Recommended Reading for Various Tauck Tours
I'm starting this discussion to give Tauck travelers a place to note what books they're read before and after tours. Which ones did they like, find useful (or not) or wish to have some guidance on.
Below are my trips and books including next years tours where I'd welcome some suggestions.
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French Waterways River Cruise – July 2014
- “A Traveller's History of France” by Robert Cole – nice overview of French history from early on to present – not many maps or illustrations – would be good for any trip to France
- “Paris” by Edward Rutherford – historical fiction – Paris from the 1200’s to 1960’s – interesting historical background especially about the building of the Eiffel Tower
- Peter Mayle’s books – I’ve read all his novels starting with “A Year in Provence” – all excellent with a lot of humor
- DK Eyewitness guide to France – their travel books are almost too heavy to take with you but have a wealth of information beyond just hotels/restaurants – beautiful color photos, maps, etc
- Rick Steves “Pocket Guide to Paris” - very useful for free time on your own – small, nice maps, great recommendations for places to see, walking tours, and inexpensive food options
Rhine & Moselle River Cruise – Oct 2015
- “Amsterdam, A History of the World's Most Liberal City” by Russell Shorto – so interesting – in spite of the title it’s not a political book – does a lot to explain how Amsterdam and the Netherlands developed so differently from the rest of Feudal Europe – it’s a little slow to get into but worth it especially for this tour – one chapter starts out talking about a priest hiding in a nunnery during the reformation – turns out the nunnery is right next to the Sofitel Grand Hotel which is used by Tauck for this trip – also interviews he had with a jewish woman who actually knew Anne Frank – if you read nothing else about Amsterdam do read this book
- “Tulipomania” by Mike Dash – interesting history about tulips and the crazy tulip market period
- “Tulip Fever” by Deborah Moggach (author of “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) – historical novel – slow reading but good story – looking forward to the film version but the release date keeps getting moved ??
- “Xenophobes Guide to the Dutch” by Rodney Bolt – short but very funny book – part of a series of guides – the British version was boring but I laughed out loud several times reading this one.
- Rick Steves “Pocket Guide to Amsterdam” - very useful for free time on your own – small, nice maps, great recommendations for places to see, walking tours, and inexpensive food options
- “A Time of Gifts” by Patrick Leigh Fermor – borrowed from the library and tried hard to read but just couldn’t get into it
Seine Plus Versaille, Paris & London River Cruise – Jun 2017
- In addition to what I’ve already read for the French Waterways, I’d be interested in others thoughts on books about Monet, Rouen, etc.
England Scotland, and Wales Land Tour – Jun/Jul 2017
- “London” and “Sarum” by Edward Rutherford – historical fiction – Sarum was his first novel about the area near Stonehenge – he writes a bit like Michener – starts from the earliest times and follows a set of fictional families – interesting tidbits of history along the way
- “Scotland, A Concise History” by Fitzroy MacLean – about halfway thru it – nice photos and maps – reads a bit like a high school history book if you lived in Scotland
- “A History of Scotland” by Neil Oliver – next up to read – it’s a companion book to a BBC series – more story and less photos than the other book
- “Jane Austen in Bath, Walking Tours of the Writer's City” by Katharine Reeve – small hardbound volume – interesting for us Jane Austen fans – found a used copy on Amazon
- “The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way” by Bill Bryson – all his books are funny
- Rick Steves “Pocket Guide to London” – it’s due to be updated so I’m waiting to buy this next spring
