Losing one's spouse is a life-altering event that Becky Aikman understands all too well. Although she did remarry, Becky remained perplexed by society's current attitudes and beliefs about grief. So she did what any other journalist might do --- she thoroughly researched the subject. Then she organized a support group with five other widows, all of whom were strangers. The end result: six women who found friendship, healing and adventure.

The American astronauts have been the subject of many books and movies. For their dedication and bravery, they earned a well-deserved place in American history. As the men blasted off into space, left back on terra firma were the wives who kept the homes running and the children cared for. This is a fly-on-the wall look at the lives of those astronaut wives, who became celebrities because of their spouses.

This is the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading.

Aaron spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, she is like a breath of fresh air. Unhesitatingly he marries her, and they have a happy marriage. But when Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy’s unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace.

Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is 88 years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing?

Margaret Roach worked at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for 15 years, serving as Editorial Director for the last six. She first made her name in gardening, writing a classic gardening book among other things. She now has a hugely popular gardening blog, "A Way to Garden." But despite the financial and professional rewards of her job, Margaret felt unfulfilled. So she moved to her weekend house upstate in an effort to lead a more authentic life by connecting with her garden and with nature. The memoir she wrote about this journey is funny, quirky, humble --- and uplifting --- an Eat, Pray, Love without the travel-and allows readers to live out the fantasy of quitting the rat race and getting away from it all.

A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes—a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely places, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. You’ll love going along for the ride as Mayes travels from her home base of Tuscany to Spain and Portugal, Frances, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the south of Italy, and North Africa. We hope this discussion guide will bring you further discoveries about A Year in the World and about yourself and your travels.