Three islanders, three books, and three good reads…

The Middle Ages were a period of tremendous cultural and scientific advancement in the Islamic Empire—ideas and inventions that shaped our world.

Did you know that:

• The numbers you use every day (Arabic numerals!) are a Muslim invention?
• The marching band you hear at football games has its roots in the Middle East?
• You are drinking orange juice at breakfast today thanks to Islamic farming innovations?
• The modern city’s skyline was made possible by Islamic architecture?

The Muslim world has often been a bridge between East and West, but many of Islam’s crucial innovations are hidden within the folds of history. In this important book, Bryn Barnard uses short, engaging text and gorgeous full-color artwork to bring Islam’s contributions gloriously to life.  Chockful of information and pictures, and eminently browsable, The Genius of Islam is the definitive guide to a fascinating topic.

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Shann

If you’ve ever had a more-than-two-minute conversation with Shann Weston, you know that she not only sees things at different levels, but also sees how they connect, and often expresses the beauty & wonder of that connection.

Her first novel Curve of the Moon was released this year, following her well-regarded 2001 work Naturescaping: A landscaping partnership with nature. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:

A powerful intuition leads Aidan MacLaine deep into the Northern Scottish Highlands, an extraordinary wilderness he’d once roamed and dearly loved.

When he arrives at The Big Misty Lodge, the world falls away. Astoundingly, the woman who claimed his heart eleven years ago stands before him. Kate Stoker’s dreams had been haunted by Aidan ever since Montana. Suddenly, he is back in her life and clearly troubled by something ominous. Meanwhile, she has her own dangerous secrets to keep.

This contemporary romance has old-fashioned roots and a love of dramatic landscapes, journeying to an ancient Scottish island, Ireland and the islands of the American Northwest. Love, poetry, art and music keep Aidan and Kate whole through all the relentless circumstances that confront them.

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Susan

Susan Wingate is one of the more prolific authors on the island, and is incredibly generous with her broad & award-winning experience, sharing her vision of what writing really is & how to market one’s writing in an ongoing series of workshops, both here & offisland. Currently on book tour, this year, she is traveling in Washington State, Oregon, Arizona, California, and on May 25th, she will be in New York City for the 2011 BookExpo America.

Her latest book is Drowning – here’s a plot summary from her website:

Even with her mother’s death days away, even as her marriage is falling apart, Euly Winger leaves home, returning to the place she grew up in order to uncover a dark secret about her parent’s divorce.

On her search for answers, Euly meets up with an old family friend – now broken and drunk – who tries to seduce her in a trade for information. After rejecting his advances, she ends up breaking into her aunt’s and rummages through her private records. However, after catching her, Aunt Moon tosses Euly out of her home. With no one else to turn to, she goes back to the drunk. When he ends up attacking her, Euly fights him off. Incensed by her second rejection, he angrily blurts out everything about her parents. When he finally leaves, she accidentally overdoses, slips into unconsciousness while bathing, nearly drowns, and ends up in the hospital.

Two days later, she returns home just hours before her mother dies. As they sit alone together, Euly asks her mother for the truth.