A Free Vacation?
Pairing Mysteries and Travel Destinations:
Bookstores and public libraries with
Elly Griffiths’ The Last Remains ★★★★★
For the price of a library card (free), you can travel anywhere in the universe.
It is my belief that reading books and traveling pair well together because books can do the same things to our minds as traveling does.
If you’ve forgotten this, stop in at your local bookstore or library.
A few years back it was especially hot outside and a group of us at work made an ambitious trek during our lunch break.
When the heat, sweat, and steam threatened to overwhelm us, that’s when we decided to beat the heat and walk into our city library.
New to the area, we’d planned to explore to explore it anyway.
As a reprieve from heat, it was a perfect opportunity to sign up for our new library cards.
Like being magically transported to a foreign country or a dream-like state, we slowly walked amazement and freely explore the aisles and displays.
We discovered one corner that was filled with book themed crafts and kits to bring home to children.
Other sections were devoted to teen reading spots to connect or quietly read.
Classics, newly released books.
Computers, magazines, periodicals, and a local historical section, tempted all of us.
Bookstores and libraries have something for everyone.
“Just one more minute, then we’ll go,” we all said.
Before we knew it, we had to hustle back to work.
We left promising to come back.
Because we lingered longer in the library, we needed to run back to work so we could return on time.
Did we arrive back at work sweaty?
Disheveled?
Yes, but our spontaneous adventure was worth it.
We left as colleagues needing to fit in exercise, but we came back grinning, chatting, and building our new friendships.
The benefits of bookstores and libraries:
- New perspectives and vocabulary can help you navigate, or problem solve better.
- You’re changing your routines on a trip, or living vicariously through a main character, which can strengthen brain cognition.
- Travel and books both boost confidence.
- Like an arm-chair quarterback, it’s safe to think about what you would do if you were the main character without suffering any consequences.
We might travel because our jobs require it, or because our love for family necessitates it.
There are thousands of other reasons people travel, whether across international or state lines, but the one thing that remains constant is that in all these trips, we’re opening ourselves to new learning experiences or adventures.
If you can’t take a trip for whatever reason, deep dive into a book and get many of the same benefits emotionally.
Another similarity between reading books and traveling is that the results are the same, happiness and lasting memories.
If you sign up at your local library, it’s a way to build community and enjoy books.
If you’d rather, build your own personal library with favorites you’ll reread or share with others.
Choosing to read Elly Griffiths’ The Last Remains will provide for you all the enjoyment of a great mystery, as well as learning about different cultures throughout different time periods.
Solving a modern-day murder mystery occurring decades before requires details and logical inference only a masterful author can pull-off in believable ways.
Griffiths’ tale is a study in psychodynamics within complicated relationships, which leads to a twist at the end of the story.
Don’t be the last to pick up The Last Remains by Elly Griffths.
I highly recommend this book to bring along for your next road trip.
Carys
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