Your standard beach read is not really my cup of tea. Zero judgment for people who love those books, of course. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that going to the beach doesn’t really interest me, either, so books about characters who do like the beach and are intended to be read by people at the beach are never going to connect with me.

Whatever the case, I love an idea a friend recently mentioned: Every year when she sets out for vacation, she picks a classic she’s never read. This is actually much more up my alley, and I thought I’d throw together a list of classics for other folks who also like to be contrary.

To narrow down the vastness of classic literature, I’ve selected books about travel and vacation, all of which are available in the Libby app.

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo, William Marsden (translation)

The Travels of Marco Polo is the ultimate poolside read. Tease children with real facts about the life of the medieval Venetian merchant as one cries out “Marco!” and the others answer “Polo!” For instance, you can regale them with tales of the court of Kublai Khan, the Chinese ruler Polo visited multiple times in the decades covered in his book. Or tell them of Polo’s first encounter with the wonders of coconuts and crocodiles. If you enjoy a good travel narrative, this is the prototype.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

I never said the travels and vacations in these books had to be real! However, the astute reader will recognize Swift’s 18th century England, as well as the modern world, in the lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag and the other stops on Gulliver’s voyage. The book is great because it works on so many levels—it’s just a fun story, full of literal Yahoos, while also being a clever satire, as relevant today as it was when Swift published it in 1726.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

According to Jane Austen, no one would have supposed Catherine Morland born to be a heroine, but she was born to travel. Catherine spends most of the novel away from home, first at the great tourist trap that is Bath, where she makes some very unfortunate friends in the Thorpes, but also some excellent ones in the Tilneys. And then in the second part of the book, Catherine is swept off to Northanger Abbey, the Tilneys’ home, for some gothic adventure, as well as romance, before returning home.

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Mark Twain turns his trademark wit to his five-month journey from Paris to Rome to Odesa and finally the Holy Land in this classic travelogue. He admits that he departs from the conventions of travel writing, and while his account is honest, it might not be wise. It is also a deeply entertaining look at not just the places he visits, but the people he travels with and meets along the way.

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

When Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin Charlotte arrive at their hotel in Florence, they are disappointed they have not been given a room with a view of the Arno as promised. The eccentric Emersons, father and son, agree to exchange rooms since they do have a view, setting Lucy and George Emerson on a path that will shape the rest of their lives. For folks who love the Merchant-Ivory movie but have never read the book, I promise it’s just as good!

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, Michael Henry Heim (translation)

Not really a story of the ideal vacation, Mann’s short novel is about aging, obsession, creativity and a cholera outbreak in the titular city. The novel does come with some perpetual travel nightmares, like excessive heat and lost luggage, but Mann’s beautiful writing is the real draw. It might not make you want to visit Venice, but it could lead to an urge to read more Mann.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Also not an ideal vacation, this classic mystery has beautiful socialite Linnet Ridgeway murdered during a Nile cruise. Luckily Hercule Poirot is on hand to uncover her killer. It’s mystery, it’s an exciting Egyptian setting, it’s a corpse instead of a pleasant journey up the river, but that’s Agatha Christie for you.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The best journeys take you there and back again, and that it precisely what Tolkien achieves in his classic children’s book. Bilbo Baggins, a happy Hobbit (read: average Englishman), is perfectly fine having no adventures until one day Gandalf the wizard shows up on his doorstep with a group of Dwarves inviting him to come on a trip to slay a dragon and win great treasures. Bilbo might be reluctant at first, but soon enough he very much gets into the spirit of travel.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

David leaves his home in Brooklyn for Paris, hoping to do that most American thing—find himself. What he finds is an epic love with an Italian bartender, Giovanni. But he’s also trying to find the balance between what he wants for his future, a fiancée and desires he could never admit to back home. The book is beautiful and heartbreaking, and Baldwin’s writing could not be more moving.

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck was already established as one of America’s great novelists when he set off across the country in his custom-built truck with his poodle, Charley. He wanted to understand what makes America, well, America, and what, if anything, Americans all have in common. His insights are still powerful today, and I can think of no better way of enjoying this book than jumping in the car and listening to the audiobook, perfectly read by Gary Sinise.

So set off for the beach (or an overcrowded city, grandma’s house or just stay home on your couch) and enjoy a classic on Libby this summer!