This memoir describes the author’s search to  find a sun-drenched home on an Aegean island. Durrell discovers a very fine one  where he visits villages steeped in history whose inhabitants enjoy simple food  and sweet wines, but his experience is marred by the conflict between the  Greeks and Turks there.  A story about  Paradise, but one that is nearly destroyed by civil war.

A  diverse group of stalwart islanders defy curfew and hold book club meetings  after dark on a British island which the Germans occupied during World War II. A  thoughtful novel that examines the question of why some people collaborate with  the enemy while others do not. This book also demonstrates literature’s ability  to inspire us and give solace during harsh times.

The lives of a scientist, a businessman and a local guide  intersect when they find themselves in the rich delta region of India. Piya has  come to study dolphins, Kanai is there to retrieve a package left to him by  someone who died twenty years ago, and Fokir, the local guide, steers them  upriver. He shares his deep knowledge of the river and its animals.  Interspersed with stories of everyday life, this  novel explores the area’s history and myths, as well as the lives of dolphins.

After  a series of family tragedies, a small-town journalist returns to his family’s  roots, a watery place on Newfoundland’s coast. Despite the fact that he’s  violently afraid of water, Quoyle rebuilds a life with his two young daughters.  Darkly comic, this novel depicts a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.  Worth reading just to experience the local  dialect that is so richly explored.