No matter where I travel (as long as it’s an overnight trip), I always find a book to remember my experience. So, for example, after I went to San Francisco, California in 2019, I picked up a copy of Mr. Monk Goes to Germany by Lee Goldberg because the story takes place in San Francisco. However, the connection doesn’t have to be that obvious. The author could be from there. For instance, I have The Road by Cormac McCarthy because he’s from Providence, RI, which I visited in 2018. Sometimes, finding a connection is tricky. Like when I visited Koppang, Norway, a small town with a bit over 1,000 people. Nevertheless, I do the best I can, and over the years, I’ve created a collection that never fails to make me smile.
My Favorite Travel-Inspired Books
Mr. Monk Goes to Germany by Lee Goldberg
San Francisco, California — There are a lot of uncertainties in life, but this I’m sure of: Monk—the book and TV series—hold a special place in my heart. If you haven’t read (or watched) any of Adrian Monk’s OCD-filled adventures, you should. In this story, Mr. Monk, a former detective, now a consultant for the San Francisco Police Department, suffers from a seriously horrific case of OCD, follows his psychiatrist to Germany after failing to function without him.
That said, my fondness for Monk comes from more than this specific book. In reality, the entire series acted as my safe space before I even knew I had OCD. Looking back, that’s probably why I was drawn to it. Not only was Monk always a guaranteed laugh, but it also showed me that you can be successful even when your brain is doing everything in its power to turn life against you.
Will and Testament: A Novel by Vigdis Hjorth
Norway — Sometimes, I’m drawn more to the story behind the book than I am about the story within it. This is the case with Will and Testament: A Novel (Verso Fiction) by Vigdis Hjorth. After visiting Norway in the Winter of 2018, I struggled to find a book that I could connect to Koppang, so I zoomed out and focused on Norway as a whole. At first, I wanted Growth of the Soil, a novel by Knut Hamsun that won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920, but ended up with Hjorth’s book because of the sensation it caused in Norway. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic read that dives into trauma and memory as well as a furious account of a woman’s struggle to survive and be believed.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Sweden — Ask me what my favorite book is, and I’ll always tell you that it’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, a Swedish journalist, and writer. Every. Single. Time. I like the entire Millennium trilogy, but Larsson’s first book takes the cake. If you haven’t read it, please do.
Beyond my affinity for the actual story, I believe I’m drawn to this novel as a result of Larsson’s writing style. From the first sentence, I felt like I was part of the story; his way with words had the ability to transport me into a world away from my OCD. And while I don’t recommend searching for ways to avoid your OCD, there’s something comforting about immersing yourself in a different world. This has only happened to me one other time and it was when I read the Harry Potter series. So, I guess it happened 9 times.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
New York, New York — Nine out of 10 times, I go somewhere because it brings me a sense of calm. Scandinavia, for example, has an endless array of things that make me happy. That said, I’m drawn to the Big Apple for a completely different reason: It takes me out of my comfort zone—think of it as a super-sized exposure. So, yes, it’s probably surprising NYC made the cut as a place I want to remember, but its role on my path for OCD “recovery” is something I can’t ignore. So, when I was looking for a book to represent my time in the big city, I landed on The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, which is set there.
Pro Tip: Looking for the ultimate exposure in NYC? Walk around the city with no agenda. Just walk. Go into different stores. Smile at different people. Heck, do anything you’ve never done before, i.e., anything your brain doesn’t already have the answer to. Force it outside of its comfort zone and make it adapt.
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
The Outer Banks, North Carolina — Two places come out on top in terms of my favorite places to visit—and somewhere I’d go again and again. Copenhagen, Denmark is the first and The Outer Banks, North Carolina is the second. So, it was important to me to find a book that perfectly encapsulates my thinking of the OBX. That book is The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. See, I love history, so when I think about The Outer Banks, I immediately think about Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers, and all that they did to make my adventures possible.
I also like that it’s another effective exposure I can rely on to help ease my fear of flying. Want to learn more about the strategies that make flying a breeze? Check out this infographic.
My Book Collection: An Infinite Source of Happiness
I take a lot of time to craft my collection. Not only do I rely on it as my trusty souvenir for each place, but it’s my infinite source of happiness. If I’m having a bad day, I head to my bookcase and open up one of the books. I don’t always read it, but I do always smile, and merely holding it transports me back into the magical lands around the world where I had found some happiness.