The Trekking Pawns' Diary

  Get it Amazon! - Kindle, Audio, hardcover!!! One of our favorite things to do before a trip is read our way there . Before we pack our bags, research restaurants, figure out public transportation, and build our list of things to see, we like to find stories that can help us imagine the place we're about to visit. Not just what a city looks like today—but what it felt like before we ever arrived. For our upcoming trip to Barcelona, I even booked a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter through Expedia , so I wanted to do a little homework before we arrived. I want to walk through those narrow streets and old buildings with at least a little understanding of the history that happened around me. Enter one of my favorite ways to accidentally discover a book: It had Barcelona in the title. That was pretty much my entire selection process. 📖 Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton. And, as usual, I deliberately didn't read the summary before starting it. I know. This probably s...

Amazon - e-book, Audio, soft and hardcover! Before I go anywhere new, I have this little ritual — I read fiction set in the place I’m headed. It’s my way of slipping into the soul of a city before my feet ever touch its ground. Stories give me a dreamy, rose‑tinted preview of what to expect, and honestly, they make the anticipation feel like its own kind of adventure. And now… we’re planning a trip to Mumbai . I’ve been practicing my Hindi on Mango and Duolingo (slowly, lovingly, chaotically), but the real spark came from finishing Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft. I devoured it. I was swept away. I was in love with love by the end — all its forms, all its contradictions, all its quiet devastations and loud joys. The book opens on New Year’s Eve, 1913 , with Madeline Bright stepping into the heat and color of colonial Bombay. She’s homesick, overwhelmed, and unsure — until she meets Luke Devereaux at the stroke of midnight. From there, Bombay becomes more than a backdrop. It become...

As part of our pre-trip journey into the rich and colorful history of New Orleans, we’ve been reading The Seamstress of New Orleans . The novel has been a fascinating guide, weaving together the city’s iconic culture with its complex history. One place that keeps popping up in the book is Storyville, a district infamous for legal prostitution and gambling. Intrigued, we had to find out if this place truly existed—and wow, what a story we uncovered! (Disclaimer: Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click or buy on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.)  (Photo: Amazon ) The History of Storyville Yes, Storyville was very real. From 1897 to 1917, this legalized red-light district was the beating heart of New Orleans’ nightlife. It was named after Alderman Sidney Story, who ironically didn’t intend for his name to become synonymous with debauchery. The district was bordered by Iberville, Basin, St. Louis, and No...