This travelogue is by one of my
favorite wordsmiths, who
lived on the mystical island of Corfu, Greece.
Under Covid, many of us became
armchair travelers, but a guidebook can't recreate the thrill of experiencing
new cultures and places. This author does just that—withhis elegant prose, we can imagine ourselves walking the limestone
streets, sipping Turkish coffee, hearing "Kalimera!" greetings,
picking olives, and diving into a crystalline blue sea.
As a travelogue writer, I often wish more travel writers could
immerse themselves in a foreign culture as thoroughly as Durrell did and
master the art of writingsuch evocative
prose.
Lose yourself in this glorious memoir of the island jewel of Corfu by the king of travel writing and real-life family member of The Durrells in Corfu.
'In its gem-like miniature quality, among the best books ever written.' New York Times
In his youth, before he became a celebrated writer and poet, Lawrence Durrell spent four transformative years on the island jewel of Corfu, fascinated by the idyllic natural beauty and blood-stained ancient history within its rocky shores.
While his brother Gerald collected animals as a budding naturalist - later fictionalised in My Family and Other Animals and filmed as…
This is a wonderfulmemoir of Native American wisdom and the roots
of botanical knowledge, written with a scientist’s eye and heartfelt prose. I
read it while researching my third book.
Braiding Sweetgrass offers
indigenous lore and beliefs and encourages us to respect plants and wildlife
as living beings and our spiritual friends.
This is especially important with
climate change, as many native species become extinct. Everyone should read this
book on Native American ways to respect and care for Mother Earth.
Called the work of "a mesmerizing storyteller with deep compassion and memorable prose" (Publishers Weekly) and the book that, "anyone interested in natural history, botany, protecting nature, or Native American culture will love," by Library Journal, Braiding Sweetgrass is poised to be a classic of nature writing. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer asks questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces indigenous teachings that consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take "us on a journey that is…
Cozy historical mysteries are great fun to read and write. This book is set earlier than mine, in the 1800s, and it's a "locked room" crime—more of a howdunnit. Part of the fun is the twist for the whodunnit reveal.
Ocean liner mysteries are like country house mysteries in that characters must interact closely while hiding their actions. If only this book had more political tension throughout, not just a tidbit at the end involving Spain, to satisfy us history buffs.
In The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, award-winning author Nev March explores the vivid nineteenth-century world of the transatlantic voyage, one passenger’s secret at a time.
Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894. Jim is hopeful the cruise will help Diana open up to him. Something is troubling her, and Jim is concerned.
On their first evening, Jim meets an intriguing Spaniard, a fellow soldier with whom he finds an instant kinship. But within twenty-four hours, Don Juan Nepomuceno is murdered, his body discovered shortly after he asks rather urgently to…
In this poignant and witty Roaring 20's novel based on a true story, a feisty orphan rises from the slums to become a doctor. Josephine Reva, Homeopath MD, hangs her shingle in Brooklyn as the area's first woman doctor. She fights for women's equality in medicine, but her loyalty to the Hippocratic Oath is tested under Prohibition.
Murder intrudes when a fellow doctor dies from Aconite, a deadly poison. It's also Josephine's remedy, and the Chief Detective suspects her of the crime. They begin a cat-and-mouse chase. Josephine risks her reputation to go undercover as a speakeasy flapper. She spies on dangerous doctors and bootleggers, but complications arise when she falls for a debonair suspect.
Can Josephine unmask the killer? Can she follow her heart and save her career while hiding her dark secrets?
