Half the fun of a holiday happens before you’ve packed a single sock. Often, the book comes first. One chapter in and you’re booking a trip to England to find your own Duke of Hastings from Bridgerton. Or you finish Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation and suddenly need your own summer trip with a best friend, hopping along the Croatian coast from Split to Hvar.
Avani Book Club is built on exactly that idea. It matches 30 destination-led titles with 15 Avani hotels and resorts across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
We've done the matchmaking for you. Choose where you're off to next (or where you'd love to be) and grab an Avani Book Club pick.
Bangkok: Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Start with a city you might already be planning to visit, or one you know well. This novel hops between centuries, linking a cast of characters through a single patch of land in the Thai capital, from its past right through to a waterlogged future. It’s the pick for Avani+ Riverside Bangkok, set on the banks of the Chao Phraya.
Amsterdam: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Welcome to 17th-century Amsterdam. Young bride Nella receives a cabinet-sized replica of her new home, and the tiny pieces sent to fill it seem to know far too much. Read it before checking in at Avani Museum Quarter Amsterdam Hotel, then go and see the real dolls’ house that inspired the story at the city’s famous Rijksmuseum.
Venice: You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose
Kacie Rose’s New York Times bestseller is a cheerful ode to food (gelato, naturally), travel and starting over. It’s the Avani Rio Novo Venice Hotel match. Fair warning: you’ll be craving a real Italian gelato long before the last page.
Madrid: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's breakout novel follows a hard-drinking crew of 1920s expats as they bounce from Paris cafés to the bull runs of Pamplona's San Fermín fiesta. One tangled love story and a lot of wine later, it all ends in Madrid, with the narrator tucking into roast suckling pig at Botín, a restaurant you can still book today. It's the choice at Avani Alonso Martínez Madrid Hotel, which also hosts local book club meet-ups for anyone keen to talk it through over a drink.
The Maldives: Folk Tales of the Maldives
Island legends for an island holiday. Folk Tales of the Maldives collects traditional stories passed down through generations, shaped by the sea and everyday island life. Expect myths, a good dose of humour, all giving you a peek at Maldivian identity beyond the postcard-perfect setting. The tales are short, so they’re easy to dip into between swims at Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort in Baa Atoll. Even better, a roving book buggy brings reads straight to you by the pool, with wellness titles waiting in the spa too.
The Seychelles: Wintering by Katherine May
Yes, a book called Wintering on a tropical beach. Katherine May’s memoir explores the value of rest and retreat during life’s tougher seasons. That makes it a lovely companion for slowing down and reflecting in the sunshine at Avani+ Barbarons Seychelles Resort.
Victoria Falls: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
This big, ambitious saga traces Zambia's story across generations. It takes its name from an early colonial settlement on the Zambezi near the falls. Pack it for Avani Victoria Falls Resort and you'll be reading about the river with the real thing just down the road.
Australia: The Rosie Project and Big Little Lies
Two Aussie favourites for proper holiday reading. Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project follows a Melbourne genetics professor on a very scientific search for a wife. Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies turns school-gate gossip in a seaside town into a page-turner you’ll finish in a day. Read them by the rooftop pool at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel, or stretch out in Flagstaff Gardens, right by Avani Melbourne Jazz Corner Residences.
Closer to Home: Reading in the Park, Bangkok
If your next trip is still a few chapters away, the reading comes to you in Bangkok. Avani Hotels & Resorts supports Reading in the Park, a phone-free afternoon of reading together at the Central Amphitheatre at Benjakitti Park. It's run by Bangkok Literature & Readers Festival (BLRF) in partnership with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Bring a book, spread out a picnic mat and read on the grass alongside hundreds of fellow readers, then stay on for a chat and a book swap. No stage show, no screens. It's a social outing that asks nothing of you except to read, which might make it the ultimate introvert's day out.
Sessions run in November and December, just as the rainy season wraps up and cooler air finally drifts into the capital. Entry is free, so sign up for the November or December session and claim your patch of grass
Find the full reading list at Avani Book Club.
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