Evelyn Skye’s Favourite Books To Whisk You Away To A European Vacation

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

While One Year Ago in Spain will whisk you off to Madrid, The Vacationers by Emma Straub takes you to Mallorca on the Spanish islands. This one is not a love story, but a book about family—the tensions that quiver among them and the bonds that keep them together, despite growing apart over the years.

I enjoyed going “on vacation” with this family, especially when Straub highlights people’s very different vacation philosophies—matriarch Franny is anxious to control every aspect of the trip to make sure it’s perfect for everyone, 18-year-old Sylvia just wants to lounge by the pool and not spend the summer taking Spanish lessons, and then there’s everyone else who arrives with their own literal and emotional baggage, which lead to… complications. We’ve all been on a trip with personalities that don’t quite mesh. But don’t worry, this isn’t your family, and you can read about their Spanish vacation mishaps from the comfy distance of your pool lounge chair.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

I was in Paris earlier this year, speaking and autographing books at le Festival du Livre de Paris, and I wish I could have spent more than a week there. Never fear, though, because The Paris Novel came out just in time to take me back (but without the Olympics crowds).

I’ve been a huge fan of food writer Ruth Reichl’s work for a long time, dating back to Garlic and Sapphires, her memoir about being a food critic in disguise. So I was thrilled when Reichl recently published The Paris Novel, a mouthwatering novel set in 1980s Paris that’s full of the sort of delicious food details I adore.

If you’re a foodie and book lover like me, The Paris Novel is tailor made for you. Main character Stella rediscovers herself as she first stumbles—then strides—through the City of Lights, from decadent meals to vintage fashion shops to the revered steps of the beloved bookstore, Shakespeare & Co.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

This is the kind of book I love to savor and take my time with. Still Life is historical fiction, and while I don’t normally read historical fiction when I’m at the pool, this one is different. Winman paints such a loving image of Italy that it doesn’t matter whether it’s Tuscany in 1944 or now—it reminds me of how much I love that country and its rich history.

The characters in this book are what really make it. There is so much attention and care paid to each of them—the façades they first present, the depths they sometimes try to hide, and the genuine, poignant friendships they build among themselves. Still Life is a book that has a permanent place on my “favorites” shelf; I will be reading this one again and again.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

When asked whose books mine most resemble, Rebecca Serle is the name that always pops up first. Just like in One Year Ago in Spain, her novel One Italian Summer is grounded solidly in the real, modern world—except for one little surreal detail, where the main character sees a loved one from the past, but here in the present.

This novel set on the Amalfi Coast reunites Katy with her mother, who has recently passed away but who reappears to her in Italy—a younger version of herself, who does not yet know who Katy is, and instead, becomes a friend to vacation with. One Italian Summer is a beautiful story about learning about your parents as more than just your parents. When you’re finished with this one, maybe you’ll also want to raise a glass of limoncello to the younger adult version of your own mother.

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

In her Hades x Persephone series, romantasy queen Scarlett St. Clair has created a lush alternative version of Greece called “New Greece.” The story begins in New Athens where Persephone—who sadly has little talent as a goddess of spring—tries to reinvent herself as an ordinary mortal and journalist. But of course, this is not the fate that Hades has in store for her.

See also

Review: The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

If you’re craving a mythological retelling with a spicy romance twist, this one belongs in your beach bag for sure.

Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens

What if you picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport, and it turned out to belong to the man of your dreams? And what if that suitcase also takes you to a part of England you’ve never visited, far from the hustle and bustle of London and the tourist crowds?

I love Sophie Cousens books because her protagonists are always women I feel I can identify with. They are independent yet still finding their way in the world.

Just Haven’t Met You Yet has the added bonus of taking you to the Channel Islands, which I had never actually heard of before (being from California, I thought at first that the book was set on our Channel Islands in the Pacific Ocean.) I fell in love with the characters and the countryside charm of the British Channel Islands. It’s a perfect read for when you want a book that feels like a warm hug.

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

Being a huge fan of Crazy Rich Asians, I’m always thrilled whenever Kevin Kwan has a new book out. We’ve all come to expect over-the-top backdrops, juicy gossip, and characters with more money than Bernard Arnault, and Kwan doesn’t disappoint with Lies and Weddings.

While this story is set in part in England, its jetsetting crowd also takes you around the globe from Hawaii to Marrakech. Sure, I started this reading list with the idea of going to Europe, but if a Kevin Kwan character is paying for my first class ticket, I’m game to travel anywhere they want to go!