Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Worlds/Settings I’d Love to Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish blog, and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl.

I’m putting a slight twist on this week’s topic, and talking about the Bookish Worlds/Settings I’d Love to Visit.

I wouldn’t want to live in these worlds/settings permanently, but think they would be enjoyable and exciting to experience in person for a little while. If only we could collect passport stamps for fictional places!!

 

 

Georgette Heyer’s Regency England (Sylvester, Venetia, Frederica, The Nonesuch)

As much as I’d love to spend time inside an Austen novel, there’s something about the lightness of Heyer’s regency world that is even more appealing. Jane Austen’s world seems all to real, while Heyer’s is a bit more fantastical. I think it would be fun to encounter the hijinks and humor, and of course the dashing, wealthy, and reformed rakes in real life.

 

Connie Willis’ Oxford (To Say Nothing of the Dog)

The equal parts futuristic and charmingly retro 21st century Oxford of Connie Willis’ Oxford Time Travel series, sounds like a very interesting world to visit. Once I grew tired of that time period, I could even time travel back to the Victorian era as well. I’ll pass on traveling back to the time of the black death like in Doomsday Book however!

 

The Mortmain’s Castle (I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith)

I’d love to hang out in this lovely, albeit run-down castle. I’d drink cocoa in the kitchen beneath the gaze of the gargoyle, play on the piano in the drawing room, swim in the freezing cold moat, and participate in the Midsummer Eve ritual.

 

Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire (Wild Strawberries, High Rising, Pomfret Towers, Summer Half)

Another idyllic 1930’s English world I’d love to spend some time in, is that of Thirkell’s imaginary Barsetshire. Sign me up for a few months of country house parties, boating excursions, afternoon tea, village fêtes, and romantic entanglements please.

 

The Grand Tour of  The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (by Mackenzi Lee)

How fun would it be to galavant around eighteenth-century Europe with Monty, Percy, and Felicity?! There would certainly never be a dull moment or a lull in conversation.

 

 

Mary Stewart’s Greece (The Moon-spinners, My Brother Michael, This Rough Magic)

Mary Stewart had a real talent for describing settings and landscapes, as well as a strong love and appreciation for Greece and Greek culture. I’d love to get swept up in the romance and adventure of her Greek novels in real-life.

 

Outlander‘s Scotland (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon)

The romantic Scottish highlands of Outlander are almost impossible to resist. I’d happily visit the eighteenth century setting for a bit, but only if I could return to the world of indoor plumbing and antibiotics after a few days.

 

Gatsby’s Summer Parties (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Who wouldn’t want to spend a summer eventing at Gatsby’s iconic, extravagant, and glamorous roaring twenties party?! Hopefully the killer hangover the next day would be worth it…

 

L. M. Montgomery’s Prince Edward Island (Anne of Green Gables, The Blue Castle)

I’ve been dying to visit Prince Edward Island ever since I first read (and watched) Anne of Green Gables as a young girl. As lovely as the real-life island undoubtedly is, I’d really prefer to visit the fictionalized version brought lovingly and vividly to life by L. M. Montgomery.

 

Wonderland (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I wouldn’t mind dropping in on the Mad Hatter’s tea party, but only for an afternoon!

 

 

Would you like to visit any of these bookish worlds/places?