This week's book review: Abdulrazak Gurnah's Theft, a story about three young Tanzanians—Badar, Karim and Fauzia. A book that pulls you into the lives of its protagonists, all of whom are affected by theft in some form, including stolen childhoods. talking-about-books.com/2026/05/23/t...

Maliha Masood, an American of Pakistani origin, takes a trip through the Middle East. She spends time in each country, getting to know the people and the culture. A much-needed reminder that we are all not so different after all. #travel talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/22/z...

Taiwan Travelogue wins the International Booker Prize! Congratulations to Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translator Lin King. This is the first book written in Mandarin Chinese to win the International Booker. An interesting list this year, as always. @thebookerprizes.com thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...

"Perhaps the intensity of my memories was because I had only 9 precious years with my parents before I left for school in India." Talking About Books interviewed Bhutanese writer Kunzang Choden on her childhood and the changes in Bhutan. talking-about-books.com/2026/05/21/s...

The stories of 20 women who left their homes to move to Portugal. They left behind what was familiar and went beyond their comfort zones. They found new horizons, new ways of living. Many of these stories could be novels in the making. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/19/w...

Librarians literally saved my life

This week's book review: José Saramago's The Double. A man discovers he has a double: someone identical in every way. A story about how individuality is central to us and how destabilizing it is when that is taken away. Strange. Trans. Margaret Jull Costa. talking-about-books.com/2026/05/16/t...

Shadow City: Taran N. Khan walks the streets of Kabul, trying to get to know the hidden city. She made several trips to Kabul between 2006 and 2013, and used those trips to get to understand the lives of the people who lived there. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/15/s...

Frances Mayes and her husband bought a house in Tuscany . It was a life-changing decision, and this book shares the joy they got from it. They learned to live with the seasons and take the time to truly live. @broadwaybooks.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/12/b...

This week's book review: Asako Yuzuki's Butter, a novel about a gourmet cook who is a serial killer. And the expectations society places on women, misogyny and loneliness. Not to mention the mouth-watering descriptions of food! @4thestatebooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/05/09/b...

Exasperating and adventurous, Sudha Mahalingam doesn't believe in forward planning. Everything is left to the last minute, which drives her co-travellers nuts, but makes for good stories. The Travel Gods Must Be Crazy is a rollercoaster of a book. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/08/t...

When Marueen Stone, a sociologist, travels, she tries to understand the social issues in each country she visits. Mixed with this is her own experience of travelling as a Black woman. Black Women Walking is indeed a different kind of travel book. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/05/b...

This week's book review: Katherine Graham's autobiography, Personal History. She was the first woman publisher of a major newspaper—Washington Post—and an icon. The story of a woman who saw many changes through the 20th century. @vintagebooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/05/02/p...

Rebecca West travelled through ex-Yugoslavia in the late 1930s, and her book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, is a classic. Her book combines travel, the region's complex history, and reflections on ideas as authoritarianism and democracy. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/05/01/b...

Four books from Arab authors. From Morocco (slave's account of the Spanish conquest of Americas), Syria (a decades-spanning saga), Oman (a story of three sisters) and Palestine (a woman finding herself) are each very distinct. @lailalalami.com @susanabulhawa.bsky.social talking-about-books.com

Intrepid women travellers of the past haven't really got their due. Mick Conefrey sets that right in How to Climb Mont Blanc in a Skirt. It is full of exploits of women from the 1700s onwards and full of useful tips like how to dodge a crocodile. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/28/h...

This week's book review: Tony Hillerman's Skinwalkers. The Navajo Tribal Police is investigating homicides that might be linked to witchcraft. But is there a more human explanation? Vividly written; takes you into the Navajo Nation. @harpercollins.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/04/25/s...

A story about family, immigration, language and heritage. Jessica L. Lee's grandparents moved from Taiwan to Canada, where she was born. After her beloved grandfather dies, she and her mother return to Taiwan and it is a voyage of discovery. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/24/t...

To celebrate World Book Day, I am sharing my TBR pile—some of it, at least! It’s the best feeling, having a pile of good books to look forward to! #books #worldbookday

‘Cherish the natural world, because you’re part of it and you depend on it.’ - David Attenborough It’s #earthday 🌏 Reading ideas for today and every day 📖 💚🌱🌳🌏📗

Sophy Roberts travels to Siberia to track down old pianos, pianos that were brought there by political dissidents exiled there and their wives. A fascinating account about some extraordinary people. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/21/t...

This week's book review: Mercè Rodoreda's Espejo Roto (published in English as Broken Mirror) a three-generational saga spanning the 1870s to the start of Franco's dictatorship. An absorbing read from one of the most influential Catalan writers. talking-about-books.com/2026/04/18/e...

An introduction to Japan through beautiful illustrations and minimal text, A Year in Japan by Kate T. Williamson is a book worth getting in print. She meets geishas, goes to an all-woman performance of Guys and Dolls and studies textile art. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/17/a...

Monisha Rajesh circumnavigates the globe in 80 trains. Her travels take her through Europe, Asia, including North Korea, and North America. It is quite a trajectory and a real adventure! @monisharajesh.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/14/a...

This week's #bookreview: One of my favourite books, Jeanette Winterson's Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?It moves me to tears every time I read it. A book about grief, pain, understanding, and much more. Brilliant. @vintagebooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/04/11/w...

Lauren Elkin believes, quite rightly, that the best way to know a city is to walk it. She feminizes the word “flâneur” and the concept. This books is about being a flâneuse and about famous flâneuses in the past. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/10/f... #travelbooks #walking

Shivya Nath explores the world on her own, a world away from her protected childhood in India. This is more than just travel: it is a journey of self-discovery, to conquer fear, and a search for solitude. @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/07/t...

This week's book review: Hyeonseo Lee's The Girl with Seven Names, an extraordinary story about a young woman from North Korea who managed to get out of the country. This is a story of great courage and of survival. talking-about-books.com/2026/04/04/t...

Planning a walking holiday in Europe (and Morocco)? Cassandra Overby's Explore Europe on Foot—Your Complete Guide to Planning a Cultural Hiking Adventure will tell you everything you need to know about walking through Europe. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/04/04/e...

A collection of short pieces by women on food from around the world—what more could you want? Food in all its diversity: comforting, unusual, very unusual, as celebration, nourishment and adventure. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/31/h...

This week's book review: Oscar Hokeah's Calling for a Blanket Dance. An absorbing read with several narrators telling the story of a Native American man—each voice distinctive. A book about toxic masculinity, family and community. talking-about-books.com/2026/03/28/c...

Stephanie Elizondo Griest wants to be a foreign correspondent. She learns Russian and then spends four years travelling around communist countries. Around the Bloc is about her time in Moscow, Beijing and Havana. @randomhouse.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/27/a...

Stephanie Rosenbloom enjoys travelling alone. She spends spring in Paris, summer in Istanbul, fall in Florence, and winter in her hometown, New York. Alone Time is about the joy of travelling on your own. @vikingbooks.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/24/a...

This week's book review: Kunzang Choden's memoirs of her childhood in Bhutan when the country was going through modernization. It is a story of an old culture, which was slowly adapting to the modern world. @bloomsburybooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/03/21/t...

A travel book based around radio stations: Travels with My Radio by Fi Glover is thoroughly enjoyable. She visits radio stations in various parts of the world, including Montserrat. @randomhouse.bsky.social @figlover.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/20/t...

Cynthia Clampitt takes us on a tour of the American Midwest in this practical guide, Destination Heartland. It is full of information about places you can visit as well as the history of the region, not to mention places to eat! talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/17/d...

This week's book review: Nonsense, a quartet of poems by Christopher Reid. A professor deals with grief, an actress tries to find her voice, and the ghosts of two WWI soldiers deplore the futility of war. The last is a collection about everyday life. talking-about-books.com/2026/03/14/n...

Felicity Cloake cycles around France, eating local specialities—but her aim is to find the perfect croissants. A very enjoyable book guaranteed to make you go out and find the perfect croissant for yourself! #travelbooks #food talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/13/o...

What Is Africa to Me? Maryse Condé’s autobiography about her time on the continent, 1959-1970s: when African countries were coming into their own. A glimpse into an interesting period and an honest book. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/10/w... #senegal #guinea #cotedivoire #ghana

This week’s book review: Rediscovering Travel—A Guide for the Globally Curious by @sethkugel, reminding us of the joys of travel at a time of information overload, of travel without constantly using travel apps to guide us. #travelbooks talking-about-books.com/2026/03/07/r...

Walking the Camino de Santiago: Beth Justino walks 1,000 miles through France and Spain, a life-changing experience that challenges her mentally and physically. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/06/w... #books #travelbooks #CaminoDeSantiago #bookreview #bookblog #BookLovers

Do you want to step out of your comfort zone? Here is a book to help you do that! Maria Angelova and Ivalina Nenova’s 203 Travel Challenges is a fun way to explore the world. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/03/03/2... #books #travelbooks #challenge

This week’s book review: A Florentine Death by Michele Giuttari, a twisty crime novel. Giuttari does not try to conceal who the murderer is—the reveal is why he does it. Very enjoyable. Translated by Howard Curtis. #booksintranslation #crimenovels talking-about-books.com/2026/03/01/a...

Walking an ancient trail: Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail by Melanie Radzicki McManus. A trip not only through Wisconsin but also its geographical history. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/27/t... #books #travelbooks #iceagetrail #Wisconsin #bookreview

A trip through the past and present of 10 countries: Anne Mustoe’s A Bike Ride—12,000 Miles around the World. She picked historical routes taken by the Romans, Alexander the Great, the Mughals and the American pioneers. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/25/a... #travelbook #cycling

This week’s book review: The Owl, The River and the Valley, a collection of stories by Assamese writer Arupa Patangia Kalita. Stories centering around women trying to find their place in their world. Translated by Mitra Phukan. #booksintranslation talking-about-books.com/2026/02/21/t...

A trip on the Silk Road and a meditation on borders and the nature of exploration: Kate Harris’s Land of Lost Borders. Beautifully written. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/17/l... #books #travelbooks #booklovers #SilkRoad #bookreview #bookrecommendations

This week’s book review: Terry Darlington's Narrow Dog to Carcassone. He and his wife took with their whippet on a narrowboat across the Chanel. The pubs- and chips-loving dog is the star! #travelbooks #narrowboats #bookreview @randomhousees.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/02/14/n...

Discovering Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast of India, hilly and forested. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent travels through the state on a small bike, and learns about this lesser-known part of the country. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/13/l...