A Traveler's Library » romance

Author of International Romance Talks to Us

pen4hire — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

CONTEST IS OVER. ~~The FINAL daily prize in the January Giveaway goes out today. And then I draw for the Grand Prize Winners. (See below)~~

Destinations: Milan, New York City and Brittany in France

Book: P.O. Box Love: A Novel of Letters (originally 2009, but NEW in English– February 2012) by Paola Calvetti

I reviewed this delicious new romance in e-book format, and as I read P.O. Box Love, I used the bookmark function on my Sony reader to mark favorite passages (there were so many!) and to make a list of people for whom I want to buy the book (there were so many!) If you get the impression that I am recommending this gem to lovers of travel and lovers of literature, you have guessed correctly

The Belle Ile Love Nest

If you have ever been tempted to look up an old girlfriend or boyfriend, you will sympathize with Frederico. If you have doubts about revealing yourself to someone from your past, you’ll understand Emma. Did you ever have the urge to open a bookstore? You’ll love Dreams & Desires, Emma’s bookstore in Milan that specializes in romance. Paola Calvetti, the Italian author, agreed to answer some questions for readers of A Traveler’s Library, and in my first question, I get at one of the reasons this book stands apart. P.O. Box Love blows apart the assumption that romance ends at 35 or so.

A Traveler’s Library: How did the protagonists’ age change your task as a romance writer?

Paola Calvetti: I’m fifty and something so I know exactly how a woman my age feels… It was simply the idea with which I began, the only one to tell the truth. The rest came virtually by itself. I never thought about writing for any particular age group. Emma and Federico are 50 years old. Alice is thirty, Mattia and Carlotta are eighteen. …and the elderly couple, Lucilla and Ernesto are sixty. I felt I had to write about a love against all odds , and love “later” in life. I also felt the urge to express my conviction that love is ageless.

Emma sorts books in sections with names like “Hopeless Loves”, “From Here to Eternity”, “Mission Impossible” and she concocts elaborate window displays with novel themes like hotel romance, opera, or one-night stands.

ATL: The store’s displays of books fascinated me. Where did that idea come from?

P. C.: The idea came to me because I liked the idea of writing about a bookstore owner, and it seemed like an ideal protagonist for my novel. Also I wanted Emma and Federico to hand write letters to each other. That is how the idea of a sort of magical bookstore came to me, where novels speak to readers, and are used as a sort of …medicine for all problems related to love…The bookshop Dreams & Desires is a place where you can be yourself and express your deepest desires; a place in my dreams where books come alive. As a reader and writer I love bookstores. And this is where I will make a confession: When I was a child I wanted to be a bookseller or librarian!!!

My French publisher actually opened a virtual online Emma’s bookshop. [NOTE: Check this out--it is really cool!)

ATL. I learned so much about Belle Île reading this book. Now I'll have to go back to Brittany and look for Sarah Bernhardt's home on Belle Île. Why was it your choice for the location of the lovers' meetings?

Menhir Jean, Belle Ile, Brittany

PC: The way I found Belle Île was really strange and… tied to the destiny of the book. I was in Concarneau; it was a cloudy afternoon and I was visiting its historical monuments, having a cup of tea and wandering in the alleyways. I happened to enter an ancient bookstore run by an old bookseller selling second-hand books. I asked him “do you have any books about Breton legends or rather a love legend?” “Of course”, he answered, the great story of Jean and Jeanne!”

He stared at me, surprised I didn’t know the legend of the two menhirs in the small and beautiful island Belle-Ile-en-mer. So I went there by boat and fell literally in love with the legend… I had found the archetype and the next summer I spent a month on the island doing research: Emma and Federico would met once a year on the island as Jean and Jeanne do. Then I rented a small house in Belle-Ile for a month and there I discovered Sarah Bernhardt and her incredible little fort, embedded in the Pointe des Poulins’s rock on a gentle slope. Now it is restored and is a small museum dedicated to the great actress.

[NOTE: On Wednesday, we will be talking about Sarah Bernhardt again!]

There are literary quotations in abundance throughout P.O. Box Love. Emma ironically quotes Virginia Woolf,” how very little natural gift words have for being useful.” A sign on the wall of the store says “The only advice you can give someone about reading is not to accept any advice…” But we asked advice anyhow– for books that inspire travel. Paola echoed the beliefs of A Traveler’s Library.

PC: As a reader and traveller I prefer novels to traveller’s guides! When I was younger, I got to know London through the pages of Charles Dickens [Note: In February, A Traveler's Library visits Dickens in celebration of his 200th birthday] and Virginia Woolf (who wrote five magnificent pieces on London for Good Housekeeping!); Paris through the biography of Camille Claudel and the novels by Colette, and Marcel Proust! Every nation has its own authors but the problem in advising your readers on Italian authors is the language. It is very rare for Italian authors to be translated into English. I am an exception!

ATL: Is there something else you would like my readers to know?

PC: I would like to tell them that my novel contains my love for the United States. I wrote about New York through the eyes of Federico, an Italian, but I also believe that this book is more than a novel dedicated to love, it is a travel guide for those who love Europe, Italy in particular, its food, its smells and its culture.

Indeed the book is a love poem to the United States, particularly since Frederico is an Italian temporarily living in New York City during September 2001 and the book deals with the shock and horror of 9-11-01. Frederico (and the author) love the Morgan Library in New York and we are treated to the history of Morgan and the architectural challenges of adapting an historic building.

A love story told in letters sounds as though it would be a simple affair, but P.O. Box Love is enriched with literature, architecture, the beauty of three countries, the interplay of interesting characters, including a mother and her teenage son, and the invasion of the Internet into previously hidebound practices of publishing. All these factors contribute to a winner of a book. I welcomed Frederico and Emma into my life and was sorry to say goodbye.

Follow Paola on Facebook.

Disclaimer: Links to the book on Amazon are affiliate links, meaning that anything you buy when you use the link will help support A Traveler’s Library, and we thank you very much. The photographs here are all the property of Paola Calvetti and should not be reused without express permission.

Today’s prize, the LAST January birthday present, a copy of P.O. Box Love, goes to one person who comments, subscribes, tweets (using @pen4hire) or mentions Vera Marie Badertscher on Google+ (You can comment on this post or on an earlier post. Just do it before Wednesday, February 1, 3:00 a.m. MST. This is your last chance, also, to enter for the Grand Prize drawing.

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Love in a Nutshell

pen4hire — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

CONTEST OVER ~~(One reader today through Sunday night will win BOTH this audio book and another one. See end of post.)~~

Destination: Michigan, near Traverse City

Audio Book: Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Put the mystery writer Janet Evanovich together with romance writer Dorien Kelly and this is what you get–perhaps not the best of either of them, but Love in a Nutshell is an enjoyable light-hearted romance loosely plotted around some amateur sleuthing.

Lake Michigan

Our heroine, Kate, needs a job because she just got fired and because she has decided to renovate her parents old summer home along Lake Michigan. She envisions a B & B catering to the summer people who swell the small town’s population during the warmer months. Her only saleable skill is waitressing, so she marches into the most successful brew pub in town and more or less demands a job.
The impossibly handsome, intelligent and morally straight owner finds her impudence adorable and her perky curves attractive. He offers her the job of finding out who is systematically attempting to sabotage his business. Since this quest involves the two of them working closely together, sparks inevitably fly. In the old melodramas, the heroine’s property was being taken away by the evil landlord, who would trade the mortgage for a (ahem!) kiss. We booed the villain and cheered when the handsome hero swooped in to save the heroine from a terrible fate.

But in this post-modern melodrama, the handsome hero owns the mortgage, and therefore plays the villain role, too. I’m confused. How can the villain also be the hero? (I’m sensing a trend here. Remember the beach romance, Summer Rental? That romantic hero was the annoying landlord–although he had his own mortgage problems.) But the real villain of this book is the unknown saboteur. Kate finds herself in increasingly perilous situations and Mr. Impossibly Handsome rescues the plucky heroine just as though she were tied to that board going through the sawmill. (Remember that silent film scene?)

Kate wouldn’t be in such perilous situations if she exercised just a bit of common sense. I’m just sayin’.

The book pokes fun at an interesting assortment of small town characters. Despite the rather lame shenanigans of the real villain, the book might tempt you to experience a vacation on the Michigan shore in a place like Traverse City. (Which just happens to be the home of our very own film critic, Jane Boursaw!) So if you’re looking for an audio book for a road trip, or to exercise by, consider Love in a Nutshell for your Traveler’s Library. And of course it comes in other flavors–i.e. electronic or print.

Today’s prize to one person who comments, subscribes, tweets or mentions us on Google+ will be the audio version of Love in a Nuts

hell, plus the audio version of A Trick of the Light–a mystery set near Montreal, reviewed here. (You can comment on this post or on an earlier post. Just do it before Monday Jan. 9, 3:00 a.m. MST. If you already subscribe by e-mail and want an extra entry as a subscriber, be sure to tell me that in the comments..)

Disclaimer: The audio books were provided by the publisher for review, without any expectations on their part. The photos in this post are from Flickr. Click on them to see more information about the photographer. When you click on a book title link to Amazon, anything that you buy in the following 24 hours gives a few cents to my affiliate account, without costing you any extra. Thank you.

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The Road Trip Crashes in Utah

pen4hire — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:00:10 +0000

The Great American Road Trip

Destination: Utah

Book: The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

Bryce Canyon

The skinny red spires of Bryce Canyon; the dramatic towering cliffs of Zion National Park, the pink sand dunes–wonders just never cease in Utah. My favorite part of Utah is the Southern area, particularly the southwest, which has the most spectacular collection of scenery you’ll see anywhere in the United States, with the exception of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Ken and I took a western road trip including these spots in both 2004 and 2008. The Mountain Between Us: A Novel covers the far northern part of Utah, where some mountains have been set aside for what some say is the best skiing in the United States; and where hundreds of miles of other mountains are designated wilderness. In Charles Martin‘s book, a small plane crashes in the High Unitas Wilderness. The pilot dead, the two passengers, who started out as strangers, and the pilot’s dog, struggle with survival for 29 days. Winter weather, broken bones, a flight that no one knows about, a smashed signalling device, all these things make their odds look dim indeed. And this, you say, is supposed to make me want to take a road trip to Utah? Yes, I think the descriptions of the wilderness may make some readers long to go hiking in these beautiful mountains. Less active travelers can imagine what it is like to drive north from Salt Lake City and see the mountains towering all across the sky. Fortunately in this story the male passenger is an emergency room doctor and both man and woman, in their 30′s, are in excellent physical shape. She was on her way to her wedding. He is expected to perform three surgeries back home in Florida, when their commercial flight gets snowed in, so they take a chance with this small charter plane. Charles Martin has a distinctive voice that is easy to read and he keeps our attention riveted as he relates every detail of the fight for survival. Those pesky details sometimes caused problems for me. I believe I saw some of what in cinematic terms are called “continuity problems.” You know, they’re out of lighter fluid in one scene, and flick their Bic in the next. That sort of thing. Although the thing that kept me turning the pages was the “how are they going to survive?” question, this is not just an adventure. The novel tells four love stories really, if you count the brief look we get at the pilot’s life. I might as well tell you right now, the first six of Martin’s novels were published by what is classified as a “faith-based” publisher. Now don’t stop reading–unless as one blog I saw recently said–you think (reading about) Christians will give you cooties. The novel’s themes of hope, love and loyalty are certainly not exclusively Christian, and there is no mention of religion. But there were times when I felt the story was just a bit TOO pure and wholesome to be totally believable. (This is a romance novel with no heaving bosoms and no burning glances.) Martin has a distinctive voice that is easy to read and he keeps our attention. It is a rarity to find a male voice behind what is basically a romance novel. Nevertheless there were some distinctly male p.o.v.s that made me draw back a bit. He consistently came to the rescue with his oh-so masculine skills like archery and starting a fire with a bow and stick. She was helpless and he was responsible for their safety–although she is a strong woman, and he is humble about his heroic actions. The guy works hard to overcome his ‘strong but silent’ syndrome, but still the romance lacks the physical warmth and emotional empathy that a more feminine romance would give us in a hero. Actually those are quibbles, because I DID read straight through and I did enjoy the humor and some of the interesting twists and turns. This is a fun read, but , I wouldn’t recommend it for the airplane. Those things are scary enough.

Charles Martin

You can read lots more about Charles Martin at his web site, and follow his frequently updated blog. You can also follow him on Facebook if you are less cynical than I am about the hordes of adoring fans. Have you ever heard of or read a book that is particularly romantic written by a man? Isn’t that interesting? Why do we have a category of books called “faith based?” And who is going to play the roles in the movie? This novel, got me thinking about a lot of things like that. So let’s talk. Sorry if the photo at the top misled you, but I just wanted to share it because I love Bryce Canyon. Plus, I’ve never crashed in the High Unitas. It is my photo. Don’t reuse without permission, please. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, American Readers. I’m thankful that I am able to take a road trip to Utah most any time I want, and VERY thankful that I’ve never had a plane crash in the High Unitas. Also read:

And, as always, a little musical accompaniment suggested by Kerry Dexter at Music Road.

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Valentine’s Day for Book-Loving Travelers

pen4hire — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:14 +0000

Valentine’s Day is on a weekend! Perfect excuse to travel.

Last year I talked about my favorite romantic city, romantic book and poetry, hotel, restaurant, etc. in this post. Please take a look because I have not changed my mind. And read on for two East Coast suggestions for this Valentine’s Day (if you can get there through the snow).

Happy Valentine’s Day

Unfairly, last year, I told you about a hotel experience that you cannot have because it does not exist any more. But you CAN go to the Kimpton Hotel in Boston, Nine Zero.

A toast

Are you ready for this? The package is called “Rub the One You’re With.” It includes a one-night stay, a massage lesson for the two of you by a masseuse, champagne, take-home package of lavender and lemon oils, salts and candles, and for the practical in you–free overnight parking. $414 for a View Room in Boston on the night I checked, but the rates vary by date and city. (If the web site does not show availability when you want to go, call the 800 number.)

Since I stayed at the Nine Zero, I can tell you that if you are not satisfied with the contents of your overnight bag–or you just decide to go on the spur of the moment sans luggage, there are hangers in the closet with sexy little nothings, and lovely robes and slippers–all available for you to buy.

Actually most Kimpton hotels offer these packages, but I have stayed at the Nine Zero and can vouch for the fact it is special. Please check the Kimpton site to see where all the hotels are located and for all the fine print that accompanies the offer.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Like most writers, my mail box gets clogged with promotional pieces around holidays. Here’s a P.R. release that caught my eye, and I just wish I were going to be in New York City on Valentine’s weekend, to take advantage of this good deal. (Are you reading this, Ken?) I’m presenting the press release, pretty much the way it came to me.

Take a Trip on the Love Bus: Gray Line New York’s Valentine’s Day Deal

New York Greyhound Bus Tour

Tired of the same old teddy bears and chocolates as gifts on Valentine’s Day? Treat your special someone to one of the most stunning and romantic treasures you might have overlooked: a star-filled, skyline-topped late night ride throughout New York City – a quintessential New York City moment on a double decker bus.

Gray Line New York is offering a special Valentine’s Day bus tour where customers will receive a $25 Gift Card from Restaurant.com to use at one of NYC’s choice restaurants such as 5 Ninth or Circle Rouge with the purchase of two Gray Line New York’s world famous Night Tours tickets*.

This special Valentine’s Day promotion must be purchased online only.Tickets can be redeemed at the Gray Line Visitors Center located at 777 8^th Avenue (between 47^th & 48^th Streets) prior to the tour.

Night Tour tickets cost $39 per adult; departure times and locations of tours are as follows: 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm from 777 8th Avenue and 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm from Times Square.

*Tours are valid for travel only on Friday, 2/12, Saturday, 2/13 and Sunday, 2/14. The Gift Card has no cash value, and may not be substituted for another item or tour.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

What are you hoping for on Valentine’s Day? Or do you wish it would just go away? Where would you like to go? What would you like to read?

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Six Tips for Valentine’s Day

pen4hire — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:52:24 +0000

A couple at Dingle Harbor, Ireland

Easy to find both travel romance and book romance around the web this time of year. Maybe it has something to do with Valentine’s Day??

Sherman’s Travel, 10 romantic small inns and hotels.

Most romantic trips. Do you agree, or do you have other nominees?

Tips for romantic travel Light a candle and more. (Whoops! Site disappeared)

Best romance novel of the year has a travel theme, too. ABE books describes Julia Gregson’s book, East of the Sun, as the adventure of three women traveling in India each seeking her own kind of romance. Definitely going on my library shelf.

Nora Roberts Romance Theme Hotel She writes about romance, can she make it happen in the hotel, too?

Be the star of your own Romance Novel This is my favorite. I don’t generally read romance novels, but if I get to pick the location AND be the heroine…..

Everyone knows these tips lists should be TEN, and I have a measly six–so I’m counting on you, dear readers, to add four more.

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Most Romantic Destination

pen4hire — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:00:07 +0000

Mirabell Castle Cherub, Salzburg

I have been pondering what places my husband and I have visited that were the most romantic. There are so many. Santorini, Budapest, Florence and Salzburg, for instance.

This little cherub in the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg seems to have a headache as he points the way out the door. Mirabell was built in 1606 by an un-churchy Archbishop, Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, who needed an ostentatious home for his mistress. The mistress was named–I am not making this up–Salome. Back in the day, Archbishop’s ruled, which gave Mozart some headaches of his own, but that is another story.

We came across a wedding in the Mirabell Palace.

Mirabel Wedding, Salzburg

As we walked through the Mirabell Palace, two people, seemingly costumed for The Sound of Music, came in and ascended the marble stairs. They paused for a photo–only the bride looking happy about the whole thing.

Places gain instant romance cred when a bride in flowing white gown floats into view. We run into them everywhere. In a courtyard in the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain, we came across a photo shoot with a bride and groom. No, they weren’t models working for an ad agency. They were not perfect enough for that.

But using the Bridal scale for measuring romanticism, St. Petersburg Russia turns out to be the most romantic place of all. As we entered Peterhof Palace, with the beautiful series of fountains and bridges, a bridal party preceded us. They were obviously enjoying their partying in the famous gardens of Peter the Great.

It was a wonderful addition to our experience of Peterhof, which Peter built in imitation of Versailles. The Nazis bombed it to extinction in WWII and the Communist government of Russia spent millions of dollars as they restored every overblown, over gilded, outsized bit of it after the war.

When we returned across the Gulf of Finland to Petersburg, and sat drinking tea at a square overlooking the river, we saw the same wedding party. Someone told us that in Russia, the wedding party goes off sight seeing after the wedding, still in their wedding garb, while the parents put together the reception. Lovely way to start married life, that…sight seeing.

Now I promise that I will get back to talking about books as soon as I get all this romantic travel out of my head. Where in the world have you seen weddings? And have you answered the questions in the previous post about the MOST ROMANTIC……..???

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Love and Travel and Books

pen4hire — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:33:33 +0000

Valentine’s Day is coming up. It is unavoidable. I might as well write about it in terms of books and travel.

Romantic Bookmark

Here are my random choices of romantic things.

Most romantic couple: Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning

Most romantic city: Florence (And the Brownings just happened to live there!

Most romantic line of poetry: I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach….

Most romantic book about travel I have read: Eat, Love, Pray

Most romantic restaurant I have eaten in: Rainforest Hideaway, Marigot Bay, St. Lucia

Most romantic hotel I ever stayed in: Princess Village, Koh Samui Thailand (Unfortunately now gone upscale as the LeParadis Boutique Resort and Spa. Ahh, you not only can’t go home again, you can’t go Koh Samui again.)

——————————————-

Here’s a little gift for your Valentine:

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

By Elizabeth Barret Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Okay, now it is your turn. Tell me your favorites in all these categories, and we’ll keep talking romance for a while. Quite honestly, I need more recommendations for romantic travel books.

Photograph by “goranpg” from Flickr, Creative Commons license

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