Stephen King once described books as “uniquely portable magic” and we agree. For that reason, they are our most-trusted resource for gaining access to the world.
Below are some of the books that inspire our travels, which we write about on the blog, and also those that expanded our world of wine.
Sharlene Teo brings together the story of three women against a backdrop of modern Singapore.
Ponti is a tale of teenage angst that goes deeper - revealing the pressures of modern life through the narratives of a mother, a daughter and that daughter’s only friend.
Inspiration for Singapore.
In Nusantara, Heidi Shamsuddin brings together fairy tales & myths from Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond.
As a centre for global migration, Nusantaran fairytales certainly have some common ground with other cultures but unique details reflect a different sense of place.
Inspiration for Java, Borneo (Sabah), Singapore & Malaysia.
Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s short stories are all set in contemporary Thailand shedding light on family life, cultural shifts and what it’s really like to live in a paradise.
Each of the stories in the Sightseeing collection takes a unique look at the locals of a country attracting tourists from all around the world.
Inspiration for Bangkok.
Bernice Chauly tells the story of journalist Delonix and her partner Omar with Kuala Lumpur’s Reformasi movement acting as a backdrop to their family drama.
Once We Were There is set in the late 90’s but the issues face by the books characters are still very much current.
Inspiration for Kuala Lumpur.
Scouting average-looking men from the streets of Newcastle, Eliza Clark’s main character Irina is in a downward spiral of drug-taking, too much alcohol and an uninspiring diet of tuna with bagged salad.
Boy Parts is the story of a northerner and a woman who strives to be taken seriously over being loved, or even liked.
Inspiration for Newcastle upon Tyne.
An ambitious undertaking, The Vineyards of Britain covers more than 140 vineyards and wineries around the UK sharing what makes them unique and the people behind them.
After a Hunter Valley Semillon pulled him to Australia for several years, Ed Dallimore returned home to immerse himself in the wines of England and Wales - now making waves on the world stage of wine. This compilation brings together a year of exploration, tasting and photographing those vineyards.
Inspiration for British Vineyards & Wineries, including Chapel Down, Tillingham & Black Chalk.
Tan Tan Eng’s historical fiction is set in colonial Malaysia, before and during Japanese occupancy.
Penang provides the setting for a story of betrayal but, more importantly, enduring love & growing sense of belonging for one’s home town in The Gift of Rain.
Inspiration for Penang.
As well as tracking the rise in popularity orange wine has had, Simon J Woolf’s Amber Revolution explores the political powers and wine trends that sheltered the winemaking technique from the world stage, until recent years. It’s a book full of information, but manages to avoid reading like a list of facts, thanks to skillful writing.
Inspiration for Friuli (Italy), Slovenia, Georgia and more.
The Story Of My Teeth is the tale of an auctioneer working in Mexico City, with a particular interest in the teeth of famous literary figures.
The novel, translated by Christina MacSweeney, was written by Valeria Luiselli weaves relics of the Mexico City municipality through the narrative like collectibles.
Inspiration for Mexico City.
Loung Ung’s memoir, First They Killed My Father, is the moving, harrowing tale of her family’s experiences during the Khmer Rouge occupation of Cambodia.
Her story reflects on the hardships faced under Pol Pot’s brutal regime, the resilience of the Cambodian people’s spirit and the country’s beauty.
An education for Cambodia.
Something seemingly inherent in Alice Feiring makes her an ardent supporter of Georgian winemaking: its ancient methods, its people’s wilful refusal to lose traditions and its esteemed vines, given full prominence through minimal intervention winemaking. For The Love of Wine: My Odyssey through the World’s Most Ancient Wine Culture is an account of her exploration of Georgia that will infect you with that same passion.
Ben Walgate was inspired by Alice Feiring’s writing to take on Georgia’s ancient winemaking methods at Tillingham, East Sussex.
Tamu (Indonesian for guest & also referring to farmers markets on the Malaysian side of Borneo) aims to understand a culture & its people through dining at the Bornean table. It’s a deeper understanding of place brought to the page by compassionate research by Bryan Koh.
Inspiration for Borneo.
Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels give the reader an opportunity to appreciate the city of Naples before visiting.
Translated by Ann Goldstein, My Brilliant Friend is part one of four in this story of lifelong friendship between Elena and Lila, set against the backdrop of Naples.
Inspiration for Campania.
A gathering of unlikeable characters in Herman Koch’s suspenseful drama, all taking place over the course of one meal.
The Dinner, translated by Sam Garrett, is a controversial predicament that one family finds themselves in after events unfold on the streets in Amsterdam.
Inspiration for Amsterdam.
In equal measure informative and witty, English Wine: From Still to Sparkling: The Newest New World Wine Country explores the history of vineyards in Britain from Roman times right into the modern day.
Oz Clarke has an infectious enthusiasm for wine & England as a blossoming region for some of the best sparkling wine in the world (controversial?) that makes this a pleasure to read.
Inspiration for British Vineyards & Wineries, including Chapel Down & Tillingham.
Deborah Smith’s translation of The Vegetarian by Han Kang reads as a quiet resistance of the treatment of the female body & human cruelty.
Influenced by a line from Yi Chang’s poetry, a modernist Korean poet heavily censored during Japanese rule.
Inspiration for Seoul.
Muriel Spark personifies Edinburgh’s citizens through the character of Miss Jean Brodie.
Using the lens of education, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie explores the moral code rooted in those Edinburgh-born contrasted with their spirited nature.
Inspiration for Edinburgh.
Dedicated research on the haenyeo women of Jeju is collected into Lisa See’s story of life and friendship.
Spanning 1938 to 2008, The Island of Sea Women encloses a history of South Korea within the personal story of Young-sook, a fictionalised haenyeo from the town of Hado.
Inspiration for Jeju.