Life Lately: Books I Recommend

I mentioned this back earlier in the year on my Instagram stories, but one goal that I set for myself this year was to read more. 📚

I loved reading growing up and I’ve definitely read almost every kid and young adult book series for girls that was out in the 90s! Girl Talk, The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley High, etc., etc. – I devoured those books and loved to finish my schoolwork early just so I could read leisurely in school! 🤓

As I got older and got, like, two friends, (lol) I sort of dropped reading. I still enjoyed reading but by high school I subscribed and read a lot of magazines rather than read books. Teen People (RIP), Seventeen, YM (RIP), Cosmo Girl (RIP), Sassy (RIP), Teen (RIP) –  WOW, I guess teens no longer read magazines like they used to – since I’m realizing that most of these no longer exist. The early 2000s must have been prime magazine time for us youth! lol 

Anyway, my point is that eventually I wanted to get back to reading because I really loved it and missed it. It’s just so hard to make the time to read, that many times it just never happens.

So back in January of this year,  I made a personal goal to read one book a month. And I did complete this through April. Then I stopped in May and June and now I just finished another book in July – so 5 books for the year so far! I figured 12 books for the year is an attainable goal, so we’ll see if I reach it. But it seems attainable for sure!

January:

When All Is Said

By: Anne Griffin

This book that I read in January I really didn’t enjoy, so I’m only going to discuss it briefly.

I picked it up because it appeared to have good reviews and it was on the display case at my local library as a new release, so I just grabbed it and got to reading.

This book is told from the point of view of an old man who is recounting all of his complex life growing up and aging in Ireland. The author is a good storyteller – personally, I just didn’t love the story.

This book really wasn’t my cup of tea because I found it to be sad and predictable. I kept hoping that the ending would be different then from what seemed to be happening but… it wasn’t. Womp, womp, womp. So it was just kind of blah way to start my reading off for the year.

The one positive I will say is that this story takes place in Ireland and the author does a great job detailing what life was like there in the 1940s when the main character was growing up. She also highlights in detail the Irish landscape so if that is something you are interested in – then you would probably like to read this book!

I think my issue is that I don’t love books that leave you feeling kind of sad, even if you learned something or it made you really think. I have this same feeling with TV shows and movies and it’s my own issue. I feel like if you want to be sad all you need to do is watch the news or go on any news website and read up in as little as 5 minutes. It’s chock full of sad and awful stories, so why would I want to spend my free time reading something else sad for enjoyment?! I don’t!

Aside from that book, I recommend all of the others below that I have read! So let’s get into them!

February:

Open Book 

By: Jessica Simpson

I loved this book even more than I thought I would. It is SO, SO Good!!

When I first heard about this book, I knew I would read it because I grew up watching Jessica Simpson and all of the other early 2000s pop princesses. She wasn’t my favorite female artist (how could anyone top Britney?!), but I definitely loved a lot of her songs and I especially adored her on Newlyweds when she was married to Nick Lachey!

After they divorced and she moved mostly out of the limelight, I sort of lost touch with what she was up to. All I knew was that she had branched out into country music (which I don’t listen to), and I was well aware of her shoe line (which has some really cute shoes but almost all of the heels are too high for me!), but I knew it had done really well since it’s still around! I also knew she had married some not-famous football player from Massachusetts and had kids, but I really hadn’t been following much her of her life.

I also didn’t realize that this book is mostly an autobiography. She begins with her life in Texas and then moves into going to LA, becoming famous, and her life today. What makes this book so good is that you can truly tell that she poured her heart and soul into it. Her honesty is so raw and she bravely tells her story and includes details that most people never tell a soul, never mind publish in a book sold all over the world. Her story is so captivating and full of detail that by the end of this book, I felt like I truly knew Jessica Simpson!

She writes that she wrote this book because it has helped her to heal and she hopes to inspire others to also begin the healing process. I don’t want to say too much about her life details because I really want to encourage you to read the book! Even if you aren’t super familiar with her, I think this is a must read for most women. It’s a real reminder that celebrities all have the same problems as you and I. But in addition to “hey celebrities – they’re just like us!” – Jessica also provides guidance and words of wisdom on how she has gotten through her problems and makes you feel like you can too!

If there is one book from this group that I’m reviewing that you should absolutely read – it’s this one! I laughed, I cried, I savored every detail of salacious dirt from her Mickey Mouse Club tryouts to her past relationships with hotties Nick Lachey, John Mayer, & Tony Romo. But more importantly, I also walked away from this book feeling encouraged and hopeful to live my best life possible, and I think you will too.

March:

When Life Gives You Lululemons

By: Lauren Weisberger

For March’s book read, I decided to go with some good, old fashioned, chick-lit. I own The Devil Wears Prada and it’s one of my favorite books that I have read several times and of course, seen the movie a million times and still stop to watch it every time that it’s on E! or Bravo.

I spotted this book at the library and knew that I wanted to read it. I loved The Devil Wears Prada, but I didn’t think that Everyone Worth Knowing also by Lauren Weisberger, was very good. I hadn’t read anything else by her, but I knew that she had authored a few books and that this one seemed to have the best reviews.

I really liked this book and I think it’s because it’s somewhat of a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, which I didn’t realize initially. But I were the author, I would absolutely keep going with this storyline and characters because they are clearly her strong suit.

In this book we catch up with Emily who was Miranda Priestly’s first assistant in the Devil Wears Prada. It follows Emily and two other women and the chapters switch back and forth between their narratives. This book really resonated with me because all characters are in their 30s and I felt like I could really relate to two out of the three of them, and I’m sure most 30-something year old women would as well.

Emily is the cynical childless one of the trio, but is very likable in her own bold, cheeky way.  Miriam is a mom struggling to lose weight and keep her family life together while adjusting to life in a wealthy, picture perfect new town. And Karolina has her own personal mess to deal with while living in the public eye. Together as friends, the three of them navigate through their problems with style and sass.

The storyline is cute and Weisberger excels at describing fabulous details of an upper crust lifestyle (most of the story takes place in Greenwich, CT.) By the time I was done reading, I was ready for a glass of wine while shopping at Bergdorf’s! 🛍  This book is a solid A in the Chick Lit department!

April:

You Are A Badass 

By: Jen Sincero

This book is up there with life changing books! Which is totally the purpose of it, so job well done by Jen Sincero!

I’ve been more and more into self-help books and last year I read two. I read Basic Bitch by Stassi Schroeder (who is a Bravo reality TV personality) – ok, I’m not sure that’s really classified as a self-help book, but it was mostly about feeling good in your own skin so we’ll say that it is!

And I read Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis which was a #1 NYT Bestseller and a book that I think tons of women have read! I loved Girl, Wash Your Face, as I found to be a very good read in terms of not being too hard on yourself and pushing forward to accomplish your goals and dreams.

This book is a little similar to Rachel’s but better. And I definitely felt like some parts of reading this book made me feel like Rachel Hollis had also read this book, taken a few notes from it, and added it to her own book since You Are a Badass is from 2013!

You Are A Badass is a little different though, because it’s not particularly geared towards women readers only.  It’s really a book for anyone who is just trying to live their best in life and needs some encouragement.

This book provides guidance on how to stop doubting yourself and live a better life through easy to read chapters and tips. What makes this books especially good is that the author peppers in her own wit and personal stories of struggles and triumphs.  I really loved her writing style and voice and found them to be both funny and relatable.

The only reason why I think some people would maybe not love this book is because a lot of her thinking and speaking is in terms of a higher power. It’s not a religious book, but she refers to “the universe” and a “power source” a lot. At the end of the day what she really has is faith, just not as in a standard religion that we know and easily recognize. It’s more of when people believe in karma and generalized powers of the universe and being in tune with that.

For me, I found it relatable because I have faith and am a religious person. But I could see someone who isn’t or who is skeptical of even things like karma being real, rolling their eyes a lot and thinking that the whole book is a bit cheesy and cliché.

Personally, I think this is a book that most people would benefit from reading no matter what your background is, or age, sex, occupation, etc. Her advice transcends all of the typical socio-economic standards that we know today and is really about buckling down through your lame excuses and getting on to live your best life! It’s a great read and reminder to stop caring what others think and step to the beat of your own drum!

Then I skipped May and June – we’ll blame COVID on my lack of reading! 📚

July:

The Jetsetters

By: Amanda Eyre Ward

Every summer I like to read at least one “beach read” – you know, something easy and breezy to read while whisking me off to a sandy paradise. 🏝

This year I decided to google summer books before picking anything up to read because I wanted to be sure that I read something engaging. I didn’t feel like I would have a ton of time to read this summer, so I would probably only read one book and wanted to make sure it was a good one.

I started by browsing this list from Good Housekeeping which shares what they believe to be the 25 best books out this summer! I found this list to be super helpful.

The Jetsetters sounded good and was in stock at my local library so that was my pick!

This book is immediately intriguing from the first or second page and never let up. It’s a story about family dynamics and how things change over the years, but also how a lot of things don’t change when you are around your family. You may change as you get older, but once you are back around your family you fall back into old habits and behaviors.

This book explores complicated sibling relationships and sibling vs. parent relationships and how age becomes a factor in further complicating those relationships. The author does a great job in making you root for all of the characters success despite them all being vastly different. The goal here is familial growth and understanding and she’s very successful.

All the while this book mostly takes place on a deluxe cruise ship 🛳  that is touring the Mediterranean. The scenery sounds amazing and whisks you away to idyllic parts of Greece, Italy, and Malta. 🗺

I don’t want to give too much away, but this was an awesome summer read because it incorporated the feel of a vacation escape plus an interesting plot line. I stayed up way too late two nights in a row because I was so engrossed in this book and didn’t want to stop reading!

That’s it for this installment of book reviews! I hope you enjoyed this post!

Let me know if you have any recommendations for me and what books you have been loving lately!