Search Results

her experiences through her childlike point of view, which allows for a painfully pure set of painful memories

What is the value of a life that must be begun anew each day--a life no one else holds memories of? What is the value of a life that must be begun anew each day--a life no one else holds memories of?

Bobby's recounted memories don't paint her as anything close to a saint; she recounts the evidence of

arrives in town, digging into Chloe's past and the recent disappearances, he sparks disturbing old memories

known to Harrow; characters lie steadily to each other; and Harrow is an unreliable narrator, with memory

#nonfiction, #memoir, #spy, #politicssocialjustice, #fourstarbookreview

Pan is wonderfully honest, appealingly thoughtful, and often so so funny. I was so happy spending time in her point of view throughout this book. I loved it. Jessica Pan was an introvert out of a job. Her closest friends had moved away, and she found herself lonely, living in another country, and feeling too reliant on her husband for her entire social life. Although she wasn't trying to change her status from introvert to extrovert, she did want to open up to new experiences, broaden her horizons and meet new people, a few of whom she could hopefully in time call true friends. Pan decided to deliberately put herself into extremely uncomfortable social situations for a year, and she fully commits. She does improv, approaches strangers on the Tube, goes on friend dates, attends networking events, takes a vacation alone (to a destination she doesn't learn until she's at the airport), and more. She regrets her one-year plan almost instantly but feels compelled to continue her terrifying exercises. My book club is reading this book, and we were recently saying in anticipation of our upcoming discussion that Pan's concept reminded us somewhat of a book we read years ago, MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend (although that book had a premise that didn't really make sense, since the author seemed surrounded by family, friends, work friends, and didn't seem particularly lonely). Pan is earnest about and determined to see through her gutsy path, which is often horrifyingly frightening for her, frequently not at all what she bargained for, and which gradually pays off in fits and starts of personal growth that are meaningful for her. Her interviews and experiences with others who mentor her journey in different ways could have felt disruptive or jarring but didn't; they added a layer to her story that I found interesting and often revelatory. Pan is wonderfully honest, appealingly thoughtful, and often so so funny. I was so happy spending time in her point of view throughout this book. I loved it and I'd read another book by her in a second. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Have you read this one? It was the right book at the right time for me. I'd happened to read multiple books in a row in which grim circumstances drove the plots, and this book felt like a breath of fresh air. I first mentioned this book along with The Exiles and The Comeback in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 10/22/20 Edition.

The memories are beginning to slowly shift back into focus, but he needs them now.

#nonfiction, #memoir, #appalachian, #politicssocialjustice, #threestarbookreview

#memoir, #faith, #dysfunctionalfamily, #fourstarbookreview

her experiences through her childlike point of view, which allows for a painfully pure set of painful memories

Whose memory is solid?

I love Glennon's heart and her honesty, but many of these essays ended too soon for me. Doyle, the bestselling author of Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior, writes about her life's ups and downs again in her newest book. In Untamed, she shares lessons she's learned through being true to herself, loving herself and caring for others, bringing up her children, examining her religious faith, and finding love. In often very short essays, she explores living genuinely despite others' criticisms; giving herself permission to take up space in the world and speak up; feeling and expressing a full gamut of emotions rather than keeping the peace; rejecting the myth of ideal mothers being martyrs; and generally relying on her inner voice to guide her through an honest, genuine, and fulfilling life. I found that I missed a more narrative arc here--I would have loved spending more page time in her daily family and work life and seeing time pass in both respects. This might have served as a unifying framework for her thoughts and her exhortations to the reader. Many essays ended too soon for me; I often wanted her to take things a step further to share implications or conclusions, or to explore topics more deeply. I love Glennon's heart and her honesty about her limitations and what she's working on in herself. She's often funny, especially when she's letting us into the small moments of her life. I enjoyed hearing more about her unexpected love story with Abby Wambach, and I admire how she strives to make the world a better place, both generally and also through her wide-reaching nonprofit Together Rising. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Have you read this one? What about her earlier books? I admit to wanting Doyle to dig further in some of these essays, but I do love how much heart she has. I mentioned this book (along with With or Without You and City of Girls) in Three Books I'm Reading Now, 1/6/21 Edition.

His mother died when he was young, and he has no memory of her. Ta-Nehisi Coates also wrote the memoir Between the World and Me.

I love Strout's books, so I was delighted to dive back into the many reflections, vulnerabilities, memories

Cult Classic is a funny, suspenseful story of love, memory, and mind control from the author of I Was

second chances take shape, a little retribution, and an attempt at a changed existence—but the haunting memories

There are no memories to anchor our relationship.

referred to in the book's title, there is a captivating, dark, in-between world of floating, nebulous memories

Kieran's father is suffering from memory issues and wanders at night, and his mother is readying to move

Wilf, whose wife is losing her memories at the same time vivid memories of past events come rushing back

click here for my full review of The Rom-Commers . 05 Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley Crosley's memoir In Sloane Crosley's memoir Grief Is for People , she explores life after the loss of her closest friend I was intrigued by Crosley's mindset and the dark humor, devastating grief, and powerful memories she

He holds vivid memories of life in 1900s London--and he holds a postcard a century old, sent to him from

thought during certain moments in the past and her emphasis on examining tiny details of situations and memories

In her memoir, Pan explores whether life really is better for the extroverts, or whether she was on the , celebrity-focused fiction, and a memoir with a quirky hook.

They love each other, but they are able to stay married only because they push down the memories of tragedies here for my full review of The Road to Tender Hearts . 03 This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir Her memoir is candid, poignant, funny, and always entertaining. I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. They're both currently on Georgia's tiny Little Crescent Island, vying to become the memoir author for

second chances take shape, a little retribution, and an attempt at a changed existence—but the haunting memories

youngadult, #mysterysuspense 02 A Very Punchable Face ​ Has Colin Jost lived long enough to fill out a memoir #memoir, #nonfiction 03 Simon the Fiddler ​ Simon the Fiddler is set at the end of the Civil War. Concurrently reading a young adult LGBTQ mystery, a comedian's memoir, and a historical fiction story

Light fiction, historical fiction mystery, and celebrity memoir.

heartthrob role as Jamie in Outlander or his rugged good looks or charming Scottish accent secured his memoir's points out places along Scotland's ninety-six-mile West Highland Way that hold special meaning and memories

Here For It is refreshing and playful yet thoughtful. I loved spending time with the uproariously funny Thomas. In Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas, the creator of Elle's sassy and smart daily column "Eric Reads the News," shares his thoughts, experiences, and reflections about life and the world around us with honesty and humor. In essays that are sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, and that frequently made me laugh out loud, Thomas explores his sheltered youth, his growing realizations that he was different than most people he knew, his shame and fear about living as his authentic self, and his meandering path toward his current life circumstances, in which he is living as he once only dreamed: he is joyfully challenged professionally, he is unapologetically his own unique self, he is exploring his complicated relationship with religion, and he deeply loves and is loved by his (pastor) husband. I listened to this as an audiobook, and I adored hearing Thomas's voice take me through his essays. His voice and delivery are fabulous. Here For It is refreshing and playful yet thoughtful. I loved spending time with the uproariously funny Thomas as he recounts how he's navigated situations large and small in his life. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Thomas is also a host of The Moth storytelling podcast in D.C. and Philadelphia--and he certainly knows how to craft a compelling and full story out of a momentous moment. I mentioned this book (along with the new mystery The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and the young adult book I'm reading with my book club for January, Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon) in my first Greedy Reading List of the year, Three Books I'm Reading Now, 1/1/21 Edition. My friend Katherine recommended this book to me last spring and despite how long it took me to get to it, I'm so glad she did!

pacing was slow--detailing Lucy and Sam's (and their parents' long-ago) long journeys and extended memories

There are allusions within Greta's memories to her mother's "you don't know him like I know him" attitude

second chances take shape, a little retribution, and an attempt at a changed existence—but the haunting memories

In With or Without You, Leavitt explores fascinating angles related to memory and self.

When he begins to have memory loss and other odd symptoms, he realizes it’s linked to his past time travel

In Olive, Again, she ambles through town and reflects on aging, on her life, and especially on memories

His mother died when he was young, and he has no memory of her. The author also wrote the memoir Between the World and Me. 02 The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz This book

01 With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt In Leavitt's novel, published by Algonquin Books late last summer, Simon and Stella have been together for twenty years, living through the ups and down and joys and stresses of a decades-long marriage. Simon has been hoping all along that his struggling music career would someday take off, but it didn't look as though his dreams would ever come true. But right before Simon gets a chance to go on tour, and just as he's letting his hopes soar that this might finally be his big break, Stella falls into a coma. He should stay, but will he go? And what happens to their long-held dynamic when Stella wakes up with new and artistic gifts of her own? In With or Without You, Leavitt explores what happens to a marriage when the people in it change, and their dreams along with them. 02 Untamed by Glennon Doyle Doyle, the bestselling author of Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior, writes again about her life's ups and downs in Untamed, here sharing lessons she's learned about being true to herself, loving herself and caring for others, bringing up her children, finding love, and not listening to outside critics. In Untamed, Doyle focuses largely on how women can "take up space in the world;" feel and express a full gamut of emotions rather than keeping the peace; reject the myth of the ideal martyrdom of motherhood and sacrificing everything for family; and generally rely on their inner voices to guide them into living honest, genuine, and fulfilling lives. I feel as though readers may be in or out on this author; I enjoy glimpses into Glennon's love story with Abby Wambach and how she strives to make the world a better place. 03 City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert In City of Girls, Gilbert writes about a young woman's coming of age in 1940s New York City. Vivian, now an older woman, is writing letters to a younger woman about her own youthful indiscretions and adventures in her aunt Peg's rowdy theatre with its many colorful characters, creative opportunities, and unending potential for mischief. So far Gilbert's old New York detail is wonderful, and young Vivian's carousing is entertaining, sexy, and an interesting take on feminism for the time. I'm listening to this as an audiobook. I generally find Gilbert (who is good friends with Glennon Doyle, mentioned above) to be a really lovely writer, as in the case of the nonfiction Last American Man and the novel The Signature of All Things. She also wrote the polarizing Eat, Pray, Love, which like many other readers, I had mixed feelings about, and which probably warrants inclusion on a Titles That Might Break Your Book Club list--hmmm, stay tuned for that blog post. What are you reading early in this new year? I have a stack of books from the holidays and the library (With or Without You, I see you staring me down) to read, yet I started reading the e-book of Untamed and listening to the audiobook of City of Girls because they were available as I was crafting my household's recent library hold lists, and most importantly because I have a serious problem of hoarding books in all formats. As we are likely all aware by now. Which books are you reading and enjoying these days?

timelines; The Beekeeper's Promise, set in 1938 France with a second timeline decades later; and Sea of Memories

She eschews any talk of Lucy’s children, marriage, real life, saying “I love you,” or of memories that reflections in a way that I was not, for example, with regard to Ann Patchett's characters and the memories

wrote the exquisite All the Light We Cannot See, as well as The Shell Collector, Four Seasons in Rome, Memory

What they were reaching back for weren’t your memories—they were their own.

01 Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford Crawford thought the trauma of her assault at St. Notes on a Silencing is a memoir in which Crawford, now a wife and mother, faces the challenges of asserting

And memory is not strictly mortal in its nature, either.

Lewis's transformation stirs up difficult memories and complex emotions surrounding Wren's mother's change

With the passing of the years, however, those memories become distant and malleable, and we shape them

studies the rare striated caracaras, their origins, their story, their demonstrated capabilities for memory Part memoir, part travelogue, and part science writing, A Most Remarkable Creature is a book that feels

captivating character here, although she exists largely off page and in the main protagonist's mixed-feelings memories

story structure, dark humor, and deeply flawed characters as main protagonist Lucy works to resolve her memory