I have two books that changed my life. I’m greedy like that but they both worked together in a strange and unplanned way, as these things often happen, in helping change the course of my life.
The first is Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns, I read this thanks to a friend’s recommendation and it was so different to any of the usual books I would normally burrow my head in that I nearly dismissed it. However, it wasn’t just the emotive language and the gripping story line that caught my attention. It was the way Hosseini described Afghanistan. He just bought the setting to life and took me to the dusty streets of Kabul through his words. I found myself constantly wondering what it would be like to visit a place like that, a place that seemed so alien to the life I lived.
This planted a tiny seed in my mind that I wanted to one day leave the comfort of my then home in Manchester to explore and travel to exotic far flung destinations that I’d only ever read about or seen on television. A thought that I never imagined would come to fruition considering I’d barely left Europe and all my savings were going towards paying for a big white wedding and a mortgage.
The second novel which then watered this seedling was The Single Girl’s To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk. I am a hopeless romantic at heart which is why romantic comedy novels resonate with my inner swooning damsel but after being jilted before my wedding I wanted a form of escape from what was going on in my life without the over the top frothy romance.
I’ve always been a huge Kelk fan and am convinced we could be the best of friends if we ever met IRL. But apart from the fan girling tendencies I just loved the sassy attitude of this book. I really resonated with the main and newly single character Rachel and her struggles to be brave and do the things she always wanted to do but never dared. The overriding message that love is out there if you’re willing to take the risk gave me a lot of comfort during a time when I felt very confused.
So, inspired by these two novels I decided to use my break up as a catalyst to do the things that I wanted to do. I quit my job, sold my car and house and shoved everything else I owned in a large backpack to travel to dusty foreign streets, to allow myself time to heal but also to spark up the hope that one day I would find Mr. Right wherever he may be in the world!
Destination Thailand (The Lonely Hearts Travel Club, Book 1) by Katy Colins is out now.