Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly(-ish) blog post about five things that caught my eye this week.
It's been a busy time, with a lot of things happening this first week of November.
1) We attended the ArchCare Gala on October 28th. My husband is the CEO and President of ArchCare, and each year a gala fundraiser is held at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. This year, $1.5 million was raised at an event that featured author/director/filmmaker/playwright Adriana Trigiani as the event's emcee, Broadway star Mary Testa performing four songs, and Dr. Deborah Birx as the featured speaker. The evening was a great success, and the crowd of 350 people adored all three of the incredible ladies. 
2) I found this Little Free Library on my walk in Longboat Key, the first one I have seen in our neighborhood. 
3) Our older son has been an Atlanta Braves fan since he was seven years old and they won the 1995 World Series. This week, the Braves won the World Series and so many of our family and friends were very happy for him. Nobody thought they had a chance since they had a losing percentage at the All-Star break. Way to go Atlanta!
4) I watched the 92Y event with Samantha Barry interviewing Hillary Clinton and Huma Abdedin about Abedin's memoir Both/And . Abedin, born to Indian parents, spoke of traveling all over the world as a child with her family, and she spoke very lovingly of her father who passed away. She and Secretary Clinton shared stories of Abedin's rise from White House intern during the Clinton administration to her working as Hillary Clinton's chief aide while Clinton was a Senator, Secretary of State, and Presidential candidate. Adebin has led a fascinating life, and she is an excellent role model for young women. (The stories she told were quite amusing too.) I can't wait to read her book. 
5) I read two books this week. Indian author Thrity Unrigar's new novel, Honor, (which publishes in January) was suggested to me by someone who knows good books. It tells the tale of a young Indian reporter who has lived in the US since she was a teen. She returns to India to cover the story of a young woman whose Muslim husband was killed by the woman's brothers as revenge for marrying their Hindu sister. The brothers then burned and severely disfigured their sister. It's a stunning novel about revenge, honor, courage and the dangers of tribalism which unfortunately resonates in our society today as well, and Umrigar's best book yet.
I also read Jenna Blum's Woodrow on the Bench, a memoir about the last year in the life of Blum's beloved 15 year-old dog Woodrow. Woodrow was Blum's faithful companion, popular with all those who met him and his fans on Instagram. (He had his own account.) Anyone who has ever had and lost a dog will relate to this touching book, and Blum does not shy away from the bad things that happened to Woodrow as he became more and more infirm and ill. It's a true love story, and you will cry. 
Stay safe and healthy everyone.
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