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Book cover of Two Old Fools Fair Dinkum

Beth Haslam Author Of Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 6

From my list on memorable memoirs set in different countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author living in the depths of rural France. I currently write humorous memoirs about our wacky lives here in a rural backwater where we’re surrounded by meadows, forest, and a motley collection of mostly rescued animals. Aside from being a passionate animal lover, I have a special interest in reading accounts of others who travel and those who have relocated to a different country. After a long day’s work on our domaine, there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa—cat on my lap, dogs in a happy heap—and getting lost in a great memoir. A glass of wine never goes amiss, either.

Beth's book list on memorable memoirs set in different countries

Beth Haslam Why Beth loves this book

I adore a well-written memoir, and Victoria’s is a treasure.

The author's accounts of life in Australia are fascinating and illuminating, and the tales involving animals and her grandchildren had me in stitches. It's a delightful read; I can't wait for the next episode.

By Victoria Twead ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Two Old Fools Fair Dinkum as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life is good. The grandchildren are thriving despite swallowing magnets and sticking crayons up their noses. Joe and Vicky plan a road trip with their dog, Lola. However, after disturbing dingoes, entering zombie zones and breaking the law, they learn life on the road is rarely relaxing.
Meanwhile, farmers anxiously watch their fields turn brown as a terrible drought grips Australia. Even worse, bushfire season arrives early, and flames rage across the land.
Will love and laughter be enough to keep the Two Old Fools and their family safe from harm?
Fans of James Herriott, Gerald Durrell and Bill Bryson…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Chilblains and Chitterlings

Beth Haslam Author Of Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 6

From my list on memorable memoirs set in different countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author living in the depths of rural France. I currently write humorous memoirs about our wacky lives here in a rural backwater where we’re surrounded by meadows, forest, and a motley collection of mostly rescued animals. Aside from being a passionate animal lover, I have a special interest in reading accounts of others who travel and those who have relocated to a different country. After a long day’s work on our domaine, there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa—cat on my lap, dogs in a happy heap—and getting lost in a great memoir. A glass of wine never goes amiss, either.

Beth's book list on memorable memoirs set in different countries

Beth Haslam Why Beth loves this book

Having lived in the area, this memoir, set in the Midlands, was such a lovely stroll down memory lane.

Dawn recounts her childhood with warmth, wit, and an authentic ‘Brummie’ voice that shines through the dialogue. Her heartwarming tales of a close-knit family are highlights, which sparkle with gentle humour and nostalgia.

I think it’s a gem.

By Dawn Fallon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chilblains and Chitterlings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this evocative childhood memoir, illustrated with colour and monochrome photographs, Dawn reflects on her past after finding herself transported back to the 1960s during her evening commute following the pandemic. With humour and honesty, she relates the remarkable story of how she was almost not born and details her earliest memories of growing up on a council estate in Birmingham. She reminisces about her neighbourhood, school days, recreational activities, food, games, and cherished family memories.Dawn paints a rich tapestry of nostalgia from the 60s and 70s, capturing the special essence of the decades that shaped her future. It is…


Book cover of It Started with Malaga

Beth Haslam Author Of Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 6

From my list on memorable memoirs set in different countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author living in the depths of rural France. I currently write humorous memoirs about our wacky lives here in a rural backwater where we’re surrounded by meadows, forest, and a motley collection of mostly rescued animals. Aside from being a passionate animal lover, I have a special interest in reading accounts of others who travel and those who have relocated to a different country. After a long day’s work on our domaine, there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa—cat on my lap, dogs in a happy heap—and getting lost in a great memoir. A glass of wine never goes amiss, either.

Beth's book list on memorable memoirs set in different countries

Beth Haslam Why Beth loves this book

The book is fun, fascinating, and an excellent reference for anyone travelling to Malaga.

I loved the author’s honest approach to sharing her emotions, which added great colour to her writing. It’s a terrific debut memoir by Karen O’Connor, and I look forward to reading about her future travels.

By Karen O'Connor ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It Started with Malaga as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Karen’s son, Johnny, invited her to tag along on his work trip to Malaga, she jumped at the chance. Little did she know that this cheery break from a long Washington winter would result in an adventure that would awaken her soul in ways she could not anticipate.Follow Karen in her favourite blue jacket as she explores the city, makes new friends and falls deeper in love with Spain.Fans of The Lonely Planet series, Bill Bryson and engaging travel memoirs will thoroughly enjoy this book."Karen O’Connor’s first travel book is a delight. It invites the reader to share her…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of From Nettles to Nightingales

Beth Haslam Author Of Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 6

From my list on memorable memoirs set in different countries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author living in the depths of rural France. I currently write humorous memoirs about our wacky lives here in a rural backwater where we’re surrounded by meadows, forest, and a motley collection of mostly rescued animals. Aside from being a passionate animal lover, I have a special interest in reading accounts of others who travel and those who have relocated to a different country. After a long day’s work on our domaine, there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa—cat on my lap, dogs in a happy heap—and getting lost in a great memoir. A glass of wine never goes amiss, either.

Beth's book list on memorable memoirs set in different countries

Beth Haslam Why Beth loves this book

A memoir about a home near ours in France, with humorous tales about gardening? I knew I’d love this book.

I adored the author's characterisations, her reflections on a favourite artist, and the philosophers who touched her soul. These literary musings fit seamlessly with the prose, adding great richness to the book.

It was such a treat to read.

By Laurette Long ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked From Nettles to Nightingales as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This inspiring memoir tells the story of a garden in southwest France, its transformation from a tangled wilderness of brambles and nettles into an idyllic Mediterranean garden, and the lessons learned along the way.
The journey begins when two horticultural innocents, Laurette and her French partner Sylvain, leave the big city of Toulouse for life in the country. Carried away by the song of a nightingale and a glass of rosé, they take on a daunting garden challenge. But as they learn to work with nature rather than against it, a different challenge arises. While their wasteland begins to thrive…


Book cover of Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins-And WWII Heroes

Robert Loewen Author Of The Lioness of Leiden

From my list on life under Nazi occupation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Robert Loewen, the author of The Lioness of Leiden. Imagine that you were born between 1910 and 1925, and the war in Europe is raging. You're a university professor in Berlin who holds meetings at your home to resist the oppressive regime that has imprisoned prominent members of the opposition. Or maybe you are a Jewish man who plans to use your linguistic talent to succeed in a Czechoslovakian business venture, but you just received an order to report for transportation to a place called Auschwitz. Perhaps you are a Dutch university student who joins the resistance when the Third Reich invades your country.

Robert's book list on life under Nazi occupation

Robert Loewen Why Robert loves this book

This is a history about three young women in the Netherlands who resisted the occupiers by murdering enemy soldiers.

The story told in Three Ordinary Girls about young women who assassinated German soldiers had already been told partially in the memoirs of the survivors.

The story of Hannie Schaft, the ring leader and a student at Amsterdam University at the outset of the war, is now part of the history told to students in Dutch schools.

But author Tim Brady does an admirable job of bringing new perspectives to these heroes by weaving a story that reads like a novel even though the facts are documented in his footnotes.

By Tim Brady ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Three Ordinary Girls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“The book's teenage protagonists and their bravery will enthrall young adults, who may find themselves inspired to take up their own causes.” —Washington Post

An astonishing World War II story of a trio of fearless female resisters whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It also made them the underground’s most invaluable commodity.

May 10, 1940. The Netherlands was swarming with Third Reich troops. In seven days it’s entirely occupied by Nazi Germany. Joining a small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem were three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie…


Book cover of Solitary

Dana Christy Author Of A Heart's Salvation

From my list on romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Why am I passionate about this?

A lover of suspense thrillers and all things horror, my first introduction to romance novels was during book club. I love a good Rom-Com but as a reader, I used to shy away from erotica or meet-cute alpha male novels. Now I devour romance novels but they need very specific things. Strong heroines and suspense...and yes, great love scenes. Sparking my passion for the romance-suspense mash-up, I took a personal story and turned it into a suspense-driven romance full of angst. With 2 published novels, I continue to read and write romance thrillers hoping to change the stigma of romance as ‘fluff’ and ‘smut’ and show the strength in love.

Dana's book list on romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat

Dana Christy Why Dana loves this book

This is the first book I read by Melissa Copeland, and it fits perfectly on my checklist for suspense and strong ladies. Her writing keeps you on the edge of your seat, dying to find out who Paige, the heroine, can trust. The plot twists were on point, and the chemistry between Paige and Sean had me over the moon. The strength she writes through Paige resonated with me and made it easy for me to accept all her choices. I highly recommend this novel as an example of a woman's survival and ability to find love in hard places.

By Melissa Copeland ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Solitary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everyone has an ex they regret. Mine just happens to be a notorious Dutch arms dealer. I've spent years running and hiding from David, but he's finally grown tired of tormenting me. Now he just wants me dead. With no more friends and family left alive, and no one out there I can trust, it's starting to look like my time has finally run out. Until I meet Noah, a persistent stranger with secrets of his own. My efforts to hide from David are failing. So when Noah offers his help, I'm not exactly in a position to decline. But…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Tulip Fever

Lynn Bushell Author Of Painted Ladies

From my list on artists and their muses.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an art historian and painter, I was inevitably drawn to the theme of artists and their muses when I started writing historical fiction. Female, passive, disempowered, and doomed sums up the fate of most muses. History is littered with their corpses - Rossetti’s model Lizzie Siddal committed suicide, Rodin’s model Camille Claudel went mad, Edie Sedgwick, made famous by Warhol, died of an overdose. The title ‘muse’ might offer immortality, but their lives were often hell on earth.  My books set out to understand what drove these women, some of whom were artists in their own right, to make such huge sacrifices. 

Lynn's book list on artists and their muses

Lynn Bushell Why Lynn loves this book

The muse occupies a slightly different role in Deborah Moggach's novel in that she spends a large part of the book supposedly already dead. Muses often exerted a posthumous influence on their artists, usually reflecting a legacy of guilt on the artist's part for his mistreatment or neglect. (Rossetti is a case in point. He had all his poems buried with his muse Lizzie Siddal, only to request permission to exhume them years later.) The painter, in this case, Jan van Loos, remains true, spending his life painting portraits of his muse Sophia and their love. Perhaps to be a muse, even a dead one, wasn't all bad.         

By Deborah Moggach ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tulip Fever as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A gorgeous novel' Mail on Sunday

From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel comes a thrilling story of power, lust and deception...

Seventeenth-century Amsterdam - a city in the grip of tulip fever.

Sophia's husband Cornelis is one of the lucky ones grown rich from this exotic new flower. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his beautiful bride. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between Sophia and the painter; and ambitions, desires and dreams breed an intricate deception and a reckless gamble.

Now a major film starring Oscar…


Book cover of Miffy's Birthday

Xaviera Plooij Author Of The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby's Behavior

From my list on children's books to stimulate development.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the co-author and CEO of The Wonder Weeks. I advise various global players in the field of babies and I'm a sought-after speaker at fairs and in daily exchange with mothers and fathers. With all this knowledge I know the needs of parents and their children like no other, with my books and apps I stand for power to the parents! 

Xaviera's book list on children's books to stimulate development

Xaviera Plooij Why Xaviera loves this book

As a Dutch co-author, I highly recommend the books of Miffy, the very known rabbit in the Netherlands and worldwide, who shares his experiences in colourful, child friendly and short books. This copy is about celebrating birthdays. I love the good colorful illustrations and the imagination of Miffy. For children, this is the perfect combination, as a child loves birthdays, presents and especially from grandparents.

By Dick Bruna ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Miffy's Birthday as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hip hip hooray! It's Miffy's birthday and her friends have all bought her lovely presents. Grandpa and Grandma Bunny give her a very special present.

Award-winning UK poet, Tony Mitton, has worked closely with Dick Bruna's Dutch publisher to create new translations for the classic Miffy stories that are true to the books' original voice, and yet have a contemporary feel to the language that makes them appealing to the modern young audience. The translations beautifully convey the warmth and friendliness of the original Dutch whilst maintaining a style that is inimitably Miffy.


Book cover of Night Train

Norman Lock Author Of American Follies

From my list on the mind at play.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have written stage and radio plays, poetry, short story collections, and, beginning in 2013, novels that comprise The American Novels series, published by Bellevue Literary Press. Unlike historical fiction, these works reimagine the American past to account for faults that persist to the present day: the wish to dominate and annex, the will to succeed in every department of life regardless of cost, and the stain of injustice and intolerance. In order to escape the gravity of an authorial self, I address present dangers and follies through the lens of our nineteenth-century literature and in a narrative voice quite different from my own.

Norman's book list on the mind at play

Norman Lock Why Norman loves this book

Impulse and happenstance set the syllabus of my reading, and so it was that, shortly after reading Lydia Davis’s Madame Bovary, I chanced to see a notice for her rendering into English, from the Dutch, a selection of the very short stories written by the late A. L. Snijders. He wrote plainly, eschewing elegance and complications of form and syntax in favor of simple sentences that laid out, in workmanlike prose, his casual, wry observations of, and on, his fellow Dutchmen, Dutch women, and also Dutch animals, of whom he was fond. Here is no Modernist heroic ambition, no Postmodernist archness, no posturing, or overbearing intellectual or moral superiority. He wrote thousands of his peculiar miniatures, we are told by Davis in her foreword on the writer and on the problems of translation in general.

Those she chose for Night Train rise above anecdote or sketch, despite their Dutch…

By A L Snijders , Lydia Davis (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Night Train as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Gorgeously translated by Lydia Davis, the miniature stories of A. L. Snijders might concern a lost shoe, a visit with a bat, fears of travel, a dream of a man who has lost a glass eye: uniting them is their concision and their vivacity. Lydia Davis in her introduction delves into her fascination with the pleasures and challenges of translating from a language relatively new to her. She also extols Snijders's "straightforward approach to storytelling, his modesty and his thoughtfulness."
Selected from many hundreds in the original Dutch, the stories gathered here-humorous, or bizarre, or comfortingly homely-are something like daybook…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age

Geoffrey Parker Author Of Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century

From my list on the 17th Century.

Why am I passionate about this?

I teach history at The Ohio State University. This project began when I listened in 1976 to a radio broadcast in which Jack Eddy, a solar physicist, speculated that a notable absence of sunspots in the period 1645-1715 contributed to the “Little Ice Age”: the longest and most severe episode of global cooling recorded in the last 12,000 years. The Little Ice Age coincided with a wave of wars and revolution around the Northern Hemisphere, from the overthrow of the Ming dynasty in China to the beheading of Charles I in England. I spent the next 35 years exploring how the connections between natural and human events created a fatal synergy that produced human mortality on a scale seldom seen before – and never since.

Geoffrey's book list on the 17th Century

Geoffrey Parker Why Geoffrey loves this book

I first met Simon Schama in 1963, when he joined me as an undergraduate reading History at Christ’s College Cambridge. Both of us decided to undertake research on the Low Countries, but in an international context: in my case, Spain and the Netherlands between 1550 and 1650; in Simon’s case, France and the Netherlands between 1770 and 1815, leading to his brilliant first book, Patriots and Liberators (a study of what the expansion of Revolutionary France meant for an occupied country.) This led him to analyse the social and cultural history of the country before occupation, using visual as well as written sources to recreate the mental state of a complex society. The embarrassment of Riches tells of bloody uprisings and beached whales, of the cult of hygiene and the plague of tobacco, of thrifty housewives and profligate tulip-speculators. It shows how the Dutch celebrated themselves and how they were…

By Simon Schama ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Embarrassment of Riches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the book that made Simon Schama's reputation when first published in 1987. A historical masterpiece, it is an epic account of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age of Rembrandt and van Diemen.

In this brilliant work that moves far beyond the conventions of social or cultural history, Simon Schama investigates the astonishing case of a people's self-invention.

He shows how, in the 17th-century, a modest assortment of farming, fishing and shipping communities, without a shared language, religion or government, transformed themselves into a formidable world empire - the Dutch republic.


Book cover of Two Old Fools Fair Dinkum
Book cover of Chilblains and Chitterlings
Book cover of It Started with Malaga

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Interested in the Netherlands, Jewish history, and the Holocaust?

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