World Hum (www.worldhum.com) contributor Frank Bures recently posted an article about the eight kinds of books every traveler should pack in his suitcase (Read: “Eight Books You Shouldn’t Travel Without” http://tiny.cc/XwPTY). This got me thinking about which eight books I’d take along with me if I were traveling to my favorite destination: Siena, Italy.

Book One – Escape
Angels and Demons
By Dan Brown
Not a very creative choice but country appropriate, and with the movie coming out I try to adhere to the adage “read before seeing”. I’m told it’s leaps and bounds better than The Da Vinci Code; plus, racing around a foreign city with a mission just sounds so exciting.

Book Two – History
Beyond the Palio: Urbanism and Ritual in Renaissance Siena
By Philippa Jackson (Editor), Fabrizio Nevola (Editor)
When I lived in Siena, my apartment was right on the edge of Contrada Onda (the wave) so I’d love to go back and cheer them on. From the Amazon book review: "it presents a refreshingly theorized approach to how the Sienese used public performances and the collective memories of space and history to structure the urban polity”. In terms of the work I do as an American Studies scholar, this book seems right up my alley.

Book Three – Guidebook
The Rough Guide to Florence & Siena
Rough Guides has been a trusted travel companion ever since its guide to Florence led me to the live music club “BeBop” where I witnessed an Italian Rolling Stones cover band. Fantastic.

Book Four – Local Literature
The Divine Comedy
By Dante Alighieri
Hailing from Florence, Dante placed all the Sienese in Hell, but still I can’t say no to this beautiful piece of literature. “You were not born to live like mindless brutes but to follow paths of excellence and knowledge” (Inferno, canto XXVI, l. 118-20). Bellissimo. I would love to read it in the original Italian one day.

Book Five – Anthology/Short Story
The Best Women's Travel Writing 2009: True Stories from Around the World
by Faith Adiele (Author), Lucy McCauley (Editor)
Being a female traveler certainly presents a challenge as well as unique advantages. As an aspiring travel writer, what a better way to learn and be inspired than by reading the works of fellow explorers.

Book Six – Phrasebook/Dictionary
No suggestions in particular, but a phrasebook is a must have when traveling abroad. Helps to correct the time when you asked for a stampa and got a newspaper instead of a postage stamp. Who knew the word I was looking for was francobolli?

Book Seven – Nostalgia
The Power of One
By Bryce Courtenay
Not Italian, but familiar, The Power of One is one of my favorite novels. Synopsis: English boy growing up in South Africa during WWII works to become the welterweight boxing champion of the world so he can crush apartheid. The book has a simple but empowering message: it only takes one person to make a difference.

Book Eight – Travel Writing
The Stones of Florence
By Mary McCarthy
This is not your typical Frances Mayes Tuscany love-fest. McCarthy is witty, insightful, and at times brutal when writing about the history, art, and soul of Florence. 

Thanks for visiting my new website! Happy reading :)