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25 best-selling expat books
For the past 18 months, Kia and I have either been on the road or holed up in our tiny French village. Like many people, our reading habits have changed to reflect our lifestyles, meaning we've worked our way through a pretty eclectic mix of travel guides, adventure travel books and "expat books", stories about leaving ordinary life behind in search of something new. With Christmas fast approaching, we decided to take a look at some of the best-selling expat books of 2015 - perfect gifts for those living away from home or making the jump...
25 best-selling expat books
For the past 18 months, Kia and I have either been on the road or holed up in our tiny French village. Like many people, our reading habits have changed to reflect our lifestyles, meaning we've worked our way through a pretty eclectic mix of travel guides, adventure travel books and "expat books", stories about leaving ordinary life behind in search of something new.
With Christmas fast approaching, we decided to take a look at some of the best-selling expat books of 2015 - perfect gifts for those living away from home or considering making the jump for 2016.
Our curated list of expat books is based on bestseller lists on Amazon and Goodreads and includes expat novels, personal memoirs about expat life, general expat life guides, and adapting to a new expat life. We have omitted more country-specific guides because they do not have broader appeal. Enjoy!
| 1. | The Expats: A Novel by Chris PavoneIn Luxembourg, Kate's days are filled with playdates, coffee mornings and weekends in Paris or the Alps. But Kate also harbors a secret that threatens to unravel her expat life. |
| 2. | The Sun Also Rises by Ernest HemingwayThe quintessential novel of the lost generation. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a ragtag group of expats. |
| 3. | The International Living Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget: How to Live Well on $25,000 a Year by Suzan HaskinsThe premise is simple: Enjoy a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling retirement than you could afford in the U.S. or Canada by finding the right overseas retirement haven. |
| 4. | Emergency Sex (and Other Desperate Measures) by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait and Andrew ThomsonIn the 1990s, three young people try to change their lives. Attracted by the UN, Andrew, Ken and Heidi meet for the first time in Cambodia, where their destinations are inextricably linked. |
| 5. | Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkeyby Anastasia M. Ashman and Jennifer Eaton GökmenA window into the paradoxes of modern Turkey and its most personal nuances from the perspective of 32 expatriates from seven different nations. |
| 6. | The Global Expatriate's Guide to Investing: From Millionaire Teacher to Millionaire Expatby Andrew HallamMost expats do not contribute to their home country's social programs. This comprehensive guide shows expats how to build wealth with index funds abroad. |
| 7. | A year in Merdeby Stephen ClarkeA young Englishman arrives in Paris and finds out what the French are really like. They eat a lot of cheese, they don't wash their armpits with garlic and striking is really the second sport after pétanque. And yes, they use suppositories. |
| 8. | Moving Without Shaking: The guide to expat life success (from women to women) by Yelena Parker This guide is aimed at women who want to build an international career and experience life abroad. He answers many questions that both new and experienced expats ask and offers practical, factual advice. |
| 9. | The Year of Danish Life: Uncovering the Secrets of the Happiest Country in the World by Helen Russell Given the opportunity to start a new life in rural Jutland, Londoner Helen Russell discovered a starting statistic: the happiest place in the world is not Disneyland, but Denmark. |
| 10. | Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worldsby David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van RekenExpat children face unique struggles with personal development and identity. The authors explore the emotional and psychological realities that come with being a “TCK.” |
| 11. | Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid by Jessica Alexander Jessica came to Rwanda as an idealistic intern after the 1994 genocide. But the world she encountered in the field was dramatically different than anything she could have imagined. |
| 12. | Into Africa: 3 Kids, 13 Crates and a Husband by Ann Patras This story of expats in 1980s Africa, interspersed with excerpts from Ann's letters home, describes encounters ranging from lizards to lions, servants to shopping bottlenecks, and cockroaches to curfews. |
| 13. | The Coconut Latitudes: Secrets, Storms, and Survival in the Caribbean by Rita M. Gardner Rita is a toddler when her father leaves a successful career in the United States to live in the Dominican Republic. This is her haunting, lyrical reminder of surviving a reality far from the imagined Eden - and the terrible cost of keeping secrets. |
| 14. | I stand corrected: How Teaching Western Manners in China Became Its Own Unforgettable Lesson by Eden Collinsworth Believing that Chinese people are still socially uncomfortable with their Western counterparts, the author collaborated with a Chinese publisher to produce this best-selling guide to Western etiquette. |
| fifteen. | The Expert Expat: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroadby Melissa Brayer Hess and Patricia LindermanBased on personal stories straight from the author's many years of experience abroad, The Expert Expat gives readers practical advice and encouragement. |
| 16. | Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoirby Samantha VérantAt 40, Samantha's life is falling apart - she's unemployed, in debt and feeling stuck... until she finds seven old love letters from Jean-Luc, the sexy Frenchman she met in Paris when she was 19. |
| 17. | Home Sweet Anywhere: How We Sold Our House, Create a New Life, and Saw the World by Lynne Martin After 35 years of reunion and a severe case of wanderlust, Lynne and Tim Martin decided to sell their home and possessions and live abroad full-time. They never looked back. |
| 18. | The Expat Almanac: Selling Everything. Pack a bag. Hit the Roadby Louise LagueWell into their second 50 years, Louise Lague and Tom Lichty have given up everything comfortable and safe, packed a bag each and embarked on a great adventure. |
| 19. | Notes from a Small Island, by Bill BrysonIn 1995, before leaving his beloved home in North Yorkshire to return to the States, Bryson insisted on taking one final tour of Britain, a sort of farewell tour of the green and friendly island that had long been his home. |
| 20. | Expat Women: Confessions – 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroadby Andrea Martins and Victoria HepworthExperienced expats Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworth share a wealth of wisdom and positive tips to motivate you at every stage of your expat journey. |
| 21. | A Year in Provenceby Peter MayleIn this funny and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it's like to realize a long-held dream and move with his wife and two dogs to a 200-year-old farmhouse in a remote area of France. |
| 22. | The Imperfectionists: A Novelby Tom RachmanTom Rachman's acclaimed debut novel follows the upside-down personal lives of reporters and editors at an English-language newspaper in Rome. |
| 23. | Staying Onby Paul ScottColonel Tusker and his wife Lucy stay after Indian independence. This eloquent, funny Booker Prize winner illustrates the class tensions among the British of the Raj and gives voice to the loneliness, anger and stubborn affection of the couple's marriage. |
| 24. | The Expat Diaries: Single in the City by Michele Gorman Believe Hannah ever believed that Americans differed from Brits primarily in pronunciation, sophistication and dentistry. Armed with little more than her enthusiasm, she charges headfirst into London and stuns the locals in her pursuit of a new life, a new love and a sense of self-worth. |
| 25. | Seriously, Mom, What's an Alpaca?: An Adventure in the Frying Pan of Spain by Alan ParksThe frank and charming story of a courageous couple who move to Spain to raise alpacas and navigate their way through the Spanish real estate market, local characters, renegade builders, and the worst weather Andalusia has seen in 100 years. |
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