The book club travel for May is Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road by Kate Harris. To tell the truth, this wasn't the book I was most looking forward to, but I ended up loving it. It is a prize-winning story. Harris and her friend, Mel Yule, cycle the Silk Road through the baking heat of India to the snow and freezing temperatures of the mountains of Nepal on a bicycle. As she recounts each place she has visited, she shines a kind light on the inhabitants and her encounters with them. Because of her background in scientific and historical studies, the facts she relates are not isolated but often reflect how things fit together- the people, the history, and geography. She focuses on the environmental impact of governments and businesses on the terrain and culture. Spoiler Alert: it's not good.
Here is an eleven-minute video capturing her ten countries and ten thousand miles: https://youtu.be/aAf3FTOPSEk?si=NtyyYPePZ3F6Z4Z8
🚵♀️🐪☀️🏔️❄️🚵♀️
This was a strange, fun book. Jann Arden is a Renaissance woman who is a singer/songwriter, writer, and actress and probably bakes her own bread. She has two other memoirs, but this is her first novel. The Bittlemores reminds me of a Dicken's novel, where everything is terrible. Terrible people do awful things to powerless people in their grasp only with talking cows. There are kidnappings, mistaken identities, and mixed motives. Despite the talking animals, it is not a silly book. Arden explores how terrible people become terrible people. The villains have some of my sympathies, making this a compelling read. The plot is heartwarming. The characters feel genuine. The ending is satisfying, and everyone gets what they deserve.
🐮🐄🪙🐈🏚️
I love a mind-bender time book, The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio. The premise is Lauren has a magic attic that supplies her with husbands. This starts suddenly without warning. She only gets one husband at a time. When the current husband enters the attic, the new husband comes down. With each husband, her life somewhat changes. Lauren might have a different job, or her sister might not have kids, or she's richer or poorer, or she takes drugs. The plot reminded me of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Through Lauren's many interactions, Kate Gramazio explores what makes a lasting marriage, whether it is worth it, and what you might do to attain it. It has a twisty plot, a compelling central character, and good book club discussion fodder.
🪜💍👩❤️👨😍
