Books, Books and More Books

After my sister and I boarded a London tour bus, we were joined by three college-aged women from the US. None of them seemed particularly interested in seeing the sights of London, but were busily discussing their next stop, Paris. “Are we going to see the Parthenon?” one of them asked. Her friends were a little fuzzy about that. My sister and I looked at one another and I’m guessing we were both thinking that these women must have been sleeping through geography class. What was even more surprising is that none of them seemed to be carrying a travel guide of any sort. Why, I wondered, would you spend the time and money to visit a new place and not invest $20 (or less) in a guidebook?

Likewise, why would you embark on the Joyfully Jobless Journey without guidebooks? Happily, there are numerous books available to help you on your way. Here are some personal favorites. Many of them are books I’ve read again and again. It’s a short list, but each title on it was carefully chosen because it’s exceptional.