The captivating richly detailed saga of three generations of a cursed South Indian family cursed for generations in Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water

The book has no structure, just a bunch of essays about far off places, and interesting people. These essays could be read out of order, there is not timeline

This not just an adventure story but one of resilience and courage Having the advantage of having a keen eye, and a degree in geology gives a unique perspective

The true story of Udham Singh, a Sikh orphan, setting out on a decades long scheme to murder an English diplomat, t Sir Michael O’Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor

The author picked 25 of Japan’s most impressive castles. Each section consists of 4-6 pages with its own map directions, fantastic photography and explanations

The Ultimate Samurai Guide traces the history of Samurais, their way of life all the way to today. Mr. Bennett is a martial artist & a Kansai U professor

The text is interesting and informative, sometimes over the top

The beautiful design alone of this book is worth a look for any bibliophile, even if you might not enjoy the story.

Even though Across Many Mountain Freedom by Yangzom Brauen tackles some complex subjects, the writing is simple, eloquent and the story is readable

While Lisa Napoli’s take on Bhutan is strictly of an outside observer, I still found the window she opened to the country fascinating