What fictional book do you recommend?

Just read Rick Steves' books. They're full of fiction and wishful thinking.... OK, Rickniks, I was just kidding (I'm waiting to see how many people only read the first line before sending an angry reply). They're mostly well written, if a little lacking in scope. Seriously, back to the question you asked. For the area around Interlaken: Part of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Final Problem" takes place partly in nearby Meiringen, where Holmes has his climactic battle with Professor Moriarty, and both are supposedly killed as they tumble over Reichenbach Falls (although after fan outcry, Arthur Conan Doyle resurrrected Holmes in the next story). The story only lasts about 20 pages, so that might suit your literature-averse boyfriend. Although his books take place in the fantasy world of Middle Earth, much of the vivid landscapes JRR Tolkien describes are based on his observations in parts of Europe. Specifically, his writings about the valley of Rivendell is about the best prose description I have ever read of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, on which he largely based Rivendell. Finally, for a movie, the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Schilthorn mountain feature very prominently in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

You might be better served picking some "guy" movies to watch - or at least a romantic comedy, if he can stand those. You can always find a movie set in European locations (hint: not Pride and Prejudice, that's a "chick" flick). If it has to be a book, you are going to need to figure out what interests him. Are there any books he particularly enjoyed in the past? There are many European set mysteries plus a lot of humorous accounts of European travel. Dan Brown books are an easy read and fast paced enough to interest most people. I think many classics are actually interesting and fast paced, Three Muskateers, Count of Monte Cristo, Robin Hood (even though many think of these as kids books). Good luck. I have a similar problem with my wife (but she's not into chick flicks either).

You might want to suggest some John LeCarre books. Set in Germany, and with lots of spy stuff, this might appeal to him a lot more than Pride and Prejudice. They aren't fun and light, but they are interesting. For England, I like "London". Or offer him something by Bill Bryson. He writes such funny books about England and travel in in general.

If he is not a "reader," may I suggest that many of the books mentioned above are available as audio books. One of my favorite books is "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway. Even though I've read the actual book a couple of times, I just listened to the audio version by James Naughton. He did a great job. Check your local library. If your boyfriend has an ipod he might be able to download the books to that. That's what I do. I listen to audiobooks and radio shows on my ipod much more than music.

I picked up a copy of Bill Bryson's "Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe" last year and liked it quite a bit. It's a pretty easy read.

To get excited for Paris, I bought a cookbook: Barefoot in Paris. She has little anecdotes (helped with some restaurant and shopping suggestions) and you get to cook some of the food together to get a feel for it all.
You could also go here for Rick Steves' suggestions: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/plan_menu.htm. Just click on your place of interest and then click on recommended reading and viewing section.

I like the murder mystery books by Cara Brown. Paris is the location. She includes a map of the relevant area of the city in each book. And, the books are contemporary. Cell phones feature largely in the investigations of the P.I., Aimee Leduc.

David Sedaris "Me Talk Pretty One Day" for France. For London, I like Ruth Rendell. She also writes as Barbara Vine. She'll be in the mystery section, and can often be found in used book stores. Check out "Keys to the Street" or "A Sight for Sore Eyes." These are more gritty London than cultural London. She has many others.

I read Angels and Demons before our trip to Rome a couple of years ago. We enjoyed going around to all the places that appeared in the plot. Some I had seen before, but others I hadn't, and as it was my wife's first visit it was all new to her. I think it enhanced the trip. You might also get some movies set in places you'll visit. One that comes to mind is the Billy Crystal film Forget Paris.

For the British leg of your journey Bill Bryson's 'Notes on a Small Island', as a Brit I am in total admiration, he couldn't have got it more right. An easy read. Being British I am not allowed to laugh out loud, but Bill Bryson does it for me every time!

Great question!
I agree, Bill Bryson for the English book- and how about 'Guernica' by Dave Boling for Barcelona? It's an excellent book - fiction, set in the time of the Civil War.

I think it is very hard to get someone who doesn't often read to read books in preparation for a trip. If you like movies, then I would stick with spending time watching flicks that get you in the spirit of travel. I recommend "L'auberge espagnole" both for its glimpses of Barcelona and also for that generally feeling of being in an international environment. It's also just a fun movie. If you insist on books, count me among the people recommending Bill Bryson. While not fiction, he is easy to read, funny, and you'll experience what he writes about along your journey. "Notes from a Small Island" is brilliant. EDIT: The name "Hemingway" sometimes makes an unenthusiastic reader squirm because they think of nothing but Lit classes in high school, but "A Moveable Feast" is a great read while traveling.

Les Miserables is amazing. Though not fiction, Homage to Catalonia is gripping and will enrich your trip.

"Pillars of the Earth" for England. Or just rent the DVD. The church they used in the made for TV movie is the one in Salisbury....the idea can apply to Paris as well, as the stone mason traveled to France to learn his trade. Rome and Italy, read any of Dan Brown's books as already recommended.

Hi! My suggestion would be to go to the Graffiti Wall on the RS website. It has a section on Recommended Novels, from 2010 and from archived years. You can get lots of ideas about books to read. Some of the books are short and an easy read. Others are longer and a bit more involved. Bev

Karen, I LOVED "Me Talk Pretty One Day"! Absolutely hilarious. And "Pillars of the Earth" was an excellent book. And incredibly violent, so, Michelle, your boyfriend will probably love it. I, too, read The Davinci Code during our trip to Rome, and it was pretty cool to read about the places that you're visiting. I'm going to have to check out some of Bill Bryson's books. After so many recommendations on this thread, I'm intrigued!

Everyone who has recommended Bill Bryson is right on the money. Also, try The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan.

Michelle, he might like A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke. It is hilarious and a little risque. It is about a young British man trying to work in Paris.

What I do is read fictional books about the region I was just to. I get a bettter grip of a book after I have seen the sites and it tends to keep me more involved. I am reading "the City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt. It is based on the mystery of why the Fenice opera house burned down in Venice. Since I was in Venice in December, every site they talk about is so vivid in my mind.

If his reaction to your suggestion that he actually -gasp! - read a book! was to shoot you a look that could kill, you might want to re-evaluate your relationship. The "first trip to Europe" will be a good test of that relationship (I'm half-kidding on the first part, but quite serious on the second - even Rick says international travel will test a new relationship, and he's right). In any case, I agree with many of the above recommendations. I'll also put in my vote for Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". I read the first book in the series and am half-way through he second (careful though, these are thick books - with no pictures - so boyfriend might flee). My wife, who is not a big reader, became intrigued with "Pillars of the Earth" when she heard Oprah blessed it. We're currently watching the mini-series of it on DVD (Netflix has it). The movie omits so much of what I thought made the story interesting, but my wife got hooked by it, and has now started reading the book. Last night (as we switched off the movie) she said "I'll never look at one of those churches or castles the same way again."

I agree whole heartedly with "The Pillars of the Earth". Excellent book that will give you a new outlook when you visit any cathedrals. Hemingway, Brown & Bryson would also be on MY list.

Thank you everyone so much! So many good ideas. And many of you are right, it can be difficult to get some one who doesn't read to really get into it, but he has agreed to read DaVinci Code since one of his "cool" buddies told him it was "awesome". I told him it was good, but since I have read Harry Potter five times, I'm not "cool" enough to give the book my blessing, lol. I, of course, will be reading all of your suggestions-again, thank you. We are always looking for movie ideas as well.

Michelle, someone's mention of a romantic comedy reminded me of one of my favorites: Just Married with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. It's hilarious, and their honeymoon which is a bulk of the movie is in Europe. Although the plot is that they go to Venice, a castle in France and somewhere in Austria (or somewhere where they speak German), IMDB says that the filming locations were in Italy and Austria. It always makes me yearn for Europe when I watch it and it's a really cute movie.

Unless you've already read them, Steig Larson's "Millenium" trilogy (aka the "Girl With/Who...") books. Trouble is, you won't be able to put the books down long enough to enjoy each other's company. Though I'm not sure they fit you "light" request....

The fantastic New York Times bestseller, "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is set in 1945 Barcelona. (Stephen King calls it"One gorgeous read.") It even has a chapter at the end called, "A Walk in the footsteps of The Shadow of the Wind" with maps and descriptions of the places set in the novel. My husband and I both loved this exciting, highly original novel and plan to reread it beofre our trip to Barcelona this fall.

"For the British leg of your journey Bill Bryson's 'Notes on a Small Island', as a Brit I am in total admiration, he couldn't have got it more right. An easy read. Being British I am not allowed to laugh out loud, but Bill Bryson does it for me every time!" If your boyfriend can't enjoy any of the Bryson books, no Europe for him, 2 years!! By the way Shoni, you probably knew this, but Bill Bryson is an American.

Michael I did know, and it is exactly because he is an American that I have such admiration for his writing - he knows us better than we know ourselves!

ditto on Pillars of the Earth (but read the book...it is SO GOOD. though the mini series isn't bad, either) and The Shadow of the Wind. if you want a break from reading (i'm an english teacher, so that's almost blasphemy for me to write!) your boyfriend will definitely like the HBO/BBC series Rome. i can say this knowing nothing about him...it's a really good show (and there's some...ahem...nudity. what man doesn't like nudity?)

agree with an earlier poster with the suggestion of listening to books on MP3 player. I recently listened to the Count of Monte Cristo and really enjoyed it.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The book takes place in southern Spain and then across north Africa. It is an exotic tale that draws the reader into a magical world of colorful characters and amazing events. It's a timeless fable that is appropriate for any age. Travel can be seen as a meaningful personal quest of the soul. It is a classic that is easy to read, short on pages, but long on wisdom. The author captures your attention from the first page and doesn't let you go as you travel along with the boy Santiago in his adventure to follow his dream. In the process you can't help but look at your own life in comparison. This is an endearing little book, fun and light, that will inspire travel. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."--Coelho

Ditto "Shadow of the Wind" recommended by Terry. One of my all time favorite books. Follett has a sequel to "Pillars," called "World Without End," also great insight into England, its history and culture.

Swan, did you mean Cara Black mysteries?

Yes, the Cara Black mysteries. Each book covers a different aspect of the grittier side of Paris.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is fun for the Switzerland part of the trip!

Well, except that the Frankenstein castle is a bit South of Frankfurt, near Darmstadt. There is actually a real Frankenstein buried in the Kaiserdom in Frankfurt too. Seems Mary Shelly was staying near by and saw the ruined castle and thought the name sounded good for her book. Plus there are some kind of myths surrounding the owners. Thus a new book was born.

Just in case anyone was tempted to find the original Frankenstein castle south of Frankfurt, don't make a detour. Found it by accident and left it with intention.