If you're missing travel and looking for a way to explore the world from the comfort of your home this winter, look no further than this digital display for fiction, nonfiction, movies, and travelogues with rich settings that will whisk you away to somewhere new!
All the items on this digital display are available for free online with your NPL library card.
Click on each section below to browse our recommendations. Each title is available through one (or more) of the Naperville Public Library's digital resources.
Caramelo
Sandra CisnerosEvery year, Ceyala "Lala" Reyes' family packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer.
Life of Pi
Yann MartelPiscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
The Lying Life of Adults
Elena FerranteGiovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves from one to the other in search of the truth, but neither city offers answers.
My Oxford Year
Julia WhelanSet amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future.
In the Woods
Tana FrenchAfter a 12-year-old Irish lad and his two pals fail to return from a day in the woods, searchers find only the terrified sixth grader with no memory of what happened. Now 32, the tragedy's sole survivor Rob Ryan is a detective on Dublin's Murder Squad. With the present case chillingly similar to his 20-year-old nightmare, Rob hopes to unlock the secrets of his past.
Ponti
Sharlene TeoFriendless and fatherless, Szu lives in the shadow of her mother Amisa, once a beautiful actress and now a hack medium performing séances with her sister. When Szu meets the privileged, acid-tongued Circe, an unlikely encounter develops into a fraught friendship that will haunt them both.
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau
Michael ZapataThe Lost Book of Adana Moreau is the mesmerizing story of a Latin American science fiction writer and the lives her lost manuscript unites decades later in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Love and Gelato
Jenna Evans WelchA summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping New York Times bestseller filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.
Purple Hibiscus
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieFifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. Yet, as Kambili reveals in her tender-voiced account, things are less perfect than they appear.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Muriel BarberyIn an elegant hotel in Paris, Renée, the concierge, is all but invisible. Paloma is a twelve-year-old who lives on the fifth floor. After a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building, they begin to recognize each other as kindred souls.
City of the Mind
Penelope LivelyIn London's changing heartland, architect Matthew Halland contemplates how the past and the present blend. It stirs memories of his boyhood, the early years with his daughter, and his failed marriage. Here, too, is the London of prehistory, of Georgian elegance, of the Blitz. Matthew must keep focused on the constructing of a new future for London and begin to forge new beginnings of his own.
One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jhumpa LahiriThis book is made up of twenty-three stories, each from a different author from across the globe. All belong to one world, united in their diversity and ethnicity. And together they have one aim: to involve and move the reader.
A Separation
Katie KitamuraWhen a young woman gets word that her faithless husband has gone missing in a remote region in the rugged south of Greece, she reluctantly agrees to go look for him.
Eggshells
Caitriona LallyAs a child, Vivian was so whimsical that her parents told her she was "left by fairies. " Now, she is living alone in Dublin, where the neighbors treat her like she's crazy, her older sister condescends to her, social workers seem to have registered her as troubled, and she hasn't a friend in the world. So, she decides it's time to change her life: She begins by advertising for a friend.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Michael ChabonArt Bechstein spends the summer after his graduation from a Pittsburgh university searching for his future and finding his own sort of trouble with brilliant and seductive new friends.
Two Breaths, One Step: Hiking Across the Himalayas
Sylvia VerangeIn 1984, Sylvia Verange set off on a 500-mile journey across the Himalayas of Nepal. Hiking through the breathtaking scenery, remote mountain villages, and treacherous, freezing conditions, Verange's story lays out an epic travelogue of a once-in-a-lifetime journey. “Two Breaths, One Step” follows one woman's hike through the Himalayas as she endures nature and comes to know herself.
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
Bill BrysonAn unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.
Atlantis
Carlo and Renzo PianoRenowned architect Renzo Piano and his son Carlo, a well-regarded journalist, set sail from Genoa one late summer day to search for Atlantis. Embarking not only on a life-changing journey but also on series of conversations that are humorous, irreverent, erudite, and entertaining, they sail across the Pacific, along the banks of the Thames and the Seine, reaching as far as Athens, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and Osaka Bay.
Braver Than You Think
Maggie DownsAt age 34, Maggie Downs quits her job and embarks on the solo trip of a lifetime. She backpacks through 17 countries, visiting all the places her mother, struck with early-onset Alzheimer’s, could not visit herself: Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, white-water rafting on the Nile, volunteering at a monkey sanctuary in Bolivia, and fleeing the Arab Spring in Egypt—traveling around the globe and home again.
At Home in the World
Tsh OxenreiderAs Tsh Oxenreider, author of Notes From a Blue Bike, chronicles her family's adventure around the world-seeing, smelling, and tasting the widely varying cultures along the way-she discovers what it truly means to be at home.
Alone Across the Arctic
Pam FlowersEight sled dogs and one woman set out from Barrow, Alaska, to mush 2,500 miles. ALONE ACROSS THE ARCTIC chronicles this astounding expedition.
An Age of License
Lucy KnisleyKnisley's travel experiences are colored by introspective self-inquiries and quotidian revelations - about traveling alone in unfamiliar countries, and about her life and career - that many young adults will relate to. An Age of License - which takes its name from a French saying - is an Eat, Pray, Love for the alternative comics fan.
Circle to Circle
Shirley Hardy-RixBeautifully illustrated in full color throughout, Circle to Circle is an engaging account of the travels of an adventurous couple. It will entertain you in your armchair, or it may even inspire you to get up and go!
Out of Instanbul
Bernard OllivierUpon retirement at the age of 62, widower and renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier strapped on his gear and hiked the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain. At the end of that road, with more questions than answers, he decided to spend the next few years hiking another of history's great routes: the Silk Road…
Tokyo Travel Sketchbook
Amaia ArrazolaAt the heart of Tokyo Travel Sketchbook are two contradictory Japans—the glittering neon world of a high-tech ultramodern society existing side-by-side with a nation where ancient tradition holds sway. These competing realities make for a memorable visual journey and a stunning souvenir of a stranger's brief stay.
Kidding Around: Tales of Travel with Children
Dervla Murphy, Hilary Bradt, & James LowenBecoming a parent need not put an end to wanderlust. With contributions from a range of both well-known, professional travel writers and newer writers from the UK and North America, this engaging and entertaining compilation of 37 stories lifts the lid on the perils and joys of travelling with babies, toddlers and teenagers in locations spanning five continents.
Two Trees Make a Forest
Jessica J. LeeA chance discovery of letters written by her immigrant grandfather leads Jessica J. Lee to her ancestral homeland, Taiwan. Lee turns a critical gaze upon colonialist explorers who relied on and often effaced the labor and knowledge of local communities. “Two Trees Make a Forest” is a genre-shattering book that shows how geographical forces are interlaced with our family stories.
Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered
Sarah Tuttle-SingerThis is a book for anyone who's wondered who really lives in Israel, and how they coexist. It's a book that skillfully weaves the personal and political, the heartwarming and the heart-stopping. It's a book that only Sarah Tuttle-Singer can write. The Old City of Jerusalem may be set in stone, but it's always changing--and these pages capture that.
This is San Francisco
Alexander BarrettThis book is an invitation from a friend to come along on a walk down one of San Francisco's historic streets, up one of its urban staircases, or along its many shorelines. Distilling the charm of San Francisco into colorful, illustrated pages, Barrett takes you on a journey through one of America's most famous cities and makes you wish you were right there with him.
Bangkok Babylon
Jerry HopkinsIn the colorful tradition of Orwell and Hemingway, Maugham and Theroux, Jerry Hopkins recalls his first decade as a Bangkok expatriate by profiling twenty-five of the city's most unforgettable characters.
Growing Old Outrageously: A Tale of Travel, Food and Frienship
Hilary Linstead & Elisabeth DaviesA delightful memoir of a later-life friendship and what happens when two ladies of a certain age decide to test the maxim, “Leap and the net will appear!” This is a book for thrill seekers and armchair travelers alike, a celebration of friendship and laughter, and an inspiration for anyone who has longed to venture outside their comfort zone and travel to exotic places.
Hidden Places
Sarah Baxter & Amy GrimesTravel journalist Sarah Baxter's evocative words instantly transport you to twenty-five of the world's most obscured places. From remote locations that visitors must trek and wade just to catch a glimpse of, to forgotten cities only recently revealed and places purposefully hidden as sanctuaries from persecution, each destination has a very human story at its heart.
Don't Try This at Home
Daria Salamon & Rob KrauseRob Krause and Daria Salamon sold their car, rented out their Winnipeg home, and packed up their two young children to embark on a 12-month journey around the world. In this dual retelling of their ambitious year abroad, Don't Try This at Home chronicles the hilarious and sensational misadventures of a Canadian family as they travel across 15 different countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
By the Seat of My Pants
Edited by Don GeorgeThese 31 humorous tales of travel and misadventure run the gamut from close-encounter safaris to loss-of-face follies, hair-raising rides to culture-leaping brides, eccentric expats to mind-boggling repasts, wrong roads taken to agreements mistaken.
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and A Life-Changing Journey Around the World
Kim DinanAfter Kim and her husband decide to quit their jobs to travel around the world, they're given a yellow envelope containing a check and instructions to give the money away. The only three rules for the envelope: Don't overthink it; share your experiences; don't feel pressured to give it all away.
Call to Adventure
Aloha BakerSixteen-year-old Idris Galcia Hall was a student in 1922 when she answered an ad for a young woman to join a round-the-world expedition. Hired as a secretary, the blonde teenager renamed herself Aloha Wanderwell and became the face of the team's documentary films.
A Bite-Sized History of France
Stephanie Henaut & Jeni MitchellFrom the cassoulet that won a war to the crêpe that doomed Napoleon, the history of France is intimately entwined with its gastronomic pursuits. A witty exploration of the facts and legends surrounding some of the most popular French foods and wines by a French cheesemonger and an American academic, A Bite-Sized History of France tells the story of France from the Roman era to modern times.
Menagerie Manor
Gerald DurrellIn the spring of 1959 Gerald Durrell opened the Jersey Zoo on the grounds of an old manor house. The menagerie provided a safe habitat for rare and endangered species and exposed its human visitors to the wonders of nature. Despite setbacks, these charming, often hilarious stories make clear that, for Durrell, ensuring the park's success and helping the creatures he loved was worth any obstacle
One Man's Wilderness
Richard ProennekeTo live in a pristine land unchanged by man...to roam a wilderness through which few humans have passed...to be not at odds with the world but content with one's own company. Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them.
Why We Swim
Bonnie TsuiPropelled by stories of polar swim champions, a Baghdad swim club, the winningest Olympians, modern-day samurai swimmers, even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survived a six-hour swim in the wintry Atlantic, the narrative takes us around the globe as Tsui pursues swim culture and swimmers both living, recently living, and long gone.
The Honey Bus
Meredith MayMeredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her beekeeper grandfather. Part memoir, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is an unforgettable story about finding home and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life.
The Kindness of Strangers
Simon Winchester, Tim Cahill, Jan Morris, Stanley StewartA timely collection of inspiring tales, The Kindness of Strangers explores the unexpected human connections that so often transfigure and transform the experience of travel, and celebrates the gift of kindness around the world.
Paris to the Moon
Adam GopnikIn 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left New York City for the urbane glamour of the City of Light. Weaving the magical with the mundane, he offers a delightful look at what it was to be an American family man in Paris at the end of the twentieth century.
Paddling North
Audrey SutherlandIn a tale remarkable for its quiet confidence and acute natural observation, the author of Paddling Hawaii begins with her decision, at age 60, to undertake a solo, summer-long voyage along the southeast coast of Alaska in an inflatable kayak.
Sweetness in the Belly
Dakota Fanning, Kunal NayyarAn orphan in Ethiopia escapes as a refugee to England, where upon growing up she works to aid immigrants and refugees in reuniting with their families.
I Am Not a Witch
Rungano NyoniIn her BAFTA award-winning debut, Rungano Nyoni crafts a satiric feminist fairy-tale in present-day Zambia. When 9-year-old Shula is accused of witchcraft and exiled to a camp run by Mr. Banda, a corrupt government official, she must choose whether to resign herself or take a risk for freedom.
Pop Aye
Kino LorberA successful Bangkok architect in the midst of a midlife crisis is reunited with an elephant he knew growing up. The two embark on a trip through the idyllic Thai countryside, encountering a colorful cast of characters along the way.
Urgent Love
Diego LublinksyUrgent Love uses highly original photography and exceptional artwork to create the playful world where Agustina and Pedro fall in love. Teenage hormones, the popular kids with their motorbikes and gelled-back hair, the bragging about sexual conquests...everything is intentionally exposed in this subtle, intelligent, and entertaining comedy that dares to be different.
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong
Emily TingRuby and Josh spent an unforgettable night together in Hong Kong a year ago, and now their brief encounter is about to get a second chance. As effervescent as a perfect first date, this charming walk and talk romance takes full advantage of the magical landscape that is Hong Kong at night.
The Dressmaker
Jocelyn MoorhouseA glamorous dressmaker returns to her hometown in rural Australia to reconnect with her ailing mother and exact revenge on the community that banished her as a child. As her plan unfolds, she finds love with a local man and transforms the town with her exquisite creations.
Swallows and Amazons
Philippa LowthorpeFour children who dream of escaping from the tedium of a summer holiday are overjoyed when they get permission to camp on their own on a remote island in the middle of a lake. But when they arrive, they discover they may not be alone, and a desperate yet whimsical battle for ownership of the island ensues.
Theeb
Naji Abu NowarNominated for the 2016 Academy Award. In 1916 Arabia Theeb ("Wolf"), a young Bedouin boy, ventures on a treacherous desert journey encountering mercenaries, revolutionaries and raiders as he tries to survive and live up to the name his father gave him.
A Man Called Ove
Hannes HolmOve, an ill tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors. Based on the bestselling novel.
Beirut
Brad AndersonCaught in the crossfires of civil war, CIA operatives (Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris) must send a former U.S. diplomat (Jon Hamm) to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind.
A Walk in the Woods
Ken KwapisIn this comedy adventure, Robert Redford & Nick Nolte star as old friends who make the improbable decision to hike the 2,190–mile Appalachian Trail.
Hutsulka Ksenya
Alena DemyanenkoYaro, a young Ukrainian-American, must travel to the Carpathian Mountains to marry a true Ukrainian girl or see his father's fortune will go to a distant relative. As Yaro navigates the eccentric individuals surrounding him, he falls in love with a woman who embodies everything his father told him. This mystical tale of love and finding oneself is full of the beautiful spirit of Ukraine.
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
Dan IrelandA genteel widow moves to London to start her life anew at the dowdy Claremont Hotel, which is not quite the picture of loveliness it was in the brochure. When she meets a young aspiring writer, she learns that real family ties can be chosen, not inherited.
Forever
Jaco SmithEstranged childhood best friends Nina and Hugo are reunited at Nina's wedding. But when Nina's fiance jilts her at the altar and Nina and Hugo find themselves en route to Mauritius, the Island of Love, will they embrace a second chance?