July was a great month. Amazing weather in southern Ontario. Teresa and I celebrated our 37th (!!!) wedding anniversary. I got to play lots of golf with family and friends. We got up to the cottage a few times, once with (almost) the whole family. The month ended with a round of golf with my grade school friends (we have known each other since we were 4 or 5 years old) Paul, Rick and Mike.
It was a good month for reading. I read 11 books. Once I got through The Passage of Power, a total grind at 1400 pages I was able to get through some great books this month. I should be clear that although the Passage of Power is not for everyone if you are a US politics and history junkie you will enjoy it. Read more on the update I posted on the What to Read post.
I have made it a habit to buy Lauren (our only daughter) books (and a few records) that reinforce that women can accomplish whatever they want in the world. The records would be by female artists (Heart, Pat Benetar) and the books would either be non-fiction about strong successful women, Sisters In Law, a book about Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg as an example or fiction where the main character is a strong female. I normally buy these books or records as gifts for Lauren's birthday or for Christmas. One of the books I completed this month was Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I decided I could not wait for a special occasion to purchase the book for Lauren. It is also my hope that all of our children (and their partners) and Teresa read the book, I thought it was that good. Although all the summaries you read about the book describes it as a book for women, my view is it is equally important and interesting for men to read. I certainly did not agree with everything in the book but I did feel that the author forces you to think about your point of view and your positions on everything from family to race to relationships. I think it may be the best and most important book I read this year (it is only July so I have some more reading to do).
You can find all the new books I read in July highlighted in red in the What to Read post. My non-fiction book of the month is Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Could Cure the World by Tracy Kidder. It is a story you don't likely know but it is fascinating. Dr. Paul Farmer did amazing work in Haiti where he fell in love with the country but his influence and impact have been felt around the world. The fiction book of the month is Full Disclosure by Beverley McLachlin. You may know the author is a former Canadian Supreme Court Justice and I think it is awesome that she wrote a fictional book (about a lawyer). The book never drags and is fun to read.
Just one new wine added to the Great Wines under $20 post this month but it is a good one. Check it out in the white wine section.
I added two new posts this month. My Journey into Activism where you can read about my start to be more active. I have a long way to go before I think I can really consider myself an activist but I am trying and learning all the time. I also posted my first blog on our vacation to Japan. Our Journey to Japan is an overall view of our trip. I will be posting more detailed blogs on each of the cities we visited.
Hope you enjoy what is there. As always, any questions or comments let me know at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com.
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