Instead of breaking the bank trying to plan a dream trip to Spain this year, why not dive into one of the books on Spain?
There are so many books set in Spain, so no matter what kind of books you like to read, you can easily get away with a more affordable budget so you can continue to pursue your wanderlust.
You are reading: Books about spanish culture
In this list you will find everything from classic Spanish novels to novels about medieval Spain and everything in between.
see; literally almost every type of book will be included in this list!
Then read the best books about Spain in no particular order.
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1. the dinner guest by gabriela ybarra
The first is the guest at Gabriela Ybarra’s dinner, which premiered in 2015.
is a shorter cultural fiction novel about Spain that covers politics, history and more throughout its 150 pages.
The story follows one that ybarra herself knows that took place in 1977 when her grandfather was held at gunpoint in the shower and shortly after was kidnapped and then murdered.
has a kind of documentary feel and connects two difficult moments in ybarra’s life.
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2. the little matador by julian hector
if you’re looking for children’s books about spain, be sure to check out julian hector’s little matador.
This book is only about 40 pages long and was published in 2008 as a children’s picture book.
Throughout the book, the reader follows the little bullfighter, who comes from a family where everyone becomes a bullfighter, but he doesn’t want to.
He ends up falling in love with art and drawing and tries to use his talent in other ways.
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3. the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is possibly one of the best works of historical fiction about Spain that you won’t want to miss.
ruiz zafon has published many historical fiction novels about the country, so if you like this one, be sure to check out his other works.
This novel about Barcelona takes place in 1945, just after the war. It follows Daniel, who is grieving the death of his mother when he finds The Shadow of the Wind, a book by Julian Carax.
However, he soon discovers that someone is destroying all the carax books for some reason, and soon finds himself embroiled in an exciting mystery.
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4. tales from the alhambra by washington irving
One of the best books about traveling to Spain is Tales from the Alhambra by Washington Irving.
It develops mainly in Granada. this book is a classic and was published in 1832 and is about 350 pages long.
irving has collected a large number of his discoveries, stories and essays throughout the book, all about the alhambra.
He first visited Granada in 1828 and made many discoveries during his time there, filling many notebooks with his findings.
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5. driving on lemons: an optimist in spain by chris stewart
next is driving on lemons: an optimist in spain by chris stewart, one of the best novels about spain. It is one of the novels set in Andalusia, and is part of the driving on lemons trilogy.
The book follows Chris Stewart, who shears sheep for a living.
He bought a country house, and the book keeps on discovering what it’s like to live there because it wasn’t near any roads, it didn’t have electricity, and it didn’t even have running water.
This book is said to be one of the funniest memoirs about Spain, so if you want something a little lighter, definitely check it out.
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6. the sources of silence by route sepetys
ruta sepetys has quickly taken the world by storm since publishing his first novel in shades of gray a few years ago.
This book takes place in Madrid, Spain, and Dallas, Texas, in 1957, 1975, and 1975.
in 1957 madrid, the city is under the dictator general francisco franco.
The story follows Daniel Matheson, who comes to town from another country as a photographer.
ends up meeting ana, and they discover that there are still some fragments of the Spanish civil war that continue to shake the country.
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This is also one of the best novels about the Spanish civil war.
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7. for whom the bell tolls by ernest hemingway
one of the most famous books in spain is for whom the bell tolls by ernest hemingway.
It takes place in Spain and is considered one of the best classic literary fiction books that take place in the country.
ernest hemingway went to spain to learn more about the spanish civil war for a newspaper in america and ended up writing this book.
follows robert jordan, who is an american in spain who falls in love with maria while going through many problems in the country.
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8. only in spain: a firecracker of memories about food, flamenco and falling in love by nellie bennett
Another one of the great travel books on Spain is only in Spain: a firecracker of memories about food, flamenco and Nellie Bennett’s crush.
With a title like that, you know it’s going to be an interesting read you won’t be able to put down!
This book was published in 2012 and is just under 300 pages long.
follows nellie bennett, who discovers her love for flamenco in sydney and then decides to travel to seville.
At the age of three, he learns everything about flamenco and that it is more than just a dance.
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9. hot milk by deborah levy
next is deborah levy’s hot milk, which was released in 2015.
This contemporary fiction novel quickly became widely known and popular, already boasting over 20,000 reviews on goodreads.
hot milk follows a girl named sofia, who is an anthropologist.
She ends up traveling to the south of Spain to talk to a consultant to see if they can help her find out what’s wrong with her mother.
but, the consultant has very interesting ways to cure ailments, which is what makes the book so interesting.
If you’re looking for a short and exciting read, then Hot Milk is for you.
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10. the fight for catalonia: rebel politics in spain by raphael minder
the fight for catalonia: rebel policy is one of the most recent books on the history of Spain.
It was published in 2017 and covers the day of 2012, which is the day that Catalonia celebrates its national holiday on September 11.
In 2012, everyone in the dyad came together with new demands.
Throughout the book, you will learn more about the politics of Spain, what the diada really means, and more through interviews with people from Catalonia.
This is a truly unique read about something that recently happened in Spain, which is what makes it so gripping.
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11. don quixote by miguel de cervantes saavedra
don quixote is probably one of the books you’ve already heard about on this list. Published in 1605, this classic of Spanish literature has been widely read since its first publication.
in fact, it is found on most vintage shelves around the world.
It takes place in La Mancha and Barcelona in Spain.
The book follows none other than Don Quixote, who loves to read novels and soon becomes something of a knight.
He travels with Sancho Panza, his squire, and the story follows the two of them and what they find.
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12. cathedral of the sea by ildefonso falcones
the cathedral of the sea is one of the great fiction books about spain.
was published in 200 and is part of a series.
The book takes place mainly in Barcelona.
The story follows a guy named Arnau, who is a peasant. he ends up finding a safe haven in barcelona after leaving home, and ends up becoming a kind of bricklayer while his close friend turned brother ends up becoming a priest.
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then, things start to change. all this happens while the cathedral of the sea is being built.
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13. until the curtain falls by david ebsworth
Until the Curtain Falls by David Ebsworth is one of the novels set in Spain that was recently published in 2017.
This historical fiction novel follows a guy named Jack Telford, who is running for his life in the late 1930s.
The main character is someone who is being hunted, which the reader learns more about as they read.
This all takes place during the last days of the Spanish civil war, which only makes it more intriguing as everything begins to come to a head.
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14. the vacationers by emma straub
If you’re looking for travel books about Spain that are a little easier and lighter to read than some of the heavier books on this list, then you’ll want to check out Emma Straub’s Vacationers.
This book was published in 2014 and takes place in Mallorca.
Throughout the book, you’ll follow the courier family, who have different celebrations.
one of them is celebrating their wedding anniversary and their daughter recently graduated from high school.
Deal with familiar matters and new secrets throughout the book, making for an easy poolside read.
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15. while stepping out one summer morning by laurie lee
As I Went Out One Summer Morning by Laurie Lee is technically the second book in a series, but it’s okay to start with this one because it takes place in Spain.
It was published in 1969 and is a shorter read at just under 200 pages.
The book follows a man in the 1930s who walked from his home in the Cotswolds to London to earn money and then decided to take a trip to Spain.
He visited it just at the time of the Spanish civil war.
lee talks about what he discovered during his journey and paints a picture of the country on the brink of war in the book.
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16. isobel blackthorn’s dragon tree
The next one is The Dragon Tree by Isobel Endrino, a book that takes place in the Canary Islands of Lanzarote.
This contemporary cultural fiction novel was published in 2015 and follows a geologist named Ann Salter.
Throughout the book, he meets someone named Richard Parry and they take the time to learn more about the island in each other’s presence.
they start to learn more about the island and about themselves the more they discover and discover.
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17. pomegranate secrets by barbara lamplugh
The Secrets of the Grenade by Barbara Lamplugh is a lesser known but interesting book that takes place after the train bombings in Madrid in 2004. It was published in 2015.
The book follows Deborah, who was on one of the trains during the attacks and was unfortunately injured.
At the same time, her sister, Alice, wonders if she’s okay.
The book covers their love for each other as sisters while also teaching the reader more about the country’s culture.
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18. orange blossom days by patricia scanlan
Days of Orange Blossom is another easier-to-read chick lit book on this list of the best books about Spain! In addition, it is written by Patricia Scanlan, a very popular author in this genre of books.
It takes place in the south of Spain and follows a few different tenants who live in the same apartment building by the sea.
Throughout the book, as he learns more about the tenants and their lives, he realizes that there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to them and the lives they lead.
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There are so many amazing books about Spain that you could really pursue your love and wanderlust through the pages of these books.
each one has great reviews online so you know they’re going to be great.
Have you read any of these books? If not, which one would you most like to read?
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