pen4hire on August 23rd, 2010

Destination: The Middle East and Jerusalem Book: Shadow of the Swords: An Epic Novel of the Crusades (NEW June 2010) by Kamran Pasha How you think depends on what stories you have heard.  There is, as they say, more than one side to a story.  His year I have already read three sides to the [...]

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pen4hire on August 16th, 2010

Destination: England Book: The Red Queen (NEW: August 2010) by Phillipa Gregory Boy, for a small island, and a relatively brief history (after all we don’t know much about them before the Romans) the British sure have had a lot going on.  For all those who despair of ever figuring out all those branches of [...]

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pen4hire on August 4th, 2010

Book: The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton Really good fiction can take your breath away with the truth of it.  The magic of story telling sometimes creates a view of the world so real that you wonder how the author got inside your mind and saw with your eyes.

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pen4hire on July 30th, 2010

Destination: Cape Cod Book: Summer Shift (NEW July 2010)by Lynn Kiele Bonasia Mmmmm, a basket of fried clams with some macaroni salad to carry down to the rocks along the shore sounds might good right now.  The main drawback to reading this book on a Cape Cod Beach would be the constant temptation to stop [...]

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pen4hire on July 28th, 2010

See where The Great American Road Trip 7-2010 has been in a larger map. The Great American Road Trip Destination: Missouri Book: Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, in The Library of America Edition Mark Twain, who captured America like no other American writer, wandered the globe and lived abroad nearly as many years as he [...]

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pen4hire on July 21st, 2010

Great American Road Trip Destination: Arkansas Book: Farther Along(2008) by Donald Harington This book’s characters talk through musical instruments.Which makes it a natural to pair with Kerry Dexter, my partner on this Great American Road Trip. See what music she recommends for your drive through Arkansas at Music Road.

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pen4hire on June 30th, 2010

The Great American Road Trip Destination: Alabama Book: Gods in Alabama (2005) by Joshilyn Jackson There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel’s high school quarterbacks, trucks, bit tits, and also Jesus.

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pen4hire on June 16th, 2010

The Great American Road Trip Destination: Atlanta, Georgia Book: A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe (1998) Tom Wolfe is not only a writer, but he plays one on T.V. Dressed in a white linen suit and white homburg hat, he chats amiably–those perfect southern manners on display, of course. And I will happily read [...]

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pen4hire on June 14th, 2010

Destination: England Book: Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston (NEW April, 2010) For the Jane-obsessed, or for those just wondering what tourists are doing in Bath these days, Writing Jane Austen could be a handy tour guide. The author’s education and her long list of published Jane Austen sequels guarantees accurate descriptions of Palladian homes, [...]

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