I'm Back!

Well, I think I finally have my bearings back. After we came back a couple of Saturday's ago, W and J started school that following Monday and B and I were back to work. B and the boys didn't miss a beat but it took most of last week to get rid of my jet lag and my monster headache. Our trip to China was amazing on so many levels, culturally, gastronomically, and socially. I promise to post about the trip soon with pictures and all but I've been so busy getting our lives back to normal and back to the work groove that I haven't had time to organize my pictures. But in the meantime I will share with you a book I read for one of my book clubs and another book I want to read.


I think a lot of people have read The Giver by Lois Lowry in junior high or high school but for some reason I didn't, but I finally did and I really think it's a great fast read, a real thought provoking book, and great for book club discussion. I found it a bit unnerving but really good. My niece told me that there are two other books by Lois Lowry that I should read, Gathering Blue and The Messenger. It isn't a trilogy but she said that once you read The Messenger is ties all the books together. Hmmmm, I can't wait!


Another book I just heard about while listening to Radio West yesterday, is The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee. She explores the origins of Chinese food, what is authentic and inauthentic why and how authentic became inauthentic. After our trip to China AND growing up on authentic Chinese food (made by my mom - who is the BEST cook) I think this is on my must read list. I'm always on the hunt for new books. Let me know if there are any you would recommend.

BTW, the picture above is one that B took while we were on the Great Wall. It was 99 degrees with 80% humidity, that's another story...