January was a brutally cold month in Toronto. We dealt with blizzards, snowstorms and the -30C degree temperature. With all these winter wonders comes the reading pleasures. If you are like me who has no desire to brave the cold to go skating or skiing, a book in hand with a glass of wine is always the best way to warm up those long and cold winter nights.
I’m a book hoarder and news junk. I read pretty much everything, long or short, a thick book or a funny tweet. Among everything that I read in January, there are three books that I like the most and would like to share with you.
* The End of Your Life Book Club
In this beautifully written book, the author told us an inspiring story of him and his dying mother, who form a book club that brings them together as her life comes to an end. The mother Mary Anne Schwalbe is an humanitarian who devoted her later life into helping refugees around the world. While the son Will Schwalbe accompanies his mother to numerous rounds of chemotherapy, he takes the opportunity to exchange ideas and thoughts with his mom about the books that they choose to read together. Their choices range from classic to popular, from fantastic to spiritual. Throughout this book, you can feel their passion towards reading and their love for each other.
I always love a good leadership books written by a military officer or a chief command, because they have been there and done that with blood and sweat. Business world is like a battle field, which requires strategy, discipline and execution to survive and succeed. The newly published book Leaders: Myth and Reality tells us what the leadership really is in a story-telling format. Stan McChrystal served for 34 years in the US Army, in command of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. During those years, he came to a conclusion that leadership is more a function of the system and environment in which the leader lives and operates.
This is a memoir of a Korean girl who was adopted and raised by an American white family. The book unveils what it looks like when losing your roots within your culture and your family, and what it happens when you find them. It’s a happy ending story but the journey to get there is tough, heartbreaking and profound.
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Reading give us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are.
Reading a good book is like taking a journey, without having to deal with the hustle and bustle that comes with travelling.
Keep reading my friend. And tell me what you are reading this month to get yourself entertained or inspired.
Leave a comment below and maybe we can form a virtual book club to share thoughts and insights.
Happy reading! 📖😊
BOLD ELEGANCE 