The Perfect Road Trip Reads

Monday, January 27, 2014

For those of you that follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram, you've probably gleaned the fact that I'm moving in just 5 short days. I'll be packing up the car and heading out West to Arizona to be where the husband is stationed for the following year, which means that all of my beloved books are in boxes getting ready to be hauled to my the next state. But here's the thing: when road tripping, I want something meaningful, beautiful and sweet to read and live through along the way More than anything though, I want something more true-to-life. There's something about road trips that brings my adventurous spirit alive, and I want my books to match.


These three books are easily on my list of all-time favourites because they are powerful and profound, but they provide a beautiful degree of escapism, as well. The Geography of You and Me is due to release on April 14th from Little, Brown, while both Paper Towns and Jellicoe Road have been out for some time. 


All three of these books feature something very powerful in common - self-discovery. It's a beautiful transformation that our characters are embarking upon, and reading books like this while traveling somehow calms that restless soul in me. It makes me feel as though there's a great purpose to it all - and yes - I am sounding that cliche. There is an innate power to a good road trip read. If done well, it has the ability to transport you to another place with the characters, all the while teaching you about yourself as the characters learn to better understand themselves. 

The best part about a road trip book, however, is that it doesn't actually have to be about a physical road trip. It simply needs to be about a journey. In the case of The Geography of You and Me, it's about a journey to find that place and that moment that was shared just one time. It's stories like these that convince me that I'll never get tired of road trip reads, and it's why these three will be traveling up front with me, rather than in boxes like the rest.

What are your favourite road trip reads (either books featuring road trips, or books to read on a roadtrip)? I'm always looking for more to add to my list!

14 comments:

  1. I LOVE Jellicoe! Perfect road trip book :)

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  2. I haven't gone on a real road trip in AGES. But I do remember enjoying Amy & Roger's Epic Detour on a road trip. I also think reading Wanderlove, Golden and Just One Day would be great for the road!

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  3. I can't wait for The Geography of You and Me! The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so happy to hear it's a self discovery book as well.

    Lovely list! <33

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  4. Paper Towns!!!

    I'd definitely put Amy & Roger's Epic Detour on your list - it's my all-time favourite road trip book :D

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  5. I love, love, LOVE Jellicoe Road and since it's up here with two other books I haven't gotten to yet, I clearly need to get to them. ;) Paper Towns is my last John Green novel - so I'm saving it for when I really need it - but The Geography of You and Me sounds absolutely adorable. Wonderful post, Melissa, and happy moving!(:

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  6. I *just* got The Geography of You and Me and can't wait to read it. I love road trip books, books that make me want to take a trip. Check out Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard -- a great story.

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  7. Paper Towns is awesome….love John Green! Have you read Amy and Roger's Epic Detour? It's my favorite road trip book EVER. Wanderlove is also a good one. Good luck with moving. I know how hard it is and packing is tough. We just moved this past October, so I totally get it about all of your books being in boxes…it's surreal!

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  8. My favorite road-trip books are always going to be Saving June by Hannah Harrington and Golden by Jessi Kirby. These are books that I know I will always enjoy!

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  9. I just finished Paper Towns at 1am last night/early morning and it was so great!! Have a wonderful trip!!

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  10. Love JELLICOE ROAD!! That book is incredible. I need to check out the other two, though.

    I agree with Christina up above - WANDERLOVE is a great travel story.

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  11. For a very fun light read I loved Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham. I don't know how good it is but, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip seems tailor made for a road trip :) Have a safe trip and hope you love your new digs!!

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  12. I agree with Christina's picks - Amy & Roger's Epic Detour and Wanderlove are two road trip faves of mine! Looking forward to reading the new Jennifer E. Smith.

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  13. I recently read Paper Towns and loved it! Such a layered read, one of my favorites by John Green. Great picks! :)

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