Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by  The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here.  This week’s prompt is:

Bookish Places I’ve Visited

I like this topic and I could have expanded but here are a few books where I’m familiar with the setting:

The Stranger Times series by CK McDonnell. This is a fantastic series that I absolutely love and have no hesitation recommending. It’s unique urban fantasy with amazing characters, great story lines and its set in Manchester – which is my home town.

The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger which was set in London, mostly. This was a very witty, charming and sexy series. I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t finish the series – it’s one of my guilty confessions – but I still have the last book to look forward to.

Dracula by Bram Stoker. Whitby comes into focus in this novel with it’s gothic abbey and small seaside village.

The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, set in Scotland (and other locations along the way). I visited the Highlands for a couple of months and it is simply the most stunningly breathtaking place. Seriously stunning.

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden is set in France, Brittany I believe. A really beautifully written book (and I might also mention that I’ve visited so many places in France and love it).

The Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, it’s a long time since I read this but this was also based in France, Carcassonne. I enjoyed this very much. Carcassonne is a beautiful walled/fortified city, stunning to walk around and full of history.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, another book that I read a long time ago, certainly pre-blog. Set in an Italian monastery – okay, I may not have visited a monastery per se but Italy is so beautiful. So much history, architecture and fantastic food and drink.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. A great book from a very long time ago (I seem to be on a roll). Set in Barcelona which I’ve only briefly passed through and intend to return.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. Again, I’ve travelled back in time for this one. This is set on the Greek Island of Cephallonia – I haven’t visited this particular island but Greece is Greece – am I wrong and I’ve been to Crete? Anyway, gorgeous place, people and food. I can’t wait to go back – and visit some more islands.

The Island by Victoria Hislop. Again, a throwback. An intriguing book that takes us to the Island of  Spinalonga – an island I visited whilst on holiday in Crete. Strangely enough I’d read the book fairly recently and so to be able to visit the island was really intriguing. This is a place with a rich history concluding with its time as a leper colony (as described in the book).