Some unsolicited thoughts and opinions from a mother and daughter who love reading and talking about books!

Not only did Robin, one of my oldest friends from Dartmouth, recommend this book to me, she actually handed me her copy when she finished reading it this summer. Having the book on my shelf certainly bumped it up on my reading list, and I’m so grateful Robin shared this beautiful little book. 

When my friend Carolyn told me that she was reading On Pluto and what it was about, I felt an obligation to read it.  Having a mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago, I wanted to see whether O’Brien could help me better understand what she is going through.  How unexpected and delightful then to find a book that is not only truly informative, but heartfelt and light-hearted at the same time. 

I picked up this classic book published in 1960 because Natalie Goldberg, the author of Writing Down the Bones (read review here) said it was a must-read for anyone interested in writing. I found Hemingway’s essays about his years in Paris from 1921 to 1926, when he was just a struggling writer, to be utterly transporting. Included in A Moveable Feast are 20 pieces written by Hemingway, in which he illuminates the fascinating life he and his wife Hadley led when they lived in Paris.

Memoirs written by actresses aren’t the usual type of book toward which I normally gravitate.  But boy am I glad that I read Finding Me by powerhouse Viola Davis.  What an incredible, inspirational story she has written.

Rarely do I read a book that I enjoy, but can confidently tell my mother, “I don’t think this one is for you.” Britney fandom is a prerequisite for reading this book, because otherwise, it’s just a moderately repetitive memoir with a whole lot of trauma. To make it through, the reader should have a special emotional connection we all form with certain musicians whose lyrics speak to us in our early teens.

In his intro to this massive tome, Barack Obama mentions how, as he began the project of writing a memoir about his time in office, the size of the book grew and grew until he had to split it into two books.  Reading it then I thought, "Oh, so the first part must be Dreams From My Father," which I had read and enjoyed. But as I reached page 600, and he hadn't finished describing his first term in office, I realized there is another tome to come that will cover his re-election and second term. I am going to be honest with you all, I will not be reading it.

I have always found psychology fascinating and majored in developmental psych, along with theatre, in college. So diving into Patient H. M., I felt excited to learn through the study of lobotomies more about how our memories work.. I am thrilled to report, however, that this book delivers so much more. It reminds me of Hidden Valley Road (read review here) in how cleverly it weaves personal narrative with psychological history and current scientific fact.

Whenever my mom or I review a non-fiction book, we comment on the rarity of the genre appearing on our reading lists.  And yet somehow, of the last 11 books I’ve read, seven were non-fiction! Year Of Yes I reviewed in November (read review here). But rather than choosing just two books to share with you this month, I’ve written a rapid-fire round-up and hope to spark more non-fiction interest on your reading list.

Just Kids was a surprise hit for me since I didn't really know that much about Patti Smith.  Smith's autobiography focuses mainly on her relationship with Robert Maplethorpe, about whom I also knew very little.

In this memoir we have another very funny television personality as the author. Shannon had some very difficult moments in her life, which made this book a much tougher read than I anticipated. 

For those who don’t know, Shonda Rhimes is the creator and head writer of several of the most popular TV shows of the last 15 years: Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder. In addition, her production company Shondaland produces many other shows, including the smash hit Bridgerton. On top of that, she’s a Dartmouth grad, and for all of these reasons, I love her.

Lessons From the Edge provides another perfect example of why I love being in a book club. I would never have read this book on my own. But because it was a selection for my Boston Bates Alumnae Book Club, I read it and found it fascinating.

This collection of essays is raunchy, self deprecating and hilarious, although definitely not for everyone. Irby’s writing made me laugh out loud as she describes moving in with her wife, her aging body, working as a writer on Shrill and living on the brink of poverty.

The title almost says it all: a very niche theatre book about the director/choreographer of Hello, Dolly! and 42nd Street. A fascinating portrait of an artist who was always looking to create something bigger and better.