Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. See the Mr Linky for others entries. This week, the topic is Books set in places on my bucket list. I’ve chosen ones that I’ve crossed off and actually been to…
This was easy – in fact I had to narrow it down hugely! I’ve stuck to places in two countries – Italy and the USA, and the title links will take you to my reviews.
- Naples – My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
- Capri – The Vipers by Katy Hays – Capri
- Venice – The Lover of No Fixed Abode by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini
- Verona – Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
- Florence – The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
- Washington D.C. – The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
- New York – Mimi by Lucy Ellmann
- San Francisco – Less by Andrew Sean Greer
- Chicago – The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
- Cape Cod – Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Do you seem to read more books set in a particular country than others?
I think Italy outweighs most destinations in my reading – I was spoilt for choice!
That’s an interesting meme, Annabel – I’ll have to have a think about what countries I favour! I do tend to read a fair amount of Russian and French fiction, and probably American too. Though at the moment I feel less likely to want to visit the USA… 😬
I’ve only taken part very occasionally, when the topic appeals. Still on my bucket list is St Petersburg, as are the whole of the Nordic and Baltic worlds…
San Francisco is a beautiful city. I hope you get to visit it someday.
I’ve been – these are all places I’ve crossed off my list! And Tr**p wants to reopen Alcatraz!
England and the US are probably the most common overseas countries for me
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
What a great theme! Chicago was once on my list and maybe it will be again some time.
I really loved Chicago.
Great list, Annabel. I definitely want to visit Italy and think a month long holiday would give me a chance to see many of the places I want to visit. I think I read more books set in England and Germany than anywhere else. Of course if I add all the different states in the US, probably that would be the highest number.
Italy is wonderful, and there are plenty of places I haven’t been yet – the lakes and Sicily for starters.
I spent 2 days in Venice, 1 day in Florence and 1 day in Rome. I definitely need to go back to them plus so many others places.
I do like Italy too (having visited Bologna, Sienna, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Lake Garda, Milan, and Venice, and gone skiing in the Italian Alps!) but I also like stories set in pretty well anywhere in Europe.
Failing actually travelling further south than Rome I’m happy to visit places like Sicily vicariously via my supply of Camilleri novels. 😀
I’ve not been to Bologna or Siena on your list of places visited – still on my list, as are Sicily and the lakes. I did go skiing in the Dolomites in the sixth form though.
My Brilliant Friend has been on my TBR for a hot minute a few years ago, but never got around to read it.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2026/04/07/top-ten-tuesday-the-four-winds/
I loved the first volume of the Neapolitan Quartet, but got stuck halfway through the second, and didn’t continue.
I’ve been to Florence, New York, San Francisco, and grew up near Chicago, but none of the others. Mind you, I don’t think I’d like to visit Washington DC these days, and Cape Cod doesn’t interest me, but all the other places in Italy… yeah, I’d go in a heartbeat!
There’s something about the charms of Italy…
What a great idea for a TTT! I’ll have to put my thinking hat on. . .
I like the Parisian and anywhere in Italy settings. I also like period settings like Victorian or Regency period stories.