Book Club: EuropeAN Edition
We started our European Book Club with some light teen romance novels and intriguing mysteries that take place in Greece and Italy. We did not search for very long until we came upon these books that we knew Harper and I would enjoy! Both of the books we picked out for Greece take place in Santorini (because who doesn’t love a good love story on a beautiful island!?) and the books for Italy take place in Tuscany and Rome.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This book tells the story of four girls and magical pants. One of the girls goes to Santorini for the summer where she falls in love with a handsome boy. Personally, I didn’t love it. The whole plot was a little weird (I mean, traveling magical pants??) and only a quarter of the book was focused on falling in love in Greece.
Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
This book is part of a series that Harper and I have read multiple times, but we loved it so much, we convinced our mom to let us read it for the book club! Liv, the main character, travels to Santorini because her absent father wants her to help him find the Lost City of Atlantis. She goes against her will and faces her father, whom she hasn’t seen since he left her when she was 8 years old. This story is SO GOOD. She discovers secrets about her dad that she never knew, and even falls in love while she’s there. This book features a lot of Greek Mythology and the beautiful landscape of Santorini. I recommended this book to anybody who is in the mood for a teen romance!
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
This is another romance novel in the same series, and it highlights a lot of Italian food (gelato, of course!) and the incredible Tuscan landscape. Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, because her dying mother always wanted her to go and meet her father. The thing is, Lina has never met her father, and she only wants to go to Italy with her mom, which unfortunately won’t happen. She travels to Italy not having high expectations and just wanting to get it over with and actually enjoys Italy, falls in love, and decides to stay there.
Midnight in the Piazza By Tiffany Parks
This is a fantastic mystery novel. Beatrice moves to Rome with her Dad because of his work, and soon becomes interested in a legend about a turtle fountain. She discovers many secrets and gets herself entwined with some dangerous art dealers in order to crack the case. I loved this book, in fact, I love any mystery, but especially an international one!!
We will be reading many books throughout Europe, from mysteries, to romance, to Shakespeare. We are open to any suggestions and recommendations!