Buddha enshrined in Taiwan's Basian Caves. -- Photo courtesy National Geographic Traveler: Taiwan

Ask five authors to write about celebrities and you'll get five completely different books. In Famous Faces, Famous Places & Famous Food (Greatest Escapes Publishing), Vancouver author Victoria Brooks opts for the literary approach.

It seems fitting since most of the 10 artists she profiles in this immensely readable book are authors, including Graham Greene in Vietnam, Ernest Hemingway in Cuba and Ian Fleming in Jamaica.

Have fun trying some of the 98 recipes from the kitchens of hotels, bars and restaurants associated with the famous figures profiled.

Also included are Dick Francis's recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie, and a letter from Sir Arthur C. Clarke in Sri Lanka, in which he reveals he's "never really been interested in food," though his favourite meal is Welsh rarebit, "a kind of cheese omelet on toast."

Another celebrity-oriented book, this one from author Chris Epting, puts the emphasis on place. Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here: More Locations Of America's Pop Culture Landmarks (Santa Monica Press), provides exact locations, brief descriptions and photographs of more than 600 landmarks where significant events in American popular culture took place.

In this follow-up to his book James Dean Died Here, you'll find the McDonald's restaurant made famous by the hot coffee spill, the Hollywood salon where Marilyn Monroe had her hair dyed blond and the San Francisco apartment where Osama bin Laden lived in the 1970s.

A few Canadian entries have been included, too, such as the Westin Bayshore Resort in Vancouver where billionaire Howard Hughes had an elegant suite, and the Harbour Grace Airstrip in Newfoundland where Amelia Earhart took off on her epic flight on May 20, 1932, becoming the first woman to cross the Atlantic alone.

More ideas for summer reading:

- Fail to understand the word kalouga on a Parisian menu and you might miss out on a delicious chocolate pudding cake! But there's no need to feel helpless in a foreign land when you can easily consult Eating And Drinking In Paris: A Menu Reader And Restaurant Guide (Open Road Publishing) by Andy Herbach and Michael Dillon.

This slim pocket-sized guide serves up 3,000 food-related words and phrases, 100 "great" places to eat, and simple dining rules. For example, travellers should never call a waiter "garcon," and should avoid eating in a restaurant that has a menu written in English (is this a ruse to get us to buy the book?). The authors claim the French menu is different and often lists more items.

Other books in the series include Spain, Italy, and Latin America.

- Those who enjoy nature but dislike strenuous hikes or have physical limitations, may be interested in a new book from Fodor's. Escape To Nature Without Roughing It: 250 Hand-Picked Resorts, Inns And Lodges An Amazing Natural Settings, will help you find the perfect hideaway in 50 states and nine Canadian provinces.

"Getaway categories" include family hideout, romantic retreat and laid-back adventure.

A directory at the back locates lodgings that offer activities and programs such as kayaking, snorkelling, photo safaris, horseback riding and more.

- If you've never contemplated a trip to Taiwan, the newest guidebook in the National Geographic Traveler series may change your mind.

Taiwan, with its 180-plus vivid colour photographs will transport you to underwater rainforests of multi-hued parrotfish, Changhua's hilltop Buddha, so big you can walk up inside it, and the Palace Museum with the world's largest collection of Chinese artifacts.

Plan your trip using the 15 detailed maps, walking and driving tours, in-depth site descriptions and visitor information on hotels and restaurants.