Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle

Push your cold weather blues away with an escape to the south of France! Peter Mayle, a British expat, writes about his life in picturesque Provence. As the pages turn, Mayle brings to life the sights and sounds of the region and its people. Readers were first introduced to Mayle’s France in A Year in Provence, which described his first year adapting to the Provencal culture and lifestyle. However, Toujours Provence can easily be appreciated on its own. Each chapter is its own tale. Readers get a fascinating description of a Luciano Pavoratti concert, learn of the mystery and intrigue surrounding truffles, go on an unexpected treasure hunt when gold is found on Mayle’s property, explore amazing gastronomic depictions, and so much more. Picking up Toujours Provence or any of Peter Mayle’s travel memoirs is one of the quickest, cheapest, and most rewarding travel experiences!

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Joy Luck Club is a group of Chinese women who banded together as they navigated a new country, coming together to share their life experiences and help one another through new ones. After one of the members passes away, her daughter June is invited to be a member in her mother’s spot. Upon her first meeting, June is greeted with a truth from her mother’s friends that she wasn’t prepared for: she must go to China to meet her twin half-sisters, the very sisters her mother believed had died long ago before she fled the country. In preparation, the women tell June of their past experiences in China and moving to America. Their daughters also provide stories to June about their relationships with their mothers and how their stories have impacted their relationships.

Tan creates a fantastic collection of stories woven together to make this novel a piece of art. Each story holds heartache and tragedy, but also strength and triumph! This is a coming of age story, a celebration of life, experience, and love between mothers and daughters.