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Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books
After two years of being stuck at home during the pandemic, people are ready to get out into the world. You can grin and bear the high price of getting on an airplane these days — or transport yourself through the pages of a good book.
And for that, we have a whole lot of suggestions in the inaugural2 summer edition of NPR's Books We Love project.
From the 167 book recommendations, we've selected 10 that transcend3 time and place: from the red-light district of Lahore, Pakistan, and streets of Mexico to the royal court of 18th century Korea and a dystopian future where Japan no longer exists.
It starts out as a crime novel. A murder. A cop. An investigation4. Then it evolves into so much more. This assured debut5 novel evokes6 an older Pakistan, with all the many complications of class, society, entitlement, entangled7 history. Anyone looking for a pat ending should leave this one alone. Instead, come for the evocative writing, the subtle characters and plot — some of which veered8 into completely unexpected territory.
— Nishant Dahiya, deputy supervising senior editor, NPR International Desk
Born in Gujarat, India, Mississippi chef Vishwesh Bhatt had me from hello with his genteelly defiant9 title, I Am From Here. Western India and the Southern U.S. share more culinary parallels than you'd think, from rice varietals and sesame to okra, shrimp10 and fresh tomatoes. Here, these ingredients explode in gleeful fusion11, the torrid affair of a spice cabinet and a well-stocked pantry. Juicy shrimp pop beneath a crust of black pepper and coriander; pork shoulder melts in a sweet arból-guajillo chile paste. What about sourcing ingredients? After two years of lockdown, don't tell me you don't know how to mail-order dal!
— T. Susan Chang, food writer
Yinka has done everything her Nigerian-born mother expected — except find a husband, something her mother prays for loudly at their family gatherings12. But Yinka has to figure out what she wants: from her career, in love and for herself on her own terms. Set in London, the novel depicts13 the challenge of navigating14 two cultures, both of which Yinka is a part of and apart from. In her commitment to being her whole self and true to her faith and ideals, Yinka writes a prayer for herself, a rallying cry to which we can all shout, "Amen!"
— Tayla Burney, director, NPR Network Programming & Production
Debut books don't get much stronger than this. Meron Hadero's remarkable15 stories explore a diverse cast of people doing their best to find acceptance or at least stability — a 10-year-old Ethiopian immigrant who befriends a German man in Iowa; a pair of refugees in New York determined16 to learn how to cook classic American food. Hadero is deeply perceptive17; her dialogue always rings true; and the regard she has for her characters is apparent. This isn't just an excellent first book, it's an excellent book, period.
— Michael Schaub, book critic
A palace nurse becomes entangled in a murder investigation when four women are found dead and her beloved mentor18 is accused of being the killer19. It soon becomes clear that the intrigue20 runs far deeper than she could have anticipated and, in solving it, she may destroy the fragile balance that holds a royal dynasty in power. The Red Palace is an expertly choreographed21 mystery with a touch of romance and an emotionally satisfying conclusion that beautifully binds22 fiction to historical fact.
— Caitlyn Paxson, book critic
In this gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, 16-year-old Tania de Batz has a chronic23 illness that can incapacitate her — frustrating24 for someone who wants to follow in the footsteps of her former Musketeer father. After her father's death, Tania is sent to Madame de Treville, who trains young women to be Musketeers. With Portia, Théa and Aria25, Tania searches for evidence to uncover a plot to assassinate26 King Louis XIV — and to find the identity of her father's murderer. But handsome ?tienne Verdon becomes an obstacle, because a Mousquetaire is not supposed to fall for her target.
— Alethea Kontis, author and book critic
If you've never heard of Edisto Island, Emily Meggett's cookbook is a great place to start learning. Meggett is the matriarch of the island, which is home to many Gullah Geechee people and the food they've made for generations. The recipes are fantastic: One of my absolute favorites is Meggett's Stuffed Fish with Parsley Rice and Roe27, which is time-consuming but so worth the effort. You're going to want to make these dishes again and again — especially Meggett's Deviled Crab28, Fried Okra, She Crab Soup, and Red Rice. And in doing so, you'll realize the impact that the Gullah Geechee community has had on American food history.
— Wynne Davis, editorial assistant, All Things Considered
Fernanda Melchor's Paradais, the follow-up to the Booker Prize-nominated Hurricane Season, is another grim and powerful indictment29 of the depravity encouraged by Mexico's racist30, sexist and classist societal structures. Translated by Sophie Hughes, Paradais stars a a luxury housing complex's beleaguered31 gardener, who's driven by one of its residents to follow his worst impulses. Melchor's prose is singular, with its fair share of page-long sentences that travel from the deepest psychic32 corners of her characters to the broadest panoramas33 of Mexican life.
— Leland Cheuk, author and editor
In this absolutely gorgeous Korean folk tale retelling, 16-year-old Mina jumps into the sea and gives herself to the Sea God in place of the beautiful Shim Cheong. In a magical underwater land filled with spirits, demons34, gods and creatures of legend (including the giant snake Imugi), the Red String of Fate binding35 Mina to the Sea God is severed36 by the handsome-but-coldhearted Lord Shin. But the Red String of Fate reappears, only this time attaching her to Lord Shin. Mina has a month to investigate the Sea God's curse and detach herself from Lord Shin before losing her mortality forever.
— Alethea Kontis, author and book critic
This dystopian novel is riveting37, bizarre as can be, and like nothing else I've ever read. I'm terrified not enough people will read it. A refugee from a Japan that no longer exists, Hiruko is a teacher who travels through Europe speaking in her invented language that somehow just makes sense to everyone. The book's told in episodes and strange little spells of romance and precise world-building, which is incredibly fun in itself. But the real pull is Hiruko, one of the most charming and memorable38 characters I've ever encountered. Forget Wordle: Hiroko has us doing word games in a dystopian world! What more could one ask for?
— Kamil Ahsan, biologist, historian and writer
1 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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2 inaugural | |
adj.就职的;n.就职典礼 | |
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3 transcend | |
vt.超出,超越(理性等)的范围 | |
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4 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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5 debut | |
n.首次演出,初次露面 | |
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6 evokes | |
产生,引起,唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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7 entangled | |
adj.卷入的;陷入的;被缠住的;缠在一起的v.使某人(某物/自己)缠绕,纠缠于(某物中),使某人(自己)陷入(困难或复杂的环境中)( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8 veered | |
v.(尤指交通工具)改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 );(指谈话内容、人的行为或观点)突然改变;(指风) (在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向)逐渐转向;风向顺时针转 | |
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9 defiant | |
adj.无礼的,挑战的 | |
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10 shrimp | |
n.虾,小虾;矮小的人 | |
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11 fusion | |
n.溶化;熔解;熔化状态,熔和;熔接 | |
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12 gatherings | |
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集 | |
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13 depicts | |
描绘,描画( depict的第三人称单数 ); 描述 | |
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14 navigating | |
v.给(船舶、飞机等)引航,导航( navigate的现在分词 );(从海上、空中等)横越;横渡;飞跃 | |
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15 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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16 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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17 perceptive | |
adj.知觉的,有洞察力的,感知的 | |
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18 mentor | |
n.指导者,良师益友;v.指导 | |
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19 killer | |
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者 | |
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20 intrigue | |
vt.激起兴趣,迷住;vi.耍阴谋;n.阴谋,密谋 | |
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21 choreographed | |
v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22 binds | |
v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 );装订;捆绑;(用长布条)缠绕 | |
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23 chronic | |
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的 | |
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24 frustrating | |
adj.产生挫折的,使人沮丧的,令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧 | |
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25 aria | |
n.独唱曲,咏叹调 | |
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26 assassinate | |
vt.暗杀,行刺,中伤 | |
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27 roe | |
n.鱼卵;獐鹿 | |
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28 crab | |
n.螃蟹,偏航,脾气乖戾的人,酸苹果;vi.捕蟹,偏航,发牢骚;vt.使偏航,发脾气 | |
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29 indictment | |
n.起诉;诉状 | |
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30 racist | |
n.种族主义者,种族主义分子 | |
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31 beleaguered | |
adj.受到围困[围攻]的;包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词);困扰;骚扰 | |
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32 psychic | |
n.对超自然力敏感的人;adj.有超自然力的 | |
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33 panoramas | |
全景画( panorama的名词复数 ); 全景照片; 一连串景象或事 | |
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34 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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35 binding | |
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的 | |
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36 severed | |
v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂 | |
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37 riveting | |
adj.动听的,令人着迷的,完全吸引某人注意力的;n.铆接(法) | |
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38 memorable | |
adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的 | |
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