I spent last weekend on one of my favorite types of vacation.

I wasn’t at the beach or camping. I didn’t go out of town for a concert or festival.

I did travel to another place far from home, but I did not get there by car, train, plane or boat. In fact, I’m not sure I ever left my house.

My method of transportation did not have wheels, propellers or tracks to glide on, but it did have pages filled with imagery so colorful that I truly felt like I was being transported back in time.

I can’t even begin to count the places I’ve “traveled” to in books — from Prince Edward Island in the 1900s in the “Anne of Green Gables” series, to the fields of the deep south in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” I’ve been behind the walls of an asylum in Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” all over Sweden in Stieg Larsson’s “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy and through the depths of war with Tim O’Brien’s “If I Die in a Combat Zone.”

This weekend, I was in mid-1950s southern America, following one of my favorite characters of all time as she returned to her hometown during a college vacation.

Because of so many distractions and a limited amount of free time, it’s become fairly uncommon for me to be completely engrossed in a book, but as soon as I started Harper Lee’s long-anticipated sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I was hooked.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding specific elements of the book and the countless blog reviews by disappointed readers, “Go Set a Watchman” found a place on the list of my favorite books because, like the books listed above, it shares a level of writing that is rarely matched.

I’ve loved “To Kill a Mockingbird” since I first read it more than a decade ago, and it’s one of few books I’ve read more than twice. Harper Lee’s use of imagery and intelligent symbolism, like Montgomery’s and Plath’s, is what inspired me to become a writer all those years ago.

Whenever I go on a trip, I come home with lots of new lessons, be it newfound cultural knowledge, a new perspective on specific issues, or the simple fact that I need to pack lighter. Similarly, when I return from my figurative journeys at the end of a good book, I emerge with a long list of lessons learned.

Although most of my favorites are works of fiction, most are reflective of history, and spelled out in such detailed description I can see the scenes playing out in my head. “Go Set a Watchman” is equally compelling, and drew a lot of parallels to issues we are facing in America today, making me see issues like racism and equality in an entirely new light.

Additionally, great writing like Harper Lee’s inspires me to simply be a better writer. It expands my vocabulary, helps my tone and makes me think about unique ways to tell a story. I believe I write best after reading books like these, and I’m so thankful the author offered blessed the world with another beautiful example to follow.

As the last few weeks of summer fly by, I plan to go on at least a few more voyages on my weekends, and I’d love your suggestions on some of your favorite destinations.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.