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Boston: Books Part of the Places of a Lifetime series from Traveler magazine

Great reading that provides a sense of the city, from the Traveler online Ultimate Travel Library.

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Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey (1941)
This wonderful children’s story follows Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings as they search Boston for a good home before settling in the Public Garden.

The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl (2003)
A strange killer is on the loose in 19th century Boston; American literary icons Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes aim to discover his or her identity.

A Death in Belmont, by Sebastian Junger (2006)
Junger explores the story of Albert DeSalvo, the man who claimed to be the Boston Strangler. Junger was a baby during the Boston Strangler rape-and-murder spree (1962-’64). One victim was a neighbor who was killed during the same time DeSalvo was working on a construction project at the Junger home.

Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane (2001)
Three childhood friends are brought back together by the murder of a daughter and each must face their own demons; psychological thriller, which inspired the Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood film.

The Bostonians, by Henry James (1886)
Initially published as a serial in a magazine, this novel is James’ intriguing portrayal of a Civil War veteran and lawyer, his Bostonian feminist cousin, and her protégé.

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