Today is Top Ten Tuesday, and the topic is supposed to be “Places Mentioned in Books That I’d Like to Visit” but I actually did that topic in October, and I’m not sure too much has changed since then. So I’m going to go the opposite direction and do places I DON’T want to visit. Some of the places I wouldn’t want to visit are dependent on the time frame too. If that’s the case, I’ll mention that.
I suppose if they do the topic of “Bookish Places I Don’t Want to Visit” as an official topic in a few months, maybe I’ll have more places I do want to visit by then. Anyway, as always, TTT is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
The setting of Red Queen – Nope. It might be an okay place ten years after the conclusion of War Storm, but during the series, I don’t think so. There’s a war going on, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re a red or a silver, it’s not really an appealing place. I think I’ll skip a vacation here.
Pre-Revolutionary War France (Enchantée) – There are a lot of historical places I’d like to visit, but if I were to visit the time period of Enchantée, I’d want to do it as an observer only. This would have been a nightmare of a place. First, if you’re poor, you’re probably starving. The crops had been terrible and there really wasn’t enough food for everybody. If you were rich, you were expected to be the king’s lapdog. No thanks. I wouldn’t mind seeing this place in a holodeck as a ghost where nobody could see me, but I don’t really want to live here.
Ukraine during the Holodomor (Red Famine). Another real place and real time period I wouldn’t want to visit, except as one of those ghosts that couldn’t interact or be seen by anybody else. The Holodomor was a time period in the last century where Stalin tried to starve the Ukrainians because they wouldn’t go along with his farm collectivization program. I haven’t read this book yet, but I know enough about this ugly little period of history that I don’t want to go there.
Several locations in The Last Year of the War. I would not have wanted to be set to one of the Japanese/German internment camps that the United States set up during World War II, despite the propaganda videos that show how happy the people were in them (I’m sure they weren’t). Then, I wouldn’t want to be in Germany or Japan during the end of World War II or right afterwards. I have a German textbook that was printed in the 1970s and even then, local calls were still expensive to make and most people didn’t have phones. That was 30 years after the war ended! So no, I think I’ll avoid taking a trip to this location.
Australia of A Thousand Perfect Notes. I absolutely adore Australia. I spent five weeks there many years ago, and it was wonderful. I spent time in Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane, even went to Canberra… and I loved it. But the people in A Thousand Perfect Notes have really rough lives. I’d love to visit Australia again someday, bu I’ll skip this particular neighborhood, if at all possible.
Weep of Strange the Dreamer. I’d love to visit Lazlo’s library, but Weep would have been a terribly depressing place. There’s this big monstrous metal structure hanging over the city, casting a shadow over the whole place, the whole town has recent memories of how the gods used to steal the people away, no thanks. I might want to visit the setting of this series after the conclusion of Muse of Nightmares, but not before.
Thule, Queen of Air and Darkness. I love the Los Angeles setting of The Dark Artifices, but I wouldn’t want to live in Thule, which is an alternate world that split off when… well, I wont give spoilers, but something bad happened during The Dark War in Thule. We’ll see more of Thule in The Wicked Powers, which I’m glad about, but I don’t want to visit Thule, even if I want to read about it.
The world of An Ember in the Ashes. I doubt it matters whether you are in a powerful position or not in this world, it seems like a terrible place to live. You’d always live in fear, and war comes to the land. Maybe this place won’t be so bad after Ember 4 (I don’t know), but as it stands now, I’ll stay away.
Brazil of Never Stop Walking. There are probably a lot of wonderful places to visit in Brazil. I wouldn’t pass up a trip there if offered. However, the particular locations that Christina Rickardsson talks about in her memoir… I’ll stay very far away from. Places where corrupt police shoot children, where kids live on the street and are vulnerable to exploitation or might have to kill to live… I’ll stay away from there.
Germany before World War II (Defying Hitler). Maybe Germany would be a good place to avoid entirely between say… 1900 and 1960? But I would’t want to spend too much time there in the days leading up to World War II, when people were trying to live with runaway inflation. After inflation was under control, they had to live with Adolph Hitler’s rise to power. No thanks.
So there you have it. Ten places mentioned in books that I wouldn’t want to visit. I look forward to seeing the places that you would like to visit, or maybe you went another direction like I did.
Yeah I’ll take modern France over the pre- Revolutionary times haha. I mean it’d be neat and eye opening to see, I’m sure, but like you said- maybe just from a holodeck. This is a great choice of topic, there are so many places to avoid lol!
Greg recently posted…Top Ten Places Mentioned in Books That I’d Like to Visit
Or maybe a quick visit… but definitely I wouldn’t want to live there!
I’d love to visit Paris today though.
I find all dystopian setting frightening, but I guess they are supposed to be, no? So, yeah, that’s a nope to the Red Queen world for me as well.
Sam@wlabb recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: I Want to Go to There Vol 2
I’m not even sure I’d want to see that world in a holodeck… although there are some dystopian worlds I might.
What a great list. Yeah, all of these places would be best avoided.
My Top Ten Tuesday post.
Lydia recently posted…The First Lines of What I’m Reading
Thank you. I’m glad we don’t have to live there.
I loved that you shared places you DON’T want to visit. Yes, you’ve certainly listed some good ones!
Since I did the topic in October I couldn’t really think of new ones. There are more places I’d like to avoid that go to!
I’d like to see Versailles in it’s heyday but I think I’d go further back than the Revolutionary War!
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #200
Other than the fact that it was so huge sometimes the aristocrats would pee in the hallways… but it might be fun to visit in a holodeck.
Love your spin on this topic! For the most part I think I’d want to visit most of history as an invisible visitor. The whole lack of running water/proper plumbing doesn’t appeal to me at all and I know I wouldn’t want to wear all those corsets and skirts!
Definitely if you were an upper class lady, the clothing is beautiful, but probably uncomfortable. There’s a scene in the book I’m writing where my girl is getting dressed and she’s complaining about not being able to breathe.
I totally agree with you on so many of these. I think pre-WWII Germany would be interesting, if horribly frightening and dangerous.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Some of these places would be okay to visit if the danger was taken out, LOL. That’s why reading about it is great… all the danger is taken out of it!
hahaha Yeah any dystopian world is really a no-go for me as well.
Bonnie @ For the Love of Words recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Literary Traveling
Much as I love dystopias… I hope our world never becomes one.
Pre-Revolutionary War France is definitely one to avoid. Despite the fact that I love the history of it all, the reality is NOT something I’d want to experience.
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books recently posted…The Sunday Post #143 (on a Monday… again)
I love its history too. I wouldn’t want to experience Paris during the Terror that followed shortly afterwards either.
I certainly wouldn’t like to visit the world of Red Queen!
Kay Wisteria @HammockofBooks recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday || Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like To Visit
I think that would be last on my list of even the ones above.
Haha! This is such a great twist to the topic of the week, and dare I say, more fun?
Although I do like to dream about places to visit too…
I feel like the thing with a lot of books (especially fantasy) is that… there are probably more places that one would be wise to avoid visiting than ones that would be good to visit. Because at the time of any given book they’re in the middle of a capital U Upheaval…
Kelly @ Wandering Through Books recently posted…Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like to Visit
Yes! I guess it doesn’t have to be a worldwide thing, but there’s something wrong in the world/with the lives of the characters or it wouldn’t be interesting to read.
I agree whole-heartedly on these – definitely places I would not want to go either. I’ll take modern Germany here in 2019, but anything prior, no thanks.
It’s been okay for a few decades now, but they went through a lot at the beginning half of the last century. Same with France after the revolution. But now would be a good time to visit.
Yeah, Germany during the Nazi times would be a no-go for me too! France is awesome now, well, the parts I’ve visited, but pre-revolutionary war, probably not. This is an interesting take on our TTT. Great post, and thanks for visiting mine! 🙂
You’re welcome! France was screwed up for decades. After the Revolution, they had the terror, and then they had Napoleon… what a mess that place was!
I agree that these places would be horrific! Wonderful list.
Thank you! I’m glad we don’t have to live in these places.