Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 85
November 19, 2020
Flowers Amid the Masks
Can you see the flowers? I can.
I see families walking together.
I see families ‘Zooming’ across time zones.
I see flowers blooming from days of gentle rain.
[image error]Photo by Detroit Flanagan, Jr.
Can you see the flowers? I can.
I see volunteers passing out food.
I see teachers encouraging their students.
I see first responders showing up to work every day.
[image error]Photo by Detroit Flanagan, Jr.
Can you see the flowers? I can.
I see reporters bringing us the good and bad news.
I see small business owners trying their best to stay open.
I see online learning attempts everywhere.
[image error]Photo by Detroit Flanagan, Jr.
Can you see the flowers? I can.
I see medical masks.
I see ‘do it yourself’ masks.
I see ‘I have some if you need them’ masks.
[image error]Photo by Detroit Flanagan, Jr.
Can you see the flowers? I can.
Did you see the storm that killed several people?
Did you hear how many died in the last 24 hours?
Did you hear how many lost their jobs?
[image error]Photo by Detroit Flanagan, Jr.
Can you see the flowers? I can.
The masks hide our hurt, smiles and fear.
The masks protect those with underlying conditions.
The mask isn’t about me, but about us.
[image error]Taylor family votes together: Eric, Beverley, Aaron and Cherice
Can you see the flowers? I can.
By Cherice Taylor , 2020
[image error]Eric and Cherice Taylor
The post Flowers Amid the Masks appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 16, 2020
#STETupelo: Lisa Niver is the Keynote Speaker!
[image error]
The 2nd annual Southern Travelers Explore Conference February 19th-21st, 2021 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Bloggers, influencers, journalists, CVBs, DMOs, and those who just love to travel will meet at the Elvis Presley Birthplace Event Center for educational sessions, small group discussions, and a marketplace, while also enjoying Tupelo’s fantastic food scene and experiencing all that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s hometown has to offer.
Get all the DETAILS: #STETupelo: All You Need To Know
[image error]
Educational Sessions
Keynote: Grateful For The Journey (Lisa Niver)
Sharing secrets to start filming video. As Elvis would say, “It’s Now Or Never” so get started today!
Making The Most Of Pinterest (Karyn Locke)
For writers, bloggers, and DMOs, using Pinterest to its full potential can be worth your while. Here are tips and tricks to get your page views and traffic up, including Pinterest stories and video pins.
Making Traffic While You Sleep: 5 Simple SEO Tips (Catherine Kopf)
You don’t have to be an SEO wiz to get your post on page 1 of Google search. The key is to choose the right keywords and use a few simple tricks every time you publish new or update content.
Pull Back The Curtain On Accounting And Tax Prep (Sherryl Wilson)
Do you dread gathering data for your tax person? What you need is to implement a proven system that will take the guesswork out of the equation. Let’s pull back the curtain on the overwhelming topic of accounting and tax prep.
[image error]
GET YOUR TICKET TODAY
Our #STETupelo Keynote Speaker is the fabulous @lisaniver!
— Southern Travelers Explore Tupelo (@STravelersExp) November 13, 2020
She will be sharing secrets to start filming video–and we cannot wait!#Travel #FridayFeeling #Blogger pic.twitter.com/UBbxWor9XW
[image error]
See this post on Facebook
View this post on Instagram
The post #STETupelo: Lisa Niver is the Keynote Speaker! appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 14, 2020
Our #STETupelo Keynote Speaker is the fabulous @lisanive...
Our #STETupelo Keynote Speaker is the fabulous @lisaniver!
She will be sharing secrets to start filming video–and we cannot wait!#Travel #FridayFeeling #Blogger pic.twitter.com/UBbxWor9XW
— Southern Travelers Explore Tupelo (@STravelersExp) November 13, 2020
The post appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 12, 2020
Who is The Drew Barrymore Show sending to Fiji?
[image error]
Bula! On the #DrewBarrymoreShow, Melissa asks Drew for help surprising her incredible friend Angela, who managed to donate to those in need while taking care of her family and Melissa was also battling breast cancer, with the recognition (and the trip) she deserves!
Mom’s Time Out is sending Angela to FIJI!
She will be staying at Yasawa Island Resort & Spa, Fiji
Yasawa Island Resort & Spa Fiji, tucked away off the coast of Fiji’s main Island, Viti Levu, offers the ultimate in all inclusive luxury. From the distinctive 18 Fijian-style bungalows to 11 white secluded sandy beaches for private island picnics, to water sport activities and a visit to the famous Sawa-I-Lau Caves, where the feature film Blue Lagoon was originally filmed, this one-island unspoiled tropical paradise is the ultimate honeymoon retreat that includes three meals daily prepared by the Resort’s culinary team and roundtrip domestic airfare for two to the island back to the mainland. For more info head to the resort’s website.
[image error]
She will be flying on Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways is the National Airline of Fiji. They offer direct flights from Los Angeles on the brand new A350-900 aircraft to Fiji with convenient connections to Australia, New Zealand and other South Pacific Islands.
For more info, head to the website.
The Drew Barrymore Show is daytime’s brightest destination for intelligent optimism and maximum fun, featuring everyone’s favorite actor, businessperson, mom and cultural icon, Drew Barrymore! From news to pop culture, human interest to comedy – you’ll discover it here with Drew along with the beauty and wisdom, as well as the heart and humor in life.
[image error]
[image error]
FOLLOW THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW:
Learn more about Fiji in my videos from my trip in 2019:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Drew Barrymore Show (@thedrewbarrymoreshow) on Jul 27, 2020 at 7:00am PDT
The post Who is The Drew Barrymore Show sending to Fiji? appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 10, 2020
Taking Flat Ben, the Penn Quaker, out on the town!
[image error]
I wish we were all together this week in person for PENN HOMECOMING!
I loved going to the University of Pennsylvania. I loved living in the Quad and I loved learning about Benjamin Franklin! So when The Power of PENN campaign sent out a Penn Ben ala Flat Stanley to take around and photograph I was ready for the task! Here are my pre-COVID19 photos of wandering around the world with Penn Ben.
[image error]
The first place I brought Penn Ben was the United Nations Conference in September 2019 in New York City. I was invited as media through Ms. Magazine and wrote about the Sustainable Developmental Goals SDG 2030 as well as the United Nations Women’s Event.
[image error]
Penn Ben and I went to the opening event at the UN GA 74 SDG 2030. This is us in the media room above the conference room.
[image error]
Penn Ben and I were also invited to the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Conference at Lincoln Center.
[image error]
[image error]Lisa Niver, Kristina Lunz and Tiffany Yu at Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Conference
Also in September 2019, Toni DeMayo CGS’01 CGS’05 and I watched the Los Angeles Rams play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We brought along Penn Ben who enjoyed the suites as much as we did! Our photo was in the Penn Gazette: “Pictures of Penn” Vol 8
When I visited Penn for Homecoming October 2019, I was honored to meet with Professor Peter Decherney’s Media Studies and English Department students. Of course, Penn Ben came to lunch with us!
[image error]Lisa with Sophie, Anjali, Urwa and Penn Ben
[image error]Lisa Niver, Penn Ben and Professor Peter Decherney
It has been my honor to write for Wharton Magazine. I went to their gorgeous offices to talk to my editor, Richard Rys, with Penn Ben!
[image error]
My friend from Hebrew Class at Penn is now Rabbi Faith Dantowitz (CAS 1987). She and I went to the Jewish Museum in New York City with Penn Ben on October 19, 2019 for my birthday and learned about Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art. I wrote about Georgia O’Keefe for my Women’s Studies thesis at Penn and Halpert had helped her career.
[image error]
My sister, Susan (Penn CAS 1991) and I share a birthday and we celebrated her 50th in NYC with Kevin Kassover (Penn CAS 1991) and my parents! My dad is also a PENN grad (Penn Dental!) Penn Ben was there is spirit!
[image error]
When I went to visit the Galapagos Islands in December 2019, I did not expect that I would meet new friends from Penn! I loved my adventure and my new friends, Howie and Mary Panitch. Dr. Howie graduated from Penn in 1978 and now is a pediatric pulmonologist at CHOP!
[image error]Our Ecoventura Group at El Chato Tortoise Ranch
[image error]Dinner with Captain Jhon Feijoo & Lisa Niver (Penn 1989),
Mary and Howie Panitch (1978) and Bonnie and Jon Bloom
[image error]Heather Fudala (1990), Carl Law (1987) and Lisa Niver (1989)
My very first friend at Penn who I met at Ware College House in the Quad in September 1985 is still one of my very best friends. Carl Law (1987) and my friend from senior year, Heather Fudala (1990), and I went snowmobile back country skiing in Park City in March 2020 just before quarantine. Our adventure with Inspired Summit Adventures was my first time riding a snowmobile, my first time driving a snowmobile, my first time on alpine touring skis climbing and hiking uphill in skis and we had a superb time skiing in fresh powder together.
[image error]Lisa, Heather and Carl: We did it!
Bald Mountain, western Uinta Mountain Range in the Uinta-Waatch-Cache National Forest on the border between Summit and Wasatch counties in northeastern Utah
You can listen to my story on the Power of Penn Women podcast. Thank you to the committee for including me!
I wanted to share a few other Penn moments with you from my 30 year reunion which was in May 2019 just before the Penn Ben campaign began. See my class in these Facebook photos, the YouTube video below and the photos from when I took over the Penn alumni Instagram account.
[image error]
[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]
As seen in the PENN GAZETTE: “Pictures of Penn” blog Vol 6: Cara Schneider and I worked on a Travel TV Segment about Philadelphia for KTLA in Los Angeles. We saw each other in Jan 2019 in NYC where this photo is from and May 2019 for our 30th reunion!
Lisa Niver C’89 (pictured left), founder of We Said Go Travel , has been to 101 countries and six continents. Recently, she was invited to share travel segments on KTLA TV in Los Angeles, and she was part of the station’s Critic’s Choice Awards and Oscars coverage. Lisa writes, “For President’s Day Weekend, I was on the KTLA morning news, talking about Philadelphia! I worked on the segment with Cara Schneider C’89 from Visit Philadelphia . There were over 5.8 million Twitter impressions for the segment, and in the first 30 minutes more than 5,500 people texted to win our Philadelphia Travel Giveaway.” In 2018, Lisa’s blog was read in 212 countries. In February 2019, #Travel1K named We Said Go Travel the No. 3 blog on its top 1,000 travel blogs list, and Lisa was named the top female travel blogger. View the segment at bit.ly/2Up4elJ .
Travel Expert Lisa Niver Talks About a Philadelphia Getaway
Travel Expert Lisa Niver Talks About a Philadelphia Getaway Travel Expert Lisa Niver visits the KTLA 5 set at 11a with anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker to talk about a Philadelphia trip giveaway. ktla.com
As seen in the PENN GAZETTE: “Pictures of Penn” blog Vol 5, I came to Philadelphia in October 2018 when my college roommate was honored by LBBC. I was there again in Nov 2019 and wrote about it for Ms. Magazine.
Barbara J. Yorke C’89 was honored at Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s annual Butterfly Ball in October with the first Andrea and Abraham Morris Impact Award. Barbara has been involved with the charity for more than seven years as a board member and then chair of the board, using her skills in strategic planning and relationships within the scientific community to better serve women and families impacted by breast cancer. (Pictured from left: Lisa Niver C’89 and Barbara Yorke C’89 .)
Pictures of Penn, Vol 9 from the Penn Gazette: Lisa Niver C’89, a travel journalist and founder of We Said Go Travel, won third place in the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism (NAEJ) Awards for her television segment on KTLA 5 News!
[image error]
[image error]
Penn Gazette Pictures of Penn, Vol. 10: Lisa Niver C’89 writes, “I want to thank everyone who has supported me on my crazy ride of a career journey! After Penn, I went to and then left UCSF medical school, got an MA in education and taught from pre-K to 8th grade, sailed the seven seas for seven years, and then chose to be a journalist. I am honored to be a five-time finalist for the Southern California Journalism Awards in print, digital, and broadcast TV categories, but most especially for being nominated as Online Journalist of the Year! I am grateful for all I learned in my liberal arts education that allowed me to know how to figure it out in each of my new endeavors. (You can read more on my website at https://bit.ly/3eF8kQ8.) In March, just before COVID closed the doors on all of my travels, I went alpine ski touring with Heather Fudala C’91 and Carl Law C’87. It was possibly one of the hardest things I have ever done, but we loved it and doing it together made it possible! Thank you to Penn for bringing me my lifelong best friends. (Watch a video clip on my website at https://bit.ly/2ZM60m9.)”
[image error]
The post Taking Flat Ben, the Penn Quaker, out on the town! appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 7, 2020
Join us to Celebrate Joannie Parker on her Birthday
[image error]
Please join us for a celebration of life for Joanne Parker on Saturday, November 7, 2020, at 2 p.m. via Zoom. What better day to celebrate Joannie than on what would have been her 87th birthday? To RSVP for the event, click here. The celebration is being organized by Joannie’s daughters, Alison ’83 and Sabrina, and her former student and friend, Lisa Niver ’85.
[image error]
Joannie spent most of her career at Westlake and had a huge impact on the lives of many. A Westlake and Harvard-Westlake English and humanities teacher, Ms. Parker started at Westlake in 1979 and began the women’s studies program at Westlake and Harvard-Westlake. She retired from HW in 1998.
[image error]Judi Niver, Joannie Parker, Lisa Niver and Susan Niver Bernstein
at Westlake School for Girls 1985
Congrats to our FIRST female Vice-President, Kamala Harris! What a great birthday gift in honor of Joannie and her life’s work!
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]From Emily’s List
[image error]NPR: ‘Game-Changer’: Kamala Harris Makes History As Next Vice President
[image error]
Happy Birthday Joannie Parker!
Remembering Joannie Parker!
The post Join us to Celebrate Joannie Parker on her Birthday appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 6, 2020
November 5, 2020
The Gift of Kindness: 2020, COVID and Chanukah
I have always loved the stories about Chanukah when a small group of Maccabean soldiers were victorious against powerful King Antiochus and his Greek forces in 165 BCE . Magic happened after the fighting and while there was only enough oil left in the temple to light the lamps for one night, a miracle happened and the oil lasted for eight nights. This is why we celebrate by eating food fried in oil like latkes (potato pancakes) or sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).
I hope that after all of our political posturing that a miracle can happen again and we can repair our country, find ways to work together for the benefit of all of our citizens and bask in the light together. This year we celebrate Chanukah from December 10 – 18, 2020. This holiday always begins on 25 Kislev on the Hebrew calendar.
[image error]Old Jerusalem Jaffa Gate with blue chanukkiyah during Hanukkah festival
One day, a student asked the rabbi: Rabbi, I know that to be Jewish is to have a special role, a special job in the world. Rabbi, what is my job as a Jew in the world?
The rabbi, never one to answer directly, looked at her students and said: Friends, what is the most important job in the world?
President of the United States! Someone shouted. Prime Minister of Israel, said another. Someone even said: Rabbi! Clearly, he was trying for a good grade. Firefighter! Doctor! Teacher! Artist! Teacher! Parent! The answers came from all corners of the room.
The student looked at the rabbi and said: But Rabbi—what is the right answer? What is my job as a Jew in the world?
And she said: Once upon a time, long before iPads and iPhones, before TV and streaming, even before there was electricity—there was a person in every town who was responsible for lighting up the streets. On the street corners, lamps sat—ready to be lit each night as the sun began to set. And there was one person whose job it was to walk from street to street, from lamp to lamp, with a flame he carried at the end of a long pole. Each evening, the rabbi said, this person would walk her route, lighting each and every lamp—no matter how cold it was, or how hard it was to reach.
But, what if the lamp is in a desolate wilderness, far from everything and everyone, one of the students asked? The rabbi answered: Then, too, it must be lit. And what, asked one of the students, if the lamp is in the middle of an OCEAN!! The rabbi smiled and said: The one must put on a bathing suit, jump into the water, and light it there. Without it, she said, there would be no light.
The student looked again at the rabbi and said: Rabbi, I still don’t know the right answer. “What is my job as a Jew in the world??“
The rabbi looked at her students and said: You can be anything that you want to be. But no matter what you decide to do with your life, you must be a lamplighter on the streets of the world.
Thank you to Rabbi Sari Laufer for this parable.
[image error]
We can all be lamplighters and help to lift each other up! If you need ideas about how to build your community, read Erica Perl’s book, The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, in which the children bring their neighbors together in gratitude for their help!
[image error]
Our world can be transformed by kindness. We need it now more than ever. Consider starting a new tradition in your home and on the seventh night of Chanukah, hold a special candle-lighting ceremony in honor of Chag HaBanot: the Festival of the Daughters. Thank you to Ritual Well for these instructions!
Use your hanukiah, your Chanukah menorah, or use a special second menorah for the festival, and ask all of your family members to take a role in lighting the candles.
Light the first candle in honor of Judith and all Jewish women heroes throughout history.Light the second candle in honor of women heroes that you admire (name names).Light the third candle in honor of women teachers and spiritual leaders whom you know (again, name names, including relatives and friends).Light the fourth candle in honor of Jewish mothers and grandmothers, including your own.Light the fifth candle in honor of all Jewish girls.Light the sixth candle in honor of your family. (This candle can be special for daughters, or you can have the candle represent the whole family, men and women, boys and girls.)Light the seventh candle in honor of the Shekhinah , the indwelling presence of God that is in every person (in Jewish mystical tradition, the Shekhinah is depicted as female).
[image error]
Are you looking for books about Chanukah? You might be able to win one! The Book Meshuggenahs are 18 Jewish women writing award-winning, traditionally-published books for kids with Jewish themes and characters.
Enter the Book Meshuggenahs’ Chanukah Contest: Be the Shamash by December 1! Just as the helper candle — the shamash — lights the others in the menorah, people can be the shamash by helping others.
[image error]
I hope this holiday season you find a way to bring the light into your family, your life and our world in a way that brings more warmth, kindness and community. Amen.
Kayla and Kugel’s Happy Hanukkah by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Find a coloring page here.
Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by CB Decker (Apples & Honey Press)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Find the teacher guide here.
Find a coloring pagehere.
Dreidel Day by Amalia Hoffman (Kar-Ben Publishing)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Find a coloring page here.
Hannah’s Hanukkah Hiccups by Shanna Silva, illustrated by Bob McMahon (Apples & Honey Press)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
How It’s Made: Hanukkah Menorah by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Apples & Honey Press)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Like a Maccabee by Barbara Bietz, illustrated by Anita I. White (Yotzeret Publishing)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Find the teacher guide here.
Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor by Ann Koffsky, illustrated by Talitha Shipman (Apples & Honey Press)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Hanukkah Delight! by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Amy Husband (Kar-Ben Publishing)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
Runaway Dreidel! by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker (Henry Holt)
[image error]
Buy this book here.
The Eight Nights of Chanukah by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Elivia Savadier (Abrams)
[image error]
Do It Jewish – Use Your Jewish Creativity by Barbara Bietz.
[image error]
The post The Gift of Kindness: 2020, COVID and Chanukah appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
November 4, 2020
November 2, 2020
Escape into Fiction this Fall
[image error]
Thank you to Thrive Global for publishing my article, “Escape into Fiction this Fall.”
[image error]
Due to COVID19, I have now been in Los Angeles 230 days. I used to travel nearly half of every month. Since I have not been able to move about, I have been escaping into the locations in some of my favorite fiction books.
Witches Trilogies
Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
When I read that Magic Lessons was arriving soon, I re-read both Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic. You may have seen Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens) and Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens) in the 1998 film from the first book in this trilogy. I loved all three of these books especially how history kept building backwards and how the siblings in each generation had somewhat opposite characteristics but together made a whole partnership.
Many of the books on my list are set in other locations and times because I missed traveling. Magic Lessons begins with Maria Owens, “in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby.” Maria learns the “Unnamed Arts” and the story takes place in England, Curaçao and Salem, Massachusetts. I loved reading about familiars, green magic, Grimoire and the history of the mysterious Maria from the first two books.
It felt strangely familiar to read about how “in the year 1675, when Maria turned eleven, there was another epidemic, of smallpox. Some towns and villages were emptied of all of their inhabitants, and the doors to houses swung open and robbers ruled the roads.” I felt like part of the magic as this tale wove its way through different locations, family members and tragedies. Remember, “Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.” During this time of uncertainty between COVID and the election, I liked reading about “Avra kadavra, I will create as I speak, I will force into being that which is impossible and illogical, all that is against the rules of men.”
[image error]
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
I was talking with a friend about how I loved reading about witches and strong women in Magic Lessons and she recommended A Discovery of Witches. I literally devoured all three of these books. There were witches, vampires, love and one of my most favorite things ever, the library! And not any library but the library at Oxford!
At the beginning of Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy, Diana who is the last of of the Bishop witches tells us that “with my hard-earned doctorate, tenure, and promotions in hand and my career beginning to blossom, I’d renounced my family’s heritage and created a life that depended on reason and scholarly abilities, not inexplicable hunches and spells. I was in Oxford to complete a research project.” Her parents, a witch and a warlock, named Rebecca Bishop and Stephen Proctor, met at Harvard and became anthropologists, as the paranormal do. Diana was orphaned at age 7 and from then on resisted magic and preferred as an adult to study “the period when science supplanted magic—the age when astrology and witch-hunts yielded to Newton and universal laws.” But at Oxford, once she touches “Ashmole 782, a palimpsest—a manuscript within a manuscript,” everything changes and our journey begins with many daemons and a very handsome vampire named Matthew.
I literally became absorbed into these books. I loved this explanation: “Magic is desire made real…When a witch concentrates on something she wants, and then imagines how she might get it, she can make it happen.” I wanted to be able to make the pandemic over but since I could not do that I simply kept reading.
In Book 2, we are told, “Magic begins with desire” and “that the practice of magic was not unlike the practice of history. The trick to both wasn’t finding the correct answers but formulating better questions.” I so wish that right now we had better questions being asked about our current predicament.
In each book, I loved the twists and turns and how the mysteries of the family continued to evolve. I won’t spoil any of the surprises for you and you can now watch A Discovery of Witches TV series on Amazon Prime!
[image error]
Reaching Deep into our PAST
The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike
I read both The Lost Queen and The Forgotten Kingdom written by Signe Pike who researched extensively about Languoreth who was a twin to Lailoken who inspired the legend of Merlin. She was a queen in sixth-century Scotland but the first book starts at Cadzow Fortress, Strathclyde Land of the Britons Late Winter, AD 550 when the ten-year-old twins lose their mother, Lady Idell. Although they have been brought up in the Old Ways of signs and omens, Languoreth is not to be a Wisdom Keeper or druid like her twin. She must deal with betrayal, bloodshed, brawls and a very handsome soldier named Maelgwn although she is pledged to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king.
I felt like I was walking in the woods with her as the descriptions are so vivid. We are now dealing with violence and political intrigue, and like Languoreth we must learn who we can trust and how to adapt to changing times. As Cathan tells her, “Each of us has the power to fight.” Languoreth tells us, “We are a people of choices, and in these choices we find our freedom. I choose for whom I fight.”
I am so glad that Pike has shared the story of Languoreth with us as we need these stories of strong women. Ariane told Languoreth that, “We may not always have the choice we would like. But we always have a choice.” Please use your choice to vote in our upcoming elections and be part of making a change.
When we are allowed to travel again, I will visit Scotland and the sites Ppike describes. Pike tells us, “My hope is that these novels will encourage you to undertake a journey of your own. For although the legends of Arthur and Merlin have their roots in events that took place nearly 1,500 years ago, their enchantment and ability to enrapture us has failed to diminish over time. But their magic is still accessible to any who seek it.” Where will your journey take you?
The Forgotten Kingdom, Book 2, starts with an imprisonment which mirrors how many of us have felt during COVID, stuck at home. As Trish Todd, Vice President & Executive Editor of Atria Books, shared: “In recent months, we’ve all felt like Languoreth, locked inside our homes waiting for the battle outside to be over. What will the world look like when we open the door? Who has survived? When will we see our loved ones again? The Forgotten Kingdom echoes the frightening uncertainty of our time while showing us that disasters that seem unprecedented or insurmountable have always inspired us.”
I hope you enjoy both of these books as much as I did. I will be waiting for the arrival of Book 3 in September 2023. I wonder what will happen with Angharad. I wish I could read it right now!
[image error]
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
Although Ken Follett has been writing books since 1974, I first started to read his books when Pillars of the Earth was published in 1989. I loved this entire Kingsbridge series and am always so impressed by an author who can write a prequel that informs how their books began. The Evening and the Morning begins in 997, we know right away that our main character, Edgar, is smart about numbers, calendars and ready to go his own way at nearly 18 years old. He is a boat builder with his Pa and two brothers. The story begins with an invasion of 10 Viking ships which destroys his village and their business.
Our villain brothers, Bishop Wynstan of Shiring, Wigelm, and Wilwulf, the ealdorman of Shiring, give Edgar, his mother, Mildred, and his brothers a farm with poor land in Dreng’s Ferry to get them out of Combe since they believe them to be troublemakers. They have no idea what they have started as Edgar is a man with ideas and helps the evolution of Dreng’s Ferry to Kingsbridge which leads to the other 3 books in the series.
In France, the Lady Ragna of Cherbourg, is a young noblewoman with many ideas about who she should or should not marry. Her choices and conflicts inform much of this story and her chance meeting with Edgar early on in this book changes her life and his. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end of this book. Reading about what people wore, how they treated their slaves and when or if they bathed kept me intrigued as the people built their towns, fought the foreigners and pledged loyalty to king and church.
If you are looking for more to read after the four incredible books in this series, remember that Follett has sold over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written which have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.
[image error]
[image error]
SUSPENSE
The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian is another author who I have been reading for decades and first learned about in 1998 when Midwives, a novel about a rural Vermont midwife, was selected for Oprah’s Book Club. I loved that book as well as The Buffalo Soldier (2002) and Trans-Sister Radio (2000). Each of his books is such a deep dive into characters’ lives and a truly unique story and perspective. Really, I have loved all of his books and so many are now either plays, movies or television series and his latest, The Red Lotus, is in development for a TV series with the same team that created the TV show for A Discovery of Witches.
Reading this book during a pandemic was a bit eerie. In part, I was thrilled to read about Vietnam and remember my own travels there. But in this tale, clearly something has gone very wrong.
Alexis, an ER doctor, first met Austin when he had a bullet wound. Later, on a bicycle tour of Vietnam to honor his father and uncle, he doesn’t return from his ride. She must use all of her detective skills to navigate his family, the FBI and her understanding of their relationship. I felt unnerved reading it and wondering what would happen next, why did this happen and what ever was going to happen next. I could not put it down and I do not want to give any of it away.
[image error]
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
Although Lisa Jewell’s sixteen novels have sold over 2 million copies across the English speaking world, it was my first time to read one of her books. Invisible Girl is a real page turner. I stayed up much later than I realized because I had to keep reading even when the tale turned creepy because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It reminded me to be careful of judging people and making assumptions. We often do not have the entire story and even when someone has made several poor choices that does not mean we know what happened next.
Everyone needs a friend and someone in their corner especially when they feel alone or vulnerable but this story reminds you to be careful who you confide in since the person you trust might not be who you think they are. This story will stay with me as it marinates in my brain for when I might have known sooner what the final twists would have been. A few times, I thought I saw the way it would end but there were more shifts than I imagined in this skillful telling. I expect to see it on the big screen in the near future.
This tale is not an escape like some of the others on this list into a different time but more of a deep dive into the drama of men’s anger. At first, I thought about not finishing it since I have had enough of politics, posturing and madness, but I wanted to see where it went and I am glad I kept reading. It is a masterful weaving of people and their actions in the past and present.
[image error]
Unusual Narrators
The Archer by Paulo Coelho
I have been reading Paulo Coelho since 1988 when I entered the world of his book, The Alchemist. I loved Brida, which is about a young Irish woman who is interested in dance, magic and great wisdom as well as Eleven Minutes, Hippie, Veronika Decides to Die and now The Archer.
It is by far the shortest book on this list and possibly the most existential. The main character, Tetsuya, is known as a carpenter, but is “the best archer in the country.” Another archer searches for him and challenges him. However, Tetsuya explains to him: “You have a good grasp of technique and you have mastered the bow, but you have not mastered your mind. You know how to shoot when all the circumstances are favorable, but if you are on dangerous ground, you cannot hit the target. The archer cannot always choose the battlefield, so start your training again and be prepared for unfavorable situations.” During COVID, we have not chosen the battlefield and we are vastly unprepared for the tasks. This book shares about how to confront unexpected trials and the need to practice until you achieve precision.
Tetsuya explains that you must search for “the kind of people who transform the world and, after many mistakes, manage to do something that can make a real difference in their community.” I hope that our political leaders are listening as we really need transformation at this time. And a most important final lesson: “Try to develop the gift of kindness: this gift will allow you to be always at peace with your heart.“
In many of Paulo Coelho’s books, he shares about his personal life and being committed to a mental institution because he wanted to be a writer. I hope that you find solace in one of his tales which have now sold more than 225 million copies worldwide and he is the most translated living author. He has won 115 international prizes and awards and in 2007 was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
[image error]
When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
Twenty-one-year-old, Zelda is a Viking enthusiast and an unusual narrator. Her goal is to be legendary. She was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and lives with her brother who is her protector since their mother died. Gert has to make hard choices and definitely has made mistakes.
Zelda is on a quest for the things many young women want including autonomy, a boyfriend and a job in the library. I love the library! I started to think if I wanted to work in the library and then I remembered it is a pandemic and everything is closed. So I just kept reading.
While Zelda is aware that she is different, she is fortunate that her tribe supports her in her efforts. Things do not always go well in this story, this is not a fairy tale. Zelda is brave and willing to take risks and I felt inspired to think about going on a quest myself. Zelda would want me to be my own hero.
[image error]
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
I have to admit it is hard for me to pick a favorite part of this story to share. Just open the book and start laughing. I love the drawings and the prose.
In #20 The Ugly Duckling 2 is about how “we aren’t very good at explaining things to children.” At one point the character says, “don’t tell children that everything is pointless. Tell them a frog story.”
In Story #23: “It is the year 2015 or 2019 or something…just over the horizon, a creature attempts to survive. Things are happening, many things are happening, Too many things have happened!” This is the best description of the pandemic I have heard and it isn’t even about that.
I loved the review from The Philadelphia Inquirer that said: “I would gladly pay to sit in a room full of people reading this book merely to share the laughter.” I want that too!
[image error]
Two of my most favorite authors
Fortune and Glory (#27) A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich
I absolutely love the Stephanie Plum novels. I wait every year for a new one to appear in November. I know I am not the only one because Evanovich has had her last seventeen Plums debut at #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers list and eleven of them have hit #1 on USA Today Best-Selling Books list. She has over two hundred million books in print worldwide and is translated into over 40 languages.
Since 1994, I have been enjoying Stephanie Plum and her fugitive apprehension agent adventures. As she explains, “I occasionally ignore the obvious signs of danger and stumble into something ugly with the potential for disaster.” In each book, I know that her car will blow up, be set on fire or be lost in another humorous way. I agree with her that her “bad car karma is the tip of the iceberg.”
Her gun will never have bullets if she even remembers to carry it and Lula, her side-kick, will be wearing an outrageous day-glo colored outfit that barely covers her body parts and her hair will be a surprise.
Mostly I look forward to her charming moments with the incredibly hot and uber-talented Ranger, who calls her “Babe,” brings her a new car and smells divine. He is former special forces, former bounty hunter and runs a high tech security firm called Rangeman. I also like her on-again, off-again romance with her police officer boyfriend, Joe Morelli. You can start with One for the Money and work your way through to the latest, Fortune and Glory (Tantalizing Twenty-Seven) or just read the newest one which I absolutely loved!
I am hoping Stephanie Plum and her “Superhero Derangement Syndrome” make it to the big screen someday. I enjoy her misadventures and rooting for her to make it to lasagna family dinner with her parents and Grandma Mazur. Stephanie and Grandma are searching for treasure with the keys from her recently late husband and trying not to get kidnapped again.
Like Stephanie Plum, I want to “channel [my] inner Indy!”
[image error]
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Books are one of my most favorite things in the world. I read all the time. I am never without a book but until this book, The Book of Two Ways, I have never finished a book and started it again. I could not bear for this book to end and the only thing I could think of was to read it a second time. I loved it just as much or even more as I read it again.
I wrote about Which Path Will You Pick for Thrive Global and wanted to include it on this Fall List as well! During the COVID-19 pandemic, it feels like we are mid-flight facing an emergency landing. The COVID-19 crisis is an opportunity for all of us to examine our lives just as Dawn McDowell Edelstein, the main character does in Picoult’s book. While Dawn wonders if these are her last moments before dying, she is aware that her first thoughts are not of her husband, her daughter, or her dead mother but of Wyatt Armstrong, a man who hasn’t been part of her life for 15 years. Wyatt represents the life that she left behind in Egypt along with her dissertation about the first known map of the afterlife.
I want my own: Wyatt from this book, Ranger from Fortune and Glory, Matthew the Vampire from A Discovery of Witches and Maegwyn from The Lost Queen! I know–keep reading and hoping.
[image error]
And my friend, Danielle Wood’s new book!
The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke
Last year my friend, Danielle Wood, published her book, Star Crossed, as Minnie Darke and I wrote about it in my article for Ms. Magazine, Feminist Fiction Books to Curl Up With for the Holidays.
This year, she published The Lost Love Song. In this book, the unbelievable happens in Arie Johnson’s twenty-six year old life when Diana Clare, piano prodigy, asks to have lunch with him. He explains that “if this wasn’t a prank, there was only one other explanation: he was experiencing a real, live, actual miracle.”
After great happiness comes terrible loss and the unimaginable when you must wonder, “If she knew the plane that held her aloft was going to fall out of the sky, would she turn to the person next to her and say something profound?“
Across the seas and styles of music, a song is lost and then found which brings a series of people to bump into each other’s lives. I knew that an ending was being artfully woven and enjoyed as the strings pulled together into a beautiful composition.
As one point Evie wonders: “What was it that made some people fit for a love like that, and left other people wanting? Was love like a radio signal, and you just had to be lucky enough to be born with your heart’s dials tuned to the right frequency? Or was it something that could only happen to you when you were young and fearless? And, if so, had [she] already grown too old and too scared? Had she already missed her chance? Or was there still time?“
I hope that there is still time for all of us to find love, leadership and a way out of this pandemic to happiness and full hearts. Happy Reading!
[image error]
.@KTLA travel reporter @wesaidgotravel is grounded due to the pandemic so her escapes these days come through fiction. She gives @thrive her top picks for the fall, including INVISIBLE GIRL by @lisajewelluk and FORTUNE AND GLORY by @janetevanovich https://t.co/fkMVO8U5Yq pic.twitter.com/b6AkzFdNHd
— Atria Mystery Bus (@AtriaMysteryBus) October 26, 2020
Thanks @wesaidgotravel for including Andrew David MacDonald's WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS! @ScoutPressBooks @simonschuster https://t.co/ib4ge4bNwk
— RHA Literary (@rhaliterary) October 27, 2020
Thank you to Thrive Global for publishing my article, “Escape into Fiction this Fall.”
The post Escape into Fiction this Fall appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
We Said Go Travel
- Lisa Niver's profile
- 57 followers
