I hear all my people back home are under a blanket of snow! School is cancelled and there are tons of delays, so I figured I'd fill you in on what I've been reading and watching lately in case you're stuck at home. I arrived back in Germany today, and while there isn't any snow (it's actually sort of warm?!), I'm always on the lookout for something good to read or watch so I hope you'll give me your latest recommendations, too.
1. Friend of the Family is a story about a doctor whose world seems like it is crashing down. He's in the middle of a malpractice suit, his marriage is coming apart at the seams, and his son is infatuated with his best friend's daughter, who has been away for years following the death of her newborn.
2. The Steve Jobs biography is a series of fascinating stories about the man behind Apple. Despite being around 600 pages, the book holds your attention with its unexpectedly funny stories and super detailed accounts of Jobs' personal life.
3. Eve of Hollywood is the sequel to my current favorite Rules of Civility. The sequel is far shorter, but just as beautifully written, and follows Eve on her journey to California via New York.
4. I just started reading The Goldfinch and I cant put it down. It's another gorgeously written book. The description throughout is just beautiful. It's about Theo, a boy whose mother is tragically killed in an explosion at the Met. The story follows Theo as he tries to come to grips with his mother's death, and as his fascination with the one thing that reminds him of his mother - a Dutch painting called The Goldfinch.
5. Captain Phillips was an edge of your seat movie based on a true story of a cargo ship taken over by Somali pirates.
6. American Hustle has such a great cast with Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. It's a story of a couple of schemers who are forced to work with the FBI to avoid their own jail time.
7. We watched Closed Circuit the other day on the flight to Athens. It's a crime thriller about a high profile terrorism case headed by two ex-lovers who uncover a secret the government does not want leaked.
8. Last Vegas is lead by Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline, which automatically makes it entertaining. The four senior citizens head out to Vegas to party like it's 1959 when one of them decides to marry his 30-something girlfriend and needs an impromptu bachelor party.
So tell me, what've you read or seen lately?
PS- My favorite memoirs and uplifting movie recommendations.