Roundtrip from Texas

"Roundtrip from Texas," Sonja Klein's new travelogue, lets you travel miles in a single book. Nobody could ask for a cooler traveling companion. Klein, author of "Honk If You Married Sonja," is a globetrotting hoot. The fifth generation Texas rancher and cousin of singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett, recounts her journeys to everywhere from Uruguay to Zanzibar with a refreshingly candid voice that adds one or two dimensions to even the most exotic locales we travel to with her.

From her ranch in Texas Klein, now past her fourth husband, sets out for parts hither and yon recording and recounting the customs, cuisine, and whatever new arcane tidbit of information she can scratch up about cultures as different from Texas hill country as you can possibly get. "I've traveled to most every place I wished to visit. I've been married enough, went ziplining, rappelling, jet boat riding, whitewater rafting, marlin fishing. I loved it all." Did you know that Porto Bello, Brazil is the Underwear Capital of Brazil or that a mature lobster carries more than 100,000 eggs? But the real treat in the book is the food. Klein, a self-confessed food fanatic, describes her meals in loving detail. Food has meaning. We learn that sliced watermelon in China signifies the end of a meal. Wherever we go with Klein, the aromas of that culture's cuisine waft from the pages. Part international traveler, part Texas hill country rancher, Sonja leads a colorful life (husband number two was a bank robber and enforcer for the mob) and is always a part of the scenery wherever she goes. And that -when the sliced watermelon is served - is what makes the book such an enjoyable journey.

Sonja Klein is a fifth generation Texas and graduate of the University of Texas. She is the author of "Honk If You Married Sonja." When not traveling the world (and often during), she writes poetry, essays and short stories. She lives on Ambush Hill Ranch in southwest Texas and knows her way around a shotgun.