During our recent trip to London, we stepped into Waterstone’s at Trafalgar Square. It was big, beautiful, and inviting; a paradise for book-lovers. We traipsed inside, ready to be astonished, as we had already been by the beautiful and varied London sites leading up to this one. We are a family of four, and we … More Book Shops of London
Travel Europe Through Books as you peruse these carefully curated selections of fiction and non-fiction, created or set in various European lands. … More Reading Recommendations
Many years ago, when I was in college, I met a young man who always wore large round glasses and white button-down shirts. He was studious and reserved, but always polished and cordial in his bearing. I liked him as soon as I saw him for the first time one September evening, while some of … More 5 Years of Books, 30 Years of Stories
Here we share a few lesser-known aspects of German culture, based on our experiences living near the German border. … More The Other Side of German Culture
Claire Pothier is a young American student who is doing an internship with us at Fly-By-Night Press. We took her with us to Amsterdam last weekend to introduce her to the Netherlands and get her into the travel spirit. Later in the month we’ll be visiting some other places. In the video below, you can … More First Trip to Amsterdam
We’ve all been busy reinventing every area of our lives as we’ve faced restrictions resulting from the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But how are we reinventing travel? Travel, by definition, means getting away, but these days only our imaginations are taking us anywhere that feels like an escape. Here are our ideas for getting away this Valentine’s Day. … More The Time In Between: Valentine’s Day, Corona-Style
Where’s the Witch? A witch, a boat, and a bicycle. What do they have in common? In V M Karren’s new book, The Witch of Drontenburg, they are all located in a small fishing village on the southern coast of the Netherlands. They are all part of a story about local superstition, growing up, and … More A Witch, a Boat, and a Bicycle
At the end of January, just as the world was changing, I took one last, deep breath before it became clear that we couldn’t take breathing for granted any longer. On the flight home from Lisbon some passengers were already wearing face masks. China had just begun its quarantine. Since January, I have been holding … More One Last, Deep Breath!
This week we are highlighting the novel, From the Rooftops by V M Karren, which is set mainly in the eastern European country of Romania. We thought you might enjoy taking a brief glimpse at what everyday life looks like in Romania as an introduction to the book. Although the book is set in the … More Everyday Life in Romania
by Christine Karren With the arrival of the Corona virus on every continent of the world besides Antarctica, a lot of people are taking precautions. We started by washing our hands more carefully and frequently, and avoiding contact with possibly contaminated surfaces. Next we were buying out the stocks of hand sanitizers, toilet paper, and … More Canceling Travel Plans?
