Bored in Quarantine? Try Armchair-Travel Fiction

Suffering cabin fever after only a short time of at-home lockdown due to COVID-19? Armchair travel is a proven antidote available to fiction readers. And, for me, given the current downbeat national mood, that also means the exotic locales need to be spiced with romance, whimsy and humor. One choice from my book club (when will we meet in person again?) is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less by Andrew Sean Greer. The author lyrically describes the journey of failed novelist Arthur Less after he accepts invitations to half-baked literary events around the world just to avoid the wedding of his ex-boyfriend. Less ends up in humorous misadventures in France, Germany, Morocco, India and an Arabian Sea island. This satirical novel is, at bottom, a love story, and I think we all need a little more laughter and romance right now. Or how about an old favorite: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. The author writes about realizing a long-cherished dream of moving into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the Provence region of France. Even if you've never longed for a house in the south of France, as you vicariously experience the pleasures of the culture, from cuisine to goat racing, don't be surprised if you are inspired to add French cooking experiments to your quarantine diet. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by bestselling author Maureen Johnson is another European romp that will take you back to youthful days when hostel beds, backpacking and minimal budget meant adventure not discomfort. Johnson's heroine Ginny Blackstone receives a little blue envelope from her deceased Aunt Peg, with $1000 cash for a passport and a plane ticket, and a letter instructing her to retrieve twelve other envelopes abroad. So Ginny begins a backpacking adventure from London to Edinburgh to Amsterdam and beyond, discovering stories about her aunt's past along the way—and even more about herself, of course. Finally, readers can head to the Orient with New York Times bestseller Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. This love story/family drama set among the super-rich in Singapore also satisfies the armchair traveler with tours of Singapore's famed locales and food markets, as well as visits to neighboring Macau and Hong Kong. For some more armchair-travel ideas, see https://matadornetwork.com/read/books-armchair-traveling-2020/