Our Literary Selection
I am a firm believer of the power words hold and the capacity for others to gain a new perspective through a good book. In a world where our attention is a commodity and empathy is scarce, we need books more than ever to peel back our assumptions and to remind us that the world is a beauitful mosaic of stories.
Bon Voyage Book Box was born out of a need to share the stories of the world and to inspire travel. I hope your next box transports you to another culture and that you share your experience with your loved ones.
Past books
England: Our First Book Box
The Book: The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
When I first read this novel, I was curled up on my couch in my silent apartment as I watched a muted news reel of the latest quarantine updates. It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was 10 weeks into my “new normal” of solitude. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was one of the last books in my dwindling TBR “To Be Read” pile.
I did not have high expectations as I normally dislike the format of epistolary novels, but I found myself utterly absorbed and enchanted as I read about the Guernsey book club and yearned for my own little literary society. I laughed when Isola chastised the protagonist, Juliet, for not introducing her to Jane Austen sooner, and I shared Juliet’s furious indignation when she discovered her fiancé had packed up all of her beloved books and taken them to the basement. This is a love story about a community formed through a shared love of books. Yet, this novel is also a love letter to a moment of history forgotten within its own lifetime; a reminder that so many stories are left untold.
The novel begins one year after Liberation Day. Juliet, a London author, is completing a book tour when she receives a letter from Guernsey Island requesting the address of a bookstore in London. Juliet happily shares her reading recommendations and strikes up a correspondence with the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
The island is just a 4-hour boat ride away from London and is under British crown protection, so she is shocked to learn that Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis for 5 years. Determined to bring to light the “hidden history” of her new friends, Juliet decides to research Guernsey for her next book. Throughout the novel, characters in Guernsey and London share snapshots of life during the war.
One of the characters Juliet interviews shares that Guernsey could not receive aid from the Red Cross because Churchill feared the Germans would take the supplies for themselves. Her indignation is unrestrained when she shares how from an outsider’s perspective “that may sound like clever planning to you to starve the villains out! But to me it said he just didn’t care if we starved along with them” (Shaffer 146). Other Islanders share their own moments of courage, sacrifice, creativity, and grief. And, even a year after the war, the world is still recovering one day at a time. Told from various 1st and 2nd hand accounts, life in Guernsey and London begins to take shape.
Inspired by true historical accounts, this novel reminds readers that the challenges and communities formed during this time were not isolated to just one location or a group of people. And, through sharing stories we may find we have more in common than we might think.
China: Our Exclusive Tucson Festival of Books Box
The Book: Lady Tan's Circle of Women
When I first saw Lady Tan's Circle of Women advertised online, I immediately pre-ordered the novel. Lisa See has been one of my favorite authors since I stumbled across her novel about Jeju Island The Island of Sea Women. The book came out several years after I spent a summer in South Korea, teaching English in a summer camp to middle schoolers. It was my first experience abroad and my first experience teaching in a classroom. As a first-time traveler, I made many mistakes. I overpacked. I underplanned my lessons. I got lost multiple times in the tiny towns near the University I was teaching and living in at the time. Yet, what I most regret about my lack of preparation was not being familiar with the culture. I knew virtually nothing about K-pop, K-drama, and had not read a single book about Korea. When I read The Island of Sea Women, I was instantly transported back to Korea and mourned that I had not come across this book prior to my trip.
Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a novel about the first known female doctor to practice medicine during the Ming Dynasty. I was captivated by See's characteristically detailed prose and historical accuracy. I also had the privilege of attending one of her author talks at the Tucson Festival of Books in 2024. She said Tan Yunxian's Medical Journal had been sitting on her shelves for years, but one day during the pandemic it called to her and she became enthralled with her story. I knew that women had bound their feet in an antiquated practice to appear more delicate and feminine. Still, to read about living with this permanent deformity was eye opening. Something I did not know prior to reading this book was that women who were treated by male doctors had to have a male relative act as a go-between. Ailing women were "protected" by a screen separating them from a male not a part of their household. A husband, brother, or uncle would have to check the patient's pulse or describe the maladies to the attending physician. A female doctor could directly treat a female patient, and Tan Yunxian's experiences growing up in a wealthy medical family, marrying into a medical family, and practicing medicine herself allowed her to better serve her patients. See illuminates the limitations of women in the Ming Dynasty as we follow Lady Tan from her childhood "milk days" all the way to her days in retirement of "Sitting Quietly." Throughout the book I was both enraged and facsinated with the life of a woman during this period in this region of the world. Despite all of the difficulties Lady Tan overcame, what I found most heart warming was how the women came together to support each other. This is a lovely book to share with the women in your life.
Jamaica: May's Book Box
Book to be revealed soon!
Selection Criteria
Is the book engaging and of literary quality? Does it merit a reread?
Now, a book being judged "good" is entirely subjective on personal taste, the reader's mood, the purpose of the book, etc. I believe that fictional bookstore owner in The Little Paris Bookshop is accurate when he says that he precribes books for patrons. One book may be better suited for a particular mood or experience of a reader than another. I have set down many a book because it did not pique my interest or because I required a different type of story at that juncture of my life, only to pick up the same book later and be absolutely enthralled with it because it was the "right time" for me to read it.
This aside, most readers can agree that a book must be well-written, have engaging characters, and leave the reader with intrigue, satisfaction, outrage, chagrin or some other strong emotion as the novel concludes. A book, above all, must be memorable to be worth recommending.
Does the book offer a unique cultural perspective?
Our book box promises to transport readers into another culture. While the location may not be the driving force of the plot, a reader should feel like they are immersed into the destination.