I consider myself an avid reader. But I hit a slump for about 2 years. When moving to Japan I no longer had my daily commute to and from work and I didn’t quite work reading back into my daily routine. COVID helped me find time to rediscover my love for reading and I have been making up for lost time. So, for those of you looking for a good book – here are some recommendations:
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was a fantastic novel about survival.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier sat on my “to read” pile for years. But once I finally picked it up, I was riveted. Based on a true story of two women who search for fossils. I promise it is better than it sounds. The cover and horrible description is why it took me years to read it even though it was highly recommended.
Homeless Lives Matter: Homeless my story by Leo Gnawa. I bought this book from Leo on the streets of DC. We all think we understand the hard issues of our time, but there is nothing like a first-hand account. And of course, the proceeds go to Leo who is still homeless.
The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler is a fantastic book to get you thinking about what you want your final days to look like. What is important to you? How do you articulate your wishes? This book was life changing for me.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. All of Lisa’s books are fantastic and this one was no different. This book of historical fiction takes you to the unique culture of Korea’s Jeju island. It is unlike any other.
While the Gods Were Sleeping by Elizabeth Enslin is a memoir of a woman who moves to Nepal with her new husband. It is a great inside look into the culture of Southern Nepal.
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson was fun and easy read about loss and friendship through letters.
The World that We Knew by Alice Hoffman is fantastic! It is historic fiction with a lot of Jewish tradition thrown in to make it a very unique read. I really enjoyed this book and read it in less than 3 days (and two of those days I worked 11 hours each).
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir by Kristin Newman. I resisted reading this book for years. I tend to be stubborn and don’t want to follow the current trends. This is why I have been to Indonesia twice but not Bali even though I live in Asia. But I was reading a lot for work during COVID and wanted something light and travel related. This did not disappoint. It was a fast and fun read and at some points it was laugh out loud funny. It does have a lot of sex in it, but not particularly graphic or sordid.
Life Kinetic Travel Research 