"Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires" is a lovely telling of a childhood spent in Johannesburg, South Africa, and of settling into adult life and motherhood in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The changing seasons, the natural wild beauty that surrounds everyday life, the abundance of wild edibles and local produce all serve as the inspiration to each chapter. The author's voice is strong and lyrical, the narrative is told through the seasons as an insider, but also as an outsider, as someone "from away." Each season begins with a memory and a story of the season in South Africa and unfolds into life in Nova Scotia, often showing similarities and differences alongside anecdotes, co-incidences, memories, and traditions.

The title of the book "Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires" was inspired in part by one of my fondest childhood memories. In Johannesburg, when it rains and the sun is still shining we called it a "monkey's wedding." As a child I would be enchanted by the thought of the wedding. Where exactly would it be taking place? What would they eat? Mangoes, guavas, mulberries, granadillas and juicy sugar cane sticks, for sure.

In Nova Scotia our lives are now surrounded by blueberry bushes that grow wildly in thickets on the edge of our forest, alongside our regular walking trails, beside the winding paths down to the beach and in abundance in the Annapolis valley where the blueberry festival is celebrated each summer. These little blue-black jewels with star-shaped crowns are the sapphires of summer. Their tart, distinctive flavor has found a place in our daily lives and their place at the table of the feast would be most welcomed by the monkeys.