Hello, old friend.
(And by “old friend,” I’m talking about book reviews here!)
It’s been a second since I wrote a book review. I mean, this was more than two years ago. Ha! I used to publish book reviews all the time…about once a month. I started reading a bunch in 2016 (my year of 100 books to try to reignite my love of reading…and it worked) and I’ve continued to read a bunch.
But…enter motherhood, and my book reviews disappeared. It became difficult to carve out time to finish a book, and writing a review of them wasn’t on my radar.
But you want to hear something very random and interesting?
Book reviews are the #1 thing that people tell me they want to come back.
I find this hilarious for a couple of reasons: I’m not a great book reviewer.
I kind of ramble about them and can tell you if I liked the book or not, but these are NOT polished reviews.
Also, I wouldn’t say I’m great at finding really obscure/undiscovered books. I read a lot of popular novels and self help books, and so those are the books I mention on my blog.
But if you want to hear a girlfriend chatting about a few books she’s enjoyed lately, grab your coffee and curl up on the couch and dive on in…
5 Books I've Read Lately
1. Friends, Lovers, and the big Terrible Thing
Oh my gosh…where to even begin with this one? For starters, it was one of the saddest memoirs I’ve ever read. I felt sad for about 2 days after reading it because Matthew Perry is so heartbreakingly honest throughout it all.
I wasn’t expecting so much of the book to be about his alcoholism and drug addiction, but that just goes to show how much I have to learn about that world. It touched literally every aspect of his life. He mentions that he has poured millions of dollars into rehab, detoxed about 65 times, and he still couldn’t shake it. That just shows you the power of opioids.
I will say, despite the discomfort in his truth, he still manages to be his funny self. I mean, the guy is really funny. He IS Chandler Bing! And although he’s sharing traumatic, near-death experiences he’s lived through and his desire for a change, he manages to sneak his own form of humor into it.
I love love LOOOVED the parts where he talks about his Friends cast and stories from the set. Like almost every human in America born in the 1970s-1990s, I absolutely adore that sitcom (and still watch it regularly.)
I finished the book (oh, goodness, those last few pages just gutted me! His entire life has been a brutal fight against this horrible disease) and immediately turned on an episode of Friends to see if I could tell at all what he was going through under the surface…and I couldn’t. He’s a really good actor and hit a lot of pain from millions of people.
His memoir is a definite must read, but be prepared to hear his honesty and true life story rather than the fluff/humor that you get from the TV show that made him famous.
Did you read this one? Do you have any thoughts about it?
2. It Ends With Us
Well, TikTok convinced all of us to fall head-over-heels in love with this author, and I’ve now read two of her books! They’re heavy on the romance, yet she doesn’t shy away from hard topic. (She kind of reminds me of Taylor Jenkins Reid, just a lot romance in Colleen’s books.)
It Ends With Us is hot and heavy from the beginning (woof!) and then veers in the direction of domestic abuse…which was pretty unexpected and made the book go from a “fluff” book to a “real” novel pretty quickly.
I absolutely loved this book. It was cute and sweet but also thought-provoking. I thought the characters were endearing and I wanted to cheer for everyone, even the “bad guys”….which I suppose is what makes domestic violence so dang confusing to so many households. It was pretty deep and gripping, and I’m glad I read it.
3. November 9
This is another Colleen Hoover novel that’s really popular right now, and I don’t know y’all…
This one didn’t do it for me.
I remember one of the girls on my sister’s NYC 30th Birthdy Trip reading this book on the plane, and she said, “it’s a little bit awkward because all of the R-rated scenes are with 18-yr-olds doing it…which isn’t the type of romance I want to read at this point.”
Haha! And I totally agree. It felt like I should have read this book about 10 years ago, but it wasn’t my favorite right now.
I know it’s a SUPER popular book (seriously seems like everyone is reading it), but I much preferred It Ends With Us. And I’m 100% going to be reading more of her books.
Anyway, that’s my review. Take it or leave it.
4. Comfort Me With Apples
Oh, Ruth Reichl. I wish I could eat your writing!
The former NY Timees restaurant critic has published several memoirs, and I’ve devoured them (like, literally I wish I could devour them!) often more than once. But somehow I’ve nevere read this one!
It was published back in 2001, so it’s nothing new. Just a book by one of my very favorite writers. 🙂
It’s technically the sequel to her book Tender At The Bone, but you could read them as standalone books.
Oh, PS: my very favorite Ruth Reichl book is Garlic and Sapphires!
5. The Hotel Nantucket
Elin Hilderbrand publishes a book and Kelsey Kennedy reads it. This is how it works. 😉
I actually read this back in late September when it was still very much summer weather here in Austin Texas. I just needed a fun, lighthearted beach read.
Her books are always quick, light, fun, a bit predictable, and wonderful during a vacation or by the pool in the summer. She’s such a foodie, so I love how she describes food in her books and talks about restaurants. (Fun fact: after every Elin Hilderbrand book that I read I want to instantly book a reservation at a seafood restaurant in Austin like Perlas or Clark’s.)
Hotel Nantucket wasn’t my favorite Elin Hilderbrand book, though. It was a bit lackluster. Honestly, about halfway through I kind of felt like most things were resolved, and then a bit more trouble was stirred up that kept me in it until the end. But, like all of her books, it was just a fun read!
PS: two of my favorite books of hers are The Blue Bistro and Summer of ‘69, and her entire Winter Street series…which would be really fun to read during this upcoming holiday season.
Ah, that was so fun! Thanks for letting me share those with you!
I’m curious: who’s your author who you’ll read every book they write?!
Have a fantastic weekend, friends. I’ll chat with you here on Monday! Xx.
I enjoyed The Hotel Nantucket, but I really could have done without the ghost! Matthew Perry’s new book is next up on my audiobook list. Looking forward to it, even though I know it will break my heart.
Yes, exactly! I feel the same… It was just all kind of odd. But even though it wasn’t my favorite of hers, it was still good brain-mush in the evenings when I didn’t have any mental energy left!