Snow!

On February 5 a snowstorm started and basically closed school for two weeks. While this isn't travel or reading, it was extraordinary. One reason I keep this blog is to remember what happened and when.

My kids spent almost every day playing outside with all the kids in the neighborhood. No one could go anywhere. It was two weeks of a '70's childhood. I worked and hobbled around on my hurt knee.  Fun all around.

The first video is taken by my neighbor:

Sonia joined a ski team. Here she is at her first race:

Gran Hotel

I do not have a Spanish tutor right now so I decided to re-watch a telenovela from Spain called Gran Hotel. People call it Spanish Downtown Abbey. It is so much better than Downtown Abbey. I watch the show with Spanish subtitles as I can't keep up just listening. In a sense, this is what I am reading right now. I am on Season 3.. so much intrigue! I hear from friends it's also enjoyable with the English subtitles.

Hunger Games 1, 2& 3

Sonia wanted to listen to the Hunger Games. Since it's a young adult book and she is not a young adult, we listened to it together.

The first Hunger Games is excellent. It's an exciting, well-told dystopian struggle for survival. The hero is a girl and she has a lot of not-stereotypically girl attributes - she is a warrior and rather cold-hearted and calculating.

The second Hunger Games was less exciting but still interesting.

The third Hunger Games was terrible, and it made no sense. We listened to the bitter end when everything was wrapped in a dumb, predicable bow.

Becoming

I cannot decide which memoir was the best I've ever read -- either Trevor Noah's Born a Crime or Becoming by Michelle Obama. Born a Crime is very funny but also very sad at times. Becoming is oddly suspenseful and really honest. Both are stories of extraordinary lives. They are both so great.

I listened to Becoming when Seattle was buried in snow for two weeks. I had hurt my knee skiing and could do very little physical activity. Listening to the book was often the highlight of my day. Everyone should read it.