Spending a summer in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with John Muir is a perfect dose of escapist reading. In 1869, the budding naturalist, who would go on to found the Sierra Club, took a job herding sheep. His journal is filled with impassioned descriptions of the natural beauty, flora and fauna that surrounded him, perfectly conjuring up the diverse and beautiful California landscape for the reader. When he climbs to the edge of a waterfall, you are there and it’s magnificent.