Secrets of a Summer Village  (English, Paperback, Akyil Saskia E)

I started the book excited because I went to high school with the author. Simple enough. Friend writes book, I read book. Then I found I was really enjoying the story. Not just, I knew the author enjoying but recommend to everyone, truly enjoying. Everytime I picked up the book I was transported out of the cold/rainy/snowy Pacific Northwest to a sunny summer village in Turkey. I felt like I knew the characters. Like I was tasting the food, seeing the stunning fabrics of the unfamiliar clothin...

I love travel books and I have always wanted to visit Turkey, so this book was just perfect for me. What made it much more appealing is that each chapter begins with a quote from Rumi (which fits the content of that chapter). The book captures the experiences of Rachel a Chinese-American residing in a small US town, who actually wants to visit Mexico on a student exchange program, so that she can brush up on her Spanish which she hopes to take up as a subject in University. However, fate has ...