Many things nowadays are "Made in China," but what's the real story behind all of those cheap goods? That's what travel writer Joe Bennett, an Englishman who lives in New Zealand, ponders after buying inexpensive underpants. Tracing his purchase back to its source, Bennett wanders around China (often passing himself off as a corporate underwear buyer) and Thailand (where the elastic came from), learning about Asia and the global economy. Publishers Weekly says Where Underpants Come From "sparkles with humor and sharp observations." If you want another witty look at China, pick up J. Maarten Troost's Lost on Planet China.

Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann were both at a crossroads in 1998--Sue was near menopause with a case of writer's block and Ann was a recent college grad with a case of depression. The two visited Greece, France, and Turkey, and in this dual-memoir, Kidd (who wrote The Secret Life of Bees after the trip) and her daughter each describe their introspective journeys and their relationships with each other. This fascinating book will provide food for thought for anyone who's at their own life intersection, especially mothers and daughters--and Bees fans will enjoy reading about that novel's early beginnings.

Learning Hindi isn't easy--but after battling cancer and losing her magazine job, Katherine Russell Rich decides that's just what she's going to do. Traveling to India for a year, she studies the language in an intense program in Rajasthan, where she experiences a new culture, witnesses the reaction to 9/11, participates in a birthday celebration for Shiva, and works at a school for deaf boys, among other things. If you are fascinated by language acquisition or India, you just might find that Dreaming in Hindi is a dream come true--Booklist says this "intricate memoir is as beguiling and mesmerizing as language itself."

Brrrr! Bundle up--biologist Bill Streever takes readers on an exhilarating trip to some of the coldest climes in the world. From swimming in 35 degree water in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to hiking up the tallest mountain in Scotland, Streever travels the world and isn't afraid to get close to his subject matter. Combining history, myth, and science, he also eloquently discusses everything from early polar explorations to hibernation to how insects fare in low temperatures. If you think coldness is boring, you're in for a surprise--Kirkus Reviews calls this "an unexpectedly fascinating look into a seemingly banal subject."

John Berendt, bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, leaves steamy Savannah, Georgia, and her eccentrics, secrets, scandals, and famous murder behind, and travels to watery Venice, Italy...land of eccentrics, secrets, scandals, and a possible arson! The Fenice Opera House burned just days before the author's arrival, and he examines the possibility that the fire was intentional--but this book is less an investigation and more "an intimate portrait of a city" (Library Journal). Readers with a love for Venice will be drawn to the intriguing mix of fascinating people, politics, and city lore found in this engaging book.

Transplanted American chef and writer Marlena de Blasi and her Italian husband move from their home in Tuscany to Orvieto, the largest city in Umbria. There they find the perfect home, which turns out to be part of a 15th-century palazzo in dire need of restoration. While the workmen repair their new place, the couple hang out with the locals and eat magnificent meals. Fans of food memoirs will savor this one--recipes are included and Kirkus Reviews calls the book "delicious." If you want to know more about de Blasi's Italian adventures, pick up her earlier books, A Thousand Days in Venice and A Thousand Days in Tuscany.

Imagine moving to a foreign country for a year...with 6-month-old twin boys in tow. That's just what novelist Anthony Doerr and his wife did after Doerr won the Rome award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In Four Seasons in Rome, first-time parent Doerr writes eloquently of life with small children, sleepless nights, meeting Romans, the death of John Paul II, and the multitude of things to see and do in the Eternal City. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews says this memoir is "delightful, funny and full of memorable scenes." If you're a new parent, you will find it especially entertaining (if you have time to read, that is!).

In 1983, two British sisters obtained temporary positions grafting roses in the sun-drenched Italian village of Diano San Pietro to get away from the cold London winter. Diano San Pietro, full of olive trees and olive growers, sits just two miles away from the Italian Rivera but is a world apart--and it's a place that the British women soon adore. The traditional town charms them with its delicious food and old-fashioned locals, and they buy an old farmhouse, fix it up, practice their Italian--and, years later, the author still lives there. Have a napkin handy when you pick this one up--Publishers Weekly says "this blithe account will have gastronomes and travelers drooling."

Want to move to the south of Italy and fall in love? Dan Hofstadter, a former contributor to The New Yorker, did just that. This evocative book documents his experiences and introduces readers to all aspects of Naples, including landmarks, everyday life, the city's relationship with the dangerous Mt. Vesuvius, and especially her people (including a bella donna named Benedetta who captures the author's heart). Critics call this look at life Neapolitan-style "enthralling" (Library Journal) and "artfully told" (Kirkus Reviews). Scoop up this love letter to the author's beloved adopted city and her people.

"I am about to buy a house in a foreign country." So begins Frances Mayes' classic bestselling memoir, which was first published in 1986, became the basis for a 2003 movie starring Diane Lane, and inspired other books about throwing caution to the wind and buying a house in a strange land. To add to the fun, poet and professor Mayes didn't just buy a new house, she purchased a Tuscan villa that needed refurbishing. In Under the Tuscan Sun, she relates experiences from her new Italian life, such as spending time with Tuscans, dealing with repairs, and dining on delicious foods (recipes are included). Booklist says, "this is armchair travel at its most enticing."