Trip Fiction: Central American Tapestry

If you’re anything like me, reading a book in a place you’re traveling to brings it to life in a whole new way. I made a reading list of 25 Novels Around the World to accompany my trip around the world onboard the Azamara Onward. The trip was broken up in to 10 segments. This one covered Florida, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama City and the Canal, Trujillo and Lima Peru. If you like this kind of thing check out the posts for the other legs.

Here’s what I actually read, including a quick impression of each book and a link to download it if you’re planning to go to these places (on a plane or in an armchair, both are great ways to travel) and want to check them out.

Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen What fun this was! It won’t be winning a Pulitzer, but if you’re comfy with the word romp in your synopsis you might enjoy this. There are man eating gators and a cast of characters that you won’t be forgetting. It reminded me of the weirdest parts of John Irving novels; especially the way he wrote apocalyptic endings. That’s not a spoiler, just a little foreshadowing, right?

Risky Business by Nora Roberts Part whodunnit, part romance, I enjoyed the way Cozumel was brought to life. As for the story itself, I didn’t love how this smart strong capable woman seemed to need to be rescued, and it didn’t matter that the guy was dishonest and ignored a lot of key boundaries of hers, because he was rich and handsome and wanted to take care of her. If that’s your jam go for it. It’s not mine. But the diving and crime solving parts are fun.

The Bridge Of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder Set deep in the past, this is a lovely tale of a man of the cloth putting faith on hold and looking for the real meaning of life. It won Wilder a Pulitzer, and it brought 18th Century Peru to life for me.

Six Minutes To Freedom by Kurt Muse & John Gilstrap This is a wild ride. I’d intended to read The Tailor of Panama, but I couldn’t get it to download and we were getting close. I’m glad I found this. Kurt Muse is an American who was raised in Panama. He becomes a political prisoner under Noriega and is pivotal in the regime’s downfall. It is so well told! I’m not usually a spies and ops kind of reader, but this was really good, and gave me a good frame of reference for a lot of what we saw in Panama, illuminating a lot of the exact locations we visited. Good read.