Travel nursing entails visiting new places and meeting a diverse range of patients and nurses. Reading a good romance novel or memoir while traveling or unwinding after a long shift is a terrific way to pass the time. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite novels to save you time.

1. The One Woman by Laura May

Laura May has written the ideal beach read. Julie manipulates what the eye cannot see as a graphic designer, but her life and her relationship with her lover Mark remain mundane no matter how she looks at it. Until she meets Ann, an accomplished STEM professional. Ann is also stunning and endearing. Julie can’t deny that their unexpected meeting resulted in chemistry. As their history and present intersect once more in Barcelona, the spark is obvious. Julie must choose between her love for Ann and her allegiance to Mark when catastrophe strikes. Is pure love able to survive when the time is off?

2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora Stephens’ life revolves around books, and she’s not the kind of heroine you’d expect. Nor the brave one, not the dreamy one, and certainly not the sweetheart.

Which is why, when her sister begs her to go to Sunshine Falls, NC, for the month, she accepts, imagining a small town metamorphosis. Nora keeps running into Charlie Lastra, a bookish moody editor from the city. If it weren’t for the fact that they’ve met before and it’s never been cute, it would be a meet-cute.

Nora acknowledges that she isn’t an ideal heroine. Charlie realizes that he isn’t anyone’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again, what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories about themselves they’ve written.

3. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Summers are the measure by which Belly assesses her life. Between the months of June and August, everything good and amazing happens. Winters are merely a place to count down the days until the next summer, a place to get away from the beach home, Susannah, and, most importantly, Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly has known these lads since her first summer, and they’ve been her brother figures, crushes, and everything in between. But, over the course of one summer, one awful and magnificent summer, everything begins to fall into place exactly as it should have been all along.

4. Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton

Alice Gunnersley and Alfie Mack share a bed just a few feet apart. Every day, they converse for hours. And they’ve never met face to face before.

After being in tragic accidents, the two are now long-term residents at St. Francis’s Hospital and share the same ward. Despite the fact that they don’t have the best of the beginning, the close quarters pull them closer together. Alfie believes that he’s finally found a true confidante in Alice, and no one can make her laugh as hard as Alfie can.

However, as their conditions improve and their time draws to a close, Alfie and Alice must determine whether it’s worth continuing a relationship with someone who has seen all of your darkest sides but never your face.

5. Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon

Annika Dev is a romantic who believes in second chances and happy endings. Make Up; her app encourages couples to believe in these things as well.

Fast automobiles, flamboyant start-ups, and high-efficiency break-ups are all things Hudson Craft believes in. Break Up, his software, helps people get out of bad relationships faster. It’s hugely popular, and everything Annika despises.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if they’d split up after their summer fling in Vegas and never seen one other again. Hudson is moving into the office next door to Annika’s, and he plans on entering the famous EPIC investment pitch event as well. If Annika wants to keep Make Up afloat, she needs to win this competition. However, as the two rival software developers fight, Annika discovers that battling with Hudson is just too enjoyable for her.

These are just a few suggestions of novels to take on the road while travel nursing. If you have any suggestions on novels for travel nurses to read, please leave them in the comments section below.

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Whether you are an experienced traveling nurse or only just beginning to consider this healthcare career option, there are some fantastic books available that can help guide you and provide invaluable information. Here are 6 must-read books all travel nurses should add to their reading list.

**1. ‘Hitting The Road: A Guide To Travel Nursing’ By Shalon Weddington**

If you’re wondering whether or not becoming a traveling nurse is the right option for you, then you should definitely make sure that you check out Hitting the Road. In this 2010 updated version of the book, Weddington provides practical information for those about to embark upon travel nursing. A retired travel nurse herself, she shares her decades of experience with readers. She provides detailed information on a range of topics, such as tax strategies, international travel, finances, and listings of travel staffing services. There are even some self-assessment quizzes to help you decide whether or not travel nursing is the right option for you.

**2. ‘I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories Of Becoming A Nurse’ By Lee Gutkind**

Even if you absolutely love being a travel nurse, there are inevitably bound to be days where it can feel like a struggle, and when you may begin to question how to keep going. I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out is the perfect book when you need a little support and inspiration. In this book, Gutkind shares a range of true stories from a variety of nurses as they share their experiences. The book is filled with stories of nurses who discuss their struggles and how they were able to keep going during the hardest of times.

**3. ‘The Nurses: A Year Of Secrets, Drama, And Miracles With The Heroes Of The Hospital’ By Alexandra Robbins**

If you’re looking for a book that really examines what it is like to be a nurse, then look no further than The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital.

“This book covers a range of topics which nurses encounter in their jobs and indeed, throughout the course of their careers. Robbins was able to follow four real-life nurses over the course of a year at four hospitals, as well as interviewing many others. The result is a book that authentically captures the drama, courage, and sisterhood of nursing,” says Nathan Mitchell, a journalist at Academized and OXEssays.

**4. ‘The Truth About Travel Nursing’ By Kyle Schmidt**

In The Truth About Travel Nursing, Schmidt offers an insight into the world of travel nursing from the recruiter’s perspective. A former travel healthcare recruiter himself, Schmidt provides helpful information, including offering advice about how to compare travel services and the compensation packages that they offer.

**5. ‘Travel Nurse’s Bible (A Guide To Everything On Travel Nursing)’ By David Morrison**

If you are thinking about becoming a travel nurse or have just embarked upon your journey, then Travel Nurse’s Bible (A Guide to Everything on Travel Nursing) is a must-have resource. Morrison uses his 14 years of experience as a travel nurse to provide useful need-to-know information for every aspiring or practicing travel nurse.

“The book covers some really important topics, such as detailed instruction on how to get started on your journey as a travel nurse, the qualifications you need, as well as the key personality traits you need to have. It’s a really useful resource for anyone at the outset of their travel nursing career,” says Jennifer Ackles, a writer at Custom Writing and Dissertation Help.

**6. ‘Fast Facts For The Travel Nurse: Travel Nursing In A Nutshell’ By Michele Angell Landrum**

Although this book is particularly suited to those thinking about beginning a career as a travel nurse, it’s also filled with valuable information and tips for those already practicing. An experienced traveling nurse herself, Landrum provides helpful advice on how to better prepare yourself for assignments and how to successfully negotiate assignment contracts, as well as ways to increase your pay and improve your benefits.

Conclusion

Being a traveling nurse is a rewarding and challenging job. With these books, however, you’ll be better equipped to face any challenges which come your way. The next time you’re traveling to your next assignment, take along one of these books to help inform and inspire you.

Do you have any books to add to the list? Any you have read that you think other travel nurses would love? Comment them below.

This article provided by: GHR Travel Nursing

Every travel nurse should have at least one book to take on the road. Reading a great novel or memoir is a great way to pass time while traveling from city to city, or to unwind after a long shift. We know you’re busy changing lives, so we saved you some time searching and put together a list of our top books for travel nurses.

Best Books for Travel Nurses

Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul

Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul: Stories to Celebrate, Honor and Inspire the Nursing Profession

By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Nancy Mitchell-Autio, LeAnn Thieman.

If you like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, you will love this nursing-focused story collection. Take a dive into the lives of dozens of nurses as they share their stories of happiness, pain and overcoming. Publishers Weekly said “This paean to nurses and their mission of caretaking is heartwarming, invigorating and may in some small way help reverse the current shortage of nurses nationwide.” Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul will remind you why you became a nurse in the first place.

Blue Highways: A Journey into America

Blue Highways: A Journey into America

By William Least Heat-Moon

This autobiographical travel novel tells the story of Heat-Moon, a man who after separating from his wife and losing his job as a teacher, takes a three-month long soul-searching road trip across the country. He insisted on only taking “Blue Highways,” or forgotten, out-of-the-way backroads that connect rural America. The novel outlines his 13,000-mile trip of avoiding interstates and fast food to interact with true local American culture. Blue Highways has been called a masterpiece and is a New York Times Best Seller.

I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse

I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse

Edited By Lee Gutkind

This collection of true narratives of real-life experiences from nurses reflects the dynamism and diversity of being a nurse and providing the first vital line of patient care. From their first “sticks,” first births and first patient deaths, these are real-life nurses’ stories about what gets them through their long, demanding shifts and helps them to continuously find joy in their profession. This collection of stories are all connected by the passion and strength of the nurses who struggle to overcome burnout and bureaucracy.

Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet

Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet

By Heather Poole

Travel nurses can relate to the life of fellow travel-for-worker Heather Poole. As a flight attendant for over 15 years, Heather has seen it all. From traveling after 9-11, dealing with tough conditions, meeting new and interesting people each flight, and dealing with airline gossip, the details of the career of a flight attendant are unknown to many. Heather has compiled all her juicy travel stories into one true tell-all. This peek into the life of flight attendants is a quick and enjoyable book to have in your carry-on bag.

Love With A Chance Of Drowning

Love With A Chance Of Drowning

By Torre DeRoche

If you’re a sucker for both romance and adventure, this memoir is for you! Torre DeRoche tells her story of meeting a handsome Latin man in a bar. They quickly hit it off and Torre takes a leap of faith and accepts his invitation to join him in his grand plan of sailing the Pacific Ocean. In his shabby 32-foot boat, the two fall in love between island exploration, breathtaking sight-seeing, meeting new people and life-threating conditions at the sea. Love With a Chance of Drowning reads like a conversation and will have you turning pages in anticipation for what’s to come in their tumultuous love story.

Small Great Things

Small Great Things

By Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult’s latest and highly-anticipated novel, Small Great Things, tells the story of Ruth Jefferson, an African American labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital. Following her checkup on a newborn patient, Ruth was informed that she had been reassigned as the baby’s parents were white supremacists and would not allow Ruth to touch their child. The hospital complied with the parents’ demands. However, the following day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is the only one in the nursery. Ruth decided quickly to intervene, going against her orders in an attempt to save the newborn’s life, only to find herself being charged with serious crimes for doing so.

Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

By Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Love is another great memoir that will leave you with serious wanderlust. Newly divorced Elizabeth Gilbert takes an epic trip around the world to find herself. She spends time eating in Italy, finding her spirituality in India and looking for balance in Indonesia. The Los Angeles Times describes this book as “A meditation on love in many forms…Gilbert’s wry, unfettered account of her extraordinary journey makes even the most cynical reader dare to dream of someday finding God deep within a meditation cave in India, or perhaps over a transcendent slice of pizza.”

These are just a few recommendations for great books for travel nurses. If you have any recommendations comment them below.

books for the road

Best Novels For Travel Nurses