Read-a-Thon: Hourly updates Here #2

My 3rd Mini-challenge - Armchair Travelling hosted by Marg at Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Has a book ever inspired you to want to go somewhere?

My early teens were characterized by digging through my mother's bookshelf. One of the first books I read and re-read was  by James Herriot, the Scottish Vet. Being woken up in the wee hours of the morning, tramping through the dales to some dairy farmer's barn - this is a fairly straightforward framework for most of Jim's stories. 

Being a vet was not something he glossed over, and us readers got to see the gritty, rough side of being a mostly large-animal vet in pre-war Scotland. However, this tough view was mitigated by stories that ended with Jim in his open car, driving without brakes down a steep road, with a big, loving dog in the passenger seat. What an evocative image for an Indian girl with no pets in a small student town!

Far From a Madding Crowd brings to mind rolling, gentle British hills, and sheep-filled meadows. While I don't recall most of this long-drawn novel, what stuck to my imagination was the farm he described, sort of like this picture to the right.

Finally, One of the novels I am reading for the 24 Hour Read-A-Thon is Chocolat, set in a French village. We recently went to a similar village in France, and of course, ate a lot of chocolate: For breakfast, in ice cream, in bread, macaroons, with coffee, from various manufacturers. We even made chocolate! Most people associate being in France with eating tiny delicious bonbons and truffles after each meal. I'm sure this book will help keep that memory alive!