Reading = food for the soul!
During the seven (or so) years
that I was writing Greekscapes, I avoided reading novels and memoirs about
Greece, lest I lose the nerve to write about my own journeys. By the time I
finished writing and publishing, I was Fed Up with my story and absolutely Starved
for literature by other writers! Currently I am re-visiting Kazantzakis'
Report To Greco, inspired by five other books by 3 excellent contemporary
writers that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since May.
The Embroiderer (http://www.kathryngauci.com/about-the-author/). I’ve
absorbed much Greek history by reading and living here so many years. I’ve
perused the Athens museums like the Byzantine and Benaki, the Museum in
Hydra, Nauplion and others displaying the artifacts, clothes, room
settings and art. The house I live in was built in 1892, and my landlady has
shared some of her family history with me. My journeys to present day Istanbul
and Egypt gave me further insight into the Greek-Turkish history, including the
exchange of populations in the 1920's and the diabolical WWII. My studies
through the years are encapsulated immeasurably in the pages and lives of the
heroic (and not so heroic) personalities so beautifully stitched into The
Embroiderer. And if that isn’t enough, the author gives the recipe for
Sevkiye’s Pilav in the Postscript - fit for a banquet! All the
senses are tapped in this novel. I, regrettably, finished it last week. This
book is excellent enough to devour again, or see at the cinema!
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781322961)
I’ve also finished the delightfully
enlightening travel memoir trilogy by Marjory McGinn. I didn't want to finish - akin to
wanting a gorgeous dinner with loved ones to last much longer! In short,
Marjory her partner Jim, who had both been journalists in Australia and the UK,
along with their adorable, "crazy" Jack Russell terrier, Wallace, set
off for a year's sabbatical from Scotland...which launched into a much longer
adventure-filled break and acclimation to the village life in the Mani in the
southern Peloponnese – twice. I’ve only been close to the Mani area with
several stays in Monemvassia. I also didn't read the books in sequence as they
were written, because I hadn't yet heard about the first when I started with
the deliciously entertaining
Homer's Where the Heart Is (https://amzn.com/1511896833).
Eager not to miss the author's first
course, next came
Things Can Only Get Feta (https://amzn.com/1508496064). My appetite was
barely sated enough to wait until the
third course arrived - and I was just as thrilled to gobble up each word
in
A Scorpion in the Lemon Tree (https://amzn.com/1534782303). Each course can stand alone as complete and yet all
together, they comprise a marvelous feast for the soul. Her meetings with
many of the characters living in the area will warm your heart, tickle your
funny bone, and give valuable historical, social, and even political accounts
of present day Greece too. Be sure to check out Marjory's current blog to
find out more. There is never a dull moment with these truly intrepid
adventurers! (http://bigfatgreekodyssey.com/blog/)
My reading feast continued in Crete: A
Notebook, by Richard Clark, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1500761648) which whetted my appetite
to return to Crete for more explorations- of the culinary type as well as
actual gorges! Richard has a personal way of writing which takes his reader
along uncharted paths with him, with time to rest and reflect on the past at each
stop. I have a feeling that he and Kazantzakis would have had great
conversations together, if they had been living in the same epoch – but at
least we can be glad that Richard is here with us now. His next book in the
Greek travel series will be published soon, so watch for it!
I'm grateful to Kathryn Gauci for this recent interview about Greekscapes,
which she was kind to request from me recently - great questions! (http://www.kathryngauci.com/1568-2/)
Wishing you good appetites (Kali orexi) and
Yeia Mas (Cheers!), Pamela
Thank you, Kathryn Gauci - Brava!
The Embroiderer (http://www.kathryngauci.com/about-the-author/). I’ve absorbed much Greek history by reading and living here so many years. I’ve perused the Athens museums like the Byzantine and Benaki, the Museum in Hydra, Nauplion and others displaying the artifacts, clothes, room settings and art. The house I live in was built in 1892, and my landlady has shared some of her family history with me. My journeys to present day Istanbul and Egypt gave me further insight into the Greek-Turkish history, including the exchange of populations in the 1920's and the diabolical WWII. My studies through the years are encapsulated immeasurably in the pages and lives of the heroic (and not so heroic) personalities so beautifully stitched into The Embroiderer. And if that isn’t enough, the author gives the recipe for Sevkiye’s Pilav in the Postscript - fit for a banquet! All the senses are tapped in this novel. I, regrettably, finished it last week. This book is excellent enough to devour again, or see at the cinema!
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781322961)
I’ve also finished the delightfully enlightening travel memoir trilogy by Marjory McGinn. I didn't want to finish - akin to wanting a gorgeous dinner with loved ones to last much longer! In short, Marjory her partner Jim, who had both been journalists in Australia and the UK, along with their adorable, "crazy" Jack Russell terrier, Wallace, set off for a year's sabbatical from Scotland...which launched into a much longer adventure-filled break and acclimation to the village life in the Mani in the southern Peloponnese – twice. I’ve only been close to the Mani area with several stays in Monemvassia. I also didn't read the books in sequence as they were written, because I hadn't yet heard about the first when I started with the deliciously entertaining
Homer's Where the Heart Is (https://amzn.com/1511896833).
Eager not to miss the author's first course, next came
Things Can Only Get Feta (https://amzn.com/1508496064). My appetite was barely sated enough to wait until the third course arrived - and I was just as thrilled to gobble up each word in
A Scorpion in the Lemon Tree (https://amzn.com/1534782303). Each course can stand alone as complete and yet all together, they comprise a marvelous feast for the soul. Her meetings with many of the characters living in the area will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and give valuable historical, social, and even political accounts of present day Greece too. Be sure to check out Marjory's current blog to find out more. There is never a dull moment with these truly intrepid adventurers! (http://bigfatgreekodyssey.com/blog/)
My reading feast continued in Crete: A Notebook, by Richard Clark, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1500761648) which whetted my appetite to return to Crete for more explorations- of the culinary type as well as actual gorges! Richard has a personal way of writing which takes his reader along uncharted paths with him, with time to rest and reflect on the past at each stop. I have a feeling that he and Kazantzakis would have had great conversations together, if they had been living in the same epoch – but at least we can be glad that Richard is here with us now. His next book in the Greek travel series will be published soon, so watch for it!
I'm grateful to Kathryn Gauci for this recent interview about Greekscapes, which she was kind to request from me recently - great questions! (http://www.kathryngauci.com/1568-2/)
Wishing you good appetites (Kali orexi) and Yeia Mas (Cheers!), Pamela
