Category Archives: Books and Travel

Afropean- Notes from Black Europe- by Johny Pitts

Posted on July 16, 2020 by mandywight

This brilliant book, by Sheffield-born writer and photographer Johny Pitts, is a must for any traveller and Europhile. I came across it on the 31st January 2020, the date the UK left the European Union, and a very sad day … Continue reading →

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On the Red Hill by Mike Parker

Posted on July 23, 2019 by mandywight

Mike Parker and his partner, Peredur, are overwhelmed when they discover that their elderly friends, George and Reg, have bequeathed their beautiful house in mid- Wales, Rhiw Goch, to them. They had in fact been caring for their friends during … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Travel, Books in English, History, Memoir, Nature Writing, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Slava Ukraini! Heroyam Slava! Borderland, a Journey through the History of Ukraine by Anna Reid

Posted on July 11, 2019 by mandywight

Anna Reid’s history of the Ukraine, Borderland, is a must for anyone visiting this huge and complex country. As the Kiev correspondent for the Economist and the Daily Telegraph from 1993 to 1995, Anna Reid was close to the political … Continue reading →

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Am Fluss- River- by Esther Kinsky

Posted on April 6, 2019 by mandywight

A woman of indeterminate age arrives in an area of East London, near to the River Lea. We know little about her, nor why she’s come there, but she spends her days walking with no particular plan along the river, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Travel, Books in German, Books in Translation, Memoir, Nature Writing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

10 Books to read about Colombia

Posted on September 27, 2018 by mandywight

When I was planning my trip to Colombia this year  a common observation was ‘is it safe now? What about all the drugs and violence?’ It is true that Colombia has known several decades of violence in which thousands of … Continue reading →

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Short walks from Bogota-Journeys in the New Colombia- Tom Feiling

Posted on September 25, 2018 by mandywight

Contrary to what the title might suggest this is not a walking guide, but a book about contemporary Colombia. Its author,Tom Feiling, is something of an expert on the country, having worked for the TUC in a previous life as … Continue reading →

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The Robber of Memories- a River Journey through Colombia by Michael Jacobs

Posted on February 12, 2018 by mandywight

This is the story of Michael Jacobs’ journey along the river Magdalena in Colombia, from Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast upstream to its source in the high mountain moorlands of the Páramo de las Papas. The journey and the river … Continue reading →

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The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico

Posted on February 5, 2018 by mandywight

This carefully plotted collection of short stories is set in and around Cali, one of Colombia’s largest cities, and an area which saw some of the worst violence in the recent troubled decades. The protagonists come from a wide range … Continue reading →

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10 books to read about Peru

Posted on November 6, 2016 by mandywight

Here is a personal whistle stop tour of some books I read about Peru which helped me understand that vast and complex country a little better: Andes by Michael Jacobs is travel writing at its very best. The book describes … Continue reading →

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At Night We Walk in Circles- Daniel Alarcon

Posted on March 28, 2016 by mandywight

This latest novel by Daniel Alarcón brings another dimension to the portrayal of contemporary Peru seen in his brilliant short story collection ‘War by Candlelight’ : the villages of the Andes where ‘the thin air is magical’ and ‘everything is a … Continue reading →

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