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Location Index

Want to see all blog posts for a particular location? They’re all indexed here.

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And an A-Z guide of all cities I’ve covered is here:

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About Booked & Ready

Booked and Ready features destinations both real and literary.

This blog focuses on adventure wherever it can be found, whether across the globe or in the pages of a book. Browse destinations or check out what's popular.

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Recent Blogs

  • Eating My Way Through New Orleans
  • Books Going Places: The Starbound Trilogy
  • Visiting The Poe Museum
  • Another End of the Year Post: Goodbye, 2015!
  • A Light in the Darkness (#12DaysOfTravel, Day 12)

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While some decry the dark, grey winters of the Pacific Northwest, skies drained of color force me to notice all the vibrant greenery coming alive thanks to the rain—and to absolutely live for the rare moments when the mountains pierce the cloud cover, showing off their glistening peaks, all the brighter and more magnificent thanks to the snow. Looking for breaks in the monotony is one way I fight discontent. I definitely don’t do it perfectly, but I strive to keep those feelings at bay, to be more thankful for all the bright spots in my life. I’m only a couple dozen pages into Steinbeck’s Winter of our Discontent, but I’m curious to hear his thoughts on this topic, and to discuss Steinbeck’s genius with the #steinbecksisters once again. #thewinterofourdiscontent #steinbeck #johnsteinbeck #winterofourdiscontent #winter #friday #bythewindow #booksandcoffee #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #read #reading #reader #books
Anyone who’s seen me in person in recent months has likely seen me with this bag. I am *obsessed.* Already a tote hoarder, this one is especially great in that it is oversized, zippered, and equipped with extra strong handles and an inside zippered pocket. And of course, the design — library with cats galore — pushed me over the edge from, “I like this,” to “I love this.” I promise @strandbookstore didn’t pay me (or even ask me) to say any of this, but I love this bag. And it was the perfect memento of my first visit there back in October! Strand Bookstore in NYC, if you haven’t been, is one of the best bookstores I’ve been to — maybe just excepting Powell’s. Great selection, lots of used books, great prices, and all kinds of cool bookish swag. I also ended up with a couple of books, seen here. 😊 • • Q: What’s your favorite bookstore? • • #bookstore #strandbookstore #wherebooksareloved #tote #booktote #totebag #totesadorbs #books #bookhaul #dune #wutheringheights #wordsworth #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram
Happy Monday! Well, I wouldn’t hate it if my Monday was beginning here instead of in a classroom, but all things considered, I’m as ready as I can be for school to start back up again today. I acquired the book in this photo, Tangleweed & Brine, while in Ireland a few weeks ago. Written by an Irish author, it retells classic fairytales with feminist spin. The little I’ve read so far has been delightful. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more bits of it. • • Q: What are you reading this week? • • #unitedbookstagram #bookstagram #kerrycliffs #ireland #visitireland #booksandviews #booksoutofdoors #tangleweedandbrine #travelgram #getoutside #explore #discover #reading
💫2018 FAVORITES💫 In 2018, I rated nearly three-quarters of my reads 4 stars or higher! So narrowing down my absolute favorites wasn’t easy. I managed to get it down to 11, if we group some reads into their series. What can I say? It was a good reading year! •Middlemarch by George Eliot •The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins •The Conqueror’s Saga (And I Darken, Now I Rise, Bright We Burn) by Kiersten White •Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (not pictured) •Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff •A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith •Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck •Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (not pictured) •The Palliser Novels #1 & #2 (Can You Forgive Her? and Phineas Finn) by Anthony Trollope •The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (not pictured) •Saga by Brian K. Vaughan Quite a few of these were delightful readalongs—shoutout to #steinbecksisters, #middlemarching18, #wilkieswomaninwhite, and #trolloping. ❤️ • • Tell me about your favorite reads of 2018! Was it easy to narrow them down? • • #middlemarch #obsidio #trollope #thewomaninwhite #saga #topreads2018 #favorites #2018favorites #unitedbookstagram #bookstagram #read #reads #reading #book #books #ilovereading #readersofinstagram #bibliophile
Just trying to figure out why the human’s always got her nose buried in these things. They don’t smell like bacon. And *she* says *I’m* a little odd. • • Odd or no, 2018 was a banner year for reading for me. Not only did I read more books and more pages than any year previous (61 books and 23K+ pages!), I also read much more diversely and in more formats than ever before, too. I’ve always said I want to read more nonfiction, and this year, I finally did it! I also broke into some new categories, including graphic novels (Saga!) and suspense (Agatha Christie). And, I read several lengthy classics, including Middlemarch, Anna Karenina, and Crime & Punishment—plus several Anthony Trollope and Wilkie Collins novels, none of which were short. That was partially thanks to finally caving to audiobooks. I’ve been resisting that format for years, swearing it doesn’t work for me—but it turns out I really do like it for nonfiction (so I can zip through dry bits) and for some classics (especially rereads). And speaking of rereads, I snuck in three of those—including an audiobook listen to my all-time favorite, Wuthering Heights—and hope to get to more in 2019. I’ll be sharing a few reading highlights, including my top reads, from last year before I dive into all that 2019 holds. Hope you had a wonderful year past and are looking forward to the year ahead! • • Q: What reading goals did you accomplish last year? Or what are you hoping to accomplish in this one? • • #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #catsandbooks #read #2018wrapped #2018 #yearinbooks #bookstack #reading #books #book #readersofinstagram #catsofbookstagram #bookstacat #reading #amreading #reader #tahkithrog
The Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin has been on my bucket list for a long, long time. Whenever I’ve been dreaming about something for so long, I always worry that my imagination has eclipsed reality, and I’ll be let down by the real thing. Thankfully, that in no way happened when I saw it for the first time last week. I tried to capture the magnificence, but no picture can do this place justice, really. Until next time, Trinity. • • Q: What’s something you’ve experienced (be it book or place or something else) that was as good or better than the hype? • • P.S. Welcome to my new ‘wake up at 5am’ habit, courtesy of jet lag. This was the first time we’ve traveled to Europe from the West coast and it turns out an eight-hour time change is a bit of a time warp. I guess if it means I start waking up early in the new year that’s not necessarily bad? • • #trinitycollege #trinitycollegedublin #dublin #ireland #library #thelongroom #ilovelibraries #books #book #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #travel #travelgram #literatour #booktravel #bookishtravels #throwbackthursday
“Oh, I want to hold it all! I want to hold the way the night is—cold without wind. And the way the stars are so near and shiny. I want to hold all of it tight until it hollers out, ‘Let me go! Let me go!’” - Francie, in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith • • Well, I now understand why this book is near universally loved. It took me a while to finish it, but only because I wanted to savor it. A beautifully written coming-of-age story, this book is about so many things. About growing up. About hard times and unfair circumstances. About stark poverty. About loss. About the importance of education. About the little things. About family. About love. About embracing life as you find it, and grasping at every good thing as an opportunity. Ultimately, about living life fully and holding onto every beautiful moment. If you haven’t read it yet, let me join the masses of people who told me to read this and encourage you to do the same. Three-word review: beautiful, tragic, hopeful. Stars: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5) • • Q: Have you read this one? What’d you think? • • #atreegrowsinbrooklyn #bettysmith #atreegrows #nosleeptilatreegrows #comingofage #classic #classicbooks #literature #read #books #reading #readtheclassics #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #ilovebooks #francienolan
Happy Christmas Eve! I spent several hours right here yesterday, curled up by the fire with a book in one hand, and a drink in the other—a truly perfect holiday afternoon, if you ask me. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas full of peace and cheer—and hopefully, lots of books! 📚😊🎄 #christmas #christmaseve #unitedbookstagram #bookstagram #library #librarybar #curledupbythefire #books #book #read #reading #reader #ireland #castle #castlelife
#currentlyreading ...and I can hardly put it down! What will Magdalen do next?? Wilkie Collins seems to have done it again. Another unputdownable classic that’s equal parts Victorian charm and page-turning suspense. Q: What classics have you been unable to put down? #bookstagram #unitedbookstagram #noname #wilkiecollins #pageturner #suspense #booksandtea #tealatte #books #vintageclassics
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