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Read where it happened: 10 books to read where they're set
Match your book to its backdrop. From castles to coastlines, here are 10 places where reading on location makes the story hit differently.
Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.
This guide suggests ten iconic locations around the world where you can read books set in those very places for a more immersive experience. From curling up with The Hobbit in a hobbit-hole in Suffolk, to reading Death on the Nile at the luxurious Egyptian hotel where Christie wrote it, the list connects literary settings with real-world destinations. Each pairing enhances the story's atmosphere, from the gothic chills of Dracula at Bran Castle to the nostalgic Oxford of Brideshead Revisited.
What you'll find in this guide:
Sink into The Hobbit from the comfort of a hobbit-hole. Turn the pages of Death on the Nile where Agatha Christie penned the murder herself. Brave your way through Dracula in the shadow of Bran Castle.
Some books root you to a place so vividly that the idea of reading them anywhere else feels wrong. Here are ten destinations where reading the right book in the right place brings the pages to life.
Chicago Public Library, Dearborn Street – The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Set partly within the labyrinthine shelves of the Newberry Library and along the streets of Chicago, The Time Traveler's Wife is a love story that folds and warps across time. The hushed voices and stained glass inside Chicago Public Library makes the looping tale of Henry and Clare all the more intimate.
Pod Hollow, Suffolk – The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
Beneath the grassy Suffolk countryside, Pod Hollow's hobbit-hole guesthouse brings Tolkien's Middle Earth to life. Curl up in this wood-beamed burrow, tea in hand, and let The Hobbit carry you off on an adventure. From the round door to the roaring hearth, it's the perfect spot to follow Bilbo's journey.
The Radcliffe Camera, Oxford – Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
Waugh's nostalgic tale begins among Oxford's dreaming spires, and nowhere evokes its melancholic charm like the Radcliffe Camera. Sit with Brideshead Revisited in hand and slip into Charles Ryder's world of longing, privilege, and friendship lost to time.
Bran Castle, Romania – Dracula, Bram Stoker
Though Bram Stoker never visited Romania, Bran Castle captures Dracula's chilling spirit perfectly. Perched high in the Carpathians, it makes a fitting backdrop for reading the vampire classic. You'll feel the gothic tension with every creak of its ancient floorboards.
Ko Samui – The Beach, Alex Garland
With its clear waters and castaway vibes, a Thai island off Ko Samui is the perfect perch for The Beach. Garland's novel unravels paradise into something darker, and reading it with sand between your toes adds a thrilling sense of proximity.
Poison Bar (now called 'BER.LIN'), Prague – Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor
Karou's fantastical Prague is rich with magic and menace. Formerly Poison Bar, now BER.LIN, this shadowy haunt puts you right where the story starts. Laini Taylor's world of chimaera and seraphim becomes more tangible with a drink in hand and gothic spires overhead.
San Juan – The Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson's Puerto Rico pulses with heat, booze, and beatnik energy. Reading The Rum Diary on San Juan's sands conjures the chaos and charm of 1960s expat life. A wild read in the perfect place.
Aboard the Andalucia, Spanish Galleon Replica – Red Seas Under Red Skies, Scott Lynch
Board the Andalucia and you're instantly in pirate territory. Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora navigates high-seas treachery in Red Seas Under Red Skies, and there's no better setting for this smart, swashbuckling escapade.
Corfu – Songs of Blue and Gold, Deborah Lawrenson
Deborah Lawrenson's Corfu is sunlit, secretive, and stirring. Settle near the sea with Songs of Blue and Gold and let the island's beauty and mystery envelop you just as it does her characters.
The Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan – Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie wrote part of Death on the Nile here, and the Old Cataract Hotel still oozes Poirot-style glamour. Read on the terrace, watch feluccas drift by, and imagine the murder about to unfold just downriver.
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