Music defines us in ways we often don’t appreciate to the fullest. Music is history in sound, history that is heard and shared, and history that is a reflection of who we are. In Terry Blade’s Of Bloodlines and Blue Notes, the author shares his...

The Boy by the River’s Edge by A. Rz. Diamante is a memoir set in the Philippines, following the author from his birth in 1948 near Lake Lanao in Mindanao into adolescence in Cagayan de Oro during the 1950s and early 1960s. The book stays...

Ironmania by David Evans details the 1984 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship and explores the personal, cultural, and historical factors that transformed the event into a global sensation. Evans places the race at a pivotal moment when Ironman evolved from a niche endurance challenge into...

Mud, Microbes & Medicine by Elizabeth Reed Aden is a memoir that is definitely a study in two parts. As a young PhD anthropology student in the 1970s, the author sought a topic for her doctoral thesis. Searching the world for a suitable environment, she...

Three young rebellious artists established the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in London in 1848. Their names were Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt. They rejected the rigidity of the Royal Academy's standards, which were rooted in the Italian High Renaissance. Rossetti, Millais, and...

There was an era when dinner was served at the same time every day, on a table with a cloth and almost formally set. Everyone was expected to be there – on time, every day. Catherine Ring Saliba’s book, Ya Gotta Eat!, is a testament...

Marie Turcios's memoir, Hakuna Shida: Memories of a Guatemalan Family in Africa, traces how her family came to live in Africa. She recounts the 2007 move to Kenya after her husband accepted work with an international agricultural firm. The family settles in Thika for several...

Nickname Your Emotions and Hug Them by Rui Bigmoon is a well-written book that offers readers a practical guide on how to overcome mental and emotional challenges, including anxiety, depression, anger, regret, and more. Rui writes about her mental and emotional struggles following the death...

Coming Alive on the Ride by Michael Yang is a memoir of Yang’s life, beginning with his childhood in postwar South Korea and continuing through immigration, family life, and a career in Silicon Valley. The book alternates between extended motorcycle journeys across North America and...

The Doors Between Our Selves is a poetic memoir by Sanda Berar. Growing up in Romania, she experienced a warm, familial childhood. Thanks to the author’s brave spirit, she's had a transient life, moving from Romania to Finland and finally to Seattle, Washington. But throughout...