Best books to read on vacation

Last Updated on July 28, 2024 by Ingrid

When I was little, my parents had a wallpaper depicting this lovely beach with azure water, white sand, and palm trees. My favorite game was imagining that I was there, on that beach. Years later, my dreams came true, and I actually got on that beach (okay, maybe not that exact one, but pretty close to the picture). But what’s a beach without a collection of the best books to read on vacation?

That’s why I prepared a list so you can fully enjoy sunbathing in paradise.

This post contains affiliate links. It helps keep our site running at no additional cost to you. Read more about it on our disclosure page here.

Table of Contents

1. Best Books to Read on Vacation
   1. And the Mountains Echoed
2. Other Relevant Articles

Best Books to Read on Vacation

Whenever I go on a longer vacation, especially if it involves beaches, I always carry at least one book (or 3-4, just in case I don’t like them all).

Unlike my better half, I don’t like reading on the phone or tablet, but I prefer good old-fashioned paper. So, I have to choose my reading materials carefully.

This time around, I’ve managed to read three lovely books. Although they were very different from one another, each of them opened up a new world for me.

• “The Mango Season” by Amulya Malladi explores cultural differences through the eyes of an Indian girl who returned to India from the US after six years.
• The shocking account of Mukesh Kapila, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan during the genocide.
• “And the Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini provides a window into the much-talked-about but not really understood country of Afghanistan.

I loved them all, but the one I enjoyed most was the latter.

And the Mountains Echoed

I devoured Hosseini’s book page by page until there was none left (as I did with all his books, I might add).

Hosseini is a true storyteller who can catch the readers’ attention and maintain suspense from the first page to the last. He makes you wonder what will happen next and try to understand who the character is and what his/her part is in the whole picture.

“And the Mountains Echoed” is a puzzle of characters, emotions, discoveries, love, hate, betrayal, hope, and disillusion. I

t is not only the story of Abdullah and his little sister Pari but also their father’s Saboor story; their uncle’s Nabi life story in Kabul serving and in the end sharing the life with the sick Mr. Wahdati; the story of sad and misunderstood Nila Wahdati (Pari’s stepmother); the heartbreaking story of Parwana, Saboor’s second wife and her sister Masooma; the captivating story of the Greek dr. Markos Varvaris from childhood up until his time spent in Kabul in Mr. Wahdati’s home.

The book takes you through all the layers, from poverty in a lost Afghan town to opulence and vibrancy in Kabul, from sufferance in Paris to shame for not being able to do something meaningful with one’s life in the US.

No matter where you come from or what you’ve been through, you will find something touching, at least in one of Hosseini’s stories.

So, what is on your list of Best books to read on vacation?

Other Relevant Articles

Elif Shafak Book Review: The Bastard of Istanbul

Fairytale European Destinations

The Best Honeymoon Destinations in Italy

30 Good Souvenirs to Buy in Italy

Driving on Germany’s Romantic Road

Best Quotes about Traveling with Friends