Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of the Travel Reading Challenge!
Our 2018 travel reading challenge is themed “Ticket to Read.”
It’s a reading challenge designed for those who love travel – those who have a curiosity about the world around them, those who are always looking for their next great read (whether picking it up in an airport bookstore or finding wi-fi to download to their Kindle), those who want more ideas about what to read, and those who want to explore the world in person or through a good book.
The basic reading challenge has a pace of two books per month, for a yearly total of 24 books. The advanced portion of the reading challenge adds on another six books, bringing the yearly total to 30 books.
The challenge is self-paced. Read what you want, when you want it, there’s no order you must follow. Feel free to interpret the list in any way you wish, choosing the type of books that you enjoy. However, we also hope you’ll be encouraged to try some new authors, genres, and add new voices to your reading list – that’s part of the fun of the challenge.
Your 2018 Travel Reading Guides are:
Mary Jo Manzanares – Mary Jo is an avid traveler and reader. With a bag always packed, and a Kindle always full of books to read, she and her husband travel the world in search of value luxury destinations and experiences. She loves a good legal novel – John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Richard North Patterson are favorite authors – as well an eclectic mix of historical fiction, biography, chick lit, and the occasional odd topic that catches her eye. Mary Jo’s goal for the reading challenge is to discover new authors and genres from fellow challenge participants. Mary Jo blogs at Traveling with MJ.
Betsy Wuebker – Betsy is a full-time traveler who has been location independent for six years. An avid reader, she and her husband have visited close to 50 countries. Much of their travel inspiration comes from their favorite authors: David McCullough, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Paul Theroux, James Michener, Sue Monk Kidd, Tracy Chevalier and more. Her goal for the reading challenge is to read additional titles in her favorite genres – historical fiction, biography, travel memoir – and expand her horizons via the recommendations of others in the challenge. Betsy and Pete blog at Passing Thru.
Brenda Tolentino – Brenda is the Co-Founder of a Food and Family Travel Blog called Dish Our Town. Brenda, her husband Andrew, and their teen daughter, Bailey love food and travel experiences above almost all things. When they’re not physically doing either, they sate themselves through books. Perennial favorites such as Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast” and “The Sun Also Rises” to childhood reads which include the likes of C.S. Lewis’s, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”; to more contemporary literature such as Jess Walter’s, “Beautiful Ruins”, Peter Mayles’, A Year in Provence”, and Frances Mayes’, “Under The Tuscan Sun” fill their wonderment to wander and taste. This year, Brenda challenges herself to learn more about traveling, eating, cooking and running a business through the power of reading.
Click through each of the challenges to find what each member of the 2018 reading team chose for each of the selections. We’ll offer up a few thoughts about each of our selections to help you decide if it’s a book you might enjoy. Like you, we’re starting from scratch and tackling the challenge right along with you. We will be updating our selections here throughout the year, so check back often.
For suggestions of what to read, lively discussions about our favorite books, and recommendations of what to take along on your next trip, please join our Goodreads group. We are directing all discussion, comments, and questions about the reading challenge to that group. Please join us!
The 2018 Basic List
- A book that takes place in the country of your origin (here)
- A book that takes place in a destination you’d like to visit (here)
- A book with a type of food in the title (here)
- A book that takes place somewhere you’ve always dreamed of living (here)
- A book that takes place in your hometown (or one like it) (here)
- A book that is set in a period of history in which you are interested (here)
- A book recommended by a friend (here)
- A book that you read years ago and want to re-read
- A book with an animal in the title (here)
- A book with a type of plant in the title (here)
- A book set in the future (here)
- A book set in your favorite country or region (here)
- A book that is an adventure story (here)
- A book by an author whose last name starts with the same letter as your last name (here)
- A book by an author who is not of the same gender as you (here)
- A book with a silly title (here)
- A book that’s perfect for reading over lunch (here)
- A book from a genre you don’t typically read (here)
- A book with a purple cover (here)
- A book published in 2018 (here)
- A book that is also a movie (here)
- A guidebook (here)
- A book that is written by or is about a famous person (here)
- A book that inspires you to make a change (here)
The 2018 Advanced List
- A book that was originally written in a different language
- A book that will help you become better at what you do (here)
- A book that is a classic (here)
- A book that tells an alternative story of a historical event (here)
- A book about a road trip
- A book that you would like to see made into a movie (here)
Click here to download the list
