*** OFFICIAL SECTION OF THE PULPWOOD QUEENS BOOK CLUB, AWARDED 5 DIAMONDS IN THE TIARA *** By the age of 40, adventure journalist and world traveler, Beth M. Howard, was convinced that no matter what she set her mind to, she could find a way to do it. Nothing, however, had prepared her for moving to Stuttgart, Germany, to marry a German. After a lust-filled, trans-Atlantic courtship, Howard trades the West Coast for a newlywed life with Marcus, an automotive engineer. With fairy-tale optimism, she’s determined to learn the language, settle into her new home and live happily ever after—in an equal partnership. The Teutonic tongue, she discovers, is about as easy as deciphering DNA code. The Germans have a plethora of rules, she learns, but only by breaking them. And, once she is living in his country, her husband expects her to wash his dishes. Uh, I don’t think so! “But you are living your dream!” her sister reminds her. “You can have European adventures, and you can write.” Howard has adventures all right—from Stuttgart to Munich, Berlin, Paris, Italy and beyond—and she’s written all about them in her lively and witty narrative, “Hausfrau Honeymoon: Love, Language and Other Misadventures in Germany.” Will the marriage survive the minefield of culture clashes? As Howard strives for the answer, her story will have you laughing, crying and, above all, rooting for a happy ending.
