I apparently got through a ton of books this month. Between vacation and reading books on my phone in the middle of the night while nursing, I’ve found myself in a really good reading groove. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about reading.
COME AS YOU ARE by Emily Nagoski
4.5/5 Stars
You know when there’s a book that all of a sudden everyone is talking about? That’s how I felt about Come As You Are. It’s not a new book, but all of a sudden I was hearing about it everywhere. On Reddit, on TikTok. Among my friends. I have to say, I think it should be required reading. I wish I had read it years ago! It’s research backed advice for improving your sex life. (Which as I type that out, it sounds very boring and clinical, but I found it to be a very eye opening book.) I really liked it and learned a lot about myself while reading it. Even more than just sex, I thought it was a good examination about women and confidence in general. It goes so much deeper. Highly recommend.
BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry
4/5 Stars
This is a great summer beach read. Kind of your typical “rom com” book. I thought it was pretty delightful and I liked the premise– two sisters travel to a small town for a month-long getaway. There’s romance, family drama, sisterly bonding, a love of literature all set in a very quaint town. It kind of packages up all the typical tropes, poking fun at itself along the way. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was quite enjoyable!
SPEAK by Tunde Oyeneyin
4/5 Stars
Tunde’s memoir was at the top of my list! If you’re unfamiliar, Tunde is one of Peloton’s top instructors with a cult following. I listened to the audiobook, which she narrates!, and it was very good! My only complaint is that I wish it had gone a little deeper at times. I loved hearing about her childhood and her family members and how she got into spinning. CW: body image/weight loss.
I’LL SHOW MYSELF OUT by Jessi Klein
4.5/5 Stars
Wow! Loved this book of essays about motherhood. I actually linked to the first essay a couple of weeks ago in an On My Radar post, but I didn’t know it was published online to promote her new book. It was so good. I ended up gifting the book to a few of my friends who are also new moms. I think Jessi Klein found the perfect way to write about all of the nuances of motherhood– the challenges, the absurdity, and the sheer joy of raising little humans. I think if you have kids (versus babies) you’ll appreciate her writing even more. I found some of the chapters to be more like peeks into what’s ahead for me.
MEAN BABY by Selma Blair
5/5 Stars
BOOK OF THE YEAR. I actually read this as a book and wish I had listened to it as an audiobook. Selma Blair’s memoir is unbelievably good. Definitely the best celebrity memoir I’ve personally read. She writes about her life with humor and humility. She has had both a challenging and a charmed life, in ways, and she doesn’t hold back. Incredibly self-aware, she shares so much about her life. Poor Mike had to listen to me talk about this book non-stop while on vacation. I had an actual book hangover when I finished the book. READ IT!!!! CW: Sexual assault, alcoholism, eating disorders/body image.
THIS TIME TOMORROW by Emma Straub
3/5 Stars
I typically love Emma Straub’s books… but this one just didn’t do it for me. It involves time travel, and I think that’s where it lost me 🤪 Why are so many books nowadays featuring time travel?!? I think this was the tenth book I’ve read in the past couple of years featuring time travel. It kind of felt like Oona Out of Order, which I really loved, mixed with The Midnight Library, which I also loved. So basically I felt like I had already read the book. Looking back, I probably should have stopped reading it and moved onto something else, but I stuck with it to the end. Just found it incredibly boring.
PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir
4/5 Stars
Soooo ultimately, I could not put Project Hail Mary down. I had been hearing about this book everywhere. I read it as a book, but I’ve heard it’s even better as an audiobook. It’s not a genre I would normally lean towards- sci fi! But I seriously couldn’t stop reading it. One night, I nursed Jack at 4am and then got into bed with my phone and read for thirty more minutes before falling back asleep because I needed to keep going??? Who am I! It’s about a science teacher who finds himself in outer space and he has no idea why he’s there. Throughout the book he regains his memory and realizes that he’s tasked with saving Earth. It’s a little bit dorky/technical, but… read it! And then let me know what you think.
READ WITH ME
I read Book Lovers in May as well! So much fun. Now I just need to read Beach Read to complete the Emily Henry trio (: I love sci fi and Project Hail Mary was no exception! There were so many things I loved about it. It was adventurous, mysterious, funny, emotional, and especially considering the state of the world, it was invigorating to read a story about people putting all the BS aside to save the world with science!
I love the enthusiasm I can feel from this post. I’ve been reading a ton lately and look forward to putting some of these books on my list!
I always love your book reviews! They give me such great suggestions!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Carly, if you’re into celebrity memoirs, you might want to check out Gabriel Byrne’s Walking with Ghosts. Unlike most celebrities, the man can write! It’s about his return to Ireland. With his actor’s sensibility & Catholic upbringing, he’s able to bring his homeland remarkably alive with lush, sensuous detail. It’s not so much a story but a series of impressionistic landscapes. He also gets into his stage fright & anxieties (it’s hard to imagine a man that handsome could have them). Check it out (if you haven’t already). Judging by your excellent taste I have a feeling you might like it.
Project Hail Mary was SUCH a good audiobook. It had an amazing narrator!
I also read Book Lovers in May and loved it, at this point I’ll read anything Emily Henry writes. I’ve been seeing so many great reviews for Mean Baby so definitely putting it on my to-read list, and adding Come as You Are too!
I read Come As You Are four years ago after a break up and it was so empowering, and surprisingly entertaining. I was also amazed at how much I didn’t know about my own body. I agree, should be required reading! The author has another book related to how we manage stress, Burnout. Highly recommend it!
I’m so happy you read Project Hail Mary!! It was my favorite book of last year. Adore Andy Weir!
The amount of material that you have consumed in a month is very impressive. I think that it would be interesting if you did a poll to find out what percentage of your followers think that listening to an audio book is considered reading. A university poll was conducted in the UK citing that inly 2% of responders deemed that listening to an audio book was reading. It would be quite interesting to see an American take on the topic.
Kay, you might consider why that question is actually offensive: https://bookriot.com/do-audiobooks-count-as-reading/
(Not to mention, the original form of storytelling was through spoken word.)
Huh? No one is questioning if audiobooks are valid or useful. Listening isn’t reading. That’s just a fact. Does listening allow people who can’t read to enjoy a book? Sure. But you’re not disabled and that doesn’t make listening the same as reading. One uses eyes and one uses ears. Why are you so impossible, always?
I agree with Kay. Listening isn’t reading. Up isn’t down. Dry isn’t wet.
Oh, I do love the book The Martian by Andy Weir, so I’ll have to check out this one! Mean Baby also sounds really interesting. I always love your book review posts!
I’ve been in a reading rut all year— finally starting to get into it again and this just reinvigorated me even more! You really have the best recs. Adding all of these to my TBR!
Project Hail Mary was SO GOOD! I love this post! Very enthusiastic.