books

Oh, this book. I just finished The Part That Burns, an extraordinary, powerful, must-read memoir by Jeannine Ouellette. The Part That Burns epitomizes what Parul Sehgal, in a recent New Yorker article on trauma, wrote: "trauma becomes but one rung of a ladder. Climb it; what else will you see?" In The Part That Burns, Ouellette does, indeed, climb a ladder from trauma to healing.

We have long loved the creative artistry of Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström. She's a magnificent writer and photographer (check out our early interview with her here), a compelling speaker (listen to her TED talk!), and has a new book out that I absolutely DEVOURED. 

She's done it again. With her latest book, featuring 11 beautiful, powerfully written essays, author Lisa Morrow shares the joys and challenges of living in Istanbul, Turkey. The essays span the gamut of emotions and experiences of living abroad, from small daily details to larger, overarching themes, and from vocabulary to cultural differences to the magic of finding home.

Let me tell you about my new favorite book, How to Be Italian: Eat, Drink, Dress, Travel, and Love la dolce vita. It is beautifully written by Maria Pasquale, the author of I Heart Rome. Born to Italian parents, Maria always knew Rome was her destiny, although she was raised in Melbourne. With a formal background in political science and history, she is now an award-winning food and travel writer and journalist and contributes regularly to USA Today, CNN, Condé Nast, and The Telegraph.

I recently discovered an incredible and important new book series by writer Lisa Sterne, called Onyx Says. The series is designed to help children develop coping skills while creating themselves. The first book, What If I Try, gave me goosebumps when I first read it, and I teared up to think of the powerful way that Onyx helps kids help themselves. It's an excellent and fun read, both inspiring and full of joy. Highly recommended! 

You need this book in your life; I could NOT put it down. Tell Her She Can't...Inspiring Stories of Unstoppable Women, by Women's Travel Fest and Damesly founder Kelly Lewis, is an incredibly meaningful read. 

I love this book—and I think you will, as well. The new intercultural memoir from Margarita Gokun Silver, entitled I Named My Dog Pushkin (and Other Immigrant Tales), is both an extremely humorous memoir about living an international life, and an unflinching glimpse into (as expected, with a global life) the never-ending process of cultural adjustment.

Here’s my recommendation for your must-read book this summer: Shari Wallack’s extraordinary memoir, From Hell to Challah: Rising from Fragile to Fearless, One Grain at a Time. Here’s why…

This book is an exceptional glimpse into pandemic travel, reconnecting, friendships, food, mental health, growing into fearlessness, the importance of travel and always expanding your worldview, and self growth. It’s one of the best travel books (and memoirs) I’ve ever read, and is funny, to boot!

Publisher's note: We absolutely LOVE this book. Click here to read our author interview! 

We are so happy to share an important new book in the family travel scene, Full-Time RVing With Kids: An Insider's Guide To Life On The Road, by Bryanna Royal. In 2014, Bryanna Royal and her family of 6 hit the road full-time in an RV to explore North America. During this time, she built 2 remote businesses, had epic adventures, and spent many nights around the campfire. She speaks at events on RVing and being an entrepreneur, along with producing content to inspire others to get on the road with their family.