I’ve been meaning to share the books I’m reading.

Last month, I read Ruth Gruber’s autobiography, Witness: One of the Great Correspondents of the Twentieth Century tells her Story. Interestingly enough, I learned about her from a model at a photoshoot I did in May. I know, I was shocked too.

I downloaded this to Kindle while I was waiting for my books from home that were traveling on a ship across the Atlantic.

Gruber was an American journalist and photographer who was one of the first (and a woman!) to go to and report on life in the Soviet Arctic, Alaska, and to document what happened to the Jewish refugees after the Holocaust. What a remarkable woman; her story definitely taught me things about history that I never knew or thought about, especially the plight of the Jewish people that continued long after the war was over.

My current read is The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
I started it last week and I’m already a third of the way through. I love Erdrich’s writing style; it’s so rich. I was hesitant to read it since it’s about a German family that moved to America after WWI, and I am on a bit of Germany overload…but I’m glad I picked it. Mara, I know it’s one of your favorites!

I am also re-reading Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. A gift from my mom a few years back, it’s a good reminder of how to be creative…which I’m needing in my stark white, German office.

I got a care package last week from my parents (is it still called care package if you’re not at summer camp or in the army?)! In it was Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings. It’s set in Charleston and I can’t wait to read this one next, though the size might prove challenging to fit in my commuting bag.

Books. I feel like my English is getting worse and I hope that some daily literature will help me keep up with English vocabulary, which is just as important to me as learning new German vocabulary. It’s also a great way to escape the day, allowing yourself to be absorbed by someone else’s story every now and then.