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Summer Reading Plans

Summer is an excellent time to dive into reading (see what I did there?). Debut authors have published fantastic books, and more well-known authors typically pick this time of year to release their latest novels. You can download a summer reading guide from just about anywhere. And there are tons of podcasts with episodes dedicated to the hottest summer titles. I should know. I’ve listened to most of them!

When it comes to my summer reading list, I only have one rule: it has to be a page-turner. It doesn’t matter what genre the book fits into – like historical fiction, memoir, chick-lit, or political thriller. As long as I’m engrossed in a good story, I’m all in. Here are some of the books I’ve been reading lately, and I highly recommend them to you.

Debut Novels

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant yet unappreciated chemist. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, Elizabeth is a feminist before her time. She wants a career but is sidelined by ridiculous stereotypes and unthinkable misogyny. After being fired from her research lab, she reluctantly agrees to star in her own cooking show – Supper at Six. Determined to bring science into the kitchen, she makes her way to the top of the tv ratings inspiring women along the way. I rooted for Elizabeth from the very start of the book, and she did not disappoint. I listened to it on Audible and enjoyed the narration immensely. This story is perfect for those who have faced career obstacles and are determined to have it all.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson – Family matriarch Eleanor Bennett has died. She left behind an eight-hour recording for her children to listen to that reveals secrets she kept from them her entire life. Her story is a doozy, and her children – estranged from each other – are initially reluctant to hear it. But they soon realize they never knew who their mother really was, what she went through as a child from the Caribbean, and how Eleanor’s past will impact them for the rest of their lives. I listened to this on Audible, but I think I would have preferred to read the actual book or on my Kindle. There are so many characters, and their accents are hard to distinguish when read by the narrator. I loved the story, but I had to rewind a lot to remind myself who each character was and their connection to everyone else.

Two more things I will say about this book. First, I’ve been looking for books written by authors who have different life experiences. This American author is Black and has lived in the Caribbean and Italy. Her story, which incorporates a lot of cultures, food, and traditions, opened up a whole new world that was a joy to visit.

The other thing is that I’ve seen this book compared to Jonathan Tropper’s book, This is Where I Leave You. His book is also about a dysfunctional family who sits shiva after their father dies. Secrets are revealed, and family drama is abundant. But, the stories differ because, in Tropper’s book, the humor is a connecting thread throughout the story. Black Cake is a much more somber read. Both are equally compelling but with entirely different writing styles.

Other debut novels I’ve enjoyed include:

  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  • The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers

Memoir

Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey – Celebrity memoirs are my guilty pleasure. Many of the ones I enjoy bring me back to the 1980s when their faces covered my bedroom walls, and their lives seemed full of glitz and glamour. But as these juicy books reveal, there is more to the story. Jennifer Grey starts her book by addressing the elephant in the room – her infamous nose job that left her utterly unrecognizable as the star of Dirty Dancing. She talks about how her parents made her feel that she could be a more successful actress if she looked the part – meaning to fix her nose. She fought that idea for the longest time and then decided to do it. She talks about how this decision impacted her life and career for the last decade or so and what she learned from the experience. And then, she tells all about her career and relationship with Matthew Broderick and their tragic car accident in Ireland. She also does a deep dive into her professional and often caustic partnership with Patrick Swayze during the filming of Dirty Dancing and what she wishes she could say to him today. This memoir is the perfect beach/pool read. I finished it in less than two days.

Other memoirs I loved include:

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
Going There by Katie Couric
Lucky Man and No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox
Becoming by Michelle Obama

Random Reads

Book Lovers by Emily Henry – No offense to those who love this genre, but I’m not a huge fan of romance novels. When I was young and single, I devoured everything from teen trysts to forbidden love stories to Jackie Collins and Fifty Shades. To me, the storylines don’t vary all that much, and happy endings are practically a sure thing. The exception to this is when there is another story surrounding the romance, and in this regard, Book Lovers delivers.

Book Lovers is about an editor and an agent who start as rivals and wind up as friends and then, well… I won’t ruin it for you. I liked this book’s parallel storyline about two sisters who take a girls’ trip to a small town to get away from the big city. The sisters’ dynamic is extremely familiar to me. Nora is the big sister, and Libby is the baby of the family. There are themes of being overprotective and underestimating the true gifts that each sister brings to the table. Something that I have been guilty of in the past. While the main story, banter, and sexual tension between Nora and Charlie kept me interested, the sisters were why I stayed to the end. The author captures their relationship beautifully, and the end does not disappoint.

There is one part of this book that did infuriate me. One main character has a medical emergency that I know is not treated properly by her doctors. I almost DNF’d the book right then and there; however, I was already so far into it that I had to see it through. If I ever met the author, I’d tell her that I enjoyed the book but wished she did a little more homework.

Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any Home Under Control, by Dana K. White – Besides reading books, organizing my closets and decluttering has become a big part of my weekends. This author hosts the podcast “A Slob Comes Clean.” (Great title, right?) She is the anti-Marie Kondo and breaks the rules of many organization books I’ve read over the years, and I love her for it! This book gives many helpful hints that also account for people’s time, energy levels, and overall desire to keep a neat (but not perfect) house.

Currently Reading

As you can see, April and May have been productive months for me in terms of reading. At the moment, I’m in the middle of a few books:

Inheritance by Danni Shapiro (actual book)
Front Row of the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl (on Kindle)
Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen (actual book)
The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi (on Kindle)

Reviews to come!

Indie Bookstore Plug

I know you have heard me say this a million times, but to me, I don’t say it enough. Please support your local independent bookstore! Last month was Independent Bookstore Day, and of course, I celebrated it by going to Doylestown Bookshop – my go-to indie. I limited myself to buying three books, but when I went to the counter, I spent enough to earn a free book from the Advanced Reader Copies cart. This is a cart of books that may or may not already be published in galley form. So basically, I acquired a fourth book that I had on my wish list for nothing.

This is the kind of magic that happens at an indie bookstore. If you support them long enough, you might get a free book or a coupon off your next purchase, or a cool bookmark. I know these bookstores are not the place to get bestsellers at bargain prices, but you will find yourself in a community that loves books as much as you do. Even if you go in there and buy one book, I guarantee you will feel better knowing you did your part to support a local business.

Thanks for reading this to the end! There will be more blog posts to come this summer – I promise! Until then, let me know what you are reading and enjoy!

XO,
Elisa

Writing for My Life

Last night, I had the honor of meeting Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Anna Quindlen.

Okay, when I say I “met” her, I sat in the audience and heard her speak about her new book, “Write For Your Life,” asked her a question about writing my memoir, and stood in line for her to sign my book. I spoke to her for no more than a minute, and yet her words have changed me as a writer.

For instance, why write? Yes, I have a personal connection to Parkinson’s Disease and often feel I was put on this Earth to raise awareness and tell that story. However, it isn’t the only reason. I also write to be known. That doesn’t mean I long to be famous or win awards, far from it. I hope someday my 50-year-old grandchild (f I should be so lucky to have one) discovers my blog, reads my stories, soaks in my words, resonates with them on a personal level, and ultimately knows me as a person. And then, my writing becomes my legacy long after I’m gone.

Another gem from last night was during the Q&A when someone asked Ms. Quindlen what advice she has for aspiring writers. I love when people ask this of other authors. The answers always vary and are often either practical, inspiring, or esoteric. Quindlen did not disappoint.

“Put your butt in the chair,” she said. It is the only way to be a prolific writer. She said to write when you are in the mood and when you aren’t. Write when you feel you have nothing to talk about. And write the minute something strikes you because if you don’t, you run the risk of forgetting about it.

She is so right. Sitting down to write can be a challenge for me. It isn’t that I don’t have something to say. (I always have something to say. 🙂 ) It’s the real-world distractions like housework and errands that keep me from my passion. I also have a day job that I love, but where I constantly write, leaving little creative juices left for writing my memoir. All of this is why this blog too often winds up at the bottom of my to-do list.

So, I’ve taken a few actions to remedy this problem. This week, I signed up for HippoCamp, a small writer’s conference in Lancaster, PA, specifically for creative non-fiction writers. This is an important distinction because so many events focus on fiction writing, with only a handful of workshops dedicated to personal essays, biographies, and memoirs. At HippoCamp, I’ll learn to fact-check my family story, use my five senses to bring back long-lost memories, and how to infuse my weird sense of humor into complex topics. The writers who attend this conference are supportive, brilliant, inspiring, and, like me, they want their stories to be known.

I’m also putting my butt in the chair. This requires a drastic change to my morning routine. No more sitting on the couch for an hour and scrolling through Facebook. I waste precious time there. Mornings are the best time for me to write. So, I will set my alarm and stop hitting the snooze button. When I wake up, I will drink coffee, do the Wordle, and write. Because this book isn’t going to write itself, and this blog will soon be forgotten if I don’t give it some love and post more often.

Most importantly, I will never be truly known, and that yet-to-exist grandchild will never read these stories until I sit down to write them.

March Book Report

Exciting news! I’ve decided to reorganize my bookshelves in a whole new way.

Okay, it’s not that exciting. But let me explain. Right now, tmy books are split up into fiction and non-fiction shelves and arranged alphabetically. It’s kind of boring, and I’m not inspired enough to go there and pick up my next great read. Instead, I shop online, support indie bookstores, and download titles on Audible.

And here’s the problem. I have no self control when buying books. This month alone, I bought ten new titles. Ten titles!

Ugh! Why…why do I keep buying more and more books? It isn’t that I’m lacking in things to read. I have some fantastic books sitting on my shelves at this very moment that are collecting dust. I know I bought them for a reason; I wanted them. And I spent my hard-earned, good money on them. They are deserving of my attention, and quite frankly I think they are starting to get a little jealous.

Sometimes when I’m sitting at my desk, I hear my books whisper, “pick me next.” It’s about time I heed their call.

Okay, maybe that isn’t true, but today I’m declaring a new book buying ban on myself for a few months. I vow to familiarize myself with my ever-growing TBR pile. And maybe I’ll do a little reshelving and redecorating to my shelves to make those books more appealing.

I admit that I’m pretty excited about this endeavor. And just think, my next five-star read could be a book I already own. It could be the new and shiny object I pick up — instead of my credit card.

Anyway, here is how else my reading life has shaped up this month.

What I Read

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers

I love history, and I love to read, so it makes sense that one of my go-to genres is historical fiction. There is rarely a novel in this category that I don’t enjoy. I love diving into a book with strong female characters set in a time period that I’ve never explored. The Tobacco Wives is that kind of a book. Set in North Carolina, Maddie Sykes is a young seamstress tasked with sewing exquisite dresses and ballgowns for the wives of cigarette company executives. Maddie must make an important decision when she accidentally learns about the health risks of smoking and the cover-up to keep people – particularly women – in the dark. She can either keep her head down, stay quiet, and do her job or share what she knows, take a stand against corporate greed, risk her livelihood, and more.

In addition to this book being a five-star read, the author has a fascinating background that she brings to the story. She is a public relations professional who grew up in this part of the country. Her focus on how cigarettes were marketed to women by trusted doctors and false advertising play a huge role in how this all shakes out. The author’s note was just as enjoyable to read as the book itself, so don’t skip it.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self Doubt by William Kenower

I’ve been writing since I was nine years old, and I’ve suffered from imposter syndrome ever since. Questions like – who will care what I think or write about have plagued me for years.

Today, I can say that I am in recovery from this line of thinking, but I don’t attribute that to this book. It has taken many years of learning about my craft, participating in writers’ workshops and conferences, and talking to and learning from some brilliant writers that have snapped me out of it. There was also something about turning 50 last year that made me realize how much time I’ve wasted wallowing in my anxieties. Life is too short.

Reading books also has a funny way of introducing a new perspective to whatever ails you. It was Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird that was instrumental in breaking my patterns of self-doubt. However, this book served as a good reminder and will remain in my writer’s toolbox. The author focuses on the business of writing and the parade of rejections that are bound to happen when finding an agent, getting published, and selling your work. If you are a writer experiencing self-doubt and frustration about this process, I’d recommend this guide to you.

Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History 80s and 90s Teen Fiction – Gabrielle Moss

If you asked me what I read as a kid, I’d tell you that my strongest memories were from the Sweet Valley High books. I couldn’t get enough of the adventures of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield – identical twin sisters in appearance with yin and yang personalities. I can still remember the adrenaline rush I felt when the next book in the series appeared in the bookstores. I had to have them. I’d spend my allowance or beg my parents to buy them.

If you asked me what else I read as a kid, my memory would be fuzzy, but after reading this book – The Paperback Crush – I saw the photos of the book covers and smiled. I remembered definitely hiding copies of “Forever” and “Sooner or Later” under my pillow. There were also so many pre-teen and squeaky-clean romance novels from companies like Wildfire and Sweet Dreams. And my sister read every Christopher Pike book she could get her hands on.

This book was a fun trip down memory lane that digs into the early days of my reading life – and if you are my age – you will enjoy it too.

What I’m Reading Now

Here is what I’m reading now and will review next month.

That’s it for me. Let me know what you have been reading lately. And if you have any good ideas for helping me redecorate my bookshelves, I’m all ears!

Happy reading!
Elisa

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