Book Mountains

Book Mountains? No no the TBR pile, but book mountains of another kind…

There’s many who prefer a nice leisurely holiday perhaps walking along a beach or wandering in and out village streets.

But there are others who prefer to go walking to discover the delights of the region they visit. Climbing, walking and seeing a very unique view of the stunning area beyond….

There are some great mountainous adventures out there in the form of literary packages such as these:

No effort involved but if you buy the hardback you will lose some calories and if you take the book on a walking holiday with you , so much the better!

Italy’s Dolomites

The Mountain

Dare you enter the Bletterbach? The mountains here hold secrets which can kill…

For a start the book proof came with a very convincing promotional leaflet about the magic of this area and the allure. The book came with murder and mustery. Put the two together in a literary package and BOOM! that is one backbreaking and challenging read right there

This is the Dolomites as you have never seen them before. Some of the places are understandably fictional but the grandeur and awe inspiring views which appear in your mind’s eye are true and vivid. There is some gruesome goings on in the mountains and valleys and boy did these mountains come alive. The tension was raw and palpable throughout, the danger in nature, the unexpected and unstable nature of these huge colossal tomes of stone. The raw energy of this wild, untamed world was exciting and fresh.

Scotland’s Cairngorms

Follow The Dead

Rhona from the Lin Anderson books gets the chance to have a mountain holiday in this novel. Well, not much of a chance as it turns out as as she is on this mountain rescue mission on Cairngorm summit where a mysterious plane has crash-landed on the frozen Loch A’an. If that’s not enough, a nearby climbing expedition has left three young people dead, with a fourth still missing. You might not want to go here with Rhona in real life, but Follow the Dead and take the novel to the mountains for yourself to see the real beauty minus the danger.

Canada’s Rockie Mountains

Tracker’s Canyon

Tracker’s Canyon is set between Squamish and Lillooet (real towns) in a fictional canyon. Just as well it’s fictional as once you read this, you might not want to visit if this is what can happen to you! Having said that, the area it evokes has to be seen to be believed. The book evokes the great outdoors, especially in Western Canada, because the landscapes there are all about wilderness survival and adventure. It’s about getting lost, finding your way, making sense of your surroundings and respecting them. It definately challenges a person’s courage and physical endurance when reading so beginners might want to start with the next mountain read:

Switzerland

Alice- Miranda in the Alps

A book for those who might not have been up a mountain before. Having said that it involved skiing so there is room for accidents but look where you’re going and you should be ok. If you learn how to stop on snow that is. Alice-Miranda and her friends are off to Switzerland to ski, sightsee, and experience the unique White Turf racing event. It’s a nice leisurely read for children and Zermatt is nicely explored so if you’re fed up of mountains by this point, there’s plenty of room to take a rest elsewhere.

The Himalayas

The Himalayan Summer

A women will do whatever it can to find her missing son even in the unpredictable landscape of Tibet and Nepal. The author knows the landscape well having lived in Kathmandu for two years in the early 1990s whilst working on an aid programme to Nepal. She says that there is “nothing more pleasing to the senses as walking along quiet trials in spring when the yellow flowers of the mustard crop gild the emerald green Kathmandu Valley under a cloudless, cobalt sky.” You see so much of the region, the trails and treks in the mountains and the sheer human endurance required to get to your destination. It’s a trek to the past as the novel shows how the lifestyle of British colonialists was at that time. A book to read sitting on a mountain cafe and the landscape and backstory are an added bonus.

There are so many more mountains to explore in the literary world – so why not pick up a Mountain walks holiday package right now and get trekking!