Destination Spain – Package Deals
Think the summer sun is over? Well, it is sadly, but not in books it’s not! Pick one of these “package holidays” and slip between the covers and drift away to sunnier climes:
Madrid (c) Lonely Planet
Package Deal: Sun, sand and goodness knows what else
South of Spain Under the Sun
First, let’s travel to the South of Spain and to the beach where Under the Sun is a good place to be given the heat the South is known for! The town of Marea where it’s set is inspired by Torremolinos so even though the setting is fictional in name, it’s routed in real life. In the story, Anna lives in a beautiful finca under the Spanish sun. But the reality is far from perfect. She buys a finca with the man she was in love with but then things turn very sour indeed. She moves away to the tow of Marea for a while and then someone wants to rent the finca from her – but who and why?
Package Deal: Fragrant days lounging in the sun
Andalucia – orange-blossom-days
Even the title sounds deliciously Spanish doesn’t it? Orange blossom, you can practically smell Spain before you open the covers.
In a small Spanish town, La Joya de Andalucía, the joy of Andalucia weaves its charms on everyone who comes into contact with it. This novel looks at the Moorish cities and towns, the food, the hospitality and friendliness of the Spanish people –how the fragrance and friendliness of the area has lured people back many times over the years… The story hits at many changes within one apartment block, made up of so many nationalities and personalities. San Antonio del mar is fictional but the spirit and warmth of Andalucia is definitely not!
Package Deal: Wander through a village that time forgot
Mojacar, Andalucia – Then Now Always
You can’t go to Spain without taking one of Isabelle Broom’s books with you! She draws and evokes the setting she’s writing about like a painter. The lovely homely village of Mojacar sounds an ideal place to visit either in fiction or for real – and with the intrigue and romance of Then, Now, Always, you’ll get quite the package holiday! Mojacar is that little village that time has forgotten. In the past ten years apparently it hasn’t changed as this makes protagonist Hannah wonder why she’s not been back before now. The charm of the white buildings and the gorgeous flower displays, the twisty streets and stunning sea views…
Package Deal: Saffron secrets a plenty on this journey
La Mancha – The Anarchist Detective
Ah there’s the scent of saffron in the air in this fine read.
Max Cámara returns to his home town in La Mancha, on leave from his last case and lying low for a while. However, if he thought lying low was going to be possible, he can think again. A mass grave from the Civil War is being exhumed and the whole town is on edge, including his own grandfather. Added to that, his old friend Yago is investigating a particularly nasty murder which sets off memories Max has been trying to bury for years. And there is a very real problem known as the saffron mafia…
Package Deal: Myths and murder on a city break
Girona – City-of-good-death-inspector-domenech-1
Girona is steeped in rich history and myths and in this novel, someone is using that knowledge to their own twisted advantage. Someone is killing people according to the city’s myths. Elisenda Domènech, the head of the city’s newly-formed Serious Crime Unit thinks she’s on to something regarding the link to these myths but no one is taking her seriously. Apart from the criminal element of course, this is a fine if not slightly macabre guide to everything the city has to offer. This is a guide to the Catalan city of Girona, and so much more. As well as a feel for the city’s cobbled streets and gothic buildings, the history and the mythology of the city are evoked with chilling undertones.
Package Deal: Stay in the house of your holiday dreams!
Barcelona – The Holiday Swap
We’ve all thought of swapping our little home for a much sunnier and bigger place somewhere hot right? Swap your home for the holidays and have the adventure of your life, right? Two girls house swap for the holidays…Daisy goes to the hot city of Barcelona and Flo comes into the cold. But there’s heat of another kind in both places and some very unexpected surprises. It’s the book version of the film The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz and the chance to step into someone else’s life and home for a while is always appealing.
Package Deal: Have the family holiday you will never forget!
Lanzarote – A Proper Family Holiday
You’ll never forget your first Chrissie Manby literary holiday and neither will you forget this family one. Could you survive a week-long holiday with your entire family?
Package Deal: Even the family pet can come along for the ride
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Castilla y Leon – Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago
There’s lots of people, religious or otherwise who like to go on this sinificant walk to Santiago de Compostela, The terrrain, the views, the people you pass alomg the way, the history and heritage isquite breathtaking, but there’s always one who stands out isn’t there? A walker who just doesn’t quite fit in, or he stands out for the wrong reasons. This is the story of that man – the one who took a donkey on his travels. What makes a man take a donkey on pilgrimage? You’re about to find out
Package Deal – A teenager goes on holiday alone for the first time…
Ibiza – Ibiza Summer
A sixteen year old girl heads out to the clubbers’ island paradise. What could possibly go wrong? That’s all you need to know about how that turns out – you’ll find out soon enough
Package Deal – Lose yourself in the city of forgotten books
Barcelona – Shadow of the Wind
Well, we had to keep this till last didn’t we? All you book worms out there are just going to love this city. A book which is the perfect guide to the mustery and intrigue of the gothic city – the whole city looks like a film set, the people are lovely, the weather gorgeous and when the sun goes down, the gothic nature of the buildings takes on a very eerie and fascinating tone. Plus there is a hidden cemetery of books along the twisty turny streets. This is a city of bookshops and magic. Glorious!
