Reading Around the World is a feature that combines my love of travelling with my love of reading. Each month I plan to spotlight either a city I have visited, or a city I plan to visit in the near future, and recommend some of my favourite books set there. After all even if you can’t visit these cities yourself the next best thing has to be reading about them and living the experience through the eyes of the characters.
Las Vegas was the first stop in mine and my sister’s tour of the West Coast. We stopped off in Vegas first, before flying to LA, and finally San Francisco before travelling home again. Vegas is a very commercial city, and I never quite got used to the casinos which were more like mini cities than any hotel I’ve stayed in before. My sister and I were at the centre of the strip but we didn’t stick to our own hotel; we saw the fountain show at the Bellagio, Grand Canal in The Venetian, and rode the Big Apple Coaster at the New York New York. We even travelled into the desert to take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, a sight that cannot be missed.
When it comes to books set in Las Vegas there aren’t many, but like my sister and I visited the city there are a couple of books that stop off in Vegas as well. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan takes Percy, Annabeth and Grover to the Lotus Casino in Vegas (unfortunately, or fortunately, I didn’t spot that one along the strip) as they try to find the entrance to Hades Underworld.
While the majority of Invictus by Ryan Graudin takes place in Rome (and this was a book I featured in my Reading Around the World: Rome post) Farway and his crew stop off in Vegas to celebrate a successful heist before their world is turned upside down. While this is a time travel book the Vegas Invictus visits is the modern day Vegas, so it gives a good overall feel of the city.
Have you ever been to Las Vegas before; what was your favourite part of the city to see and explore? Also what are some of the amazing books you’ve read set in Las Vegas, or America, that you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments.
Reading Every Night 
Glad to read that you had a good visit in Vegas. It is rare to read a review of Vegas that is positive.
I am a little bias as I am a Vegas Native and haven’t been on the Strip in about 8 years.
There are many other things to do in Vegas, just be sure you do the outdoor activities between October and May.
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Oh I loved Vegas, and even just from my short trip there I realised there’s a lot more to it than just the Strip.
If I do end up going back I’mm definitely remember that. Going in August/September was fun but it was too hot some days. 😀
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Ooooh have you done a post on your visit to San Francisco yet? SF is one of my favorite cities, so if you do a Reading Around the World post on that, I would love to read it 😊 I’ve been to Vegas a few times before, and I don’t think I would go back again. I love the connection you made with Percy Jackson and Las Vegas, though — I almost forgot about that setting for the series until reading this post again! Great post!
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I’ve definitely drafted a San Francisco post, and I think I’ve posted it as well but I can’t be 100% sure. I’ll see if I can find the link for you if I have.
Yeah Vegas is a place I don’t think I need to go back to either. Some places you kind of get the full experience from going there once but there are others I would love to go and see again and again. Percy Jackson is an amazing series, and yeah it’s a small scene but it counts for this post! Thanks so much. 🙂 ❤
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I’ve never been to Las Vegas (and I don’t know if I’ll ever get to visit the city), but wow your pictures look really great! 🙂 I also remember that the end of How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne is set in Las Vegas, but the trip to Vegas doesn’t take up a lot of space in the book.
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Well if you do ever get to go I’m sure you’ll love it there. 🙂 Oh I didn’t know that about How Hard Can Love Be? Good to know, and I have to admit the books I did pick weren’t massively set in Vegas, they kind of just passed through the city you know? 🙂
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Ah, as soon as I saw “Las Vegas”, I immediately thought of Percy Jackson! The Lotus Flower Hotel and Casino scene in The Lightning Thief is one of the most memorable scenes, in my opinion haha. (It’s such a unique concept aaahhhh.) And wow, those are such gorgeous photos of Vegas! The one of the Vegas sign is so pretty. ❤
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Percy Jackson was the first book that came to mind for this city. It really is memorable because out of the whole book and the whole film it’s the scene I see really really clearly in my mind.
Thanks so much May! 🙂 ❤
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Absolutely gorgeous pics! Thanks for sharing. I read The Passage years ago (doorstopper of a postapocalyptic “vampire” book, I remember liking it when I read it… and not much else lol) and part of it is set in a prison in Las Vegas.
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Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. 🙂
Ha, that’s what happens when we think back to books we read so long ago. Yeah I feel like there are a few books that glance through Vegas but not many completely set there you know? 🙂
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To be honest I am not a big fan of Vegas. Though the casinos and the shows were fun to see, I don’t think it is the place for me. However it must be a different kind of experience to have read some books that take place in Vegas and being able to visit places that are mentioned in the books 🙂 Great pictures and I enjoyed reading your post!
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There is a lot more to Vegas than you’d think, I was pleasantly surprised by my time there but I get what you mean because some places just aren’t for everyone (there are countries out there I’m not keen on visiting myself).
Ha, yeah in some ways you can say reading a book set in a certain place is as good as going there yourself! 😀
Thanks so much Sophie. 🙂 ❤
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Sounds like you had a good experience in Vegas which is good to hear 🙂 I think if I were to visit again, I would want to hike in the Grand Canyon.
Yes I love that books can transport us into different places. I think I would love to visit some of the places that I’ve read about in books 🙂
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Yeah I’d love to do that too. We took a helicopter ride over the canyon but didn’t go in it, so that was a missed experience I need to experience. 🙂
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Oooh I’ve heard about helicopter rides! That must have been fun as well 🙂
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It really was. 🙂
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Beth! you & your sister are #GOALS in the travel department, you take the best photos and really make the best of your time traveling which I LOVE! Vegas is on my list of places to visit also. I don’t think I see Invictus get the love it deserves so thank you for including it here, I remember the scenes in both books! love these posts 🙂
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Ah thanks Lilly. 😀 We have been lucky enough to go to some incredible places, and there are a few more to come in the near future as well. 🙂
Vegas is brilliant, I’m sure you’ll love it there because there’s a lot more to the city than you first think. Invictus is a favourite of mine, both because it’s a time travel book and because it was written by Ryan Graudin.
Thanks so much! 😀 ❤
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OH I love your pictures, Beth! I’d love to visit Vegas someday, but just… for one day or something, because I don’t think it’d be the kind of city I’d fall in love with. Still, all of these lights and casinos and everything, it’s something you have to see for yourself someday haha 😀
I love this feature, Beth! ❤
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Thanks so much Marie. 🙂 Las Vega actually surprised me because there was a lot more to the city than I thought there’d be you know? I’m sure you’ll find something to love even if it’s not the kind of city you’d fall in love with. I enjoyed my holiday there for sure.
Thanks so much! 🙂 ❤
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Oh I’m glad to hear it – I guess Las Vegas seems a bit… cliché, somehow, but I guess there are hidden treasures in every place, just have to find it 😀
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I mean there’s a certain amount of cliche, after all I guess the cliche comes from somewhere right, but there are a lot of hidden treasures too! 😀
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I’d love to see Las Vegas one day!
Till then, i’ll have the books 😀
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It’s a great city to explore. I’m sure you’ll love it. 🙂
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Omg I love this feature! So cute and fun 🙂
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Thanks so much, I’m glad you enjoyed this post! 😀
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Las Vegas looks like such a fun place to visit and I love how you linked this with Lightning Thief- I really liked how that was the entrance to the underworld in the book. And I’ve not read Invictus yet but am looking forward to it. Brilliant post! 😀
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It really is, and there’s a lot more to the city than you’d think considering it’s in the middle of a desert. 😀
Yeah I thought that was an interesting take, and oh Invictus is a great read. I’m sure you’ll love it! Thanks so much. 🙂 ❤
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I haven’t been to Vegas, but it’s always look like a fabulous place! When thinking about Vegas, the first book that came to mind is PJO too 😀
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Vegas is amazing, if you ever get a chance to go I’d highly recommend it. There’s a lot more to the city than meets the eye. Ha, yeah Percy Jackson was the first book I thought of for this post! 😀
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I think another book could be Ace of Shades since the world is inspired by Vegas!
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Oh yes I recently read Ace of Shades as well and I agree that city was definitely inspired by Vegas (not sure why I didn’t include it on this post actually, I think I must have drafted this before picking up Ace of Shades). It’s a great book though. 🙂
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Great post, love your photos. I’m going to Las Vegas in July and can’t wait 🙂
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Thanks so much, and oh in that case I hope you have a brilliant time in Vegas. It’s not going to be much longer until you’re there now! 😀
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You’re welcome and thank you I can’t wait 😀
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I love this feature of yours!! 😀 I can’t wait to start Invictus sounds amazing 😀 Las Vegas sound soo cool too!
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Thanks so much Trang, and oh I’d definitely recommend Invictus. I love time travel books and that’s a really amazing one.
Vegas is also amazing, there so much to the city I was a little surprised when I visited there. 😀
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The two books I’ve read recently that were set in Vegas were Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and All The Beautiful Girls! Fear and Loathing I didn’t like too much because it was confusing (the main character was on drugs for most of the book), though the movie was actually decent. All The Beautiful Girls on the other hand was an awesome book, and I loved everything from the main character to the beautiful descriptions of Vegas in the 60’s!
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There are some good books set in Vegas, and some good fantasy books set in cities inspired by Vegas as well. Sounds like Fear and Loathing wasn’t a great read but I’m glad you really enjoyed All The Beautiful Girls. I really love it when books give a detailed description of the surroundings, it almost makes you feel like you could be there yourself right? In 60’s Vegas? 🙂
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