The best books to read when you’re traveling in a far-off land

Why am I passionate about this?

I love reading. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child. Having been raised in a conservative, Persian family, it was a tool I used to escape and imagine another way of life. I’m always traveling now and searching for ways to better myself, and for topics or places to write about. I’m so inspired when a book just grabs me and pulls me in and makes me think. Whether that’s a romance, or a book about self-actualization, I think of everything I read as a teacher. We can never stop learning, stop growing, or dreaming. 


I wrote...

Conquer

By Colet Abedi,

Book cover of Conquer

What is my book about?

There is something about him. Something that makes me stare and wonder. Something that makes me imagine all sorts of delicious, forbidden things. Something that makes me want to give him what I have never given another man before. My virginity. Extreme? Yes. But then, so am I. I am not your typical virgin.

And William Sinclair is not your typical man.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Untamed

Colet Abedi Why did I love this book?

This book is such an amazing read. I laughed, I cried, I had a lot of moments of self-reflection. We’re all on a journey in this life and Glennon’s story encompasses so many real moments we’ve all been through as women. We’re here to grow and this book really takes you there and makes you think... and it also makes you realize that you’re not alone. Everyone has their moments when they fall, and as long as you dust yourself off and get back up and continue on, you’re winning.    

By Glennon Doyle,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Untamed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD! “Packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)

In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the activist, speaker, bestselling author, and “patron saint of female empowerment” (People) explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet others’ expectations and start trusting the voice deep within us.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine • The Washington Post • Cosmopolitan • Marie Claire • Bloomberg • Parade •…


Book cover of Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

Colet Abedi Why did I love this book?

This book changed my life in every way. Anita’s near-death experience was so personal and profound, it stayed with me. I’ve found myself listening to the audible many times, even jumping around to different chapters that resonate more. Death is unavoidable. It’s the one truth that unites all humans - we all come to this planet the same way, and we’re all going to leave at some point, it’s just a matter of how we choose to live our life here on this earth. Anita really teaches you that love is the only answer.   

By Anita Moorjani,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Dying to Be Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this truly inspirational memoir, Anita Moorjani relates how, after fighting cancer for almost four years, her body began shutting down-overwhelmed by the malignant cells spreading throughout her system. As her organs failed, she entered into an extraordinary near-death experience where she realized her inherent worth . . . and the actual cause of her disease. Upon regaining consciousness, Anita found that her condition had improved so rapidly that she was released from the hospital within weeks-without a trace of cancer in her body!

Within these pages, Anita recounts stories of her childhood in Hong Kong, her challenge to establish…


Book cover of Many Lives, Many Masters

Colet Abedi Why did I love this book?

This book… oh, this book makes me so happy. I was given this to read by a good friend many years ago and it’s one that I recommend to everyone who’s on a soul-searching journey. Whether or not you believe in past lives, reincarnation, or karmic destiny, Weiss’ honest take as a highly reputable psychiatrist is one that will touch you and make you think. It’s a book that really makes you understand that we are all connected and this world is one giant tapestry. 

By Brian L. Weiss,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Many Lives, Many Masters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From author and psychotherapist Dr. Brian Weiss comes the classic New York Times bestseller on the true case of the past-life therapy that changed the lives of both the prominent psychiatrist and young patient involved-now featuring a new afterword by the author.

As a traditional psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. His skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from the "space between lives," which contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss' family and…


Book cover of One Tiny Lie

Colet Abedi Why did I love this book?

Oh my God did I absolutely love this romance! It takes you back to college and gives you all the feels you experience when you have a mad crush and can’t stop obsessing or dreaming about the object of your desire. Ashton and Livie are the perfect couple, and Kathleen brings all the college first love feels to life. If you don’t fall in with Ashton, I don’t know what to say… I promise you, this book will get you to escape! 

By K.A. Tucker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Tiny Lie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Make me proud." These were the last words Livie's father ever spoke to her. In the seven years since her parents' tragic death, Livie has done her best to keep this promise through her every choice, word, and action, while looking after her sister with strength and maturity. But with college right around the corner, unexpected challenges will test her resilience-and her heart.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she's dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy to marry someday. What isn't part…


Book cover of A Kingdom of Dreams

Colet Abedi Why did I love this book?

She is the queen of historical romance for a reason. I will never forget reading this book as a teen, and I don’t know how many times I’ve read this as an adult. It has everything you can want - adventure, a crazy kind of love, an alpha male who is hot as hell, and of course, an innocent virgin. It’s a book that made me want to be a romance novelist. I bow to Judith McNaught for life. 

By Judith McNaught,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Kingdom of Dreams as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestselling author continues her evocative Westmoreland Dynasty Saga with this romance following two defiant hearts clashing over a furious battle of wills in the glorious age of chivalry.

Abducted from her convent school, headstrong Scottish beauty Jennifer Merrick does not easily surrender to Royce Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore. Known as "The Wolf," his very name strikes terror in the hearts of his enemies. But proud Jennifer will have nothing to do with the fierce English warrior who holds her captive, this handsome rogue who taunts her with his blazing arrogance.

Boldly she challenges his will-until…


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A Diary in the Age of Water

By Nina Munteanu,

Book cover of A Diary in the Age of Water

Nina Munteanu Author Of Darwin's Paradox

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Ecologist Mother Teacher Explorer

Nina's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

This climate fiction novel follows four generations of women and their battles against a global giant that controls and manipulates Earth’s water. Told mostly through a diary and drawing on scientific observation and personal reflection, Lynna’s story unfolds incrementally, like climate change itself. Her gritty memoir describes a near-future Toronto in the grips of severe water scarcity.

Single mother and limnologist Lynna witnesses disturbing events as she works for the powerful international utility CanadaCorp. Fearing for the welfare of her rebellious teenage daughter, Lynna sets in motion a series of events that tumble out of her control with calamitous consequence. The novel explores identity, relationship, and our concept of what is “normal”—as a nation and an individual—in a world that is rapidly and incomprehensibly changing.

A Diary in the Age of Water

By Nina Munteanu,

What is this book about?

Centuries from now, in a post-climate change dying boreal forest of what used to be northern Canada, Kyo, a young acolyte called to service in the Exodus, discovers a diary that may provide her with the answers to her yearning for Earth’s past—to the Age of Water, when the “Water Twins” destroyed humanity in hatred—events that have plagued her nightly in dreams. Looking for answers to this holocaust—and disturbed by her macabre longing for connection to the Water Twins—Kyo is led to the diary of a limnologist from the time just prior to the destruction. This gritty memoir describes a…


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Interested in romantic love, reincarnation, and near death experiences?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about romantic love, reincarnation, and near death experiences.

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