Books Set in Places I've Been

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 Books Set in Places I Have Been


I love reading books set in a different country as it immerses you into a whole new culture. I especially love reading about novels set in places I have been, because I can understand most of the references, especially the landmarks. Here are some novels I have read set in cities I have been to!



Istanbul, Turkey:

Inferno - Dan Brown




Before Istanbul, I had never been to any countries around that region. It was a wonderful experience to be immersed in a culture completely new to me. Every street was filled with the best local food, beautiful artwork, and extravagant views. Although I knew of the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, I mainly remained clueless on the notable site. However, there was one other landmark I knew from a book: the Yerebatan Cistern.


Inferno by Dan Brown is a thrilling novel following the near-death adventures of the professor, Robert Langdon. If you have read any of my past blogs, you will know how big of a Dan Brown fan I am. Although the book mainly takes place in Florence, Italy, an important part of the novel does take place in Istanbul. In this book, Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks race the clock, the police, and assassins to save humanity from a deadly disease. 


Singapore:

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan



Singapore easily ranks as one of my favorite countries I have visited. From the local street food to the modern architecture, I would love to live here one day… of course only if it wasn’t super expensive. As our taxi driver described the city, “Singapore is a nice place. Like a really nice place. But it is just so gosh darn expensive.”


I enjoyed the over extravagance of the movie so I decided to read the book it was based on. Crazy Rich Asian is about Chinese-American Rachel Chu and her boyfriend, Nick Young. They take a trip to visit Nick’s home country, as he reveals that he is part of the richest family in Singapore. Nick’s mother quickly despises Rachel, since she comes from a household and not a crazy rich family. Rachel struggles to fit in in this world of wealth. 



Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok Wakes to Rain - Pitchaya Sudbanthad





I would call Bangkok my second home. Since my family is from Thailand, my summers consisted of staying in Bangkok for at the very least a month. My family is deeply rooted in Thailand, making me constantly immersed in the culture. However, I have never read a book set in Thailand or by a Thai author. I randomly stumbled upon this book and have grown to love it.


Bangkok Wakes to Rain follows multiples; all of them are set in different time periods and seem to be completely unrelated. From an American missionary doctor of the 19th century and a post World War II mother, to a jazz musician and their spirits and present day teens exploring the city, Sudbanthad beautifully weaves every story together — each story with its own beauty.

- Sarisa







Comments

  1. Callie StanderferMarch 4, 2022 at 1:11 PM

    Hey Sarisa Chanslip! I love this blog post! I think it is really cool how readers get to hear your story with a location then the book set in it. I haver never been to any of these places but I have read Crazy Rich Asians and the setting seems to really match. Keep up the amazing work and travelling!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rishabh PrasanthMarch 4, 2022 at 4:48 PM

    Great post! I like how you put a different twist onto the common book review, and you were able to connect these three different books through their different settings. I have read Inferno and I really enjoyed it, and I have watched the movie for Crazy Rich Asians, so now that i know there is a book, I am intrigued. Nice Job

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  3. FelixMarch 5, 2022 at 2:24 PM

    Nice blog post, Sarisa! I found it unique that not only did you feature multiple different books in the same blog post, but you also based your book choices on where you've been in real life, something I've never seen in any other blog post I've read so far. These all sound like incredibly interesting books, and I look forward to reading them in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  4. GabbyMarch 6, 2022 at 2:14 PM

    Nice post Sarisa!! It's so cool how you've been to all of these places, and that you also put a summary of the book as well, thanks for that! It definitely makes me more interested in reading the book in the future!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cora Lewis-PattersonMarch 13, 2022 at 2:14 PM

    Awesome post, Sarisa! It is super cool that you have been able to travel to so many places and read about them as well. Being able to connect your own personal experiences with the setting in a book sounds like it makes for an entertaining read. It is also great that you found a book based on Thailand and its culture. Keep up the good work and original posts!

    ReplyDelete

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