Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Places That Books Have Made Me Want To Visit

Posted October 14, 2014 by Lisa Mandina in / 44 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by The Broke and The Bookish.  This was such a fun sounding idea when I saw it on the 7th, I started planning ahead!  And honestly, when I name the places, I will have to name several books.  So, I’ve decided instead of putting pictures of the books, I’ll put a picture of the place (if I can find one), and then just list the books below it.  So here we go.



1.  New York City

 Okay, really I've wanted to see all of NYC, so many books talk about it, as well as movies and tv shows.  But I chose two specific spots to start.  The first picture is of Belvedere Castle, which is in Central Park.  I first learned of that by reading Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz.  Now, the 2nd building is not what I thought it was.  I thought it was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory building where they'd had the horrible fire in 1911.  And you have to give me a little break on that, the building is a triangle shape.  But I was informed by my friend Cara Lynn Shultz, that is not the building where the fire took place, this one is called the Flatiron Building.  I had read a few books on the fire though, most specifically one called Lost by Jacqueline Davies.  I did get to see both of these buildings the first time I went to NYC to visit my sister when she first moved there about 3 years ago.  But there are still so many other places to visit in NYC that I haven't yet. 2.  Paris

One specific place is the catacombs.  Up until recently, I never really cared if I got to visit France.  Sure I knew about the Eiffel Tower, but I didn't really care. Then I read Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and was immediately intrigued.  Other books I've read that make me rethink my decision to go to Paris are Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Die for Me by Amy Plum. 3.  Poland/Germany

I don't know if it was from studying World War II and the Holocaust in school, or from reading The Diary of Anne Frank, but I really want to go visit those places and just see.  For one thing, in the pictures of Anne Frank's hiding place that I saw in Anne Frank:  Beyond the Diary, I am just completely shocked that they weren't found sooner. I know this is kind of a depressing place to want to visit, but it is something that I want to do one day before I die.  I feel it is something very important and worth seeing to commemorate those who died. 4.  New Orleans
Now, I have read a lot of books set in or around New Orleans.  And while of course I want to visit Bourbon street and that kind of stuff, one place in particular I'd like to go is the cemeteries, especially the one where the voodoo queen is supposed to be.  Books that have made me want to see the haunted side of New Orleans include Ruined and the other books in that series by Paula Morris,  as well as the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (although to be honest I saw the first season of the tv series before I read the books.) 5. Maine
Because of probably every single book of Stephen King's, and how they're set in Maine, I want to visit the state some day.  And how cool would it be to go by his house as pictured above? 6.  Ireland
I don't know that it was a book that first made me want to go here, especially to see the Blarney stone, which is near the Blarney House pictured above.. I think it was probably a combination of movies, and just hearing and loving the Irish accent.  I kind of want to go just in hopes of finding and falling in love with a cute Irish guy.  One of my favorite authors, Sarah Rees Brennan, is from Ireland, and when I told her my hope of finding an Irish guy, she joked and said maybe she'd introduce me to one of her brothers.  I'd list two books that specifically make me want to go to Ireland.  First is Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley, the unofficial sequel to Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  The 2nd one is Herself by Leslie Carroll. 7. London/England
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So the first picture is the Tower of London, where Anne Boleyn was held, and also where many beheadings took place.  There are several books that have made me want to visit this part of London:  Transcendence by CJ Omololu, The Missing Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.  The 2nd picture is a make believe place from the book Austenland by Shannon Hale.  I think it would be so much fun to go somewhere where you had to dress and act and eat like people from that time period.   8.  Laura Ingalls Wilder homes
 

I loved the tv show Little House on the Prairie, but never read the books.  By the time I "discovered" them, I was really too old to read them.  I tried to, they were just so simple that I was bored quickly.  But I still would love to take a summer and travel the country and see them.  I've visited the one in Missouri.  Above are the one in Kansas, Wisconsin, and finally Minnesota, Walnut Grove that I remember the town in the tv show was named.  Besides the tv show making me want to go there, I also read The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure.   9.  Jurassic Park

Okay, I've always been fascinated by dinosaurs.  So if there was a real Jurassic Park, where they really had control of the dinosaurs, I'd be all over that! 10.  Area 51
Another thing I've been fascinated with is UFOs and aliens.  There are many, many books that talk about Area 51, as well as movies and tv shows, but there are two main books that sparked my interest, Strangers by Dean Koontz, and (obviously) the Area 51 series by Robert Doherty. Those are my top ten places I want to visit.  Where would you go after reading some of your favorite books?

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44 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Places That Books Have Made Me Want To Visit”

    • Lisa Mandina

      Thanks! I never thought I was the kind of person who wanted to just visit castles, but when you read about them then I think they're interesting. Thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  2. Dawn Janis

    I love your castles! I've actually been to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield Missouri. It was such a fun trip. My brother didn't care for it, but I LOVED it!

    Reply
  3. michellesminions

    Ahh! Jurassic Park! Great choice, I never thought of that but I wish I had. This is a great(and very detailed and informative) list. I've been to London and of ccourse, New York City, but nowhere else on your list.

    Michelle @ Michelle's Minions

    My TTT

    Reply
    • Lisa Mandina

      It was a last minute though, between that and Hogwarts. Jealous of London, my sister has been there many times, but the only place out of America I've been is Mexico, and so I haven't even left this continent. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  4. Amber Elise

    Parisian catacombs are creepy as hell. Cool, but soo many bones…so many skulls. I have Revolution but I haven't read it yet. For some reason I didn't know it was in Paris, this just got moved up on my TBR list!

    Amber Elise @Du Livre

    Reply
  6. Kaja

    Cool photos! I haven't thought of Area 51 but I'd love to go poke around there. Or maybe not, who knows what they're really hiding! Sometimes ignorance is bliss 😉

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    I've always wanted to visit Ireland, but can't remember reading any books set there – I think I need to change that! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Carmen B.

    I love / have been to so many of the places you listed! Ireland is nice, and I almost put Dublin on my list. But I was there before I read any books with that setting, so it doesn't count. I also picked New Orleans (Marie Laveau's grave is definitely worth a visit) and I'd love to go to the catacombs in Paris! I didn't go when I was there. Oh, and Stephen King's books always made me curious about Maine 🙂

    My TTT

    Reply
  9. Katherine P

    Great list!! I've been to New Orleans several times and it's a fascinating city. Maine is on my list as well though for different reasons. Somehow I don't think I knew that King's books were all set in Maine. Ireland and England are high on my list as well. I'm adding the Laura Ingalls Wilder houses to mine places to go one day list. That sounds fun! I loved the books as a child but the only one that really stood up to reading as an adult for me was Little House in the Big Woods.

    Reply
  13. Rachel Hoyt

    Yesss, all these places! I live about an hour from New Orleans, and I have to admit, it's awesome. I've never been to Marie Laveau's grave, actually, but a lot of the cemeteries are very dangerous. Whichever she's in is probably fine because of tourists, but Lafayette Cemetery is really good too! It's across the street from Commander's Palace as well, one of the best restaurants in the city. The vibe in the cemeteries is just awesome, so different from those anywhere else. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Greg

    Paris and Ireland would be on my list- and Jurassic PArk? Awesome. After all the real places that was fun to see- and yeah I'd go there too- although hopefully it would be run better than it is in the movies LOL. Great list!

    Reply
    • Lisa Mandina

      Thanks, I did start thinking about this last week, and some places I want to visit more because of movies and tv, so had to think harder for some book ideas. Glad you stopped by!

      Reply
    • Lisa Mandina

      I think it would be so neat to actually see and experience something from real history in America that became a beloved children's series of books and a tv show. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  22. CA Heaven

    I couldn't name 10, but I have 3 places I visited due to books I've read:
    New York (due to books by Paul Auster)
    Melk (small town in Austria which I visited due to The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco)
    St Petersburg (Dostoyevsky of course; I went to see his apartment)

    London and Paris are cool places to as a tourist, but I could never live there.

    Cold As Heaven

    Reply

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