News
Read to Roam Book for June: The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
In the fall of 2012, Abraham Verghese (and his publicist) succumbed, at last, to my pleas and Dr. Verghese agreed to fly in from Stanford for Talking Volumes.
"Cutting for Stone," (published 2009) had been, for me, one of those indelible reading experiences where my every sense was engaged as the story unfolded. I could smell the rain-wet streets of Addis Ababa in the opening pages, hear the chaos of a New York City hospital as the book takes shape, see the pain of betrayal on the face of one brother over the actions of another. It's a beautiful book I've recommended dozens of times.
What I didn't know then was that Verghese had begun assembling the idea for "The Covenant of Water," a novel that would take him the intervening decade to complete.
The wait, my friends, has been worth it!
The novel opens in what is now Kerala, India in 1900 where a 12 year old girl is about to be sent away to marry a wealthy 40 year old man. Although the marriage is arranged, she will come to love her husband and their family grows and prospers, even as the matriarch becomes aware of a family curse that is connected to water.
The book, chosen by Oprah's Book Club, is as wide and sprawling as a floodplain, and every bit as beguiling and absorbing as "Cutting for Stone."
But that's not all! Although our Talking Volumes schedule will not be announced until early July, I'm going to whisper some exciting news in your ear because we're all friends here, right?
Dr. Verghese will open the Talking Volumes 2023 season on September 14th! Tickets go on sale in July. I hope to see all of you in the audience that night!
Come Along to the Land of Kings, Ancient Ruins & Great Food!
I've just posted the new itinerary for my SirenSojourns scouting trip to Jordan in November. I'm taking a small-ish group along as I plan for a larger expedition in 2024 or 2025. If you'd like to go, drop me an email at SirenSojourns@gmail.com.
We'll hike in a lush desert preserve, see the marvels of Petra by candlelight, learn to cook Jordanian cuisine and visit the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash.
And our reading list includes books by one of my favorite authors who has added some of HER favorite authors to our list.
Check out the full itinerary right here! https://www.sirensojourns.com/jordan
Invitation to a Summer Picnic
If you are a member of my Adventurous Book Club I hope you'll join my group of Icelandic expeditioneers (we arrive in the land of fire & ice in mid-August) for a pre-trip picnic on August 13th in Saint Paul. (Public park TBD)
HINT: The next Book Club selection is set in--you guessed it!--Iceland.
I've invited a special guest who is an expert on the Icelandic sagas and we're going to spread a picnic blanket, nosh on some yummies, talk about books and glory in the company of fellow readers on a lovely summer Sunday.
Want to join the book club before then and come to the picnic? Here's how: https://www.sirensojourns.com/book-club
Crime Writers of Color
If you haven't read Vaseem Khan's terrific crime novels set in India, check them out. I loved his debut, "The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra."
Now, Khan has been elected Chair of the Crime Writers' Association and he is committed to championing more crime writers of color.
He told The Guardian of London that the CWA should be "a place where writers of all backgrounds can come and know that they will be treated with respect."
Autumn Leaves & Roaring Campfires
I'm headed back to Bayfield, Wisconsin in mid-September for a reading retreat with Wilderness Inquiry. Love these guys!
We'll hike, we'll dine farm-to-table, we'll talk books around the campfire and we'll hang out with one of our reading list authors for a meetup at Honest Dog Books! I'll interview Wisconsin writer Carol Dunbar!
Invite your friends & sign up as soon as you can! This trip sold out last year.
Audio of Canada Reads Selections
I'm reading my way through the excellent Canada Reads list for 2023. It's a lively competition where book-lovers debate one another for the merits of the book they love. Gotta love those Canadians! Here's the cool thing--The CBC produces all of it as a podcast. Great listening for a road trip!