Tag Archives: New York City

Book Echoes Artist’s Spare Style

Another book about a woman, and this time it is the book that is unconventional. March, the International Woman’s Month.

Book Cover: Mumbai New York Scranton
Destination:India and United States

Book: Mumbai New York Scranton (NEW March 12, 2013) by Tamara Shopsin

I’m fumbling a bit as I figure out what to say about this intriguing book.  First, you should know despite the title which hints at a journey, it is not a travel memoir, even though it describes three places. But on the other hand, the first third of the book could be considered a memoir of travel in India, until you read the last third of the book and discover that the first third was not quite what it seemed to be. Yes, Tamara Shopsin and her husband, Jason, travel in India, and yes, the country comes under the sharp observation of a gifted artist, but it is not necessarily ABOUT travel. Her observations of herself and other people are similarly clear-eyed. Continue reading Book Echoes Artist’s Spare Style

How Buddha Came to Brooklyn

Japan mountain scene
Japan mountain scene

Destinations: Japan and Brooklyn, New York

 Book:  Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C. Morais (NEW July, 212)

This new novel, like meditation, encourages calm thoughts and some new insights into oneself and one’s culture. But it brings  some laughs, too.

I gravitate to books that bring a culture to life, and since I’ve never been to Japan, I appreciated the subtle ways that Richard Morais introduces the Japanese mindset in Buddhaland Brooklyn: A Novel. What we are used to, we assume, is “right” so we have no trouble reading about the culture of Japan–as Americans, comparing it to our own American culture. Continue reading How Buddha Came to Brooklyn

How Travelers Stay Free

A Week of E-Reading for Travelers

As we wind up our week of e-books for travelers–one for adventurous baby boomers, one for travelers to Cape Cod, one for cheapskates in Paris, and this one about Housesitting–it is only appropriate to announce the upcoming book by Andrei Credescu that addresses this question “Is print dead? Will literature survive technological advances.  His book, Bibliodeath: My Archives (With Life in Footnotes) will be released in paper back and e-book in November 2012. If you have ever heard his erudite and witty talks on public radio, you’ll want to read his latest.

How to Become a House Sitter and See the World
How to Become a House Sitter and See the World

Destination: Everywhere

Book: How to Become a Housesitter and See the World,  by Dalene and Pete Heck (New e-book, August, 2012)

A couple from Canada decides to drop out of the rat race, sell their encumbrances and travel the world–digital nomads.   Are there really as  many people doing that these days as it seems, or is it just that they all have blogs, and many have a gift for words and photography? Continue reading How Travelers Stay Free