2024 was a year full of travel for me! As a librarian, I always struggle between wanting to read while on the road and taking my time to see and do as much as I can as a visitor in new places. This year, I traveled to seven countries as well as explored one of my favorite National Parks, which means before, during, and after all of my trips I got to read (and re-read) some amazing books. This is my year in reading and travel. The reason I chose to read some of these books while traveling was because they took place in the country I was visiting or were written by an author who was from there. Additionally, I was reminded of some great books I have enjoyed before and these titles deserve a mention — as well as a re-read!
Ecuador: We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People – Nemonte Nenquimo
This new memoir has been appearing on various “Best Books of 2024” lists and with good reason. While traveling to Ecuador, it is impossible not to learn about the indigenous peoples there and their active fight against climate change. Ecuador has the Amazon, the Andes, and the Galapagos, so although a small country, it is abundant with cultural and environmental diversity. We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People captures both of those things, between the descriptions of Nemonte’s upbringing in the Waorani tribe, to the descriptions of nature in the Amazon; this is a rich and important read in understanding a small but mighty country situated between both hemispheres.
Mexico: Cuentos populares mexicanos
This comprehensive anthology of Mexican folklore is the perfect companion piece for navigating the organized chaos of Mexico City. I was there for five days and still feel like there’s so much to go back and see. Taking breaks between world-class museums and delicious street food to sit down and read a few stories from this is the perfect way to add more magic to the trip. Whether it’s a café or taking a quiet rest back at the hotel, this easy-to-read anthology captures the true tales and stories of Mexico. What I love about anthologies is there is no reason to read it in order; jump around and see what stories resonate with you, if you decide to take a break from a never-ending city.
Finland: Crossing: A Novel – Pajtim Statovci
Pajtim Statovci immigrated to Finland at a young age from Kosovo so most of his books partially take place in Finland. Crossing is the story of two boys fleeing Albania and one of them settles in Helsinki, making the majority of the setting there. The novel explores male friendships and gender identity in the Balkans during a time of political unrest. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and their inner and external conflicts that motivate them to leave Albania. I read this a few years ago but remembered it when I was in Helsinki over the summer. I also remembered the plot twist at the very end which is one that has stuck with me ever since.
Estonia: Lapvona: A Novel – Ottessa Moshfegh
Tallinn, Estonia is a small, charming place, just a few hours ferry ride from Helsinki. Tallinn has a delightful medieval historic center, which is the focus of tourism in the area, including but not limited to medieval torture museums and people dressed in 13th century clothing giving free walking tours of the squares. It’s clear that Tallinn had an isolated history where the old walls kept everyone safe, from the peasants to those in the high castle. This type of isolated medieval village is the same tone as Lapvona. For those familiar with Moshfegh’s work, the dark tone and setting will be familiar but there is an atmosphere of dark history in the book that can be found in Tallinn. Both Tallinn and Lapvona have a tone of “stuck in time” where these kingdoms lived in isolation and the only conflicts came from the people who lived there. Tallinn is charming but there is a darkness to be said for tourism centered on medieval torture practices, a similar darkness to be found among the characters in Lapvona.
Latvia: Patriot: A Memoir – Alexei Navalny
The death of Alexei Navalny this year sparked a significant moment in opposition politics in Russia and its ripple effects were felt on a global scale. This complete memoir of his life was released in October 2024 and includes letters from his prison cell in Siberia up until his death in February 2024. As I am currently reading this, his background on the USSR and the resistance of the Baltic countries reminds me of visiting the Museum of Remembrance in Riga. The museum was well-thought-out in its design and its message and displays, which captured the human experience of Latvians in the USSR, give visitors the context to understand Latvian history and its role today as a buffer state between the European Union and Russia. Navalny delves into the resistance of Latvian people and how their independence is proof that progress and hope lay on the horizon.
Cleveland, OH: Ducks, Newburyport – Lucy Ellman
This doorstopper of a book is intimidating and whenever I recommend it to people, I always say the caveat of “it is a unique experience to read this book.” Often compared to Ulysses by James Joyce, this 1,000 page, one-sentence book follows the inner thoughts of an unnamed housewife in Ohio as she goes about her day. I read this book when it was first published but couldn’t help thinking about it when I was in Cleveland for a friend’s wedding. The narrator contemplates many things, and I personally was really drawn in by her past relationships, her relationships with her family, and her thoughts about the world at large. Once you find your rhythm with this book, it becomes a fast-paced, captivating read, and you will never read 1,000 pages so fast again.
Badlands National Park: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West – Dee Brown
There are two Americas whenever someone visits a National Park; there is the one where “Born in the USA” is blasted from the open windows of the car while driving by bisons and grasslands, and there is another that is the lurking history of how this land became protected by the US government. Badlands National Park is situated near Mount Rushmore, Custer's Last Stand, Wounded Knee, and Crazy Horse Monument, all important sites related to troubled histories between US settlers and the Sioux Nation. To understand the conflicts and battles fought during the Sioux Wars, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is the perfect book for the historic understandings of the First Nations lands that these national parks are on. It is a real and honest account of American expansion in the West and will enrich anyone’s visits to any of the National Parks in the area.
Des Moines, Iowa: O Pioneers! – Willa Cather
There is no greater writer of the American West than Willa Cather. O Pioneers! captures the beauty of the great plains and prairie and through a small cast of characters shows how the landscapes we live on connect us to each other. Willa Cather was also a master of writing nature and its setting as their own character. This short novel I read in almost a day before flying to Des Moines for my brother’s wedding, where in my best man speech included a quote from the book: “there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years!”
Greece: The Odyssey – Homer (translated by Emily Wilson)
This newest translation of The Odyssey is not only one that positions the women of Athens in more empowering statuses, but it is a lot more accessible and readable to modern audiences. When I was in Athens, I would come back to my hotel at the end of the day and casually start reading a few pages just to take a break from walking the ruins of the Acropolis and eating every single Greek dessert I could find. But as I read it, I found myself engrossed in Emily Wilsons’ translation and was surprised to be reading a poem I thought so difficult to understand with the ease of reading a chapter book. Ancient life is still at the core of people’s lives in Athens today and the city has preserved itself so that visitors feel as if they are visiting the ancient world, and bringing Emily Wilsons’ The Odyssey will make you see the city the way the ancient Greeks did.
Turkey: Istanbul: Memories and the City – Orhan Pamuk
From Byzantine churches and Constantinople to the reign of the Ottoman Empire, there is a certain romance to the city of Istanbul. Historically, Istanbul has had one foot in the West and one foot in the East, and still does today. Orhan Pamuk, most notable for his Nobel Prize-winning works of fiction, documented his life in the city in his 2023 memoir Istanbul: Memories and the City. As he recounts his childhood, adolescence, and adult life in Istanbul, he describes in lyrical prose the same streets and buildings that most people will take to visit places like the Hagia Sofia and Sulieman’s Tomb. In a way, this memoir is a walking companion for any visitor navigating the sprawl of a city that has a side in both Europe and Asia. Pamuk grew up when the Ottoman Empire fell and the city of Istanbul was figuring out its new, post-empire identity, and reading his works in Istanbul will open a visitor’s eyes to the secrets and clues of a city that has been built over itself repeatedly throughout history.
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