Sunday, February 15

Sitting in bed all day trying not to cough. And a trip all the way to the Carrefour across the street for some groceries. What a waste of a day.

I've finished a few more books, though:

Ataturk by Andrew Mango
I had to take a picture to prove it. A biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of Turkey. A big fat book with little type and I finished it! It helped to learn the geography of Turkey and to learn more about the changes he made in the war of independence. Pretty big changes in a very short time frame, like changing to the latin alphabet, removing headscarves, banning the fez and requiring brimmed hats, closing religious schools and starting a national schooling system, and more. I'm frustrated that I don't remember him even being mentioned in history classes in school, and he certainly deserves some mention or a chapter in a leadership textbook (the subject would be effective delegation). There's a Fulbright research professor here this year studying Ataturk specifically, so I'm excited to know more about Ataturk so that I can actually have a conversation with him (and others) and learn more.

Its Not About the Tapas by Polly Evans
A travel book recording a bicycle adventure in Spain, sprinkled with some history and research. Travel books are dangerous reading. It might be better that I stay sheltered and not learn of more neat places to explore in the world!

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
A memoir of a little girl's childhood in small town USA in the 1970's. Scary words I've only heard my mom and grandma use like "pshaw"! A quick light read, perfect for breaks from Mr. Ataturk's war drama biography.