World Citizen Wednesdays #28: Great (Non-Parenting) Reads for Parents

Welcome to World Citizen Wednesday!

Each week we pose a question to members of the fabulous Multicultural Kid Blogs group and share their answers here.

To find out more about these amazing bloggers, check out the Multicultural Kid Blogs Facebook page and our new Multicultural Kid Blogs website!

This week we ask…

What was the last non-parenting book you read (and would you recommend it)?

Jennifer of The Good Long Road: I am currently reading Crime and Punishmentby Dostoevsky — cannot recommend yet as I have not finished it. But, I just finished A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learnedby Michael J. Fox, an easy read full of life lessons intended for recent grads. If you are looking for something simple and entertaining to read and you like Michael J. Fox, then put it on the library list. It is a quick read, but I wouldn’t buy it. It was featured in my Weekly Library Challenge post this past week.

Kat of Hapa Mom: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice that Will Inspire You to CLEAN like the DICKENS <– it was okay. But I’m not inspired to clean like the Dickens.  Before that, I re-read Girl of the Limberlost, I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

Anoosh of Araña Mama: Finally got around to reading Wolf Halland was completely sucked in. And for something completely different, I read Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food. Excellent.

Varya of Creative World of Varya: I started reading a detective story by Joanna Chmielewska. I like her humour. We have her books translated into Russian. I always catch up on some reading when I travel home!

Jody of Mud Hut Mama: I just finished River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith and thoroughly enjoyed it. It brings you through life in ancient Egypt as told by a eunuch slave. It was my first Wilbur Smith book but I’ll definitely be looking for more. Before that I read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah who was a child soldier in Sierra Leone. It’s a first hand account of how an average kid can become a killer and speaks about unimaginable brutality, tragedy and loss, but also courage, hope and human spirit. I really enjoyed how simply and honestly it was written.

Alyson of World Travel Family: I’m reading anything that’s free for Kindle at the moment. No, I wouldn’t recommend any of them, there is a reason they are free! I’m also reading lots of Lonely Planets, highly recommended.

Becky of Kid World Citizen: I just finished Home is a Roof Over a Pig: An American Family’s Journey in China, a memoir of a US family living in China. It gave a lot of insight into Chinese culture!

Stephanie of InCultureParent: There are so many unfinished books on my bedside table but one I actually finished was The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah. Can’t wait to read more books by him.

Amanda of Expat Life with a Double Buggy: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach – was a good read.  Just moved on to And the Mountains Echoed.

Amanda of Maroc Mama: Reading And the Mountains Echoed and totally in love with it.

Melissa of Where going havo?: The last book I finished was A Thousand Splendid Suns and I’m currently reading Jednooký král (historical fiction) and Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 (Madeleine Albright), all three of which are excellent. Next maybe I’ll read one of the random Kindle purchases my toddler has made in the last few months.  He actually got away with it once or twice because my husband and I both thought the other had made the purchase. When “New York Times February 18, 2013” showed up, we knew something was up.  He also helps me learn about my new phone by turning on settings I have to figure out how to undo. He just wants to help. And broaden his horizons by extensive reading.  Those digital natives.

Olga of The European Mama: I am reading And the Mountains Echoed and loved it, it’s not as shocking as Khaled Hosseini’s other books, but beautifully written and at the same time touching, sad and up-lifting. I just finished reading Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown and I think it applies a lot to expats and parents raising multicultural children. Now my inner geek wants something to read, too so I am humouring her by re-reading Neuromancer.

Daria of Making Multicultural Music: Grace Lin’s: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky. Not children’s books but two volumes that weave Chinese folk legends into compelling stories about youth, hope and dreams. Enchanting, healing, could not put them down! Visit Grace’s site for more info.

Kim of Mama Mzungu: Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo. Non-fiction based on her 3 years living in Indian slums abutting a major airport. Reads life fiction. Poignant, insightful and heart-breaking. Read it!!

Giselle of Kids Yoga Stories: Just read Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. A woman’s solo hike and her transformation. We also just got back from week in Tahoe and walked along bits of trail (few steps with our toddler toddling). Super inspiring! As a new mom, those hikes are for dreams only. Smile. Sigh.

Thanks to all the bloggers who shared their answers here! You can read answers to earlier questions in our previous installments of World Citizen Wednesday, including tips for traveling with kids!

Find out more about these wonderful bloggers by visiting our Facebook page, subscribing to our Facebook feed, following us on Twitter, or following our group Pinterest board! On Twitter, you can also find us by using the hashtag #multiculturalkids. And now you can visit our new Multicultural Kid Blogs website!