There's nothing like the travel lust that a good novel invokes. But a novel as a travel guide? When I moved to LA from the East Coast, a colleague advised me to read James M. Cain for a quick historical and culture 
guide to the region through the roman noir. Now, after The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, among other LA fiction, I have context for both the wacky and the ordinary. I always check out fiction -- past and present -- before moving or traveling to new places. Writer Peggy Williams, preparing for her visit to Kyoto, reminded me of one of my armchair visits to Japan through Junichiro Tanizaki's pre-World War II epic, The Makioka Sisters.
Put some of these novels on your summer reading list to travel afar or learn more about places you may never visit. In either case, the trip can't be spoiled -- unless your book falls into the pool.
The Virgin's Lover, by Phillippa Gregory -- A love triangle burns among the newly crowned Elizabeth I, her lover, and his wife.
Skeleton Man, by Tony Hillerman -- A robbery investigated by Lt. Joe Leaphorn leads to the Hopi Underworld.
Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros -- The author of The House on Mango Street weaves a dazzling family saga about three generations of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Americans.
Prague: A Novel, by Arthur Phillips -- Budapest ex-pats in the 1990s characterize the post-Berlin Wall generation of Eastern Europe.
Nights of Rain and Stars, by Maeve Binchy -- Four strangers cross paths in a tiny Greek seaside village.
Graceland: A Novel, by Chris Abani -- A street performer attempts Elvis in the deeply fractured city of Laos, Nigeria.
Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, by Ismail Kadare -- An Albanian mystery demystifies the exhilaration and chaos following long oppression.
