Gifts for Travelers Part 1: Read, Cook, Dream

This is the first of two quick lists of travel inspired gifts. They are quick, because I thought of making them kind of late and most should be pretty easy to pick up at the last minute.

The first list (this list) is all books. I like books. I like to read about a place before, during and after I have been there. These suggestions include fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks and a few general guide book ideas. I am only including titles that Todd or I have read... and thought of quickly. I know for sure that we have read tons more Road Trip, NYC & San Francisco books, so I might update. If you have additional suggestions please comment!

Please head over to you local bookshop to see if they are in stock first. It's not only good for your community, it will be a lot quicker!

Books About Places:
Mostly fiction w/some non-fiction thrown in
 
Afghanistan: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
American Road Trips: On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Australia: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Bangkok: Bangkok 8 series by John Burdett
Caribbean: Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof
Chicago: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Eastern Europe: The Historian by Elizabet Kostova
France: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Florida: Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, Miami Blues by Charles Willeford, Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Ireland: How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill, Dublin Noir edited by Pat Mullan, Around Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Italy: Talented Mr. Ripely by Patricia Highsmith, Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King
Japan: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Las Vegas: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
L.A.: anything by Raymond Carver, Raymond Chandler or James Ellroy
Memphis: Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick
NYC: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney, The Chelsea Girl Murder series by Sparkle Hayter,  pretty much any Beat writer
New Orleans: Interview With a Vampire by Ann Rice, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Ozarks: anything by Daniel Woodrell
Puerto Rico: Rum Diaries by Hunter S. Thompson
San Francisco: Maltese Falcom by Dashiell Hammett, Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner, pretty much any Beat writer
Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
South America: The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara
Sweden: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson
Texas: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
Utah: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

General: The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain

Note: We obviously like noir and will eventually read all of the "Noir" series (including Chicago Noir, San Francisco Noir, Havana Noir...) so you might as well take a look at those too!


Cookbooks
Cajun Country: Louisiana Real and Rustic by Emeril Lagasse, Real Cajun by Donald Link
France: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Bistros Brasseries & Wine Bars of Paris by Daniel Young
Ireland: The Country Cooking of Ireland by Coleman Andrews
Italy: The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Culineria Italy by Claudia Piras, The Country Cooking of Italy by Coleman Andrews
Mexico: Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless
Middle East: The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu
SE Asia: Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Texas: Legends of Texas Barbeque by Robb Walsh


Guides
1,000 Places to Visit Before You Die by Patricia Schultz
Roadfood by Jane and Michael Stern
Bird Guides such as Peterson Guides

Note: Regular Old-fashioned Travel Guides are always good, but I think people usually buy these themselves, unless they are in addition to an amazing trip some where... say a trip to Paris along with the Rough Guide!

Homemade!
Make custom PDF guides that can be printed or used on an iPad or smart phone. 

I make these for myself. I basically take my itinerary, maps and all of the information I find useful from guide books, friends, the web, etc.. and put them all into PDF form. I upload them to my iPad and leave the heavy print books at home. That way I get to take an extra fiction or non-fiction book about the place!
If you know someone is traveling to a destination that you know well, or just have your favorite spot, put all of your insider info together, add some photos and put a bird... I mean a bow on it.

Note: This would be an ideal gift for me!

Here's an example of one I made for myself. It was for personal use, so there are no bells & whistles, just the facts. It's not pretty, but it will give you the general idea: Venice Pub Crawl

Oh, and there are always magazine subscriptions, great for planning and dreaming! Travel & Leisure & Conde Nast Traveler are my personal favorites.