Zero Waste by Shi Su

Subtitle: Eliminate Your Trash, Simplify Your Life,  and Heal the Earth -- I really skimmed this more than read it.  There are many ideas on how to get away from single use plastics.  Some are difficult because of health regulations in stores, but it would be nice to see that change.  A lot of recipes for cleaning and washing.  A lot of good ideas throughout which I think many people are doing though we can all improve.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

This was a very good book dealing with what I consider a very difficult subject.  It follows three women from completely different backgrounds during World War II.  There is Coroline, a socialite in New York City who helps with the war effort.   Kasia , a young Polish girl who ends up getting sent to a work camp.  And Herta,  a doctor who works at a work camp doing experiments.  Their lives do intermingle and their experiences are so vastly different it is really hard to imagine the disparity.   This was a different perspective in looking at the war, very enlightening,  and something that should be read.

The End of Your Life Book club by Will Schwalbe

The title makes it sound a little more morbid than what I felt it really was.  His mother gets cancer and through her doctors appointments and treatments they share what they are reading.  They read some old familiar ones and many new.  They both read books they never thought they would and have a good banter between what they did and did not like.  She is always trying to get him to agree with her line of thought.  For something very difficult to go through they shared something that he will cherish for the rest of his life.  We are all going to die, how we deal with that reality depends on how well we all handle it.

Birding without Borders by Noah Strycker

Subtitle: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World -- What an adventure!  He does go all around the world and the birds he sees, the adventure he has, and the people he meets is just amazing.  I really liked how he met local people, used them as guides, and just got to know them, their families, and the culture.  You would need to be someone willing to step out of your comfort zone to do this kind of thing and he embraced it.  Even if you are not a birder you will enjoy this book, a great read.

In Buddha's Kitchen by Kimberly Snow

Subtitle: Cooking, Being Cooked, and other Adventures at a Meditation Center -
This is a very funny account of what goes on at a meditation retreat.  People may be trying to find peace, but they don't leave their neediness and opinions at home.  Snow gives you some insight into the happenings through her eyes from the kitchen. 

Foreign Eclairs by Julie Hyzy

Ollie gets in the middle of more foreign problems, murders, and excitement in another fun White House Mystery.   People breaking out of jail, bombings, murders, and she even gets mugged.  There is never a dull moment.  The way that Hyzy ended the book really makes me wonder what will happen next.  I was just a bit shocked.  You will just have to read it to figure out why!

Desiring Paradise by Karen W. Schlesinger

Subtitle:.....a true story of succumbing to the dream -- They fell in love with the US Virgin islands and that was where they wanted to move.  They created a time line, worked on financials, down sized, and had many interesting adventures along the way.  They were able to crunch the time line, they found a home,  they just had to learn to work on island time.  They packed too much, things didn't come, things arrived early, but they were living on island time.  Schlesinger did a good account of what they went theough, some good research, some not so good.  A funny read with some good lessons throughout.