Living a Dream

I find the best way to judge a book is if I’d recommend it to someone else…well, it just happened, without me even thinking about it.

I finished reading Living a Dream by Suzanne Giesemann a couple weeks ago and actually had mixed feelings about the book while reading it. The writing itself, I found to be a bit “clinical” for my taste.  When I got to the part where she described having a couple glasses of wine which caused her to say things she would never normally be relaxed enough to utter aloud, I commented to John that I wished she had drank more wine while writing the book. However, throughout the book I found the stories quite enjoyable and was pleasantly surprised how relevant her experiences were to what I anticipate when John & I retire.

As a military spouse, I enjoyed Suzanne’s stories about military life and the sacrifices members & their families make to serve their country. She shared both humorous and touching accounts of various situations in her very high profile position during a poignant time in history. As a Canadian from the east coast, I thoroughly enjoyed her American perspective about visits to ports along Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and their encounters with local characters. As a capable lady married to an even more capable guy (at least on a boat), her experiences adjusting to life on board and exploring their roles were insightful, and hopefully will help John & I adjust a little more easily when we make a similar transition in a few years.

Overall it was a book worth recommending…which is exactly what I did without hesitation when having lunch with an admiral’s wife last week. She can’t wait to start reading it.

Here is what John thought.