Here are the books I’m currently reading in preparation for education and to gather ideas of where to go and what not to miss:

“Rick Steves’ Istanbul” – I started with this book because I’ve seen some of Rick Steves’ shows, and I liked that this particular book was written by two women who are from Istanbul.  I am currently about 1/3 of the way through it and using it just as an introduction to the city’s top historical sites to see.

“Istanbul: Memories and the City” by Orhan Pamuk – I borrowed this one from a friend. It’s a portrait of Istanbul written by somebody who was born and raised there.  I’m not very far into it, but thus far I’m already learning quite a bit about how the fall of the Ottoman Empire really affected the people of Istanbul. In addition, I love his descriptions of the city.

Insight Guides, “Istanbul: Step by Step” – I actually only bought this book because it has a map in it of Istanbul that I put on my bedroom wall for inspiration.  I couldn’t find a map without a book unfortunately.  But I think it’ll be fun to explore some of the walks of the city.  I haven’t started it yet though.

“Byzantine Istanbul: A Self-Guided Tour” by Robert van den Graven – I haven’t started reading this one yet, but I think it’s not going to be your typical run-of-the mill tour book.  There seems to be a lot more history, which I will thoroughly enjoy.

These will probably be enough for a while, but do any of you have other suggestions?  Even web-sites I should check out? (Keep in mind that I’m not only going to Istanbul…see a future post for more information on that topic).