The 8 List: Travel Reads

Today's 8 List is brought to you by Melissa from Press Play. Melissa is a student living in Montreal, Canada. She is a blogger, life-lister, book-nerd, music junkie, and self-diagnosed with wanderlust. She is the co-editor-in-chief for CONFRONT Magazine, and hopelessly addicted to social media.

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Although everyone enjoys reading different kinds of books while they travel, I think we all have one big thing in common: it has to be REAL good. You don’t want a bad book ruining a great trip, after all. As a self-proclaimed world-traveler, I’ve read my fair share of good and bad books on planes, beaches, and in hostels. My favorites? The ones that follow other people's adventures, get my brain working, or get my attention right from page one… but nothing that will take your attention too far off the amazing time you’re having, either. There’s nothing worse than picking up a book and having difficulty getting through it while you’re busy being a jetsetter; if you’re like me and love biographies, YA novels, the occasional non-fiction book & some adult fiction sprinkled in, chances are you’ll enjoy this list quite a bit!

#1 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES BY MAUREEN JOHNSON

A teen novel that follows a 16 year old girl who spontaneously backpacks through Europe while following the 13 letters her aunt left behind before passing away. Love, friendship, and hilariousness all in one!

#2 WILD BY CHERYL STRAYED

One of my favorite biographies I’ve ever read, this is the story of a 20-something Cheryl who hikes over 1,000 miles along the pacific crest trail to try and re-discover herself and her ambitions after her mother tragically passes away.

#3 BLINK BY MALCOLM GLADWELL

My first read by Gladwell, it is a fantastic book about the power of the subconscious and how humans go about making decisions in a split second. I breezed through this book and learned SO much about the human mind!

#4 WANDERLOVE BY KRISTIN HUBBARD

Another teen novel, this one follows a young girl who books an organized trip to South America, but quickly realizes it’s not for her when she arrives. Instead, she travels alongside some new backpacker friends & discovers what it truly is to travel freely in a foreign country.

#5 EAT, PRAY, LOVE BY ELIZABETH GILBERT

Although this biography has received mixed reviews, Gilbert’s year-long self discovery trip through Italy, India, and Indonesia is one of my favorites. It is life changing, and I would do the exact same as her if I had the money. It’s amazing to see how this woman learns to love herself again after many years of knowing almost no happiness.

#6 THE HAPPINESS PROJECT BY GRETCHEN RUBIN

Another year-long quest, but in this one, Gretchen Rubin aims to become happier in her life through small goals. A very inspiring way to look at life and such a positive book to read over and over again!

#7 SECRET DAUGHTER BY SOMAYA SHILPI-GOWDA

Set between India and America, this novel follows an adopted Indian girl through her life in America as she attempts to fit into her family and goes about discovering her culture and her roots in the country where she was born. Such a beautifully written story from several character perspectives, not to mention the story that inspired my future trip to India!

#8 MY NAME IS MEMORY BY ANNA BRASHARES

One of the few romance novels you’ll hear me gush about because I love Ann Brashares so much. The idea that two souls can rediscover one another in every single life; one has the memory of finding the other in each life, and the other continues to fall in love with the same man each time, throughout the entire course of history.