The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading The Villain Edit, a contemporary romance novel about a dating-focused reality TV show by Laurie Devore; I'm listening to You Are Here, a charming story of hiking through northern England and opening up after heartbreak by David Nicholls; and I'm listening to Australian actress Rebel Wilson's memoir, Rebel Rising.
What are you reading these days, bookworms?
01 The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore
Jac Matthis is a romance novelist whose first book tanked (the main protagonist chose her career over a man, enraging readers who'd been counting on a different happy ever after), leaving little audience for her second published book and nonexistent demand for a third.
In an attempt to boost her exposure and thereby resuscitate her writing career, the frank and cynical, unapologetically brutally honest, casual-sex fan Jac is set to appear on a Bachelor-type reality TV show in which the ultimate goal is a proposal and marriage.
After one last fling, Jac reports to the set--only to find out that her one-night stand is a producer on the show who had been absent during her auditions.
Complications abound as the eligible bachelor seems to be falling for Jac, she makes enemies of multiple fellow contestants, she struggles with the staged and manipulated nature of every moment--and realizes that she's being painted as the villain of the show.
Laurie Devore is also the author of A Better Bad Idea, Winner Take All, and How to Break a Boy.
02 You Are Here by David Nicholls
“It’s true I do have time and freedom and I love it, sometimes. But the notion that I should be 'making the most of it,' travelling the world or out every night, there’s a kind of tyranny in that too.... 'You don’t have kids, why can’t you speak Portuguese?' Do I have to have hobbies and projects and lovers? Do I have to excel? Can’t I just be happy, or unhappy, just mess about and read and waste time and be unfulfilled by myself?”
In David Nicholls's You Are Here, a small group of Sophie's friends, along with her teenage son, assemble to "walk" (hike) through the hills and moors of northern England for several days. After meeting for the first time, Michael, a recently divorced teacher, studious and thoughtful, and Marnie, a playful copy editor who prefers solitude after her own divorce, fall into a companionable rhythm and begin to seek out each other's company in an extended hike toward the coast.
This is lovely so far--the increasing vulnerability and search for connection after heartache, the vivid descriptions of English countryside, and the small moments that mean everything.
Private, intimate, a book was something she could pull around and over herself, like a quilt.
David Nicholls is also the author of One Day.
I'm listening to You Are Here as an audiobook.
03 Rebel Rising by Rebel Wilson
I love to read a memoir--if you haven't yet, you might want to check out the many stand-alone memoir reviews and memoir-focused Greedy Reading Lists I've posted on Bossy Bookworm.
A friend recommended actress Rebel Wilson's memoir Rebel Rising, and I'm listening to the Australian's account of a challenging youth, familial conflicts, her growing love for performing, her discovery of her sexuality, her desire to have a child, and her struggle with separating issues of good health from issues of weight.
Rebel Wilson starred in the Pitch Perfect movies as well as in Bridesmaids.
Comments