This novel arose out of public outcry over a proposal to open a copper mine in the headwaters of the Smith River in central Montana. A 59 mile stretch of this beautiful river, often described as “a cathedral” of nature, is part of a Montana [...]
Paulo Coelho, the internationally popular Brazilian writer, has published 18 books to date ― fiction, non-fiction, and occasionally a mix of both. His most popular titles include The Alchemist, Pilgrimage, Adultery, and a novel entitled Spy. [...]
In the mid-1950s, when Daniel Taylor was a schoolboy growing up in the Himalayas of North India, he was assigned to write a paper on any subject of his choice. “At first,” he says, “I thought I’d do tigers―tigers were the ultimate quarry for [...]
This unique novel comprising five interconnected parts has been described as audacious, stunning, deeply imagined, vividly observed, and “a great hymn to poor, scabby humanity.” It is a book full of Indians, from India, some of whom live abroad [...]
Are you a traveler, writer, or arm-chair explorer interested in other cultures and peoples beyond the bounds of your neighborhood, town, or country? This book will whet your appetite and give you new vistas and modes of expression. It is [...]
“‘The cult of celebrity is an odd phenomenon,’ he said… ‘Here we are, more than half a century since the man was buried, and we are still enamored of objects solely because he has touched them.’ ‘Hemingway. I know the name, but I feel like [...]
An apartment has been opened in Paris that was locked up and abandoned during World War II… That much of this book is true; it’s the basis of this intriguing novel. But what’s inside? When the apartment is opened after seventy-three years [...]
I read this well-written, fast-paced historical documentary in (almost) one sitting, with (near the end) Tchaikovsky’s great Fifth Symphony surging along in the background (on Oregon Public Radio) towards its dramatic conclusion. Both the [...]
This is a hard-boiled Whodunnit for Whodunnit lovers. In the fashion of Agatha Christie novels and other classic murder mystery books, you’ll have a hard time guessing who the murderer is – or the murderers are – until all is [...]
What a fascinating read! – the history of a small town in Silesia, once German, now Polish, which began simply back in the 14th century, slowly grew, prospered, then faded, collapsed and disappeared off the map. Even when it was [...]
As soon as I began reading The Adventures of John Carson in Several Quarters of the World: A Novel of Robert Louis Stevenson by Brian Doyle, I was hooked. Right off, I found myself reminiscing about Stevenson’s many novels of adventure, [...]
In rural England, shortly after World War I, Scotland Yard’s Inspector Ian Rutledge is called in to solve a series of suspicious deaths amongst a small group of men who drove fast and fancy motorcars. A year earlier, on the eve of the bloody [...]
The Prologue to this funny travelers’ romp, featuring Sue and Sara, begins with sage advice from Sue’s mother: “Wherever you go, whatever you do, just… don’t do anything stupid.” The lives of these two young women were stagnating. Both had [...]
“Ted Conover has ridden the rails with Hoboes, crossed the border with Mexican immigrants, guarded prisoners in Sing Sing, and inspected meat for the USDA” reads the book’s cover blurb. It’s all about going deep and spending time getting the [...]
This is a book about those exceptional women around the world who have dedicated their lives to Buddhism. It covers the lives of Buddhist nuns in 20 chapters of personal stories. Ten chapters focus on the East: Nepal, India, Burma and Japan; and [...]
Like a box of Swiss chocolates, this book is filled with rich, quality bonbons for readers, writers and (otherwise) fans of Switzerland. The Gilded Chalet: Off-piste in Literary Switzerland is a tour de force of good writing, with insightful [...]
India’s War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia, is a weighty but very readable study of India’s role in World War II on virtually all fronts. When the war broke out in 1939, India (as a colony of the British, ‘the Raj’) was [...]
Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog), is a splendid middle-grade social coming-of-age book with important messages for all, young and old. At one level, it is all about a boy named Timminy and his big, lovable dog, Maxi, growing [...]
Deadly Medicine is the 29th novel in the Margaret Truman Capital Crimes Series. Since Margaret Truman Daniel (the daughter of President Truman) died in 2008, Donald Bain has continued the mystery series. He’s her ghost writer in the truest sense [...]
The Bourbon Thief is sub-titled: ‘A Family with Bourbon in its Blood, and Blood on Its Hands’. That blood is spread over several generations of the Maddox family dynasty of bourbon barons. It’s an adult novel about love, life (and death), lucre, [...]
