Best Books of Summer

image via https://around.uoregon.edu/

Summer is flying. I've been working, walking, seeing friends and family, it's a bit of a blur. Last week we celebrated my baby's fourth birthday. We had a little party for Mia and her friends at the nature center in town. The kids met some animals and painted bird houses. On her actual b-day we ate Chinese food (her fave) and cake and then went to hear a Grateful Dead cover band in a picturesque park in town. Not bad for a birthday palooza.

At some point I'll write an updated post all about Mia. Spoiler alert: she's still the yummiest little comedienne. A total love bug who cracks us all up and tells me to take deep breaths when I get crabby. Mia is so wise and nurturing. She won't let me kill a fly ("it just wants to hug you").

Mia's birthday was challenging for her older sister. Being the firstborn, Liv is used to being in the spotlight. Hubs told Liv that her jealousy was unbecoming, and Mia later parroted the phrase at the concert, after declaring Liv had ruined her birthday. Fast forward to tonight and the two were inseparable and begging to have a sleepover. Nothing like sisterly love <3

I've been rambling but I started this post in the first place to present the Summer's Best Books! I've had such a fantastic round of reading recently. See below for some wholehearted recommendations:

Bookends
I flew through this memoir by podcaster/publisher/writer Zibby Owens. I first heard of Owens through my writing teacher Susan Shapiro. Owens is a fairy godmother in the book world, featuring authors on her podcast Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. Just the name "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" is brilliant. I don't have time to read books at a reasonable hour so I forgo sleep (eek). Bookends kept me up into the wee hours. I was hooked on Owens's, at times heartbreaking, tale. The daughter of a billionaire, Owens grew up pretty sheltered on the UES, but dealt with an inordinate amount of tragedy in her formative years. There were also lots of redemptive moments in her story. A lot of her followers say Owens feels like their best friend. She feels like mine, too.

Nora Goes Off Script
This novel is about a divorcee screenwriter who falls for the star of a movie she wrote. It's a romcom book and it's delicious; it really brought me so much joy. It's also filled with little gems of wisdom. I dogeared many pages, and I'm not ready to part with it. I'm keeping it on my bedside table indefinitely. I even met the author at a local book signing. Big thanks to my local bookstore (and favorite bookseller/new friend Eve) for hosting the best authors and for turning me on to the best books.

Us
Goop posted about this book, all about building a more loving relationship, and I was intrigued. I feel really lucky to be in a healthy marriage and I want to keep it that way. But regardless I think Us is for everyone. The book is really about mental health and maintaining healthy relationships in all areas of life. I dogeared like every other page; there are so many nuggets of sage advice. Us is another book I'm not ready to relegate to a downstairs bookshelf. I need a bigger nightstand.

AES

P.S. As Zibby Owens says, mom's don't have time to read books. I certainly don't have time to read books that don't hold my attention. As much as I hate to give up on any read, I just couldn't stick with a novel I started recently, The Startup Wife. But I read 200 pages of it so I need to mention here that there are many redeeming qualities. It's well-written and intelligent. Check it out if you're tickled by the startup world and wokeness.