I live in a tourist area in southern Florida and every year we experience an influx of “snowbirds” – northern residents who live part time in Florida or another southern region of the U.S. They tend to start coming down right after the Thanksgiving holiday and within a few months our small town becomes a booming metropolis, quiet weekends are filled with music festivals and art shows and empty beaches become patchwork quilts of beach towels and giant umbrellas.

The closer we get to the Easter Holiday, the more our northern visitors start closing up their Winter retreats and heading back up north to prepare for Spring and Summer with their families.

However, not everyone has the ability to take 6 months and move to a more tropical setting. They can’t afford the air fair, housing or other financial responsibilities that come with being a part time resident. For those people, sometimes all it takes is a $5.00 download on their Kindle Fire or a $15.00 purchase from their local bookstore and all of a sudden they’re transported from the office to Venice, Italy or London, England. I call these books “Destination Fiction” because they have the ability to transport the readers to another time or place.

One of my favorite Destination Books is called The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato. The premise of the book lies around a woman named Leonora Manin, ancestor of a infamous Murano Glassblower, who goes toVenice to learn the trade and take up a position among the most prestigious glassblowers in the world on theisland of Murano.

This book is loosely based off the myths and legends of the ancient glassblowers of Murano who were held captive on the island in order to keep the secret of how to create mirrors from others who would seek to buy the info and sell it to other countries.

The description of Venice, Murano and the surround Italian landscape is like the author is painting a picture that you can clearly see come to life in your mind as you read. It offers you a great escape into one of the most beautiful cities in the world and has enough mystery and intrigue to keep you tied to the story line.

Most of the time when I read this book I’ll go to back porch and curl up on one of the chairs with a Peroni (Leonora’s favorite Italian beer) and won’t move for hours, I get so engrossed in the pages.

What about you? Is there a certain book that you like to read because it can help you escape to a land or time you’ve never been before?