First thing’s first, I love to read. Even when I was just a wee tot that was obsessed with cats, I always had a book tucked under my chubby toddler arm.
Since it takes a lot of traveling and time to reach the United Kingdom, I thought to myself, why not share a few book recommendations?
Flying overseas takes quite a few hours, so I thought would give my top four books for reading while traveling or while flying on a plane. A fair warning, most of these books are written by or about British authors, since I need to prepare myself for traveling into their country!
As You Like It – William Shakespeare
Yes, I am required to read it for my class, but it is such a fantastic story. I’ve read it numerous times, and there’s always a part that I pick up on that I never noticed before. As You Like It is full of cross-dressing, playing with gender roles, and a likable main character. I mean, who doesn’t have a crush on Rosalind?
Emma – Jane Austen
Honestly, I first read Emma a few years back, and I instantly fell in love. It’s just so funny and relatable. Who doesn’t have that one friend who’s always trying to play matchmaker, and then it all comes crashing down and explodes in their face?
William Shakespeare – Peter Holland
It may not be the most thrilling book ever written, but it is chock-full of pertinent information for anyone that enjoys Shakespeare’s works. I found that since I am traveling to the United Kingdom and taking the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre class, it would behoove me to brush up on my Shakespeare history (even though I tend to read his works often).
A Secret Sisterhood: The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf – Emily Midorikawa & Emma Claire Sweeney
This was a great read. I enjoy reading books that center around female characters, especially when those characters are some of my favorite writers. 10/10 would recommend anyone to read this book whilst heading to merry old England.
This post was contributed by Chantelle Reider, who is spending her summer studying abroad on two AIFS programs in the United Kingdom. She’s starting off with AIFS at Shakespeare’s Globe and following it up with a multi-destination British Fantasy Fiction program.
