I am a born traveler. My very first photo, snapped at the hospital shortly after my birth, became my first passport photo. I boarded my first international flight shortly thereafter, and I have been traveling ever since. To date, I have visited 4 continents, 24 countries outside of the USA, and 31 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. My very patient husband jokes that I always start planning the next trip on the flight home (sometimes I actually start before that!). I think the planning is half the fun. Some of my favorite travel memories include family trips with my daughter and husband to Aspen, our honeymoon in Rome, Christmas with my parents in London, our little family's favorite beach trip to Puerto Rico, and my first solo adventure to Big Sky, Montana. I am also an avid reader, reading more than 100 books every year and currently working my way through the Boxall 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I come by my love of books naturally. I was raised by a librar...
There are so many ways to experience the City and so many fantastic books set in the City, so I am planning a multi-part series on NYC. If you ever need tips, feel free to write a comment or drop me a line! So here goes, part one of my three-part top 30 New York City reads, in no particular order … with some other more specific posts coming later.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette
Walls is one of my all-time favorite memoirs. The story focuses on Walls’
childhood with her alcoholic but charismatic father and her free-spirited
mother who wasn’t interested in the constraints of family life and
childrearing. Walls and her siblings learn to take care of themselves, and they
find their way to New York City to create more stable lives for themselves.
Walls is a wonderful writer and storyteller, and she tells her story from a
perspective that is filled with love and understanding, which sort of blew me
away in light of some of the crazy childhood moments with her parents. Perfect
for those who are dreaming of a New York adventure but haven’t quite made it
there.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is the story of an orphaned teen, Theo, who is shuffled through a series of various living situations following the death of his beloved mother in a catastrophic accident. A small painting of a goldfinch is at the center of this novel, which follows Theo to the home of a wealthy school friend, across the country, and to the home of an antiques dealer and into the criminal underworld. This winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014 was a bit polarizing among my reader friends, but I loved it. I recommend this book for those interested in exploring the museums and galleries in New York.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol
Rifka Brunt is the story of unlikely friends who meet and form a friendship after
losing someone they both love. Fourteen-year-old June loses her uncle (and the
only person who ever understood her) to a mysterious illness in 1987, and
shortly after his death, she receives a gift and a note from Toby, a friend of
her uncle. This is a coming-of-age novel about compassion and love. I recommend
this book for those traveling to New York with teens or to those who are
visiting the Stonewall National Monument.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr is a historical fiction mystery set in New York City in 1896. Two friends, a New York Times reporter and a psychologist, are enlisted by police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, to help solve a gruesome murder. They enlist the help of a woman working as a secretary in the police department who dreams of being a detective. The three work together to create a psychological profile of a killer at a time when most believed that killers were born and not made. This is a fast-paced detective story filled with rich history about the city and of the early development and skepticism of using new techniques like profiling in police work. I think this is the perfect selection for those visiting the Tenement Museum and/or the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager is a gripping, beach read thriller. Jules Larsen takes a job as a house sitter at a prestigious apartment building in New York. Her job provides that she can have no nights away, no interactions with the residents, and no visitors. Jules befriends another apartment sitter, but just as her new friend confides her fears about something going on in the building, she disappears. Jules soon learns that other apartment sitters have also gone missing and begins a race to uncover the truth. This book isn’t going to win any literary prizes, but it’s a fun read, and on some vacations, that’s exactly what you need. Pair this book with a trip to Central Park and a walk to check out some of the older apartment buildings lining the park.
The House of Mirth by Edith
Wharton is a classic novel set in the early 1900s New York City society, and it explores the
social constraints placed on women in that period. The book’s heroine, Lily
Bart, is beautiful, smart, funny, and sophisticated. She is a part of the old
money social class but dabbles among the new money elite, and her social
position becomes increasingly precarious as she ages closer to 30 and remains
unmarried and increasingly poor. Lily’s unwillingness to find a suitable match
thrusts her deeper into despair as this novel unfolds. This would also pair well
with a trip to Central Park and a walk to check out some of the older apartment
buildings lining the park.
Deacon King Kong by James McBride is set in south Brooklyn in 1969. Sportcoat (a local deacon) enters the courtyard of his housing project and shoots the local drug dealer. The reasons behind Sportcoat’s actions and what happens next are at the center of this novel filled with colorful characters. This was a New York Times best book of the year recommendation; otherwise, I’m not sure I would have discovered it or picked it up. Perfect for those who plan to venture outside of Manhattan to one of the Burroughs on their next trip to the City.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
is one of my very favorite books. It is also the most heartbreaking book I have
ever read. This book brought me to tears, but it’s not emotionally manipulative
like many other “sad” books I have read. It is heartfelt and beautifully
written, and it is filled with some of the most richly developed characters I
have ever read. I knew these four friends who met at a small Massachusetts
college and moved to New York to make their way in a way that I may not ever
know real people in my life. They were so real. I loved how much this book made
me feel and how much it made me think when I put it down at the times I
couldn’t go on. If you are up for it, I can’t recommend this book enough. This
is decidedly not a vacation book, so read it when you’re back from New York and
still dreaming of the city. Just have something light and maybe a little funny
to follow it.
My final selection is for the mother-daughter
travel duos. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
is a childhood classic. I read this as a girl and recently read it together with
my 10-year-old daughter. Margaret struggles to find her place in the world through her
questioning of religion and contemplates, worries and gossips about boys, puberty,
and so much more. The book begins when Margaret and her family relocate from Manhattan
to New Jersey and features several visits back to Manhattan throughout. Blume
has updated some of the really outdated bits, though this is still a bit of a
period piece with references to Playboy magazine and things like that. Lots of wonderful
conversations, and I loved the new movie that was recently released.
Happy New York travels. I'm off to explore!
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