feel of London, how the Brits have a "knees up" and mark the Jubilee (with a bit of political intrigue thrown in).

Published in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year, Shelley Harris's remarkably assured debut novel is rooted in the Silver Jubilee celebrations of June 1977. Cherry Gardens, in a small Buckinghamshire village, is throwing a street party. Union Jack bunting is festooned from house to house; trestle tables will carry the vat of unappetising coronation chicken and cakes iced in red, white and blue, as well as the scrumptious chakli contributed by the Patels, who had come to Bourne Heath fleeing Idi Amin's violent expulsion of Asians from Uganda. http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1290




This book is the winner of the Somerset Maugham Award 1997. http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1757
A stunning novel of political life, betrayal and passion, which lifts the lid on vice within the Palace of Westminster…and cost Hensher his job as a House of Commons clerk.
John is a distinguished widower with a hump, two daughters, and an important job in the House of Commons. He also has a fondness for visiting rent boys in the afternoons, and a passion for secrecy…




In this, the year of HRH The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, comes a fiercely controversial story that exposes evil at the heart of the British establishment. Three of the UK's most powerful men will stop at nothing to protect the monarchy, including the murder of Jack Hollander, an innocent victim of circumstance - and the one man who can prevent Prince Charles from fulfilling his destiny. Kindle only http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1788



For further information on what is going on in London over the Jubilee weekend check out http://www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/ Twitter @RiverPageant where a countdown to the 3rd June is happening

And at Viator.com they have been busy listing all the draws of the Summer in London http://www.viator.com/London-tourism/London-2012/d737-t6353?aid=tweet6  Twitter @ViatorTravel

Please suggest anything else in the Comments box that you feel might add that extra something for anyone wanting more information about the Jubilee Weekend.

Two books for starters in Tokyo

Wonderful Tokyo. Bustling metropolis. Inscrutable country.



Sensoji Temple which has 30 million visitors per year

We have lots of books in our database set in Tokyo and have chosen two more unusual ones for anyone who wants to try and get a feel for this complex city. 



We absolutely fell in love with this book! Author Chavouet set out to record Tokyo as he saw and observed the city, creating beautiful line drawings to accompany great observations on the people and culture.

"One of the best books ever written about this city"





And this novel is one we came across as we were researching TripFiction and gives great insight into family values across Japan; the author really knows the country and once you have read it, you too will have gained a little more understanding of some of the complexities that abound at every level







Many more titles on our website....and if you know of a book that is evocative of Japan, and it doesn't already appear in our database, then get in touch via contact@tripfiction.com

Novels set in India (we leave 'Shantaram' and 'Eat, Pray, Love' for another time....)

In order to understand India, where should a traveller start? Which area to explore first....? How to collate all the information to make a visit to this continent a truly memorable experience?

At TripFiction we want to add another dimension to your trip planning by suggesting some great reads set in the country. Oh, and what a struggle it was to choose a cross section of the titles from the many books we have gathered together under the umbrella of India. Many of you will be familiar not only with the hugely popular novels set in India, such as 'Shantaram' http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/275  and 'Eat Pray Love' (part set in India) http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/196 - both of which give a brilliant and intimate insight into the ways of people of the country -  but also with the many  popular Indian authors like Ruth Prawer Jhabvala....Vikram Seth...Arvind Adiga...Salman Rushdie, who  all write so eloquently about people and places. So, we set about choosing books that we feel are very different, perhaps less well known, yet in their own individual and subtle ways conjure up the diversity of the country, the people and the customs and to our mind deserve increased readership.

And if you have read any novels set in India - which do not yet appear on our website www.TripFiction.com then please do get in touch and suggest them if you feel they are particularly evocative of the country!

If you have ever felt peeved at the application process for an Indian visa, your pain will be contextualised by Siddhartha Deb's administrative nightmare in India, which began in an unfeasibly long queue under an unfeasibly hot sun, and ended in a near punch-up, with a visa no further in sight..... (and how wonderful is that pink sari on the cover?) http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1752

"A great book and brilliant for anyone who has an interest in India, or who is planning a trip - it gets behind the popular image" 

We plunge into the intimate life of Indian culture, with Vish Puri, skilled detective, and the the bowels of Indian life. This debut finds him checking out the suspiciously squeaky-clean groom of the daughter of a strict military man, ducking bullets from unknown assailants, and taking on a seemingly hopeless missing persons case.

"A brilliantly written, humorous tale that vividly captures the sounds, smells and foibles of modern India"

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/2003




What might the author be looking for in this top starred novel? His wanderings in this book take him to a brothel in Bombay, to the Theosophical Society in Madras, to the library of a religious order in Goa...

"...he describes the places so that you can almost smell and hear what the author experiences"  http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1616




One final suggestion is this book by Kamala Markandaya http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/469 which we have loved but as we write, it is currently only available in India, so perhaps one to pick up when you are there!

In her first novel, Nectar in a Sieve, Kamala Markandaya explored the rural world of the Indian peasants of the post-war era, with their fatalistic acceptance of their precarious existence. In A Handful of Rice, originally published in 1966, she creates for the reader the world of that generation’s children who have moved to the city in search of a better life.

Mexico, Paris, Bruges, Spain, London and North Carolina in the company of Diego Rivera

The life and loves of artist Diego Rivera  (otherwise known as Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez), are beautifully captured across two good, colourful and very individual novels, alighting in some beautiful places around the globe along the way.

Beloff and Rivera

This exceptional novel chronicles the artist's years with his first wife Angeline Beloff  '.....the best "travel" book I have read in a long while.....I felt immersed in the sights, sounds, smells and flavours of Paris, London, Brugges, Spain and Mexico. It is such a vivid portrayal of cafe life in Belle Epoque Paris....' http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/691

Kahlo and Rivera

Rivera, Trotsky and his second wife Frida Kahlo appear in this book by renowned author Babara Kinsolver and is set both in Mexico and North Carolina and "truly captures the colours of the environment"

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1055


If you are a fan of Frida Kahlo then you might like the DVD "Frida" starring Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina and Valeria Golino..... full of colour and is redolent of the warm, bright light of Mexico.

Cruising the Oceans through novels

Imagine you are on-board an ocean cruiser, the waves lapping, there are many stories to tell and histories to hear. We have brought together novels that will transport you hook, line and sinker to the oceans of the world. Click on the book covers to find out more.

Our novels where cruising aboard ship is at the heart of the story can be found over on our Pinterest Board 

And do drop by and connect with Team TripFiction via social media: Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and when we have some interesting photos we can often be found over on Instagram too.

Novel No. 3, Quayside, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

The Murder Wall  by Mari Hannah is just published, and exemplifies the TripFiction concept: see a place through an author's eyes, combine it with a cracking read, and add a serial murderer for tension and pathos. And if you know Newcastle at all you can accompany the characters from the Quayside to Corbridge (along the A69 no less), from the Bridge Inn to Baltic. If you don't yet know Newcastle, pop this book in your bag when you schedule a visit, it will add an extra dimension to your visit. It has well researched local colour, gritty characters and a quality that just exemplifies the famous "Toon". This is a piece of modern day Geordieland....

"Daniels walked to the window and looked out at the Millennium Bridge; a giant curved structure known locally as the 'blinking eye'. Her own eyes followed a large party of students making their way across the river to the Baltic, a converted flour mill, now a centre for contemporary art, the largest gallery of its type in the world. For a miserable November day, it was attracting a lot of interest. Daniels wondered if there was a special exhibition on. She and Jo Soulsby had been there many times. It was a favourite haunt of theirs. Most days it was crammed with an eclectic mix of lunching ladies, tourists, art buffs and shoppers. The food was excellent, the view from the rooftop restaurant stunning." (extract from the Murder Wall).  You can buy the book here http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1857


And this is the view Daniels was looking at, a photo by one of the North's very own emerging talent:



Courtesy of Ed Bookless Photography
http://www.edbooklessphotography.co.uk/welcome/

                                           

Novel No. 2 set in Geordieland, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

Our next recommended novel, this time part set in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, is an excellent first novel by author Alan Reynolds Flying with Kites. We follow the plight of Katya Gjikolli, an English teacher, who is forced to flee her native village in Kosovo after her husband has been captured by Serb forces, and finally ends up living in a tower block in Newcastle. Top rated read.

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1368

Novel No.1 set in the Toon, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UK

Over the next three consecutive blogspots we will be recommending three individual, wonderful and very different novels set in the North East of England, in and around Newcastle upon Tyne.
Our first choice is:

Wedlock by Wendy Moore  http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/556 


Moore transposes the historical Mary Eleonor Bowes (distant relationship of the Queen Mother) into a living, breathing woman, suffering Domestic Abuse at the hands of her new husband. It follows in detail her trials and tribulations through her marriage, her struggles to find her niche as a woman in the 18th century, and her courage to escape oppression at the hands of Irish Lothario and second husband Andrew Robinson Stoney (from whom we get the expression stoney-broke). Wonderfully evocative of Georgian England and the North East.




It is still possible to visit her original ancestral home, where much of the book is set, at Gibside Chapel and Gardens http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside/

Road Trip America

Iconic Route 66, Chuck Berry, Jack Kerouac, Miles Davis...we have selected four books to entertain and set the scene for something that is, well, just sooooo American!

A novel  about four women who go on a road trip from Wisconsin to Las Vegas. They are pretty much strangers, have bereavement in common, range in age from 20 - 70, and have very different personalities. A belter from Karen McQuestion! http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/2114

Billy Connolly, music-lover, biker, and scourge of the beige and the bland the world over, has dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66 since he first heard Chuck Berry belting out one of the greatest rock n roll records of all time. In this book he searches out the real America.

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1921

Sharp, stylised, gritty, diverse, dubious, sleazy....Indian Country Noir is an anthology of short stories around Native American culture. http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1920 




No road trip planning can be complete without Jack Kerouac, American iconoclast On the Road. The narrative takes place in the late 1940s and is brim full of Americana - the soul of the beat movement, one of the greats of 20th century literature. http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1501




A road trip in a classic 1970s Ford, no further description needed!
http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1695





And if you are looking for further ideas on how to plan your road trip, visit http://www.roadtripamerica.com

THAILAND North and South, two novel recommendations

Thailand is a fabulously diverse country and we have chosen two books, one set in the South of the country, the other in the North.

The first novel is set in Phuket, by author Jake Needham: Let a few succinct words from The Straits Times introduce the book: “In between the lines of his plot, Needham’s provocative views about Asian culture jump at you from almost every page. The gritty and taut KILLING PLATO is 100 per cent unadulterated attitude.” Fancy reading this novel on the beach whilst holidaying in Phuket? Perhaps lying by the pool of the Chava Resort http://www.thechavaresort.com (a fabulous resort, although the irony of the name will not be lost on readers from the UK); maybe swinging gently in a hammock on one of the islands nearby in the Andaman Sea .... just capture the flavour of the location through the works of this terrific author. Incidentally, he has sold over 100,000 copies of his books so he is clearly doing something right!

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1854



For something very different and set 2,000km further North we have chosen Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. It is a book that is lush in landscape and deep in ideas, set among the hill tribes of Northern Thailand. A suspense story blending anthropology and Christian missionaries, it almost feels autobiographical. The thread that keeps the book together is the narrator's almost obsessive attempt to unravel the mystery of Martiya van der Leun, an anthropologist, who had been working with the animist Dyalo hill tribe in Northern Thailand, who was imprisoned for murder and went on seemingly to commit suicide in jail.

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/648

Everything you ever wanted to know about "The Landlocked Island" (but were afraid to ask)

Courtesy blog.dark-warriors.net

The relevance of red shoes on a book blog? Read on......



Switzerland is the "The Landlocked Island", right in the heart of Europe, fiercely keeping its own identity and traditions. We were so pleased to come across Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes (also available now in German, nattily titled Der Schweizversteher: Ein Englȁnder unter Eidgenossen). It is written with gentle humour, full of great observations, and a bit of culture, history and tradition thrown in. This is the perfect book for anyone wanting to understand this Alpine nation and gain some insight, with some fun learning along the way. If you intend to visit Switzerland you need this book!

And one of the quaint observations the author has made is that there is a preponderance among the Swiss to wear RED SHOES. He says: "If you want to look like a local, then wear a pair of red shoes. It may sound daft, but I have never seen so many red shoes as in Switzerland. Men, women, old, young, posh, scruffy, town and country - everyone seems to have a pair. It's hard to walk down the street for more than a few minutes without seeing red. It seems to be a bit of a national fetish, though having asked many Swiss people about it, none of them seems to have noticed. But I have"

So, anyone else noticed this tendency? We recently spotted some red MBTs...





Fancy reading more books set in Switzerland? Then just click here for our full database.

And do come and follow us on Twitter and Facebook and on Google Friend Connect just to your right!





                                                        

Knitting Novels set in MANHATTAN and ENGLAND

Hmmmm.... interesting! Both these book covers are similar, a pair of gorgeous pins (and of course fabulous shoes!) and some wool: hello publishers, is there a spot of social stereotyping going on?????

Anyway, we are pleased to introduce you to two lovely books that bring knitting, gentleness and Manhattan and England (plus a quick side trip to Venice) under one umbrella.......


Put your feet up, get the needles out and enjoy The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs which has the plus of recipes and patterns, all set in wonderful Manhattan. Walker and Daughter yarn shop is the venue for the Friday Night Knitting Club. This is the gentle story of single Mum Georgia and her daughter Dakota. Dad left early in Dakota's life and returns to re-build his relationship. And if you like this book then pick up Knit 2, the sequel!







And for more knitting and yarns in fiction we chose this book Divas don't knit by Gil McNeil. Jo is looking for a new life after the death of her philandering husband, so she decides to up sticks and relocate to the English coast and take over her Grandmother's yarn shop. She wants it to become the vibrant hub of the community, she teaches a local celebrity to knit and survives a trip to Venice with her Mother. Reader beware, this book is the same as  the Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club.




Let us know your favourite knitting themed books in the Comments Box below! Always happy to hear from you.

The Origins of Ice Cream in a novel set in 1670s LONDON

a sorbet of medlars.....white strawberry ice cream and a dusting of white pepper....pomegranate sorbet.....a ratafia of green walnuts....parmesan ice cream.....(from the Book of Ices)

"The Empress of Ice Cream"  by Anthony Capella

In this novel Anthony Capella takes his readers to the London of Charles II, with a bit of Florence and Versailles added into the mix. London is a city that is still recovering from the Great Fire of 1666. Thorough research permeates this delightful and informative book, from the little details (how the game of Paille Maille became woven into the fabric of London and evolved into Pall Mall) to the intrigues between the Courts of France and England. It is also the time when ice cream is just coming into vogue and he recreates  wonderful concoctions of 'cream ice',  and charts the experiments with combinations of flavours - from the 4 early flavours of cardamom, orange, mastic and rosewater to wonderful frozen dolci.

Take ice cream blended with pineapple, the ultimate in luxury fruit..."I knew, of course, that even in France a single pineapple cost almost as much as a new coach. Here in England, they would doubtless be even more expensive. But they were the epitome of aristocratic luxury. Louis's courtiers built heated pineries at their country estates where the fruit - which was imported from the colonies on the tree, roots and all - could be replanted under glass and ripened. Lesser people hired ripe pineapples by the day at enormous expense, just to adorn their tables and perfume their dining rooms, while only the very wealthy could afford to actually eat one..." (extract from The Empress of Ice Cream)



http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/852

Two Books travelling with Tinies around Britain and Europe

 ♫ ♬ ♪  "The wheels of the bus go round and round..... "  ♫ ♬ ♪   

Keeping Tinies entertained is an artform and one of the most helpful things one can do is read inspirational travelogues written by others who have chronicled their trips with their own little ones. You CAN travel and you CAN have fun!


So, we have picked a couple of books which chart the ups and downs of life on the road with the young ones and would love it if you would leave some comments on your experiences of travelling with children - your thoughts can encourage others to be brave and take the plunge! And at the bottom of this blogpost we have a link to the ladiesroom.co.uk  which is full of handy hints for travelling with kids!

These books cover terrain including Britain, Norway, Greece, France and Spain


Our first choice is written by Alice Griffin, who shares the story of how she embarked on a travel adventure with her young family during the first two years of her daughter's life. Taking in Norway, Greece, France and Spain on the way, Alice weaves an inspiring travelogue with practical advice to help other mums and dads who enjoy interesting and authentic travel with their baby or toddler on board. Tips-a-plenty.... http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1816






Our second choice is "Are We nearly there" -  'A family's 8,000 miles round Britain in a Vauxhall Astra' they were bored, broke, burned out and turning 40, so when Ben and Dinah saw the advert looking for a husband and wife team with young kids to write a guidebook about family travel around Britain, they jumped at the chance. With naive visions of staring moodily across Coniston Water and savouring Cornish pasties, they embark on a mad-cap five-month trip with daughter Phoebe, four, and son Charlie, two....... http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1600


http://www.theladiesroom.co.uk/2012/04/20/ben-hatchs-top-ten-tips-for-travelling-with-kids-2/

Two novels set in America's Deep South

“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett was one of the top books to peak in 2011, a button-pushing and hugely popular novel about black domestic servants working in white Southern households in the early 1960s.  Set in Jackson, Mississippi you can just feel the tight mores of that era pulse through the pages and the story leaves you in no doubt that things are going to change forever. Just by the feel of the book you know you are in the South, the hot humidity, the wonderful dialogue and traditional domestic values.


http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1023

If you enjoyed that book then you might enjoy "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman set 650 miles away in Savannah, Georgia (we were surprised by just how many books are set there!)

http://www.tripfiction.com/Book/1416

Heading to MILAN with a couple of novel book recommendations

Milan is often the gateway to Italy from Northern Europe, and arriving at the imposing station of Milano Centrale is a fitting start to any stay in Milan. Milan, the city where men still feel "Italian" and the women perfect the seductive swing of the hips. This is the city where the dolce vita and cosmopolitan glamour exist!

Main Hall at Milano Centrale

Milan doesn't get the kudos that other Italian cities do when it comes to Italian tourism, but it is an utterly fabulous city. Whether you are attending La Scala for opera, or choosing to walk through the halls of La Rinascente department store, seeing the Duomo in its restored glory, enjoying a few Cicchetti at Peck delicatessen  or visiting Leonardo's Last Supper,  Milan is a city that is catching up fast in the tourist stakes.




Treat yourself to our two book recomendations that are hugely evocative of the city in different ways:


Leonardo's Swans is a historical novel by Karen Essex that sets the scene for some of the grandeur that still remains today, and highlights the relationship between the Sforzas and Leonardo, set at the turn of the 15th century. It bowls along at a cracking pace (and apparently Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors!).

Chique Secrets of Dolce Vita by Barbara Conelli is a modern take on this vibrant city. Milan is a life experience! And if you want to know more about Milan, Barbara Conelli also runs a terrific blog  on the city and environs:




Click on the covers to find out more and you can find more books set in Milan here



Visit  the TripFiction Website to see our full range of novels set in over 870 locations around the world

A dip into the Eternal City

Iain Pears does for Rome what Donna Leon does for Venice. Here is a small extract that just perfectly captures that quintessential "eternity" of Rome...(Click on the cover for more information)

"It is one of the great delights of Rome that not even a long-term, assiduous resident is safe from surprise. Any street in the city, no matter where and no matter how seedy or shabby it looks at first glance, is capable of containing some little gem tucked away in an obscure corner, passed by nearly all the time and waiting to astonish. Sometimes it is a toy-box-sized Renaissance chapel, around which a twentieth-century developer has squeezed a vast, lumbering block of flats, or which has been accidentally turned into a traffic roundabout. Or the remains of a Roman palace nestling between a truck stop  and a railway line. Or it is a Renaissance pile, converted into flats and hammered incessantly by fumes and noise of traffic, but which still has its delicate, colonnaded courtyard, with moss on the cobbles and a sculpted fountain of nymphs and goddesses tinkling away to welcome home the weary commuters in the evening."

Want to delve in a bit more into Rome? Our collection of books set in Rome can be found here

Tropical Island Life

If you can get to a tropical island any time soon, then reading fiction set in paradise is (more or less) the next best thing. It's hot, it's sunny and you can almost feel the sand beneath your feet, dive in and enjoy a good read "See a location through an author's eyes"

☼ ☼ The Maldives ☼ Tuin ☼ KoPhi Phi Island ☼ ☼

The TripFiction team conjectures from events in the book, that this book is set in The Maldives; however the book only acknowledges that it is set somewhere "exotic". It encapsulates island life through the eyes of a hotel manager in a 6* resort....
How does it feel to live and work in the world's most beautiful and luxurious tropical island resort, surrounded by white sandy beaches and aquamarine seas? How does it feel to be in the lap of luxury when you're thousands of miles from anywhere else? And when the guests are some of the richest and most demanding people in the world, where do you find the energy every day to smile, smile and smile again?



Another Maldives set novel: When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a summer job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's holiday home in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation: a tropical island beats the library any day!
T.J. has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and has had cancer. Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Marooned on an uninhabited island, Anna and T.J. work together to obtain water, food, fire and shelter but, as the days turn to weeks then months and finally years, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man...


Now take yourselves back to the 1980s and 1990s and there are two outstanding books which delve into the vagaries of tropical island life, one read, the quintessential "The Beach" was turned into a film with Leonardo di Caprio and charts the demise of the good life on an island near Ko Phi Phi in Thailand; the other is "Castaway" a year on the island of Tuin, just off the coast of Papua New Guinea and Australia - Lucy Irvine responds to an advertisement " Writer seeks "wife" for a year on a tropical island" and this is an account of her time spent experiencing remote island life with a man she barely knows. Both books in their different ways capture the heat, the tropics, the isolation and how people face challenging situations....

Come and follow us on Twitter @TripFiction, on Facebook and of course Google Friend Connect, just to your right. Support us to make this website fly. Click on the covers to find out more about each book, you can certainly buy via Amazon and your local bookshop!

                                                                                                 

Books set on Ko Phi Phi Island, THAILAND

We were really pleased to come across these two books about the islands of Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Leh in Krabi Province, Thailand. Such a beautiful place, sadly devastated by the Tsunami of 2004, but up and running again and welcoming tourists. If you click on the Tripfiction logo below and you will be taken to our blogpost on Phuket, which adds a couple more fabulous reads that evoke this part of Thailand.


Let Not the Waves of the Sea by Simon Stephenson tells the sobering story of one brother visiting the island after his brother Dominic's death in the Tsunami of  December 2004 and how he and his family come to terms with such a premature and devastating event. The book was serialised on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.







Cross Currents by John Shors sets the scene so incredibly well for Thai island life, the smells, the cuisine, the heat, the tropical downpours and is a great example of what TripFiction is about.

And no list of books set on Koh Phi Phi would be complete without Alex Garland's The Beach. In our ever-shrinking world, where popular Western culture seems to have infected every nation on the planet, it is hard to find even a small niche of unspoiled land--forget searching for pristine islands or continents. This is the situation in Alex Garland's debut novel, The Beach. Human progress has reduced Eden to a secret little beach near Thailand. In the tradition of grand adventure novels, Richard, a rootless traveller rambling around Thailand on his way somewhere else, is given a hand-drawn map by a madman who calls himself Daffy Duck. He and two French travellers set out on a journey to find this paradise.


And to see all our books set in Thailand click here 




"see a location through an author's eyes"