Reading lists

26 of the best books to transport your mind elsewhere


Feeling like your world is small, staying at home this summer? Fret not, let us transport your imagination with a book. Whether you pick up a story set in Beijing, the Galapagos Islands or the English Midlands, these 26 reads will captivate your imagination while offering a real sense of place.

Miranda Freeman
test

An Asian setting

An African setting

An Australian setting

An Antarctic setting

A European setting

A North American setting

A South American setting

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut (Galapagos Islands)

It has one of the most unique ecosystems on earth, so it’s no wonder masterful satirist Kurt Vonnegut dedicated an entire book to it.

Galapagos takes us back one million years to an imagined apocalypse, where a group of survivors starts the human race anew on the islands, all told in with Vonnegut’s signature wry wit.

A Russian setting

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more