The Twentieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan, is historical fiction about Empress Nur Jahan, born Mehrunnisa, and later becoming the favored wife of Emperor Jahangir during the early seventeenth century, at the height of the Mughal Empire. She is said to have ruled the empire with him. Their love is not as famous as that of the next Emperor, Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife, but it should be. Theirs is a love story spanning many decades…
Despite the really silly title of this book, Love Finds You in Lahaina Hawaii, by Bodie Thoene, is actually a very interesting novel. It is historical fiction based on the life of Princess Kaiulani, heir to the throne of Hawaii, after Queen Liliokulani, Hawaii’s last monarch. We follow the princess in her early years when she is sent to England to be educated and prepared to be Hawaii’s next Queen. There is a twist at the end of the novel…
The Silver Boat by Luanne Rice is set in Martha’s Vinyard and traces the lives of three sisters looking for their father who sailed away to Ireland 28 years earlier and was never heard from again. I loved Dar, the main character, who is a graphic novelist and uses her art as a means of understanding herself. I didn’t always understand the motivations of the other two sisters, their characters weren’t as well developed. I think Rice is a wonderful writer,…
Chamomile Mourning, Dragonwell Dead, and Silver Needle Murder, are the latest Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs that I have read. It is fun to revisit friends Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, her dog Earl Grey, master tea blender Drayton, and their chef and baker Haley. There is always a mystery brewing in historic Charleston, and Theodosia and crew help solve it over many, many good cups of tea. These books are good fun for tea drinkers…
Eddie Would Go-The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero, by Stuart H. Coleman, is the true story of Hawaii’s favorite Big Wave Surfer and all around Waterman, Eddie Aikau. It is a tragedy, as Eddie was lost at sea at only 32 years old trying to save his fellow crewmen onboard the Hawaiian Canoe Hokule’a. If you’ve never heard of the Hokule’a, it’s worth reading just for that. It is also a story of inspiration and hope. Eddie was part…
The Sacred Power of Huna, Spirituality and Shamanism in Hawai’i by Dr. Rima Morrell, is a book that takes a deep look at the ancient teachings of Hawaiian Kahunas (spiritual masters.) At first, I questioned reading a book like this written by a westerner, but Rima spent many years living in Hawaii and studying with Kahunas, and seems to be Hawaiian at heart. We learn of the sacred power of the Hawaiian chant and the hula, among other things. It…
Waking Up in Eden, by journalist Lucinda Fleeson is partly a memoir, partly a botany lesson, and fully a wonderful story of what it means to live in Hawaii. Flesson left her job with the Philadelphia Inquirer to come to Kauai and work at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. This book tells the story of her journey, and along the way we learn of the imperilled state of Hawaii’s native plants. At it’s heart, it is a very personal story of one…
The Red Garden is the latest novel from Alice Hoffman. I think Hoffman is a wonderful writer. She imbues everything she writes with a bit of magic realism. However, I was less taken in by this book than I have been by her others. We follow the settlers of Blackwell, a small town in the Berkshires from it’s founding in the late 18th century, to present day. The novel is written in vignettes, each leading into the next. The problem…
Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee is a novel about the changing face of India, especially Bangalore, the call center of the world. This is the first of Mukherjee’s novels that I have read, but it won’t be the last. We follow Anjali/Angie Bose from her small town of Gauripur to the big city of Bangalore, and a world she has no idea how to navigate. Mukerjee is brilliant at depicting a changing India, where young people-girls especially- are desperately…
Blood Orange Brewing is another Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs. We revisit the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, and its plucky owner, Theodosia Browning, trying to solve the latest mystery. I didn’t like this one quite as much as Scones and Bones. However, if you enjoy a good cup of tea, these books are fun, quick reads.