NATCHEZ — Daisy Karam-Read will be the guest of Turning Pages Books and More located at 520 Franklin St., for a book signing and reading with her book “From Manhattan to Mississippi: a New Yorker Falls in Love with the South,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

When Daisy left the razzle-dazzle of New York City to move to Mississippi, she took a huge leap of faith.

She was an urbanite to the core, thriving on Manhattan’s fast tempo and glamour, and never anticipated living in a sleepy southern town.

Marriage to a southern gentleman of her dreams brought her abruptly to Mississippi, casting this international travel-loving Yankee into a complex culture unlike anything she had ever known.

Could all the negative remarks, bad jokes, and insensitive comments Karam-Read had heard about the South — and Mississippi in particular — be true?

Daisy takes the reader on an emotional journey while uncovering many truths about an often misunderstood region. Her entertaining essays are a must-read for southerners and Yankees alike, perhaps an eye-opener for all Americans.

Daisy Karam-Read graduated from Queens College in New York with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts, and worked as an actress for several years in New York, Los Angeles and Munich.

In January 2002, she graduated from Tulane University with a master’s degree in cultural management, with an emphasis in history.

She now resides in Gulfport with her husband Jerry. When she isn’t writing, Karam-Read enjoys reading, traveling, and listening to classical music.

You may call 601-442-2299 to reserve copies of her book “From Manhattan to Mississippi.”