Books, Books, Books: PART I

 I have been reading a LOT lately and am very behind on my reviews. This may be a several part series to catch up on things but wanted to share some thoughts anyway. Let me know if you have read any of these and have some opinions!

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, Cheryl Strayed

This was a compilation of a bunch of reader submissions to the Dear Sugar advice column and then some reflection from the author. It was well written, however after the first few, I skimmed the rest to see if they were relevant to my life or especially interesting and then finished.

Wild, Cheryl Strayed
 This is a very, very popular book. Most people have read or heard about it at least and I absolutely can understand why. The book itself takes place in California and Oregon, very near and dear to my heart, and details the struggles and success of Strayed hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, solo. I felt like this is something I would do if I had the financial means to take a significant amount of time off from life and also if I was in better physical condition. This is a book I would read again and again, to revisit the rich characters, to understand the amazing amount of determination and will power that Strayed exhibited, and to immerse myself in something that is so far from our daily lives. There was actually one part of the book that Strayed talks about her issues in relationships and where they stem from and there was one sentence in that book that struck me so deeply that I quite literally had to put the book down, cry it out, and then picked the book back up and kept reading. I'll keep the details to myself but to say that I recommend this book is really an understatement.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette,Maria Semple
Another popular book, this character is a wife and mother in Seattle who then mysteriously goes missing. I think it is a great story although I did get a little bogged down at times but the odd characters definitely pull you in.

Ali in Wonderland, Ali Wentworth
Ali Wentworth is a comedian, actress, and also married to the politician, George Stephanopoulos. She grew up in the political world of Washington D.C. and tells stories of her childhood, adventures growing up, and being a wife and mom. A great read.

Why Mr. Right Can't Find You, J.M. Kearns
In attempts (if you call them that) to get back in the dating world, I wanted to hear perspectives on dating. I take most dating books with a grain of salt because they are ridiculous and tell people to not act like themselves because people won't like them. This book is totally different! It is a male perspective on women dating and gives real insights on how to find men of quality for you and that everything is subjective. Also, you can't keep doing what you have been to find good men if all you've ever dated were bastards and assholes.

NW, Zadie Smith
Sadly, I just couldn't get into this book. It has some pretty positive reviews but it may have just been timing on my part.

The Gifts of Imperfection, Dr. Brene Brown
I really enjoyed this book. It takes a look at things that we consider imperfections and actually uses them to our advantage. It restructures how we feel about ourselves and others, which can be incredibly difficult to do. I didn't complete the entire book but wrote down a lot of the things that I want to think about before picking this up again and re-reading a few of the chapters.