Life Lately + Everything I’ve Read
Life lately has been…INCREDIBLE! May and June have flown by since I have last checked in and a lot has happened. In early May, I had the best trip out to Seattle to visit friends and it was an epic reunion filled with wine and food. After that, the school year quickly came to a close and it was bittersweet. I am genuinely thankful for a great school year, and found joy again in the work I do (the pandemic made education awful). When school ended, I hit the road for a work conference in Rehoboth Beach, DE and then jetted off to see friends and recharge/relax/rejuvenate out in LA. Both of these trips gave me a change in scenery that I desperately needed and it was incredible to see so many friends on the west coast. When I have been home, it has been filled with so many fun dinners, happy hours, etc. For the next few weeks, I will be enjoying some quiet weeks in Arlington before I take off for Portugal. I have never been, so I’m very excited to check out this beautiful country. As I type this, I still have 8 weeks of summer ahead of me, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
While I have been traveling a lot lately, I have been reading in equal measure! That pile of books in the corner of my living room is finally being touched, and I am excited to share some seriously great reads. I am going to start with my favorites, and then link the others that I have read as well. I read NINE books in the past two months, and here are my top 3. I would push any of these books on family and friends, so you can count on these to be worth your time this summer!
*I did not include this in my favorites list, because I am partial and she is family, but I would be remiss not to mention that my incredibly talented aunt, Marian Elliott, wrote a powerful memoir called, Out of the Dark. Her story starts with tragedy and navigating grief, but ends with self-discovery and resilience. She is a truly humble and kind person, and her memoir blows me away through her writing and the life she has lived! Please order and support her work!
These are ranked in order from Great to Amazing!
#3: Hang the Moon- Jeannette Walls
My friend gave this to me for my birthday 6 months ago, and it sadly collected dust in the corner pile of books until I had the mental bandwidth to read. I am glad I finally sat down to polish it off as I started summer, because it truly was a well-crafted story with richly developed characters. Set in rural Virginia during prohibition, Sallie Kincaid has to take over the family business of bootlegging alcohol when her father suddenly dies. As a 20 year old, she is forced to navigate how to keep control as her family and others are vying to take over, along with dodging the law to keep the family business in operation. The true magic of this novel lies in the vibrant characters of this small Virginia town!
#2: Real Americans- Rachel Khong
I purchased this book in Rehoboth Beach, and the owner of the little bookshop said he had just recommended and sold it to Jill Biden the week before! Even before hearing that, Real Americans was popping up on all my favorite book blogs for weeks beforehand. This beautiful and unique story is about three generations in one family and how they came to be Americans. I wish I could write a summary to do this book better justice, but you have to take my word that is just a masterpiece and incorporates so many themes such as resilience and forgiveness. I truly struggled to rank these top 2, so consider this is a must read in my opinion!
#1: The Women- Kristin Hannah
I am not sure there is anyone better at creating a historical fiction novel with a powerhouse, female protagonist than Kristin Hannah! The Women is a beautiful story about women nurses who served in the army during the Vietnam War. Their experiences were unique in that many Americans were unaware of female service and when they returned home from combat, they came home to a country that was divided on the war they just fought. While the reception back in the US was not welcoming and supportive, the women had to privately deal with PTSD, which little was known about at this time. Kristin Hannah also beautifully weaves in relationships both romantic and familial, which makes this such a masterpiece! This just might be my favorite book of the year…yep, calling it now! I hope you enjoy it too!
My Other Reads
I hope you found something to enjoy this summer through this post, and I look forward to checking in at the end of July! I will be excited to share pics from Portugal and some vacation reading!
L