You may be wondering why my February post is appearing in late March… Life has taken a strange turn since my last post. My apologies on the delay, but now seems like a good time to share with you my recommendations if you, like myself, are trapped inside due to the COVID-19 STAY HOME advisories. In this time of caution, I’ve come to learn that when I focus on gratitude for the things I am still able to do, I am able to keep my mood positive as well. Luckily for us here in Oregon, the weather has been gorgeous and reading has been taking place outside in the backyard with stints inside by the fire when the rain comes.
I would also like to note that below I have linked each of the books recommended to Portland’s Powell’s City of Books website. On March 17th, Owner and CEO Emily Powell wrote a heartbreaking letter to employees about having to make the hard decision to close their door and layoff most of their staff. Powell’s is not the type of business that can afford to pay wages and benefits while the doors are closed, as much as they wish they could. I cannot imagine Portland without Powell’s. For anyone who lives here or has visited, I think you know how special this place is to the city. If you are considering purchasing a book or two during your lock in, consider supporting this local establishment. As of the writing of this post they are offering free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Today I ordered a couple of books on my ‘To Read’ list, an enamel pin, and a 1000-piece puzzle of Multnomah Falls.
Alright, let’s get to it!
The best book I can recommend from last month was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book was selected as the March book for my bookclub. I finished this book in a day and a half. My fiancé John and I were headed to Mazatlán, Mexico for a wedding. I started this book on the plane ride down there and got to finish it poolside enjoying Mojitos.
The synopsis: A young magazine reporter Monique Grant is hand selected by Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo for a tell-all. Evelyn made her way to Los Angeles and to her career in show business in the glory of 1950’s Hollywood. Of the scandalous details everyone wants to know about are Evelyn Hugo’s reasons for leaving the business and the intimate details surrounding her seven husbands. Evelyn delves into actor rivalries, friendships, and love. Monique will learn the Hollywood drama, secrets, and her own personal connection to the legendary actress.
I couldn’t help but imagining some of the scenes described of old Hollywood to be like the one portrayed in Quentin Tarantino’s recent film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. I loved this book and I was surprised by the twist.
Next up, Verity by Colleen Hoover comes in a close second place for my favorite read of the month. Growing up, I was raised on Nancy Drew, so I have an affinity for Mysteries of any kind and this one was a page turner. Verity got my attention from the very first chapter. This was a hard one to put down and another book that I finished in about a day and half. It helped that I spent most of the day poolside with two for one mojitos, but regardless I recommend this to anyone who likes suspense novels. This book was selected as one of our book club books from last year that I never got around to reading. I am totally kicking myself for not picking it up earlier! I learned that author Colleen Hoover started writing without any intention of publishing her work. She has since published 19 novels across a variety of Young Adult and Adult genres. Many of her books have made the NY Times Bestseller List.
The synopsis: Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
I can’t give anything away. Just Read It!
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin was given to me by my mom. She has a Little Free Library near her house that has a rotating selection of bestselling books. She will often read or pass along the ones she has heard are good. This book was a hard one for me to get into. The plot is heavier than your typical murder-mystery. However, as I read, the characters grew on me and I found myself curious to know how it all unfolds.
The synopsis: In New York City, 1969, four young siblings visit a psychic they hear about who can predict the day they will die. They keep the dates secret from one another, but each one is affected in different ways.
Fiction is my favorite genre to read. It helps me relax and sets my imagination free. Those three were my fun, fiction books for the month. I rotate back and forth between fiction and non-fiction books to add some variety to my reading. I enjoy reading non-fiction to learn about something or someone new.
If you need a good laugh, I recommend listening to books by comedians because usually the audio is read by the author. It’s equivalent to listening to them do 8-hours of stand-up comedy with more intimate hopes, dreams, and aspirations thrown in. I listened to The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer on audio. I admit that I was a lukewarm Amy Schumer fan after seeing some of her movies, but I had never seen any of her stand-up in full. I recently became a BIG fan of hers after watching her 2019 Netflix special Growing. I highly recommend.
A book that I added to my ‘To Read’ listed based on the recommendation of a friend is The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. If you don’t recognize them based on their names, think Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec. and Karen from Will & Grace. They are married in real life and they read this audiobook together. I’ve listened to quite a few books by comedians now, so I should do a whole post on this topic. More to come.
I found Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody completely relatable. She describes navigating her career through the performing arts. Originally from Portland, Maine she set out for Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She shares what it was like to go from an unknown actress on the set of Twilight, to Oscar Nominated for her role in Up In The Air, alongside George Clooney. In a funny aside, she talks about struggling to afford to pay rent while also having a stylist hired as a favor to her dress her for the Oscars. The stylist recommends she purchase a pair of heels for “seven-fifty” and she replies with, “SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!”. Anna describes what it was like to go from struggling actress to star overnight. She recounts how the Oscar experience isn’t all glitter and glam. She is witty and outspoken. I found it easy to relate to her ambitious and sometimes neurotic mindset.
Lastly, I checked out Meb Keflezighi’s 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running and Lifeon audio as a book to motivate me to start training. At the time I was training for the Nike LA Women’s 13.1 Half Marathon. I signed up with a couple of my girlfriends. We booked a hotel near the beach. We were excited to race and spend time together in the sun. We trained together some days, but on others when I needed to set out for 3-5 miles on my own, I had a hard time finding motivation. Portland’s rain and gray skies were not helping. Listening to Meb’s book on my solo runs helped get me out the door. Each chapter is a different marathon he raced in where he couples his experience in each race with the life lesson he learned along the way. Anyone who has attempted to run a marathon knows that the training takes more mental strength than it does physical. Meb shares how even he struggled with the thoughts of, “Why am I doing this?” while out on the course. He shares stories about injuries, self-doubt, and the importance of recovery. His book was inspiring for me. It served as a reminder to me (even before I was encouraged to stay put for a while) that having the ability to run is something to be thankful for.
I hope you enjoy some of the list below. Feel free to take what speaks to you and ignore the rest. I will be posting my March Reads list soon.
My February Reads:
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (on audio)
- Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
- The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis (on audio)
- 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career by Meb Keflezighi (on audio)
- The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (on audio)
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
