BOOKPATHS

Africa

The “writing team of native Africans Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip,” whose novels appear under the name Michael Stanley, choose their “top 10 African crime novels.”

The 10 books we've chosen all capture some aspect of African culture or location. All but one relate to sub-Saharan Africa – the lands of colonies and colonial masters; of newly democratic countries and post-independence struggles. Reading these books will introduce you to areas with which you may be unfamiliar and perhaps give you new insights into some of the oldest cultures in the world. – Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip, The Guardian

Cyprus Book List

Boatswain, Timothy. A traveller’s history of Cyprus (2005)

Borowiec, Andrew. Cyprus: a troubled island (2000)

Breakwell, Peter. A walk with Aphrodite: a memorable journey through thirty-seven idyllic Paphos villages (1998)

Durrell, Lawrence. Bitter lemons (1957)

Jones, Sadie. Small wars: a novel (2010)

Kaye, M. M. Death in Cyprus: a novel (1956)

Lyssarides, Barbara Cornwall. My old acquaintance: yesterday in Cyprus (1999)

MacHugh, Seamus. Cyprus: an island apart (2010)

Malinson, William. Cyprus: a modern history (2005)

Mirbagheri, Farid. Historical dictionary of Cyprus (2009)

Montis, Costas. Closed doors (2008)

Nash, N. Richard. Aphrodite’s cave: a novel (1980)

O’Malley, Brendan and Ian Craig. The Cyprus conspiracy: America, espionage and the Turkish invasion (2000)

Papadakis, Yiannis. Echoes from the dead zone: across the Cyprus divide (2005)

Severis, Rita C. Travelling artists in Cyprus 1700-1960 (2000)

Shakespeare, William. Othello (1603?) (in part)

Smith, Joanna S. Art and society in Cyprus from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age (2009)

Thubron, Colin. Journey into Cyprus (1975)

The voice of Cyprus: an anthology of Cypriot literature (1965)

Hannibal, Missouri, U.S.

Christopher Reynolds visits “Mark Twain’s Hannibal, Mo.”

While I scanned the scene for signs of Muff Potter, Sweets, curator of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, quoted 'Tom Sawyer' from memory and told of the many 'Twainiacs' he's welcomed from Australia, England, Germany and Japan; the ones who wept; and the one who solemnly dipped a finger into the Mississippi, like a supplicant at a holy water font. As Sweets spoke, the wind rustled the sycamores and a train wailed in the distance. – from “A Visit to Mark Twain’s Hannibal, Mo.,” by Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

The Fairy Tale Road, Germany

David G. Allan follows Fairy Tale Road in Germany.

Or you could do what I did, accompanied by my wife, Kate, and our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Alice: drive the Fairy Tale Road in Germany, an official but unmarked route designed by local tourism officials to promote sites, some authentic, some imaginary. The 350-plus-mile route between Frankfurt and Bremen snakes past locations that include the actual homes of the Grimms and the fantasy ones of ;Little Red Riding Hood', 'Sleeping Beauty', and 'Hansel and Gretel', along with a mix of foreboding forests, striking towers and even some genuine castles. – from “On the Trail of Hansel and Gretel in Germany,” by David G. Allan, The New York Times

Cambodia Book List

Becker, Elizabeth. When the war was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution (1986)

Chandler, David. A history of Cambodia (2000)

Coates, Karen J. Cambodia now: life in the wake of war (2005)

Coe, Michael D. Angkor and the Khmer civilization (2003)

Corfield, Justin and Laura Summers. Historical dictionary of Cambodia (2003)

Criddle, JoAn Dewey. To destroy you is no loss: the odyssey of a Cambodian family (1998)

Downie, Sue. Down Highway one: journeys through Vietnam and Cambodia (1993)

Dunlop, Nic. Lost executioner: a story of the Khmer Rouge (2005)

Ebihara, May M., Carol A. Mortland and Judy Ledgerwood. Cambodian culture since 1975: homeland and exile (1994)

Echlin, Kim. The disappeared (2009)

Fielding, Leslie. Before the killing fields: witness to Cambodia and the Vietnam War (2008)

Fifield, Adam. A Blessing over ashes: the remarkable odyssey of my unlikely brother (2000)

Gargan, Edward A. A river's tale: a year on the Mekong (2002)

Gray, Spaulding. Swimming to Cambodia (1985)

Harris, Ian. Cambodian Buddhism: history and practice (2005)

Higham, Charles. The civilization of Angkor (2001)

Hillerman, Tony. Finding moon (1995)

Him, Chanrithy. When broken glass floats: growing up under the Khmer Rouge (2000)

Hudson, Christopher. The killing fields (1965)

Jacob, Judith M., translator. Reamker (Ramakerti): the Cambodian version of the Ramayana (1986)

Jacques, Claude. Angkor: cities and temples (1997)

Jessup, Helen Ibbitson. Art and architecture of Cambodia (2004)

Jessup, Helen Ibbitson, editor. Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory (1997)

Keeley, Edmund. A wilderness called peace (1985) (in part)

Malraux, André. The way of kings (2005)

Mam, Somaly. The road of lost innocence: the true story of a Cambodian heroine (2008)

Mannikka, Eleanor. Angkor Wat: time, space, and kingship (1996)

May, Someth. Cambodian witness: the autobiography of Someth May (1986)

Ngor, Haing, with Roger Warner.  A Cambodian odyssey (1989)

Ngor, Haing, with Roger Warner. Survival in the killing fields (2003)

Ortner, Jon. Angkor: celestial temples of the Khmer empire (2002)

Osborne, Milton E. Before Kamuchea: preludes to tragedy (1979)

Osborne, Milton E. Phnom Penh: a cultural history (2008)

Osborne, Milton E. River road to China: the search for the source of the Mekong, 1866-73 (1975)

Page, Tim. Derailed in Uncle Ho's victory garden: return to Vietnam and Cambodia (1995)

Phim, Toni Samantha and Ashley Thompson. Dance in Cambodia (1999)

Pin Yathay. Stay alive, my son (1987)

Pran, Dith, compiler. Children of Cambodia’s killing fields: memoirs by survivors (1997)

Rooney, Dawn. Angkor: an introduction to the temples (2002)

Roveda, Vittorio. Khmer mythology (1997)

Ryman, Geoff. The king’s last song (2008)

Schanberg, Sydney H. The death and life of Dith Pran (1985)

Shawcross, William. The quality of mercy: Cambodia, Holocaust and modern conscience (1984)

Short, Philip. Pol Pot: the history of a nightmare (2004)

Siv, Sichan. Golden bones: an extraordinary journey from hell in Cambodia to a new life in America (2008)

Swain, Jon. River of time (1997)

Szymusiak, Molyda. The stones cry out: a Cambodian childhood, 1975-1980 (1986)

Tully, John. A short history of Cambodia: from empire to survival (2005)

Ung, Loung. First they killed my father: a daughter of Cambodia remembers (2000)

U Sam Oeur. Sacred vows: poetry (1998)

Ung, Loung. Lucky child: a daughter of Cambodia reunites with the sister she left behind (2005)

Vitandham, Oni. On the wings of a white horse: a Cambodian princess’s story of surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide (2006)

Wagner, Carol. Soul survivors: stories of women and children in Cambodia (2002)

Welaratna, Usha. Beyond the killing fields: voices of nine Cambodian survivors in America (1993)

Weng, Weiquan. Angkor: the Khmers in ancient Chinese annals (2000)

July 2010 Literary Events

To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says, but to go off with him and travel in his company. -- Andre Gide

Canada

The Scream Literary Festival
July 6-12
Toronto
http://www.thescream.ca/

For one glorious week the Scream Literary Festival will celebrate the pranksters and radicals of the literary world, the agents provocateurs who challenge, entertain and frustrate readers—and ultimately redeem literature.

Lakefield Literary Festival
July 15-18
Lakefield, Ontario
http://www.lakefieldliteraryfestival.com/index.html

The Lakefield Literary Festival celebrates its rich literary heritage each July on the weekend closest to Margaret Laurence’s birthday, and showcases many current Canadian authors. The festival was created to celebrate the work of Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie and Margaret Laurence, among others, all whom lived and wrote in Lakefield.

China

Hong Kong Book Fair
July 21-27
Hong Kong
http://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/en/index.aspx

England

London Literature Festival
July 1-18
Southbank Centre, London
http://www.londonlitfest.com/

Bringing the world’s best writers and thinkers to Southbank Centre. Football, philosophy, capitalist apocalypse, comedy and adventures in science are just some of the exhilarating features of this year’s festival.

Buxton Festival
July 7-25
Buxton, Derbyshire
http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk/

The Peak District hills host a friendly crowd of opera, music and literature lovers from all over the country during July’s Buxton Festival.

A morning literary series, afternoon concerts and rarely-performed opera in the evening offer a rich and unique cultural experience, attracting big names and a faithful audience to an historic and beautiful setting.

The Telegraph Ways with Words Festival at Dartington Hall
July 9-19
Dartington, Totnes, Devon
http://www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals/dartington-hall-18

The Telegraph Ways With Words festival of words and ideas is a vibrant and joyful 10-day event, a chance for those who read books to meet those who write them. The setting is glorious, the atmosphere is invigorating. People come together in spectacular surroundings to share the pleasure and power of language and ideas. The warmth and energy of this lively gathering make it a memorable occasion.

Harrogate Crime Writing Festival
July 22-25
Harrogate
http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/

The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate is a not to be missed event.  Let’s examine the evidence: Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre, Jeffery Deaver, Joanne Harris, Jeff Lindsay, Karin Slaughter: some of the best and biggest names in the business. Hang on for your life as many of the biggest authors in crime fiction gather for Europe’s most gripping crime writing festival.

Ireland

West Cork Literary Festival
July 4-11
Bantry, County Cork, Ireland
http://www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie/

Michael Palin, Margaret Drabble, John Boyne and Hugo Hamilton are just four of the writers appearing at this year’s West Cork Literary Festival which features some of the finest writers and poets from Ireland and abroad.

23rd Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival
July 24-30
Newbridge College, County Kildare, Ireland
http://www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org/

Japan

Tokyo International Book Fair
July 8-11
Tokyo
http://www.reedexpo.co.jp/tibf/english/

Welcome to Asia’s leading publishing trade fair! 1000 exhibitors from 30 countries!

Mexico

Hay Festival Zacatecas
July 15-18
Zacatecas
http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/index.aspx?skinid=1&localesetting=en-GB

The first Hay Festival in Zacatecas, Mexico, takes place in July 2010. A new and exciting festival in the heart of Mexico, exploring the best international literature and music, with debate on migration, environment, gender and much more.

South Africa

The Cape Town Book Fair
June 30-August 2
Cape Town
http://www.capetownbookfair.com/

You will meet all of Africa at the fair: CTBF and Goethe Institut South Africa are inviting more than 15 publishers from other African countries to attend the fair.

United States

California

Sierra Storytelling Festival
July 23-25
North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center, Nevada City
http://www.sierrastorytellingfestival.org/

Join us to revel in 25 years of heartfelt tales with our anniversary celebration! Tellers and special guests will regale you with memories both poignant and hilarious--stories from African, Asian, Jewish, and Native American traditions as well as heart-warming folk tales. We will present some of the finest nationally and internationally known tellers for your enjoyment, food and drink for the body, resources for your library, and introduce you to the beauty of the Sierra Foothills.

Napa Valley Writers’ Conference
July 25-30
St. Helena
http://www.napawritersconf.org/program

Participants register for either the poetry or the fiction workshops, but panels and talks are open to all. Workshops meet for two hours daily over five days. The schedule also includes talks by faculty writers, panels featuring visiting editors and agents, and readings by the faculty at Napa Valley wineries.

Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival
July 31
Maidu Library and Maidu Community Center, Roseville
http://www.roseville.ca.us/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1956&targetid=5

Florida

Hemingway Days
July 20-25
Key West
http://www.fla-keys.com/hemingwaymedia/

During his Key West residence, Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his most enduring works and spent his leisure hours fishing and socializing with local and literary cohorts. Each year, fans of his writing and exuberant lifestyle come together for Hemingway Days.

Illinois

Newberry Library Book Festival
July 28-August 1
Chicago
http://go.newberry.org/bookfair

Celebrate 26 years of inexpensive used books at the Newberry's annual Book Fair. We have a record number of books to sell this year! More than 110,000 donated books will be sorted into 70 categories for your browsing convenience. With many books priced under $2, it's easy to replenish your home library's holdings on subjects ranging from antiques to zoology.

Iowa

Iowa City Book Festival
July 16-18
Gibson Square, Iowa City
http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/

The Iowa City Book Festival is a three-day celebration of books, reading and writing presented by the University of Iowa Libraries on July 16, 17 and 18. The Book Festival will begin on Friday with an author dinner in the Main Library. Saturday is festival day in Gibson Square with booksellers, music, children's activities, food vendors, book arts demonstrations and readings and panel discussions. Sunday will be "A Day in the City of Literature." Local businesses of all kinds throughout Iowa City will participate with readings, special activities all day.

Massachusetts

Berkshire Wordfest at the Mount
July 23-25
The Mount, Lenox
http://www.edithwharton.org/events-detail.php?record=49

Wharton wrote these words in The Age of Innocence. This July 23-25, The Mount launches its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest, in just that spirit, bringing together twenty nationally acclaimed writers for a weekend of talks, interviews, readings, book signings, and more. Our 2010 theme is “Channeling Edith Wharton,” and her literary genius is the touchstone for our events and participants. Berkshire WordFest is the first festival of its kind in the Berkshires and a significant addition to the region’s cultural season.

Michigan

Michigan Storytellers Festival
July 16-17
Flint
http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/msf/index.shtml

This is the 30th Michigan Storytellers Festival. The Festival begins with an evening concert on Friday, July 16 at 7PM. Then a full day of activities follows on Saturday, July 17 beginning with Coffee Hour at 9AM and a Workshop by Donald Davis entitled “Exploring the Attic of Memory – Finding and Learning to Tell Stories of Our Own People Places and Happenings” at 9:30 AM. JOIN US!

Mississippi

Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
“Faulkner and Film”
July 18-22
Oxford
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/faulkner/

The 2010 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference will examine the topic 'Faulkner and Film' through five days of lectures and discussions by literary scholars and critics. There will also be showings of five or six films made from Faulkner’s screenplays or adapted from his novels or short stories. We will make selections from screenplays such as ‘Road to Glory,’ ‘The Big Sleep,’ and ‘To Have and Have Not,’ or adaptations such as ‘The Story of Temple Drake,’ ‘The Long Hot Summer’ (The Hamlet), ‘Intruder in the Dust,’ ‘Tomorrow,’ ‘Old Man,’ ‘Barn Burning,’ and ‘Sanctuary’ (Sanctuary and Requiem for a Nun).

Nebraska

Norfolk Public Library’s 16th Annual Literature Festival
July 31
Northeast Community College/Lifelong Learning Center, Norfolk
http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/News/content/2574.html

New York

Buffalo Book Fair
July 10
Buffalo
http://buffalobookfair.com/

Experience your dream trip, an intriguing romance, the excitement of a good mystery and the many imaginative and true stories that help us smile and escape to a different time or moment.

Harlem Book Fair
“Women in Word and Power”
July 17-19
http://www.qbr.com/page18993.asp

The Vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment, and community cooperation.

Pennsylvania

Chestnut Hill Book Festival
July 9-11
Philadelphia
http://www.chestnuthillpa.com/events/chestnut-hill-book-festival/

Chestnut Hill is proud to announce its second annual book festival schedules for July 9th, 10th & 11th, 2010. This weekend-long event will feature over 50 locally and nationally recognized authors.

Texas

Way Out West Texas Book Festival
July 29-31
Alpine
http://www.wowtxbookfestival.com/

Read books. They are good for us. -- Natalie Goldberg

Russia

Author Scarlett Thomas chooses A Life in Letters, by Anton Chekhov as her “book of a lifetime.”

As well as the wonderful letters he writes to his mother and sister about his daily life and his travels, we also read of the complications of renting dachas, buying fishing equipment, boots and suitcases and the care of the mongooses he brings from India. – Scarlett Thomas, The Independent

Italy

Adam Begley travels to Henry James’s Italy.

Henry James as tour guide? He won’t lead you step by step, waving a pennant so you don’t get lost, but he does show the way. His fine, reverberating consciousness sets off a corresponding reverberation in the sympathetic reader, who can’t help but admire the way Italy liberates an appetite for sensual experience in this most cerebral of authors. – from “Henry James Walked Here,” by Adam Begley, The New York Times

Brunei Book List

Bartholomew, James. The richest man in the world: the Sultan of Brunei (1989)

Garbutt, Nick and Cede Prudente. Wild Borneo: the wildlife and scenery of Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan (2006)

Hessels, Mark. Winging the Bornean skies: a photographic journey among the birds of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak (2008)

Kershaw, Eva Maria. Dusun folktales: a collection of eighty-eight folktales in the Dusun language of Brunei with English (1994)

MacDonald, Margart Read, editor. The singing top: tales from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei (2008)

Majid, Harun Abdul.  Rebellion in Brunei: the 1962 revolt, imperialism, confrontation and oil (2007)

Metcalf, Peter. The life of the longhouse: an archaeology of ethnicity (2010)

Myers, Susan. Birds of Borneo: Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan (Princeton field guides) (2009)

Saunders, Graham E. A history of Brunei (2002)

Sidhu, Jatswan S. Historical dictionary of Brunei Darussalam (2010)

Mexico

Author Scott Turow recommends Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory.

"My first copy of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory cost me $1.65, which will tell you how long ago I first read it, roughly 40 years. And I still own it, which should tell you something else." – Scott Turow, NPR Website