In between studying at Oxford and MIT, Harris set off by bicycle down the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel. Purchase “The Lady in the Palazzo” on Booksamillion, Indigo, amazon.ca or .Īpril Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road by Kate Harris (2018) Not since Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence has a writer so happily succeeded in capturing the essence of a singular place and in creating a feast for readers of all stripes.
BEST BOOKS TO READ 2017 WOMEN FULL
With a voice full of wonder, she brings to life these engagingly quirky people and the aloof, almost daunting society that exists in Umbria. Rich with history and a vivid sense of place, her memoir is by turns romantic and sensual, joyous and celebratory, as she searches for the right balance in this city on the hill, as well as the right home—which turns out to be the former ballroom of a dilapidated sixteenth-century palazzo.ĭe Blasi meets and makes friends with an array of colorful, memorable characters, including cooks and counts and shepherds and a lone violinist, and their stories, too, become a part of the tapestry of life that she weaves for herself in Orvieto. So de Blasi sets out to establish her niche in this new place and to win over her new neighbors by doing what she does best, cooking her way into their hearts. Having neither an edge to a sea nor a face to a foreign land, it’s a region less trampled by travelers and, in turn, less accepting of strangers.
With the breathless anticipation that seduced her readers to fall in love with Venice and then Tuscany, Marlena de Blasi now takes us on a new journey as she moves with her husband, Fernando, to Orvieto, a large and ancient city in Italy’s Umbria. Purchase “Tales of a Female Nomad” (book and audiobook) on, Booksamillion, Indigo,, amazon.ca or įebruary The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria by Marlena de Blasi (2008) Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. “I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” -From the Preface January Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman (2002) Please look for more details on the books, including where you can purchase the book, discussion questions and information on the experts who will join us on each call.Ĭarolyn and Wendy, your book club co-hosts We hope these books inspire you, touch your soul and shift your perspective. We especially love that these books are written by women, about women’s experiences, solo travel and feature women from around the world. All of these are thought-provoking, intelligent and well-researched, taking us to Morocco, Italy, the ‘Stans’, and less known regions of the world. Canadian Kate Harris’ “Land of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road” is about breaking boundaries and the ‘essential longing’ to discover what we are doing here in the universe. In March, in honour of International Women’s Day, we chose a book that was voted one of Africa’s 100 Best books of the 20th Century – “Nervous Condition” by Tsitsi Dangarembga.
This year’s theme: Women Breaking BoundariesĪll year, we’re reading books about women who challenge convention and provoke new perspectives.
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