Travelers always have reasons to reconsider visiting certain destinations. Locals might feel the burden of overtourism and want a break. These places may not be easily accessible — location-wise or financially. Or destinations may be experiencing conflict and be under a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning. But as curious travelers, you can satisfy that curiosity by turning to books that showcase a place’s culture, history, beauty, or daily life. Books have a way of transporting us, and this list of fiction and nonfiction is an effort to bring you somewhere you can’t or shouldn’t go right now.
Note: Some of these are not easy reads, so handle them with care.
Bali
Where: Indonesia
Indonesian author Oka Rusmini is a novelist and poet based in Bali. She published Tarian Bumi (Earth Dance) in 2000, and it has since been translated into multiple languages. The book is a glimpse into Balinese society and culture through the eyes of four generations of women bound by caste and tradition. As the novel unfolds what it means to be a woman in Bali, it introduces you to different characters and their struggles on the island. It’s a short read at just 162 pages, but it shows you that there’s more to life in Bali than idyllic beaches and digital nomads.
Venice
Where: Italy
Welsh author Jan Morris’ Venice is the most recommended book about the city you will encounter. It is not an average guidebook — it shows you the city’s character. First published in the 1960s, it has been revised multiple times since. It takes you around the city and the lagoon and introduces you to Venetians across its three parts. The city is definitely enchanting, but it needs travelers to admire it from a distance, and this book is one way of doing that.
If you venture from nonfiction to fiction, American author Donna Leon has written detective stories set in and around Venice that reveal the city’s more fantastical side. Her thrilling tales of Commissario Guido Brunetti have captivated audiences, and there are more than 30 books in the series to keep you up at night.
Both authors lived in Venice, and in their books you can feel their love for the romantic city in every word they wrote.
Barcelona
Where: Spain
Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza has fictionalized Spain — and specifically Barcelona — in many of his books. Set in 1888, City of Wonders takes you through the development of Barcelona between the two World Fairs of 1888 and 1929. The story of a rural boy becoming a wealthy criminal may be fictionalized, but the events that transformed the city are very much real. This story is about Barcelona’s development as much as it is about the vices of a gangster.
Barcelona has struggled with overtourism for decades, and locals are vocal about the troubles facing the city and the country as a whole. This book narrates how Barcelona grew into an urban hub and provides rich background into the forces that shaped it — making it an ideal companion for anyone who wants to understand the city before, or instead of, visiting.
