Boston is a popular destination for travelers. Whether coming into town for leaf-peeping, enjoying the Boston Pops 4th of July concert on the Common, or checking out one of the many universities, it's a great place to discover history or discover a passion. But the rest of the state isn't to be dismissed and if you're looking for books set anywhere in the Bay State, I have a TBR list that might help.
1. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
If you travel to this body of water in Concord, you'll find a large sign that quotes a famous passage, starting with "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately. Thoreau's memoir of his elective isolation on the banks of the Pond was compiled in 1849 as a reflection on the two years he spent living Life in the Woods, as the subtitle explains
It is a popular place for swimming in the summer, but if you wander through the trees, you can understand the peace he found there. You may find yourself able "to front only the essential facts of life and see if could learn from what it had to teach." You can even take some time and visit Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House
2. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
During Thoreau's time at Walden, he wrote about society on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. It is on the banks of the Merrimack that this next recommendation is set. Lyddie is the story of a poor farm girl who travels to Lowell to work in the textile factories that still stand today. She makes a life for herself and can earn wages to help her family, but she also faces danger in the workplace and is exposed to many flaws in her society.
Travel to Lowell today and you can see the mills turned into a museum or an apartment building. Mill No. 5 houses shops, an art gallery, and even a small movie theater. But the Merrimack River is the center of the city and the canals that allowed the mills to draw power can be found across its landscape. It is also the hometown of Jack Kerouac and this is noted at his birthplace as well as a mural in his honor and a park dedicated to him.
3. A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi
The witch trials of Salem are infamous and the stories associated with the city range from the factual to the phantasmic. A Break With Charity is one of Rinaldi's series in which she tells the story of a historical period through the eyes of an ordinary person. In this case, the layperson is Susanna, a resident of Salem who befriends some of the young girls whose accusations of witchcraft were central to the Salem Witch Trials. She is witness to things that cast doubt on the allegations and which shed light on motivations, but if she turns on the girls, her own family members may be the next accused.
Salem leans into its history, with a witch museum open to the public and festivities during October. You can also visit the graveyard, though it takes proof of lineage and a conversation with a historian to find where any of the accused are buried. Proctor's Ledge is a short hike up the hill and the site of hangings, but if your tastes are less morbid, you can bolster the economy by visiting any of the shops.
4. Miracle at Fenway by Saul Wiznia
You don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy a good underdog story and this selection is one of the best. For 86 years, the Boston Red Sox were under the Curse of the Bambino. Babe Ruth swore they'd never win another World Series without him and the team had truly staggering near-misses with the championship over those decades. The book covers the 2004 baseball season that led to the most unlikely comeback in sports history and the unbelievable four-game streak that made the team
"reverse the curse." Every Red Sox fan I know of a certain age has a story of where they were watching the October 27 game--I myself was alone in my apartment and screaming for joy to the confusion of my neighbors--and this is a great way to bring back those memories or introduce friends to truly remarkable sports history.
From a travel standpoint, there is no better way to enjoy Red Sox literature than to visit Fenway Park. A teacher of mine said that baseball is the only sport where you can read a book in between the exciting parts and Stephen King did just that during one of the 2004 playoff games. You can attend a game or get a park tour, but even if you never sit in the center field bleachers, you can enjoy the restaurants or stores. It's within walking distance of Kenmore Square and Boston University as well as the Charles River and it's easy to hop on the T and ride the subway in from other parts of the city or the state.
5. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert Mccloskey
This 1941 book is a sweet tale for all ages. Two mallards look for a safe place to start a family and, after flying around New England, they decide to settle down in Boston. They encounter modern dangers such as cars and bicycles but also experience the generosity of strangers in the city. They eventually settle down with their brood of eight ducklings. It's a love letter to both nature and the city that Mr. and Mrs. Mallard call home.
The statues based on this book are on Boston Common, which has many wonderful attractions. During spring and summer, you can take a ride on one of the swan boats that the eponymous ducks thought were real birds. There are formal concerts as well as street performers and you can choose to walk the Freedom Trail from one point or find some food in Chinatown nearby. Feel free to enjoy the large park with a picnic or read this book under one of the tall trees.