books for travelers Archives

Last month I was in Italy with the Glam Italia Tours and wasn’t able to post on here, but of course I was still reading and listening to loads of books. When I’m traveling I listen to loads of audiobooks, especially in airports and on trains and buses. I’ll be traveling all summer until the end of October, then again in November and in December, so will be consuming tons of audiobooks all year.

If you are new to the Glam Italia bookclub, this is not about brand new books. It is about fantastic books. Most great authors have wonderful backlists that don’t get as much attention, but are soooo deserving of it. The books I talk about in the book club are what I read and listened to this month/last month. I’m sure you are going to love them too!

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With that in mind I want to tell you about Amazon’s free trial program with Audible, the largest seller of audiobooks in the world. You can get a free 3-month trial of audible at the moment. Consume all the books and if you want to keep going they have subscription options, or you can opt out. Your choice. Check out the Audible free 3-month trial here.

Audiobooks

Some of the audio books I’ve loved over the past couple of months:

The Medici Return

I just finished The Medici Return by Steve Berry. It’s a fantastic mystery/thriller involving the Catholic Church and the Medici family, both back in the 1500s and in modern day. It is part of a 20 book series with a mystery solving protagonist called Cotton Malone. I loved it and am excited to have a new series that takes place across multiple countries. This book is available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. Check here on Amazon.

Cold Tuscan Stone

Cold Tuscan Stone is the first book in series. The protagonist, Rick Montoya is a translator who left New Mexico to build a life in Rome. He gets recruited by the Italian Art Squad to take an undercover mission to Volterra posing as an art buyer from Santa Fe while trying to flush out traffickers in priceless Etruscan burial urns. On his first day in Volterra, the first gallery employee he meets with suddenly mysteriously dies. This is a tremendous story that gallops through Volterra with twists and turns, murders and art heists. I loved it. Available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible formats. See here on Amazon.

I absolutely loved The Expats by Chris Pavone. If you enjoy books about spies and espionage set in European cities and in New York, you too will love this brilliantly written, incredibly clever story. This one is the first of a 2 part series, and I have the second book lined up and ready to go. I only discovered Chris Pavone recently and am already 4 books deep. Available in Paperback, Kindle and Audible formats, see here on Amazon.

On Kindle

I also consume an enormous number of books on my Kindle Paperwhite. (In fact once I have this post finished I will be floating around my pool reading my kindle.) The past couple of months I’ve both been reading newly purchased books, and have also been reading books I bought eons ago and forgot to read.

Under A Siena Sun by T.A Williams is a fun beach read for anyone who loves Tuscany. The protagonist, Lucy, is a doctor who leaves a dangerous post in the Congo with Doctors Without Borders for an easier, less stressful life in Tuscany. Lucy is consumed with internal conflict, not being able to balance the extreme poverty of her previous patients in war torn Africa with the wealth and advantage of her current patients in Siena. Her turmoil grows when she encounters injured tennis star David Lorenzo, whose potent smiles make Lucy forget her aversion to the rich. She’s soon falling for the sportsman but feels like she’s losing herself in this world of excess. All she’s ever wanted was to help the underprivileged and be a positive change in the world, so can her future lie in Siena at the clinic – with David?

This sunny romance is the perfect summer escape. Available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. See here on Amazon.

Collecting Can Be Murder

Collecting Can Be Murder is another book I bought ages ago, probably from a Bookbub email, and then forgot about. I recently rediscovered it in my kindle library and enjoyed it so much I ordered the next in series as soon as I finished it.

This time instead of Italy, this book is set in France. After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees.
Yet after their first assignment – the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France – goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer!
With her target dead and the stolen book missing, she and her partner will have to pull out all of the stops to sleuth out the true killer’s identity – before their stay in France becomes permanent.

Introducing Carmen De Luca, an art sleuth with a nose for mystery and the job of locating valuable artwork stolen from museums around the world. If you love strong and resourceful heroines, puzzling mysteries, and a dash of art history, pick up Collecting Can Be Murder now!

Available in paperback, kindle and audible formats. See here on Amazon.

The Perfect Place is another fantastic summer read. Again this one takes place in France and takes you through plenty of twists and turns with a fabulous chateau in the center. What would you be willing do to get a French Chateau?

Elle Littlewood can barely believe her luck when her producer tells her about the chance to get her hands on a dilapidated chateau in Aix-En-Provence, France for a rock bottom price. It seems too good to be true, but as a home interiors influencer, she knows this would make incredible content. Lately, Elle has noticed the cracks start to show. Her life is the envy of thousands, and her social media posts show a beautiful, accomplished woman. Yet this wasn’t always the case. If they knew the truth about her past, they would never look at Elle the same way again.

Elle needs this house. She doesn’t care that it comes with huge strings attached. And when people get in her way, there’s nothing Elle won’t do to protect her brand. After all, she’s survived by doing things that people could never imagine – and knows she would do them again.

See here on Amazon.

Murder In Pitigliano by Camilla Trinchieri is the 5th in the Tuscan Mystery series. I’ve loved the first four, so had this one on pre-order. The first four are set in a gorgeous little town close to where I take my Glam Italia Tour travelers for cooking lessons, and this one is set in Pitigliano, a fantastic town where I spent a week a couple of years back. Lots of reasons to devour this book.

Ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle finds himself unwittingly stepping into the role of a PI to investigate a murder that has torn a young family apart in this rustic mystery set in the beautiful Medieval village of Pitigliano, Italy.
One morning at his favorite café, Nico Doyle notices Cilia, a seven-year-old girl he has never seen before, frolicking with his dog on the floor. He later discovers she has left a note in his collar—Please help my babbo.
With help from the local carabinieri, Nico discovers that Cilia’s father, Saverio, has fled town following an unfortunate incident. His business partner was killed at their electronics store, and Saverio is the hot-headed local carabiniere’s main suspect. Cilia’s mother, Livia, who just moved to Gravigna to get away from Pitigliano’s wagging tongues, asks Nico to find the real killer and hands him a long list of suspects. Against his better judgment, Nico accepts for Cilia’s sake. Since the case is outside of the local carabinieri’s jurisdiction, Nico finds himself on his own as he travels back and forth to Pitigliano. He goes down Livia’s list of suspects one by one in pursuit of the truth, putting his skills as a retired NYPD detective to work. But will Livia and her little girl be happy with what Nico finds?

See it here on Amazon.

Finally, the audiobook that is at the top of my must-have list: Let Them, by Mel Robbins. Although it is available on kindle I’m getting this one next on Audible. I love Mel Robbins message and I also love her voice. There’s something about her voice that cuts through all the B.S and gets right to your brain with her powerful messages. This time two of the most important words in the world: Let Them.

What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn’t you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can’t control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that’s made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. As you listen, you’ll realize how much energy and time you’ve been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

See here on Amazon.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s entries in the Glam Italia Bookclub! I have loved all of these books and hope you will read/listen to and love them too!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a post with a new list of books for intrepid travelers. Over the past couple of years I’ve been reading a few new series (new to me anyway) and more books in existing series, all with a travel oriented theme.

I love reading books set in Italy (obviously!) and in France where I have also spent an enormous amount of time over the years. I was explaining to a friend recently that for the most part I tend to read two types of books. When my brain has down time I like to read complex, fast paced thrillers (like Mark Dawson’s John Milton series and L.T Ryan’s Jack Noble series. I also enjoy Patricia Cornwall’s and Kathy Reichs’ books, and anything that moves quickly and requires more thinking to follow what’s going on.

But when I am super busy, which this year has been most of the time, I use books to quiet my mind and relax, so look for a different type of book. Mostly books set in Italy and France and other euro-locales. I am a voracious reader and blow through books quickly, so love reading on a Kindle (I have the Kindle Paperwhite). You can borrow library books on Kindle, you can access prime reading (free books from the Amazon library), and with no manufacture and shipping costs you can access books very inexpensively too. Often authors with big series will make the first in series free, and from there the books run anywhere from 99cents on promotion to an average price of $4.99. Heads up: as an author I can tell you I make the same amount of money if someone buys my books in paperback or as a kindle eBook, so don’t be thinking an author loses out if you buy eBooks!

Anyway, in no specific order the following are book series I’ve been reading over the past couple of years. They make great holiday/anytime reading for you too, and also make fantastic end of year gift ideas. Enjoy!

The Department Q Series

The Department Q series is a police series with a twist, set in Denmark. A course of unfortunate events leads the police department to create a one man cold case squad in order to get this trouble maker (Carl Mørck, our protagonist) out of their hair. They then give him a quirky Syrian immigrant and a schizophrenic girl as assistants, and somehow the three of them build their department into a brilliant case solving unit.

The main characters are diverse and quite nutty, but incredibly compelling. These books are so clever and so well written, with intriguing subplots. I’m about to start book 7 on 9 and am dreading finishing the series. Book one is The Keeper of Lost Causes, pictured above. See the series here on Amazon. It is also available as a library book on Kindle.

Philip Gwynne Jones Venice Series

The Philip Gwynne Jones Venice Murder Series is a murder mystery series with a twist. Nathan Sutherland is a slightly bumbling British fellow living with his temperamental attack cat in an upstairs apartment on the Street of Assassins in Venice. He works as a translator of boring DIY manuals, and is the British Honorary Consul of Venice, an unpaid and only marginally interesting position that at least gets him into some interesting cocktail parties. Throughout the series he stumbles into one murder mystery after another, somehow managing to solve them in the end. These books are hard to put down and have the added advantage of being set in the most unique city on earth, Venice

The first book in the 7 book series is The Venetian Game . Check out the series here on Amazon. Also available as a library book on Kindle.

The Murder In Tuscany Series

T.A Williams’ Murder In Tuscany series falls into the cozy mystery category. These are fun, breezy murder mysteries that are easy to read and superbly enjoyable. In book one, Murder in Tuscany, we meet Dan Armstrong, a recently retired British detective who has come to Tuscany on a creative writing retreat for Brits. A murder transpires and as an English speaking ex-cop he is able to help the local homicide detective. The two form a friendship and Dan decides to stay in Tuscany, setting up the rest of the series.

If you enjoy books set in and around gorgeous Tuscany you’ll love this fun series. At the time of writing this post there are 6 books in series with book number 7 on pre-order. Check them out here on Amazon.

The Tuscan Vineyard Series

34 year old Chicago ad exec Olivia Glass finds her life crumbling around her so takes her best friend up on the idea of spending the summer in Tuscany. While there she gets a job in a local winery, buys a round down farmhouse, and finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.

The Tuscan Vineyard Series makes for fun, breezy reading with the backdrop of beautiful Tuscany adding to the splendor. These books are enjoyable reading for anyone who has ever fallen in love with Tuscany, dreamt about moving there or has wished they could fix up a rundown stone house in the Tuscan hills. The first book in the series, Aged For Murder, is free on Kindle, or 7.99 in paperback. Check it out here on Amazon. Author Fiona Grace has several other series including one set in Sicily which I have downloaded but not yet read.

Camilla Trinchieri Tuscan Mysteries

I recently started reading Camilla Trinchieri’s Tuscan Mysteries series and have been throughly enjoying them. Her protagonist is an ex NYPD homocide cop who relocates to Chianti to be with her family after his Italian wife dies. Of course he stumbles upon a murder, and then ends up helping the local carabinieri to solve it.

I am midway through this series and am thoroughly enjoying it. The first in series is Murder in Chianti, and is available on Kindle for 2.99. The series does seem to be available to borrow from the library on Kindle too. See the Tuscan Mysteries series here on Amazon.

Bruno, Chief of Police

Zipping over to my other great European love – France, we now get to meet Bruno, Chief of Police. This 16 book series is a glorious romp through southern France where our hero, Bruno, a small town policeman, solves murders while juggling village life, cooking French food and enjoying local wines. Bruno lives in a remodeled shepherd’s cottage in the hills, grows his own vegetables, and lives a simple but pleasurable life. This is a lovely balance to the complexity of the murders he solves. This is a fabulous series and I am hoping author Martin Walker will keep Bruno’s adventures going for many more books!

See bruno Chief of Police here on Amazon.

The MAGGIE NEWBERRY Mysteries

I couldn’t really get into the first book in this series, but you need to read it in order for the rest of the series to make sense. And once it gets going it is fabulous!

Maggie Newberry is an Atlanta based ad exec (I think she was in advertising?) who comes to the South of France to bring her murdered sister’s body home. While there she discovers her sister had a child the family knew nothing about. With the help of a local conman she works to track down the missing child and figure out a more complex and dark mystery along the way.

The first book in series, Murder in the South of France, combines murder, mystery, and romance, setting up the entire series to follow. This is a tremendous series, 24 books deep at the time of writing this post, with more books on the way. Check them out here on Amazon.

The Stranded In Provence Series

Before I discovered the Maggie Newberry books I read Susan Kiernan Lewis’s Stranded in Provence series, and then her American in Paris books. All three series are highly addictive!

All three protagonists in these separate series hail from Atlanta and wind up living in France. This time the initially ditzy Jules Hooker has booked a trip to Provence with her boyfriend, thinking he will propose to her. When he backs out at the last minute she decides to come alone anyway. She then discovers she has booked herself into a remote Provençal village, far from the glamor she had envisaged. She is about to give up and head back to Atlanta when a dirty bomb is dropped in the Mediterranean, knocking out all electrics and communications for the foreseeable future. Now she is trapped in a village where she knows no one, in a country where she doesn’t speak the language, where cars and phones and microwaves no longer work. To top it off she finds a dead body and has to solve the murder in order to save herself.

Parlez Vous Murder is the first book in this series. From the beginning the premise is quite clever, and sets up endless complications for Jules as the series progresses. These books are lots of fun and are wonderful for anyone who loves the South of France

See the Stranded in Provence series here on Amazon.

The American In Paris/Claire Baskerville Series

This series is also by Susan Kierman Lewis with another clever premise. Claire Baskerville is a 60 something American woman with a genetic brain anomaly that makes it impossible for her to remember faces. She travels to Paris with her husband, who is then brutally murdered. Alone in the City of Light Claire now has to not only figure her way around the city, but also figure out who killed her husband. Making matters worse, the local police are hopeless. Claire then discovers her husband had a whole secret life, a financial crisis is looming, and she is going to have to hide out in Paris for the foreseeable future.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable series especially if you enjoy Paris. It’s fun to have a protagonist in her 60s too! The first book in this series, Dejà Dead is free on Kindle or $10.99 in paperback. Check the series out here on Amazon. There are 12 books in the series, with book 13 on pre-order for 2024.

8 Fantastic Books To Boost Your Summer Reading List