Read Like a Local

An attorney couple I once knew decided to treat themselves to a vacation in Turkey after passing the bar. Worn out by their intense legal studies, neither bothered reading up on the country. So they wandered the streets of Istanbul and stared at the buildings wondering what they were seeing.

One of my favorite travel preparations is studying the local guidebooks.  While I might not know the whole history of a place, I like to at least know a story or two.  Even better than studying the facts of a place is to know its fiction. Though much of Cannery Row had changed since Steinbeck’s time, his stories accompanied me as a wandered the streets.

Thanks to Hometown Reads travelers can get to know the local writing talent.  During its two years of existence, Hometown Reads has garnered 100 locations from Anchorage, Alaska to Tampa Bay, Florida and over 4,000 books. The site is designed so you can browse by genre or by city and provides resources for authors, readers and libraries.

The Reno, NV page includes non-fiction authors, Kathleen Berry and Janice Oberding as well as romance writers, Lynda Bailey, Mary Frame as well as yours truly.

If you truly want to know the heart of a place, read its writers. Join the #ReadLocal movement.