Summer Reading List: A House In The Sky

If you only read one novel from my list, let this be it. Amanda Lindhout is a Canadian journalist, motivational speaker and awe inspiring strong woman who has experienced the deepest of tragedies and risen above it. A House in The Sky, is a once in a lifetime memoir, incomparable, poignant and introspective.

Like any young woman, Amanda longed for far off places, to travel and experince the world while in her early twenties. Working in the restaurant industry in Calgary, Amanda was going back and forth between earning and travelling but eventually began taking photos and selling them to outlets to fund her adventure. As her self taught career in journalism begged for more exoctic and at time dangerous places to inform the rest of the world, Amanda often found herself in conflict zones so when warned of the dangers of Somalia in 2008 she thought little of it.

August 23rd 2008, Amanda and her former flame Nigel Brennan, whom apprehensively joined her, were kidnapped by for ransom by Somalian Islamic Militants for what would be a long 15 months.

This harrowing story shows the strength of the human spirit. The strength of a woman. How much we can overcome when we are pushed to our limits and faced with the unknown with only hope to guide us. I can't even imagine how much inner strength Lindhout has as in even reading A House In The Sky, left me in tears, hyperventilating and on an emotional journey that has left me a changed person.

Raw, Honest and Thoughtful. This memoir shows the human side of the Islamic Militant soldiers that have remained faceless and dehumanized in the daily news coverage we see regularly. This book is a must read espescially in our current geo political climate. It deals with heavy topics but is beautifully written and engaging.

Blond Champagne Score: 4 Glasses of Bubbly out of 5

#Lifestyle