Novel Destinations: Japan and Italy

Novel Destinations – Adult Reading Program

Every time I type ‘Adult’ reading program, I hope I am not misunderstood!  These are not X-rated books – simply a book list for grown-ups to read to keep their brains fresh while mired down in Dr. Seuss and Dora the Explorer.

My last stop was Japan – Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden.  Now it is understood that when visiting other times and cultures, one will inevitably run across customs that seem inappropriate, if not immoral, to the reader.  Japanese Geishas fall under this heading for me.  Nonetheless, I was looking forward to my trip to 1930 Japan, but I was disappointed.

I left 1930 Japan before finishing Memoirs of a Geisha.  I was not offended; I was simply bored.  I know there are other novels set in Japan that are entertaining, enlightening and interesting.  I think of Sacred Honor, by Danielle Steele.  Danielle Steele is not known for being terribly enlightening, but Sacred Honor is about the Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II.  A young, Japanese girl happens to be visiting her American cousins when she, too, is rounded up.  Through the eyes of both this Japanese girl and her Japanese-American cousins, the reader sees the horrific unfairness of the internment camps.

After cutting my trip to Japan short, I journeyed to Italy – Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes.  This is a non-fiction account of the author’s experiences buying and renovating a home in Italy during the 1980s and ’90s.  She learns the culture, learns the landscape and learns the culinary secrets.  She includes many Italian recipes.  However, I was bored here, too, and left Tuscany early.

I like to read about people, and Under the Tuscan Sun was more about the landscape.  If I were more of an artist, I am sure I would have been able to see the beautiful images of Italy that Ms. Mayes described.  I am sure there are many books about Italy that are entertaining, enlightening and interesting.  I think of Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham.  This is a departure for Grisham from his legal thrillers.  Playing for Pizza is about a washed up NFL player who gets hired to play professional football for an Italian league in modern times.  As he relaxes into the experiences, he finds himself assimilating into the culture of the Italian people.

Now, I’m off to the Caribbean coast of South America in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century.  The title has me a bit concerned, however:  Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Sounds gross . . .

About Robin Egerton

Robin Egerton has written 84 posts in this blog.

Robin considers herself a "Baby Prepper" - that is, she is not preparing for a Zombie Apocolypse, but is proficient at preparing for emergencies. The most current project at her homestead is establishing sustainable gardening in raised beds. She is an experienced homeschooler and has extensive experience in fostering and adopting. After several years as a foster parent, Robin and her husband adopted a total of five children and later began a homesteading project. Robin learned to raise chickens, sheep and dogs. After growing extensive gardens and planting an orchard, the produce is canned and added to the food storage pantry to this day. When life with teens became extraordinarily hectic, Robin began putting her canning energy into preparing her own convenience foods. Robin's hobbies are knitting, crocheting, genealogy and she will soon be joining the world of amateur photography. All of Robin's interests can be found on her blog www.RobinsCozyNest.Webbly.com

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