A Feast for the Eyes at The Faena + Your Summer Reading List

I traveled to Miami for Memorial Day weekend and stayed at the Faena Hotel in South Beach. If you are on any social media platform, you have probably seen images of this fun hotel – it is synonymous with its red and white umbrellas and modern artwork curated by the well know Argentinean architect and hotelier Alan Faena. (A second Faena is located in Buenos Aires.).

South Beach is a little crazy and crowded at the moment but The Faena was a nice oasis to escape to for a few days. There is so much to see inside the hotel; no detail is left untouched.

There are two restaurants to choose from should you decide not to venture out: Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann and Pao by Paul Qui.

If you have watched the great series A Chef’s Table on Netflix, you will likely have seen the episode featuring Chef Francis Mallmann (Volume 1, Episode 3), celebrity chef and grill master from Buenos Aires who is known for his live fire cooking.

Take a look at his “grill” below where the chefs prepare the nightly meals over a live fire. Incidentally, Mallmann was also the chef chosen to cater Gwyneth Paltrow’s rehearsal dinner before her wedding to Brad Falchuk.

(By the way, the hotel bar is also at Los Fuegos and they had Cuban band playing every night and a DJ which looked like a lot of fun.)

We had a few great meals at the hotel as well as the truly perfect Casa Tua and always fun Mr. Chow. We also had dinner at The beachfront restaurant at The Setai one night – this restaurant was very kid friendly and the setting by the beach + lots of white lights was definitely a favorite.

I had my two boys and my mom with me which was a different experience than the South Beach of my 30s — we were in bed before 10 PM every night rather than just going out at 10 PM back in the day…but no complaints here.

For me, summer means the beach and lots and lots of reading. Here’s a list of the books on my list for this summer, some of which I have read and others that have been recommended to me by friends. Happy reading.

First Row (1-5), Second Row (6-10)

The Last Mrs. Parrish, by Liv Constantine (authors and sisters) – I think this is a couple of years old but I had not read it before my trip to Miami. A could-not-put-it-down beach read. Great twist midway through.
Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam – National Book Award finalist
Secrets of Happiness, by Joan Silber – This was recommended by my favorite author, Ann Patchett. I cannot wait to read it.
We Begin at the End, by Chris Whitaker – highly recommended by a dear friend and avid reader.
Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason – the reviews for this book are outstanding.
The Mirror & The Light, by Hilary Mantel – Recently released third book in the great historical fiction trilogy about Henry VIII’s court including Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.
All the Ways We Said Good-bye: A Novel of the Ritz, by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White – this book was also released about a year ago but I am going to Paris in the Fall and love stories about this great hotel especially during WWII. (If you also like this genre and haven’t read this book – The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, I highly recommend it. It is excellent.)
The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford. Written in 1945, this book is also the third in a series about love and privilege in British society. It is soon to be a three part series on Amazon Prime directed by Emily Mortimer and staring Lily James. More details about the series in this Tatler article here. It has already been released in the U.K. on BBC. I will no doubt be glued to this show. (You may have seen the press coverage of Lily James and Dominic West seen together while filming this series in Rome…?)

The Pursuit of Love: Now a major series on BBC and Prime Video directed by Emily Mortimer and starring Lily James and Andrew Scott by [Nancy Mitford, Zoë Heller]

Some background on the author: Nancy Mitford, daughter of Lord and Lady Redesdale and the eldest of the six legendary Mitford sisters, was born in 1904 and educated at home on the family estate in Oxfordshire. She made her debut in London and soon became one of the bright young things of the 1920s, a close friend of Henry Green, Evelyn Waugh, John Betjeman, and their circle. A beauty and a wit, she began writing for magazines and writing novels while she was still in her twenties.

9. The Dutch House, by the amazing Ann Patchett. This took me a minute to get into but it was worth the wait.

10. The Wreckage of My Presence: Essays, by actress and producer Casey Wilson – I know nothing about this book but it was highly recommended by Andy Cohen, among others.