What a week it’s been! My grandpa passed away last Saturday, and though it may sound silly, he truly was one of my best friends. I already miss our talks over lunch and the sound of his voice. I know these things will never go away, but there is comfort in knowing that my mama got to hug her dad once again after nearly seven years apart. 💙
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I managed to read two books last week and neither blew me away (though I suspect that’s more because of me than the actual books).
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#WhenAllIsSaid was a huge risk to read so close to my grandpa’s passing, but the similarities in the plot actually gave me a lot of comfort. If I had read this at any other time, it likely would have been a DNF for me, but I saw too much of my grandpa within the pages to stop. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I loved Weiner’s book last year (Mrs Everything) so it was going to be tough to beat. This book didn’t wow me, but it did provide the perfect distraction for my rattled brain. I don’t bought the characters were a little flat and I just couldn’t get into the plot or mystery, no matter how hard I tried (again, probably me so search out other reviews). ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What was a book you read and enjoyed this past week?
#partner | Here’s my #myweekinbooks! For fuller explanations, visit the blog - link in profile!
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#TheLastTrainToKeyWest - I really, really enjoy Chanel Cleeton’s writing. Something about her books suck me in and won’t let me go until I finish reading the last story. The Last Train to Key West was no exception, though it’s a bit of a departure from her previous two books.
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TLTtKW seemed to have more of a mystery element to it. There are three protaganists – Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth – and each of them have a wildly different background and motivations, but their stories are connected and it doesn’t fully come together until the last pages. As all three of these women are caught up in an impending hurricane on the island of Key West, the stories begin to merge and culminate in a satisfying ending.
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This story will make the perfect beach or pool companion this summer. If you’ve read books by Cleeton before, you will recognize her style and appreciate this story…preorder from your favorite indie now or use the link before to support all independent bookstores! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What was your favorite read recently?
#partner | Do you have a #LittleFreeLibrary in your neighborhood? Before @celadonbooksreached out for this campaign, I didn’t think my little town had one, but lo and behold, we do and I am so happy to have found it!
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I dropped off an ARC of #HollywoodPark today and I’m hoping it puts a smile on someone’s face. Here’s a synopsis: Hollywood Park is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.
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“We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion.”
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In his raw, poetic and powerful voice, Jollett portrays a childhood filled with abject poverty, trauma, emotional abuse, delinquency and the lure of drugs and alcohol. Raised by a clinically depressed mother, tormented by his angry older brother, subjected to the unpredictability of troubled step-fathers and longing for contact with his father, a former heroin addict and ex-con, Jollett slowly, often painfully, builds a life that leads him to Stanford University and, eventually, to finding his voice as a writer and musician.
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What’s the best book you’ve found in a Little Free Library? #92607
#partner | I was so excited to read @jenhatmaker’s latest book, #FierceFreeandFullofFire, and while I haven’t gotten to it quite yet, I’m still so happy to have a copy of it on my shelves!
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Synopsis: Stuck in people-pleasing or fear, many women hide and pretend, then end up sidelined in their own lives. But what they want is to be brave, to claim every gift, dream, quirk, and emotion inside, to stop performing and start living.
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Beloved New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker understands the struggle to find firm footing in a culture that operates from stereotypes and often unreachable expectations. In this new book, she offers women encouragement, challenge, and humor as she helps them identify everything that makes them tick and gain the confidence to live it all out. She leads them through five self-reflective categories—who I am, what I need, what I want, what I believe, and how I connect—and helps them:
🔸identify the exact ways they pretend, and learn instead how to be genuine at all times, in all ways, in all contexts;
🔸be empowered to say yes and no without guilt;
🔸learn to voice both their spiritual questions and convictions; and
🔸opt out of drama and into healthy adult relationships.
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With wry humor, earnest passion, and been-there insight, Jen calls women to the life-giving freedom of leaning into the identity, convictions, and community they've been given.
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So I’m curious: what part of this book speaks to you most specifically?
