I
have a friend who delivers a hilarious monologue about her book
obsession that opens with the line, “My name is Kathy, and I
am a biblioholic.” Kathy, this book is a dream come true for
you and for all your biblioholic friends.

In NOVEL DESTINATIONS, Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon, two
self-described “lifelong voracious readers who share an
equally passionate appetite for exploration,” have delivered
nothing less than a delightful and long overdue guide for travelers
for whom books are a way of life, not merely a diversion.
It’s a compact, attractive book, chock full of helpful and
friendly advice more than sufficient to fuel a lifetime of literary
tourism.

In creating a book that goes far beyond the guidance found in the
snippets of literary information offered by conventional tourist
guides, Schmidt and Rendon recognize that novels have provided
“a new dimension to our travel experiences,” while at
the same time the literary places they’ve visited have given
them “a deeper perspective on the books we cherish.”
They’ve engagingly demonstrated that book-oriented travel can
be as fun and intellectually stimulating as treks to historic sites
or tours of classic works of architecture.

The book is divided into two parts. Part One consists of a
thematically organized potpourri of literary attractions, ranging
from author houses and museums (more than 60 authors of all styles
and genres receive mention) to destinations frequented by literary
titans Fitzgerald (a small quibble: his gravesite near a busy
intersection in downtown Rockville, Maryland is omitted),
Hemingway, Twain, Wharton and Henry James, to prominent literary
festivals like the Guardian Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye,
Wales, and preeminent libraries. This section concludes with an
ample offering of literary lodgings, restaurants and bars, both in
the United States and around the world.

One noteworthy example among the many cited is the Library Hotel,
in midtown Manhattan, where each of the hotel’s 10 floors is
devoted to a different category of the Dewey Decimal System. I can
personally vouch for the excellent food and charming atmosphere at
John’s Grill in San Francisco, a favorite restaurant of
Dashiell Hammett and one of the settings for THE MALTESE FALCON. A
cautionary note to travelers on a budget: the hotel and restaurant
recommendations aren’t accompanied by any price information,
and it’s fair to say that many of the establishments cited
tend toward the pricey side. The good news is that the authors
provide sufficient contact information so that readers
contemplating a trip can conduct their own research.

Part Two focuses on tourist opportunities in places associated with
the works of 10 icons, among them Bath, England (Austen),
Monroeville, Alabama (Harper Lee), Prague (Kafka) and Salem,
Massachusetts (Hawthorne) for literary types who are eager to
immerse themselves in the world of a favorite author and see the
places that sparked their creativity come to life. In this section,
Schmidt and Rendon do a fine job of weaving together helpful
tourist tips with anecdotes about their author subjects and
discourses on the characters and themes of their works.

Like a pair of food critics writing about their favorite
restaurants, Schmidt and Rendon are knowledgeable and informative,
consistently conveying their enthusiasm for this unique project.
This is the kind of book that cries out for frequent updating, and
if that’s the case, perhaps the authors will consider a
couple of friendly suggestions for future editions. In addition to
the book’s conventional index, a geographic index and some
maps to accompany the thumbnail photographs that dot the pages
would be welcome. And although there are occasional references to
independent bookstores, some more extended coverage of that
economically challenged segment of the bookselling world would be
useful.

NOVEL DESTINATIONS is the type of book that can be opened to any
page to reveal some entertaining or enlightening tidbit. But it
should be accompanied by a warning that casual browsing may lead to
extended reading and perhaps even a detour into the works of one of
the authors who occupy its pages. Whether you're actually planning
a literary trip, or simply want to sit by the fireside
contemplating that delightful possibility, this volume is
guaranteed to provide many hours of pleasurable and rewarding
reading.