Blog, Book Reviews, Articles & More
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai Book Review
The Great Believers is a wonderfully poignant read that brought to life the early HIV/AIDS experience in the gay community of Chicago and the effect that the loss of so many young men had on those left behind.
The Premonition by Michael Lewis Book Review
The Premonition is a fascinating—and sobering—look at the backroom deals, bubble gum and bailing twine serendipities, CYA gamesmanship, inter-agency hijinks, bureaucratic tarpits, and politicization of public health as the stage on which the Covid response unfolded.
The Cloisters by Katy Hays Book Review
In what seems a serendipitous job offer when her summer associateship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art falls through, Ann Stiltwell finds herself working at The Cloisters, a center for medieval art, and with a group of researchers studying the history—and the validity—of Tarot and divination…
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together Book Review
The core message of this well-researched book is that the often invisible, race-centered policies of the US government, state/local governments, and private enterprises, hurt not only people of color but all Americans…
Dust Child Book Review
Set in both wartime and 2016 Vietnam, Dust Child by Que Mai Phan Nguyen brings readers into an immediately captivating tapestry both heart-wrenching and hopeful of the experience…
The Lost Apothecary Book Review
Sarah Penner’s debut novel The Lost Apothecary is a wonderfully original story with compelling characters and plot twists, set in two different time periods. Modern-day aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell is in London alone for her tenth wedding anniversary…
About Kristine
Kristine Madera is an Amazon #1 bestselling author who writes fiction and nonfiction shaped by travel, culture, and lived cross-cultural experience.
Inspired while volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying in Calcutta, her novel God in Drag examines what happens when spiritual faith fractures in the sacred city of Varanasi. Read the first chapter of God in Drag HERE
She birthed her upcoming novel, The Snakeman’s Wife, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Papua New Guinea.
Be on the lookout for her Etiquette Express Guides, a series of short, practical travel guides that help readers understand the customs, social expectations, and everyday dos and don’ts that make travel smoother and more connected.
Her travels have taken her across India, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Papua New Guinea as both a backpacker and Peace Corps Volunteer. A portion of her book proceeds supports cross-cultural education scholarships.
You don’t need to “master” a culture to move through it well.
You just need a few steady skills:
- How to stay curious,
- How to adjust without performing
- How to recover gracefully when you miss a cue—because we all do.
This free PDF guide gives you 12 simple, human skills you can use anywhere: whether traveling abroad, navigating a new city, joining a host family, starting a new job, or even re-entering your own life after a trip.