Book number 24 in the challenge has to be ‘a book set somewhere you’ll be visiting this year’.
There’s not a lot of this year left and I don’t plan on going anywhere far away or exotic before 2017 ends. However, I am planning to visit Edinburgh at least once to catch up with family and friends before the end of December.
So, let’s just go with Edinburgh – although strictly speaking it’s only an hour away by train from where I live – and visiting the city itself won’t be the main purpose. I hope that’s acceptable.
And for a book set in Edinburgh I’d have to go with any of Ian Rankin’s crime novels. Narrowing it down to one, I’d go with the one I read most recently – Rather Be the Devil.
This one, like its predecessors features the now retired, former Detective inspector, John Rebus. And although retired Rebus can’t quite give up getting involved in criminal investigations. I love that Rankin’s novels are set in the city where I was born, grew up and raised my own children. Rankin depicts a grittier more realistic version of this sometimes over-glamorised and romanticised city. Like any urban area it has its darker side. But Rankin does it with affection and he does it justice.
If the book 24 challenge had been ‘a book set somewhere you’ll be visiting next year’ then that would have been truly a visit. Next year I’ll be going to Australia. The main purpose will be to visit family, but we also plan lots of sightseeing too.
So I’ll bend the rules here a wee bit and include three of my favourite books set in Australia.
Firstly a book I read and loved when I was at high school – A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute.
Secondly, a book I read a couple of years ago – the fabulous – The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
And thirdly, a book I read very recently and reviewed here – the romantic and heart-warming Champagne for Breakfast by Maggie Christensen.
Can you come up with any books fitting category number 24? And yes, we’ll allow places you’ll be visiting in 2018.
photo of Edinburgh by Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash