Hello all! So, after my little trip, I’ve been feeling a little Wanderlust… but since I can’t go far at the moment, I thought it might be fun to take a (digital) bookish trip round the UK, stopping off in places that are special to me. I was completely inspired by Book Nook’s brilliant interpretation of Top 5 Tuesday, so I highly recommend you check that out!
Confessions of a Justified Sinner– this is not only one of my favourite gothic books, it’s also strongly evocative of Scotland. To me, this captures the creepy atmosphere better than any other book. One of my favourite parts is a particularly chilling scene set up on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh- in fact, I remember reading it when the mist came down over the city and only seeing the peak just rising above it and thinking “this is a little too real”. Soooo moral of the story is beware the devils in Scotland 😉
Peter Rabbit– like Book Nook, I had to pick this one. Beatrix Potter reminds me of the Lake District, possibly the most beautiful part of England. I went there as a child and I have fond memories of the magic of the place, especially as it felt like stepping into Potter’s world 😀 Also, Beatrix Potter understands that the way to a reader’s heart is through their stomachs 😉
The Hobbit– this may seem an odd choice for people (including me) who grew up with New Zealand as Middle Earth- BUT since Tolkien actually based his descriptions on the English countryside, I felt it was very apt for this list. Particularly as I distinctly remember the first time I read the Hobbit, then going for a walk in some woods near where I lived and (bearing in mind I was a child at the time) running delightedly yelling “wow this is Mirkwood!!”
A Darker Shade of Magic– cos I’m a Londoner and all of these Londons are perfection. Yeah, it’s not by a British author, but that doesn’t matter. No one could have captured the city more authentically! (well, aside from the magic 😉)
Peter Pan– I mean, I’ve got to include this, it’s one of my favourite books. Plus, he’s rather a famous resident in Kensington Gardens.
La Belle Sauvage– keeping to the realms of fantasy, I could hardly ignore Lyra’s Oxford. Northern Lights was hugely influential on me as a child and I can tell you Oxford definitely reminds me of Pullman’s novels!! (or, technically speaking, his books remind me of Oxford- but shh I won’t tell if you don’t 😉)
Return of the Native– really, I could’ve chosen any of Hardy’s books to represent his Wessex, but this one felt fitting for its heightened romanticism. If you do fancy going in search of Hardy’s Wessex, then you won’t actually have to look so hard- head down to Dorset and you’ll find many of the spots in his novels (and his life). I was lucky enough to do a tour once with school and highly recommend it!
Frenchman’s Creek– Du Maurier has always been the queen of making her landscapes feel like another character in her books. And I could easily have chosen the moors in Jamaica Inn or the memorably dreamlike Manderley in Rebecca, but none are so special to me as the rugged Cornish coastline depicted in her Frenchman’s Creek. I can easily picture the smugglers and spirit of Cornwall from all the descriptions she snatches in this book. I adore it.
And finally…
Carry On– I have no idea if Rainbow Rowell has ever been to Watford, but it is the most hilarious thing that she chose it as the place to set her HP parody. Intentional or not, it’s bloody hilarious.
So, have you read any of these? And what are your favourite books about your home country? Let me know in the comments!
Damn, I haven’t read any of these!
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Oh well I hope you get the chance to check some of them out someday!
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ADSOM!!! A definite favorite, I need to do a reread soon ❤
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Awesome! me too! 🙂 ❤
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Wow, the cover of Peter Pan is gorgeous!
Great post, as usual.
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I know right- I wish I owned that edition!
Thank you!
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I enjoyed Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield, it was fun to already know a little of the location.
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Oh cool- I’ve been meaning to read that!
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As a fellow Brit, I love this post!!!
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Ahh brilliant!! I’m so glad!
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Great choices
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Thank you!
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Nice compilation here, Ms. Librarian. Everything by Thomas Hardy, all of Tolkien – and of course, Peter Rabbit and friends. Then there’s The Bard – Western civilization is built on his works.
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Thank you! Of course!! Couldn’t agree more!
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Nice list. I’ve read a couple and completely agree with you. I seem to love Oxford in books period but especially through Lyra’s eyes. That’s definitely top three on my list of places to visit in the UK!
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Thank you! I completely get what you mean 🙂 Oh brilliant- hope you get to go sometime 🙂
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Great list which has simultaneously made me want to travel and to read!
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Thank you! haha I’m glad to hear it!
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Lovely post 🙂
How about Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre with their wild moors?
Ooh and Dracula which is partly set in Whitby!
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Thank you! I love those too (just haven’t spent much time up on the moors- I really should 😉 )
Ooh that’s a good one!!
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I haven’t been on the moors at all, although I have been to the Haworth Parsonage 🙂
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Oh cool!
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I’m kind of shocked there’s no Harry Potter on the list although it does tend to dot around the UK. Also I’m claiming Schwab as Scottish now that she’s kinda living in Edinburgh.
I love my Scottish crime fiction but ummm they probably don’t really paint the various places in the best light, what with all the murders.
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Yeah I did consider putting it on (especially for Scotland) but there were just other bookish associations with places that I had which were stronger if that makes sense (also I’ve read/reread it in so many places I couldn’t fix it to one spot). ahh that’s fair!
ooh yes, I definitely considered putting some of that on there as well- there’s some really good ones! hahaha!
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I remember the first time I read the Hobbit I recognised Gollum as something briefly glimpsed from my nightmares. Smeagol in the trilogy never had the same nightmarish quality (probably true of everyone we get to know better).
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Oh I get that- he’s much scarier in the Hobbit (and that’s a really great point!)
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You’re so right about the lakes. It is absolutely stunning. Also, the Peter Pan statue is sooo cute. Xx
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Ahh I know right!! xx
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I’ve only read two books on your list. Peter Pan and the tale of Peter rabbit and I read those as a child 😅. There are lots of books set in my country that I love but it’s 12 am and my mind is failing me and I can’t remember them all. I love purple hibiscus by Chimamanda, Chike and the river by Chinua Achebe and so many others I can’t think of now.
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Well those are both excellent!! 😀 haha that’s understandable! Oh I definitely want to try both of those, cos I’ve been meaning to read Chimamanda and I really like Achebe 😀
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I love this post! I’ve read most of these books and some of these UK spots have a special place in my heart. I lived in the UK for 1.5 years on a working visa and lived in London and Oxford. Love Oxford. I also thought that the Lake District was the most beautiful place I visited. It was so stunning. I wish I had of made it to Cornwall because Daphne is one of my favourite authors (but I hadn’t read any of her books back then). I also loved Bath for it’s connections to Jane Austen and Winchester (where Jane is buried).
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Thank you so much!! Oh that’s so cool!! And I’m glad you agree about the lake district 🙂 And hope one day you get to go to Cornwall as well- it’s so lovely! Ahh I’ve been meaning to go to Bath and Winchester!
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Ahhhhh I’m heading to the UK soon and your list just makes me really excited! Gotta check out these books sooner or later.
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Oh that’s so brilliant!! 😀 Fantastic!!
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Oh SQUEE! I’m so glad that I inspired you! What a lovely post and what lovely places you’ve chosen. Obviously I agree with you on the Lake District, such a beautiful part of the country and I forget how lucky we are to have it at times.
I now have been bitten by the Wanderlust bug and I really want to go exploring! I’m heading to Cornwall this September and can’t wait as I’ve never been before. I’ll have to read some du Marier either before I go or when I’m there!
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You really did 🙂 Thank you for your awesome post!! Thanks so much!! 🙂 Really agree!!
Ahh that’s wonderful- I really hope you love it- it’s so beautiful! Really good idea!
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Fantastic list! I think I’ve read about half of these. Not being British, I have no idea why it’s Watford is hilarious? Lol!
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Thank you!! I can’t really explain it- it’s just not somewhere you’d expect a magical school to be built, if you know what I mean 😉
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While I’ve read The Hobbit and Peter Pan, I haven’t been to the UK so I can’t compare them to the settings which inspired them.
Since I’m American, there are lots of books set in my home country, but my favorites are the ones set in San Francisco. (I’m not actually from there, but I live close enough to have it count.) Seanan McGuire’s October Daye books are set there and describe what Bay Area life is like perfectly (plus faeries). There are many others, but those are the ones I’m reading right now, so those are what come to mind first. 😉
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Oh well I hope you get the chance to check them out someday!
That makes sense. Oh that’s cool 🙂 Ooh that sounds amazing- definitely want to check that out!!
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If you ever feel like it, look up Jock of the Bushveld. Its about a dog set in a specific part in SA. Or Fiella’s Child. Set in a town I lived closed to.
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Oh brilliant- thanks so much for the recommendations! 🙂
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I haven’t read ADSOM yet but it’s on my TBR list! I’m planning to pick it up this year!
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Oh brilliant- hope you like it!
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I love how you included the pictures. So gorgeous!
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Thank you so much!!
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I’ve finally read La Belle Sauvage!!! And it was aaaawesome! 😄
Hehe! I had to smile that you’ve went into the woods after reading the Hobbit and thought what you did. 😉 I kind of did the same thing as a kid after reading Heidi, only that we were in Spain at the time and no one told me that it didn’t make much sense to look out for her in the Andalusian mountainside. 😂
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Yayy!! I’m really glad you liked it!!
hehehe thanks 😉 Ohh that’s so cute and hilarious!!! (also I love Heidi!!)
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You should have seen my determined face while I was climbing that mountain – and also the disappointment when I found out about her not being in Spain! 😂
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Thanks for the great book suggestions! You might be interested to know there is a Wendy statue in Hawera (NZ) that is a partner to the Peter Pan statue that you have shown. http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/heritage_sites_and_features/topics/show/1315-wendy-statue-1951
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I did not know that- very cool!
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A great list Orangutan!! I always try to pick up British set books when they’re in my wheelhouse so I’ve read some of these… And loved them!! It’s certainly a setting I love. ❤️
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Thank you!! That’s great 🙂 Really glad to hear it!! ❤
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I love that picture of the snowy woods next to The Hobbit! Such an evocative place!
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Anything by Enid Blyton ❤
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