Last updated on May 14th, 2023
Great Reads to Inspire Travel
JourneyWoman Book Club
Travel by Book

Karen Gershowitz Sparks “Wanderlust” and Curiosity With New Travel Book
With her new book, “Wanderlust”, Karen Gershowitz embraces curiosity to step into the unknown for more meaningful travel experiences.
Join Our Monthly Book Club Meeting
We partner with TripFiction to present you with compelling reads set in incredible locations. The TripFiction database has thousands of location-based books set all around the world to transport you to a location of your dreams – or, perhaps one you are about to visit. Looking for book ideas? Visit TripFiction’s Great Reads page and use the map to find the book of your dreams.
Book Club meetings are hosted by Wendy, Sally and Carolyn and are held the third Wednesday of each month at 8 pm EDT. If you purchase a book, please use the links on our site. We recommend you order books in advance, check your local library, use audiobooks or share!
Please support our book club by buying your book or ebook using the links on our site.
2023 Book Club Selections
Travel to Japan with Rebecca Copeland’s Suspenseful Novel “The Kimono Tattoo”
Set in Kyoto, Japan, Rebecca Copeland’s thriller “The Kimono Tattoo” shows a deep reverence for Japanese culture.
Set in New Zealand, “Remember Me” Asks ‘Are Some Secrets Best Left Buried?’
Charity Norman’s latest book “Remember Me”, set in New Zealand’s mystical Ruahine Range, is a suspenseful story of love, secrets and loss.
JourneyWoman Book Club: Six Inspiring Travel Books For Women in 2023
The JourneyWoman Book Club announces our next six reads, designed to spark your wanderlust and connect us as women.
Previous Book Club Selections
Travel by Book to Tangier, Morocco with “Tangerine” by Christine Mangan
For our March 2023 book of the month, we return to Morocco, for a gripping psychological thriller set in 1950s Tangier.
Travel by Book to South America with Isabel Allende’s “Eva Luna”
Set in South America, our February Book is Isabel Allende’s “Eva Luna” which explores the transformative power of words and stories.
The JourneyWoman Book Club Travels to Ukraine With Erin Litteken’s “The Memory Keeper of Kyiv”
JourneyWoman readers have chosen Erin Litteken’s “The Memory Keeper of Kyiv”, set in Ukraine, as our January 2023 Book of the Month.
Explore the World by Book
Karen Gershowitz Sparks “Wanderlust” and Curiosity With New Travel Book
With her new book, “Wanderlust”, Karen Gershowitz embraces curiosity to step into the unknown for more meaningful travel experiences.
Ten Great Books Set in The Mediterranean
These ten books set in the Mediterranean will have you planning travels to less-travelled islands like Alba, Crete and Sardinia in no time!
Women’s Travel Memoirs: Women Authors Share Their Solo Journeys
Join us on May 25 to learn about these four inspiring solo travel memoirs written by women from the JourneyWoman community.
Five Beloved Books About Trees for Earth Month
Curated for Earth Month, these beloved five books about trees remind us of the wisdom of listening to the forest.
10 Intriguing Books Set in Great Britain and Ireland
Take a break from the classics and discover these 10 intriguing books set in Great Britain and Ireland, from city to countryside.
Six Women’s Writing Retreats in Magical Places
Five women’s writing retreats to help women share their stories in Italy, France, Japan, Spain and Morocco.
Grief and Solo Travel: A Mother’s Memoir to Heal Her Heart
Author Becky Livingston shares the story of losing her 23-year old daughter, Rachel, and the solo journey that helped her to start healing.
5 Books by Women About Women for International Women’s Day 2023
For International Women’s Day 2023, we feature five recently published books written by women, about women.
Discover the Wonders of Asia and India With These 10 Books
JourneyWoman travel book club partner TripFiction recommends 10 books to help solo women travelers discover the wonders of Asia.
Need more travel inspiration?
Listen to our JourneyWoman TravelReady Playlist on Spotify and add your own songs.
Click here to listen!
JourneyWoman Book Club: 2020-2021 Reads
Please check for upcoming book clubs on Eventbrite. All Book Clubs are recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here.
GReeCE
A House in Corfu: A Sojourn in Greece
by Emma Tennant
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 2 boots / 5 – below expectations
THE CARIBBEAN
An Embarrass-ment of Mangoes
by Ann Vanderhoof
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 4 boots / 5 – fun – made us want to live on a sailboat!
Morocco + Mali
Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure
by Alice Morrison
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – loved its authenticity
Africa
Nervous Conditions
by Tsitsi Dangarembga
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3 boots / 5 – Empowering and inspiring!
Egypt
Mistress of Nothing
by Kate Pullinger
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – a step back into history
Portugal
300 Days of Sun
by Deborah Lawrenson
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – learned about spies!
Iraq, Ethiopia, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco
Travels with my Hat
by Christine Osborne
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 4.5 boots / 5 – a must-read for solo travellers
Ireland
By the Lake
by John McGahern
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – a classic, beautifully written!
United States
The Kitchen House
by Kathleen Grissom
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 4.5 boots / 5 – illuminating and engaging
SPAIN
Driving Over Lemons
by Chris Stewart
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – Fun and authentic
Italy
Lady in the Palazzo
by Marlena de Blasi
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3 boots / 5 – rambling but interesting
France
The Lost Vintage
by Ann Mah
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3 boots / 5 – history + wine, a great combination
BALI, MEXICO + MORE
Tales of a Female Nomad
by Rita Golden Gelman
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 4.5 boots / 5 – loved it all!
Silk Route
Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road
by Kate Harris
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 4 boots / 5 – an unexpected ride
TANZANIA
Our House in Arusha
by Sara Tucker
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3.5 boots / 5 – wanted more of her story
ARCTIC CIRCLE
The Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle
by Sara Wheeler
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rating: 3 boots: an intellectual read!
CUBA
The Cuban Chronicles: A True Tale of Rascals, Rogues and Romance
by Wanda St. Hillaire
ABOUT THE BOOK
SICILY
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Healing and Finding Home
by Tembi Locke
ABOUT THE BOOK
“For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth.
What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
– Anne Lamont, Bird by Bird
Please note that there are affiliate links on this page, and should you decide to make purchase, JourneyWoman may earn a small commission, which helps us maintain this website and continue to produce our free monthly magazine and other free services. This commission does not come out of your pocket, it is paid by the company to us.
We only recommend things that are suggested by our community or through our own experience that we believe will be practical and helpful for you. We welcome your questions and feedback about any articles published on our site.
.