What I've Been Reading

This batch of books brought to you by a visit overseas and plenty of time to read.  Enjoy!

One of my favorite books in the whole world is Ernest Hemingway's book A Movable Feast. It's about the early years in Paris with his first wife. Paula McLain had the ingenious idea to write the same book fictionalized from the MRS. Hemingway's perspective. I absolutely loved it. I read this on the long plane home from our recent vacation and bawled my head off. I felt bad for the stranger seated to my left. I'm sure he was concerned about the tears dripping off my nose. If you love Hemingway but are saddened by his self destructive life this book is a heart rendering and inspiring look at what it means to love and let go. 

I continued my dive into all things Hemingway when I checked out this massive tome.  It's often said real life is stranger than fiction and no one does that apply to more than Hemingway. 

I kept the spy theme going on vacation with The Whitehall Mandarin. While we were in London we walked the Thames River through The Whitehall district. Its where the military police, Scotland Yard and the government buildings are located in London. I enjoyed this book for the descriptions of things we had just seen. It also made me wonder how much of the fictionalized history was true.  Pretty crass though so be warned. 

Part fairy tale, part self help. Fun and dangerous if you take it too seriously. I listened to this massive best seller on Audible. Some of the scenes made me nod in recognition. The whole world conspires to help those that are following their personal legend. 

We read Katie Davi's first book Kisses for Katie in bookclub almost a decade ago. She was a young woman who made the audacious and beautiful decision to personally adopt 13 girls in Uganda. Ten years later she tells her ongoing story of God's faithfulness, of loss and healing in her new book Daring to Hope.  This is inspiring. 

A friend promised to let us try the tea if we finished the book. This was an interesting look at the massive changes in rural China over the last fifty years and one woman's journey to adapt and maintain her identity.  

What are you reading?