Monday, November 23, 2015

Aloha to Mingmei Yip and THE WITCH'S MARKET

24402673

Escape to the Canary Islands with a Chinese-American assistant professor who seeks the scholarly study of magic ...

From the author of Secret of a Thousand Beauties and Peach Blossom Pavilion comes a beautifully written novel of self-discovery and intrigue.

Chinese-American assistant professor Eileen Chen specializes in folk religion at her San Francisco college. Though her grandmother made her living as a shamaness, Eileen publicly dismisses witchcraft as mere superstition. Yet privately, the subject intrigues her.

When a research project takes her to the Canary Islands—long rumored to be home to real witches—Eileen is struck by the lush beauty of Tenerife and its blend of Spanish and Moroccan culture. A stranger invites her to a local market where women sell amulets, charms, and love spells. Gradually Eileen immerses herself in her exotic surroundings, finding romance with a handsome young furniture maker. But as she learns more about the lives of these self-proclaimed witches, Eileen must choose how much trust to place in this new and seductive world, where love, greed, and vengeance can be as powerful, or as destructive, as any magic. 



Mingmei Yip is a polymath (Greek for having learned much),


Mingmei Yip was born in China, received her Ph.D. from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and held faculty appointments at the Chinese University and Baptist University in Hong Kong. She's published five books in Chinese, written several columns for seven major Hong Kong newspapers, and has appeared on over forty TV and radio programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and the U.S. She immigrated to the United States in 1992, where she now lives in New York City.

Learn more about Mingmei and her books at mingmeiyip.com.


San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 1880 (Tenerife)
Public Domain (link)

I chatted with Mingmei at the RWA National Convention in NYC this past summer ... so I am giving away RWA swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your favorite market - flea market, farmer's market, etc.  Of course mine is the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet (link).
2.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City


Aloha Stadium Swap Meet


13 comments:

  1. I like going to the farmer's market at Union Square.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have local markets on a Sunday - a few actually. My favourite is the craft market. I get some great ideas for things I can make.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love going to fleamarkets, not so much to buy loads but to enjoy. So many interesting items and no doubt so many stories they have to tell. If they have books I always have to get a closer look and that's how my (cook)book collection grew to its current size :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't visited a lot of markets so I guess I'll have to go with the farmers market.
    Lori

    ReplyDelete
  5. We have a wonderful French Market that I love to go to and of course spend way to much money.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There is an amazing one in Pennsylvania which we used to go to after Thanksgiving. It was our Black Friday visit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Last time I went t one was a few years ago and I found the cutest little unicorn statue. But I also got a sunburn on the back of my neck.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's been quite a while since I've been to one - none are close by, but I've always enjoyed them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like going to the local Farmers Market. The produce is always fresh, and much cheaper than Publix.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like both - there are a few farmer's markets around & there used to be a flea market about 30 minutes away, but no longer

    ReplyDelete
  11. I enjoy going to a local farmers market that is near the beach in San Diego.

    ReplyDelete