When I travel, I invariably discover literary reminders in the most off-the-wall places. It goes beyond those instances of striking up a conversation about James Joyce in a diner, or finding a GREAT bookstore in the middle of nowhere. There are places that have a bookish feel.

Of course, there are other times... Some places just aren't literary. It's not that there's anything wrong with that. But, sometimes, it's nice to discover that found "literariness."

So, the recent post on The Guardian Books Blog captured my attention (and even inspired a bit of a knowing nod). Of his discovery of Ovid, Colorado, Sam Jordison says, "I couldn't help wondering if the person who named Ovid, Colorado had been playing a sly joke on the future inhabitants of the place, knowing how God-forsaken it would probably end up. Conversely, there was also the less happy thought that the originator of the title had been an idealistic classics scholar with great hopes of founding a utopia of poetry and learning."

Anyway, there's a place for everything, and some places just don't seem to quite live up to what we might think of as "bookishness." Have you ever come across some interesting places in your travels (either as a place to visit for the book appeal, or as a place that does quite the opposite for you)?



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