literary desintations

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

First stop: the Hamptons, affectionately dubbed "Out" in Colson Whitehead's coming-of-age tale, Sag Harbor. "Out" of New York City, teenager Benji and his brother spend a mostly parent-free summer getting into low-key mischief with BB guns, fake IDs and beer. The guys while away long afternoons swimming in the bay, lounging on the sand and prowling for the fabled stretch of nude beach. When Benji gets a part-time job in the tourist town's popular ice cream shop, his attention turns to girls — or rather his inability to attract the attention of girls. His adolescent fumblings make for funny and cringe-inducing moments. Who knew your elbow could be an erogenous zone?

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

In this delicious fairy-tale-like read, our young hero, Hassan Haji, journeys to the picturesque French countryside where he begins his quest to become an international celebrity chef. But first, author Robert Morais introduces us to the scents and sounds of Mumbai, where the Muslim Hassan — born in an apartment above the family's popular roadside restaurant — gets his first cooking lessons. Dishes like spicy fish curry and chicken tandoori with hints of cinnamon and cardamom seem destined to become the staples of his bourgeoning culinary skills. But then on one unforgettable day, Hassan's mother introduces him to fine French cuisine. Hassan knows then that his tastes have been forever altered.

The Spice Necklace by Ann Vanderhoof

Vanderhoof, along with her husband, sets sail to the Caribbean in search of spices and, as a result, finds a real spice for life among new friends and acquaintances who teach the couple how to live at a sweet, slower island pace. The couple travels by a boat — tellingly named Receta (which means "recipe") — visiting more than a dozen islands including Grenada, Trinidad, St. Martin and St. Lucia. The two spend their days market shopping, fishing, cooking, eating and most of all celebrating each island's specialties.

The Lovers by Vendela Vida

On her wedding anniversary, the recently widowed Yvonne travels solo to a beautiful coastal town in Turkey, where she honeymooned with her husband 28 years ago. Still numb from her husband's unexpected death, Yvonne hopes to bask in the memory of their newlywed days.

Picturing Hemingway’s Michigan by Michael R. Federspiel

In this hybrid coffee table/literary history book, Federspiel provides a rich history of the Lake area that first developed as a vacation destination in the late 1800s and served as the Hemingway family's summer getaway for many years starting when Hemingway was just 6 weeks old. With gorgeous illustrations, photographs, documents and brief narrative accounts from Hemingway's childhood scrapbooks, Federspiel offers a wonderful portrait of the area through Hemingway's eyes.

list compiled by NPR