Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: I just cannot stop reading this book, and think this may be my 3rd or 4th time through in the last couple of years. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been slightly obsessed with undersea life, or perhaps because I truly believe octopi are alien creatures sent here to tease us, but the whole idea of this book- an unlikely friendship between a cleaning lady and an octopus in the aquarium where she works- is just sweet to me. Read it.
Just Good Manners: A Quintessential Guide to Courtesy, Charm, Grace, and Decorum by William Hanson: There’s been a lot of hoopla about William Hanson since his viral “correct way to eat a banana” video went wild, but I find him witty and charming, and enjoy watching his social media posts. In a world where it seems we get less proper by the day, a calming voice to bring us back to manners is a welcome one… to me, at least. His book was just as one would expect it to be; proper yet cheeky.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoy TJR’s writing. When my friend, Kaitlin, turned me onto her with Evelyn Hugo, I was thrilled and have remained pleased with each book I pick up. In this one, we’re in the 80’s, following two female scientists at NASA. In such a male-dominated field, especially at that time, there were many challenges for them, but I’m not sure they planned on a romance being one of them.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: On a list of recommendations from someone special, The Hobbit. I feel like I had to have read this at some point in my book-nerd life, but I can’t remember when. Just as you’d expect it to be, we follow Bilbo after he’s quite suddenly made the center of a burglary. Filled with as much adventure, prose, and song as you could want, and a must-read for anyone who loves fantasy.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: This one was panned in a lot of ways online, but I didn’t hate it. Though I’m not sure I’d ever read again. Our protagonist, June, is a white author struggling to make it in the literary world. When her friend, a Chinese writer, suddenly chokes to death, June steals her latest unpublished book and passes it off as her own… and attempts to pass herself off as Asian. It’s a little anxiety producing, as we’re always waiting for June to be found out.
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi: Oh, goodness… This was one of the most buzzed about books amongst my friend group, and for good reason. I’m 99% sure I started and finished this on a plane back from New Orleans, zipping through rather quickly. When a slightly mysterious yet good-natured gentleman moves to a small town, he makes a mission out of gifting portraits to those who live there. His reasons are kept secret until the ver (heart-breaking) end. I fell in love with this man and his kindness and elegance, and hope we may all meet someone like him.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden: Based on Burden’s husband’s sudden leaving of their marriage during Covid, and the fallout from it, Strangers is a tough read, especially for someone who just went through a divorce. The emotions are raw, however, there is a lot of chatter about the financial stress… As the granddaughter of Babe Paley, and the guardian of several 7-figure trusts, it’s hard for me to sympathize at all with the financial pieces of her memoir. However, thinking of moving forward as a single, independent woman? I can get behind that all day.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Another re-read, and one I go back to when I want to think of beauty, which is odd, considering the subject matter. I originally wrote a full review in 2018. Read it here.
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers: I struggled so hard with this. It’s a true sliding doors type of story, where two realities exist. In one, Cora and Sam meet in a parents’ group and go on with their lives, and in the other, their chemistry wins over and forces them into (say it with me) a Ten Year Affair. The transitions between the two worlds were jerky at best. One I’m glad was offered for free on Kindle Unlimited.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: Oh, man… I wanted to love this, but didn’t. That being said, I’ve giving it a second chance in the new year. While it’s funny, our main character, Ignatius, is just insufferable. Too smart for his own good. Sloppy. Ugh. However, in the words of my dad, he was “knocked down a peg or two” when he needs to make some money and takes jobs that aren’t quite what he thinks he’s in line for. Funny? Sure. But dear god, I want to strangle this man. And his mother. And the horse they rode in on.
** this post is not sponsored in any way. all thoughts and opinions are my own **
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