New Year, New Reading Adventure

Last month the community engagement department at my library put together a blog post about the reading goals of the library staff.  I had never come up with reading resolutions, but after a bit of thought, I decided to push myself to translate what I was reading into real life:

A few years ago I read Marcus Samuelsson’s memoir Yes, Chef. His whole life was foreign to me, from his upbringing in Sweden to the anxiety-inducing competitive atmosphere of his workplace. One aspect of the book I could relate to was his appreciation for traditional foods from around the world. After I finished the book, I had the opportunity to visit his restaurant in Harlem, which was another exciting foreign experience: navigating the subways of New York alone, being seated at a table alongside strangers, and ordering the prix fixe.  

This year my goal is to recreate that experience 12 times over. I want to read a book each month about something foreign, and then somehow find a way to live the experience. For example, I might read a book in translation, and then cook a meal described in the book. I’ll be starting January drinking cardamom coffee and reading Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, set in Istanbul. 

I will record my experience here.