Dear readers,
Much has been going on since I wrote last, in early March, on the eve of my trip to Germany and Israel.
That trip was exhilarating and exhausting. I have yet to share many of my pictures and experiences on my blog but the most spectacular experience, a day trip to the Greek Orthodox monasteries in the Judean Hills, was featured in my post, The Power of Keeping a Promise to Yourself, for the Bella Grace Blog hop end of March. It was fun to be asked to participate in this blog hop as Bella Grace magazine celebrated the
launch of their blog Grace Notes.
Seeing the monasteries was very much an "I always wanted to..." excursion. Making good on some of my "I-always-wanted-to's" has been a driving force for me lately, inspired by the death of my friend Mimi, who was a "carpe diem" kind of person.
And so, this month, I made good on a trip to China and Hong Kong with my daughter, because I've always wanted to see the Terracotta Warriors, and I've always wanted to visit a good friend while she's still living in
Hong Kong, and my daughter always wanted to see the Great Wall of China, and we had a rare window in time to travel off season. So we did it!
Just today I read that "spending more money on experiences" is one of the habits of happy people, and I agree with that. My daughter and I will always remember this trip fondly, and I am glad we did it. I'll be sharing photo essays of the trip on my blog in the next few weeks.
While I was bopping around China, the Washington Independent Review of Books published my essay "The Trouble with Knausgaard." It's my personal take on this prolific Norwegian author's concept of the "autobiographical novel," which I take great issue with.
Looking forward to this weekend, I will, for the first time in my life, undertake a physical challenge to raise funds for charity. Bike the Drive has been a
tradition for my children and me since my daughter bugged me a few years ago to try this event when Chicago's famed Lake Shore Drive is closed to cars and open to bikers for five hours on the last Sunday in May. But this coming Sunday, May 29, my daughter and I will Bike the Drive in honor of our 11-year-old friend Shmulie, who's been bravely battling leukemia these past few months. We will peddle to raise funds for Chai Lifeline, a wonderful organization that supports children with cancer and has been a great source of encouragement for Shmulie.
Any and all donations are appreciated!
This brings me to my next news: I will be starting Annette's Reading List, a sporadic email newsletter sharing recommendations for books I liked. I mainly read memoir, along with other nonfiction and the occasional novel. I often read books with Jewish themes, but currently, for example, I am deep into books about China as I like to read about the countries I have traveled to. I keep getting questions about what I am reading and whether I can recommend any books, so apparently people are interested, and I figured I would get more organized about sharing books. The first edition of my reading list will come to your inbox soon. Speaking of books, I am, last but not least, happy to report that I did sign a book contract with She Writes
Press. My book is slated to be published next spring! It is a memoir about how I, as someone of German heritage, decided to become a Jew and marry the son of Holocaust survivors. It's the story of how my husband and I overcame the baggage of the past, of an impossible love that
succeeded. More on the book as I move along the sometimes exciting, sometimes daunting road towards publication. Having a book with my name on it has been a longtime goal, and I still can't quite believe it's happening.
In going with the theme of this newsletter, I hope I've inspired you to make good on some of your "I always wanted to's" and perhaps even to get closer to realizing a lifetime goal.
With best wishes, |
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