My Greek Books
Welcome back to My Greek Books! Summer is here and it’s the perfect time to grab a book, relax, and enjoy a little virtual trip. No passport required!
Keep reading and come along on the adventure!
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A Donkey On The Catwalk: Tales of life in Greece (The Peloponnese Series Book 4) by Marjory McGinn
Pelagos Press (May 5, 2021)
If you’ve followed me over the years, you know I’ve loved the travel memoirs and novels by PhilHellene Author Marjory McGinn. When she told me she was working on a new collection of stories for her Peloponnese series, I couldn’t wait to read it.
In the previous books in the The Peloponnese Series, including Things Can Only Get Feta (2013), Homer’s Where the Heart Is (2015), and A Scorpion in the Lemon Tree (2016), the author, born in Scotland and raised in Australia, shares stories from her adventures living in different areas of Southern Greece over a four year time period. Marjory, her husband Jim and their crazy, lovable dog Wallace, live in several different villages, befriend the locals, make the occasional faux pas, and fall more in love with Greece.
Review of A Donkey on the Catwalk
In A Donkey on the Catwalk, read some never-before-published stories about their time in Greece, as well as others about earlier trips there in her youth. They all further cement her love for the country. When she said she’d penned a new book to pass the time during lockdown, I didn’t know what to expect. But as I know from my own travels, there are so many stories to tell, and so little time. Not only did I love reading these stories, but they took me on a virtual adventure back to Greece. They made me think about my own adventures in my motherland—and even consider putting together my own collection! With Marjory’s openness to a new and foreign culture and thirst for adventure, add her quick wit and ability to poke fun at their occasional cultural flub, and you’ve got a fun summer read. Marjory shows us the colorful characters she’s met, and we fall in love with them too. Grab this one for an enjoyable summer read and a virtual trip to Greece.
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Not a “Greek Book”, but worth a read
During this phase of editing and creating subsequent drafts of my novel, I’ve been reading stories about immigrant families. I’m studying these stories of other cultures to see how they handle language and cultural references. And I’m learning so much!
I couldn’t put down Behold the Dreamers (Random House Trade, June 2017) by Imbolo Mbue. It’s the story of a Cameroonian family that immigrates to the US in the early 2000s Jende can hardly believe his good fortune when in 2007, he lands a job as chauffeur to a top Lehman Brothers exec and his family. They even offer temporary work to Jende’s wife, Neni. This work provides the means to help family back home and to save for a brighter future for their son. Jende and Neni get close to the family and see that money isn’t everything. It can’t prevent tragedy, and it sure can’t buy happiness. When Lehman collapses, we see the effects on them all, forcing each to make choices they may not have otherwise made.
Behold the Dreamers provides insight into Cameroonian culture and heritage, but this story could have belonged to any immigrant family. The hopes, the dreams, the struggles, the regrets, and so much more. I could see my Greek immigrant father in Jende, someone willing to do anything to provide a better future for his family. And someone who had to make decisions that people didn’t always understand. This story is rich in so many ways, and definitely one to check out.
My Greek Books—June 2021 Edition
Well, that’s it for this month. What are you reading? Share in the comments. Check back next month to find out what I’m reading. Now, go grab a book, pull up a chair, a chaise lounge, or a blanket on the beach, and a cold drink. Sit back, relax, and escape on a virtual adventure.
Happy reading!
Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for your terrific review of my new book. Much appreciated.
Lockdown wasn’t all in vain then😁!
Regards, Marjory
Looking forward to your next book! Stay well.