The “travel bug” is back this
summer! Don’t forget to pack a good book
(or three) alongside your sunscreen and sandals!
The
Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
The perfect read for a rainy summer day, this escapist
classic begins when one woman reads an advertisement for a small tumble-down
medieval castle addressed to “Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine.” She
is suddenly struck by desire on this dreary, dripping day and finds a
partner-in-travel to get away for a month. The two friends seek out two
strangers to make a party of four women—one young, one old, two somewhere in
the middle. As they travel to the Italian castle and spend the month finding
out what they have in common, they find they are all unhappy with the life they
find themselves leading. It's no spoiler to tell you: they come into their own.
The
Vacationers by Emma Straub
This backlist book takes readers to the island of Mallorca,
where Franny and Jim have invited their close family and friends to celebrate
some major milestones. It all seems like sunshine and swimming pools until
secrets come to light and longstanding rivalries reemerge. When it comes to
complicated family dramas, you can count on Emma Straub to deliver. Her characterization
shines, and though you may not like any of the people here, you will want
to know what happens to them.
The
Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
In this enemies-to-lovers romance, bridesmaid Olive steels
herself to get through her twin sister's wedding, which forces her to spend the
day with her sworn enemy and best man Ethan. But when the rest of the party
falls prey to food poisoning, Olive and Ethan find themselves on an
all-expenses-paid honeymoon trip to Hawaii, determined to leave each other
alone—until they are forced into pretending to be newlyweds to save Olive's
job. They quickly discover that pretending can be a whole lot of fun.
Loveboat,
Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
In this fast-paced YA debut, a girl travels halfway around
the world to find herself, and maybe find love, too. Ever Wong is an
eighteen-year-old Asian American girl in Ohio, a talented dancer who,
unbeknownst to her family, harbors dreams of pursuing professional dance. When
her parents find out she’s considering dance instead of med school, they send
her to Taiwan to spend the rest of the summer at Chien Tan—an immersive high
school program devoted to language and culture. When Ever arrives she’s
surprised to discover that far from the scholarly summer she expected, the
students themselves call the program “Loveboat,” because it’s tons of fun and
so many long-term relationships begin here. The sequel is coming in early
2022.
Without
Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach
Journalist Alice Steinbach took a four-month sabbatical from
work to travel to London, Oxford, Paris, and Milan when she was in her 50s
(what a dream!). Her memoir is as much about the places she goes as it is about
the people she befriends, such as one acquaintance who asks her, “Why not turn
this mishap into an adventure?” Witty, wise, and transporting, Steinbach's
journey will make you feel as though you're traveling far from your own armchair—and
perhaps inspire you to plan your own solo trip.
A
Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes
Frances Mayes is best known for her memoirs exploring life
as an expat in Tuscany, but here she shares about travels to Spain, Portugal,
France, the British Isles, Turkey, Greece, the South of Italy, and North
Africa. As much as possible, she rented a house and did her best to shop and
eat like a local, thinking all the while about what it would be like to call that
place home. Full of descriptive detail, this travel memoir is best suited for
readers who love all things art and architecture, or who enjoy a slow
meandering walk down an unfamiliar cobblestone street.
World
Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
“I am a storyteller. I go places, I come back. I tell you
how the places made me feel.” — Anthony Bourdain. Before he died, Bourdain’s
co-author and long-time collaborator Laurie Woolever met with him about this
project just once, a meeting she details in the book’s heartfelt opening. Yet
she managed to deliver a transporting reading experience in a true travel guide
that combines Bourdain’s stories and travel tips with colorful essays from his
friends and colleagues. Vicariously experience Bourdain’s favorite destinations
near and far—from Toronto to Tanzania, Manhattan to Myanmar—as Bourdain tells
you how to get there, where to stay, and, perhaps most importantly, what to
eat. Jam-packed with potential for adventure and exploration (real or
imagined).
People
We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Globetrot with Alex and Poppy in this modern twist on When
Harry Met Sally. The pair of opposites once shared a ride home from college and
their witty banter ignited a decade-long friendship. Now free-spirit Poppy
lives in NYC, working as a travel writer for a posh magazine. Strait-laced Alex
lives in their small Ohio hometown, longing to start a family and live that
picket-fence lifestyle. Connecting once a year for an epic vacation, these
besties were always in sync…until they weren’t. Now they haven’t spoken in two
painful years, and against all odds, Poppy is hoping one great vacation can
save them.
Sex
and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
Jake cited this "champagne cocktail in book form"
as a recent favorite in WSIRN
Episode 277: Books that feel like a vacation for your brain. You do not need
to be familiar with E.M. Forster's classic Room With a View in order to enjoy
this glittery, glamorous, and gossipy retelling that opens on an island holiday
in Capri—and then jumps forward seven years later to a decadent summer vacation
in East Hampton.
Sag
Harbor by Colson Whitehead
If The Underground Railroad or The Nickel
Boys made your favorites list, have you dipped into Colson Whitehead's
backlist yet? This humorous coming of age story will take you to 1985
Manhattan, where 15-year-old Benji Cooper, the only Black student at his prep
school, attempts to fit in with his classmates. Trying to break free of his
label as a bona fide nerd proves exhausting, but escape comes every summer when
Benji's family stays in Sag Harbor, along with a whole community of
upper-middle class Black families in their social circle. With freedom from
school, parents, and the perception of his peers, Benji thinks this summer
might be the perfect time to reinvent himself. Travel to the Hamptons with
Benji for summer vacation vibes, teenage angst, and Whitehead's stunning
writing style.
If you like the creepier, more
dangerous side of fiction, seek out these intense tales of vacations gone
horribly wrong!
Descent
by Tim Johnston
This heart-pounding thriller is set in the Rocky Mountains,
where the whole Courtland family hoped to enjoy a wilderness vacation, and the
parents specifically hope to reconnect and patch up their broken marriage.
Daughter Caitlin is about to begin college on a track scholarship and sees the
mountain trails as a challenge for her running strength and stamina. But their
peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when Caitlin and her younger brother
Sean set off on a hike together, and only Sean returns. Each member of the
family deals with Caitlin’s disappearance alone, yet they grapple with the same
unspeakable questions.
Do
Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy
Liv and Nora are cousins, close as sisters. After a rough
year and lots of family drama, they're in desperate need of a low-key family
getaway. The cruise was going to be perfect. And it is, for a while. But
then on a normal—almost boring—Central American shore excursion, a series of
misunderstandings and misjudgments ends with terrifying confusion—where are the
children? Soon enough, the adults realize six children have vanished—and
from alternating points of view, we discover where they went, and why, and
who's to blame. (There's lots to go around.) Readers take note: this is messy,
and a little racy.
Nine
Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Moriarty says this story actually started as a joke: after a
stressful season, she began saying her next novel would take place at a
tropical resort, and she'd have to spend a lot of time vacationing "for
research purposes." But as she thought about it, she realized it really
would make a good story. Swap out the tropical setting for a luxurious health
retreat, bring in nine strangers, each with their own reason for renewal, and
you're in for a great reading experience. The miniseries boasts a star-studded
cast and is set to premiere on Amazon Prime August 20th.
The
River at Night by Erica Ferencik
When Winifred Allen's best friends suggest a wilderness
adventure in Maine for their annual girls' trip, she reluctantly agrees.
Swimming in depression and grief, Wini could really go for more of a beach
vacation. But hiking and rafting through the Allagash Wilderness proves to be
revitalizing...until their trip takes a treacherous turn. After a freak
accident, Wini and her friends are stranded and forced to rely on strangers for
supplies and shelter. Just when the women think they're safe, the battle for survival
really begins, and Wini must prove her strength.
Death
on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Does Hercule Poirot ever get a vacation? It seems that
wherever he goes, he must investigate. His cruise along the Nile is interrupted
by a shocking murder (of course). Honeymooner Linett Ridgeway has been shot,
and Poirot might know the culprit: he overheard a passenger say incriminating,
threatening things about the beautiful (and filthy rich) young woman. But it
wouldn't be a Christie novel without a few unexpected twists and turns. Devoted
Poirot fans will enjoy several references to his other mysteries sprinkled
throughout the novel and heads up: it's been adapted for another Kenneth
Branagh film, set to release in 2022.
The
Ruins by Scott Smith
Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble
upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine.Two young
couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation–sun-drenched days, drunken nights,
making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends
disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What
started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an
ancient ruins site . . . and the terrifying presence that lurks there.
The
Beach by Alex Garland
The Khao San Road, Bangkok -- first stop for the hordes of
rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night
there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists,
bequeathing to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach." It is
as beautiful and idyllic as it is reputed to be. Yet over time it becomes clear
that Beach culture, as Richard calls it, has troubling, even deadly,
undercurrents.
Day
Four by Sarah Lotz
Hundreds of pleasure-seekers stream aboard The Beautiful
Dreamer cruise ship for five days of cut-price fun in the Caribbean sun. On the
fourth day, disaster strikes: smoke roils out of the engine room, and the ship
is stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. Soon supplies run low, a virus plagues the
ship, and there are whispered rumors that the cabins on the lower decks are
haunted by shadowy figures. Irritation escalates to panic, the crew loses
control, factions form, and violent chaos erupts among the survivors. When, at
last, the ship is spotted drifting off the coast of Key West, the world's press
reports it empty. But the gloomy headlines may be covering up an even more
disturbing reality.
The
Guest List by Lucy Foley
In this richly atmospheric locked-room mystery, an exclusive
list of guests harboring dark secrets are invited to a secluded and eerie
island off the coast of Ireland for the wedding of a glamorous magazine
publisher to a rising television star. The tension between the guests is
underscored by the unforgiving landscape and sense of impending doom, not to
mention the haunted history of the island.
The
French Girl by Lexie Elliott
While on summer break a decade ago, a group of friends from
Oxford spent a blissful week together in an idyllic French farmhouse… until
their vacation was torpedoed by Severine, the beautiful and cunning girl next
door, who wreaked havoc on the group and then disappeared, never to be seen
again. Ten years later, Severine’s body is found in the well behind the house,
and suddenly the group are all suspects. This psychological suspense is a
slow-burn, but the shifting alliances and tensions between the friends keep the
mystery alive until the end.
The
Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John
Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects
of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a
glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend's
yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a
much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating
waitressing job, but once she's aboard the luxurious Lion's Den, it soon
becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.
https://modernmrsdarcy.com/vicarious-vacation-books/
https://crimereads.com/11-novels-of-vacations-gone-horribly-awry/
Still waiting on the opportunity to
freely travel? Maybe not, as these films
showcase some of the worse-case scenarios for trips of all kinds.
The
Evil Dead
Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his
girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away.
There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead
when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and
must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his
friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to
save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.
National
Lampoon’s Vacation
Accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael
Hall), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), are
driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly
fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car
problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when
Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get
his family to the park.
Weekend
at Bernie’s
Fun-loving salesmen Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry
(Andrew McCarthy) are invited by their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser), to stay the
weekend at his posh beach house. Little do they know that Bernie is the
perpetrator of a fraud they've uncovered and is arranging to have them killed.
When the plan backfires and Bernie is killed instead, the buddies decide not to
let a little death spoil their vacation. They pretend Bernie is still alive,
leading to hijinks and corpse desecration galore.
Thelma
& Louise
Meek housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) joins her friend Louise
(Susan Sarandon), an independent waitress, on a short fishing trip. However,
their trip becomes a flight from the law when Louise shoots and kills a man who
tries to rape Thelma at a bar. Louise decides to flee to Mexico, and Thelma
joins her. On the way, Thelma falls for sexy young thief J.D. (Brad Pitt) and
the sympathetic Detective Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) tries to convince the two
women to surrender before their fates are sealed.
Jurassic
Park
In Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster, paleontologists
Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian
Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour an island theme
park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. While the park's
mastermind, billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), assures everyone
that the facility is safe, they find out otherwise when various ferocious
predators break free and go on the hunt.
Little
Miss Sunshine
The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni
Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather
(Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and
heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win
the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched
to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along
their interstate route.
Snakes
on a Plane
FBI agent Nelville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) boards a flight
from Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a witness to trial. An on-board assassin
releases a crate of deadly serpents in an attempt to kill the witness. Flynn
and a host of frightened passengers and crew must band together to survive the
slithery threat.
Forgetting
Sarah Marshall
Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is
better-known as the boyfriend of TV star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). After
she unceremoniously dumps him, he feels lost and alone but makes a last-ditch
bid to get over it by going to Hawaii. However, she and her new boyfriend
(Russell Brand) are there in the same hotel.
The
Hangover
Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) and three
friends (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis) drive to Las Vegas for a
wild and memorable stag party. In fact, when the three groomsmen wake up the
next morning, they can't remember a thing; nor can they find Doug. With little
time to spare, the three hazy pals try to re-trace their steps and find Doug so
they can get him back to Los Angeles in time to walk down the aisle.
Spring
Breakers
College students Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Faith (Selena
Gomez), Brit (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine) are short of the cash
they need for a spring-break trip, so they rob a diner and head down to
Florida. However, the police soon break up the party and arrest them. The
curvaceous quartet are unexpectedly bailed out by a drug dealer and aspiring
rap artist named Alien (James Franco). Soon after, three of the four gal pals
decide to join Alien in a life of crime.
Sightseers
A couple's (Alice Lowe, Steve Oram) cross-country road trip
takes a deadly turn when they decide to start killing everyone who annoys them.
Midsommar
A young American couple, their relationship foundering,
travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral
paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the locals
reveal their terrifying agenda.
www.vulture.com/article/best-vacations-gone-wrong-movies.html
www.rottentomatoes.com
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