Books for Travel & Leisure
image via Lacey Terrell/Prime Video / cntraveler.com
Books! Glorious books. I've read a bunch in recent weeks, before and en route to Italy:
Anna
I read this biography about icon Anna Wintour just before and on my way to Italy. As I time traveled and skipped ahead six hours, the First Monday in May transpired in New York and the Met Gala, hosted by Wintour, welcomed fashion-forward celebs to a Karl Lagerfeld themed bash. Anna by journalist Amy Odell tells the comprehensive story of Wintour's life to date and even sheds light on her parents' upbringings and family history. The book is thorough and fascinating, but the organization of the biography leaves something to be desired. Wintour's story is a bit choppy; I couldn't always keep track of all the different relationships in her life. (And no, it's not because I took a Klonopin and chugged wine on my bumpy red-eye flight.) Anna reads like a true "bio" and less like a cohesive book. Nonetheless, I learned a lot and was even a bit re-traumatized reading about Conde Nast, where I once worked as a lowly assistant. (Think Devil Wears Prada, but meaner, and without any perks.) Pick up Anna if you want the inside scoop on all things... Anna.
B.F.F.
B.F.F. is a sort of follow up memoir to Christie Tate's first book Group. I was obsessed with Group. I love Tate's perspective and vulnerability. In both books she shares on how she's "doing the work" and provides glimpses into the Twelve-step world. In B.F.F. Tate examines her female relationships, but similar to Anna, the structure is choppy and I couldn't remember the different besties and their particular dramas. B.F.F. isn't quite as standout as Group, so perhaps stick with that first superb bestseller.
Daisy Jones & The Six
I felt I had to read Daisy Jones & The Six before watching the miniseries, and I'm so glad I did. I got to experience the juicy storyline twice. A band coming together in the '70's, replete with steamy, complicated relationships. I tore through the novel and couldn't wait to start the show, which I immediately binged with Hubs upon wrapping the book. Do yourself a favor and dive into both the book and the series.
My Last Innocent Year
This is an addictive novel. I met the author, Daisy Alpert Florin, at a book event in town and loved her vibe and advice. Her debut book lived up to my great expectations. Set in the 90's at a fictional New England college, protagonist Isabel comes of age in the bubble of a liberal arts college but also among the macro issues of the world: classism and social contracts, sexism and consent. Florin is a gifted author, and I'm inspired by her own story of coming to writing later in life. After getting various degrees and working in other concentrations, then taking time to raise kids, she began her writing career. At her book reading Q&A she sagely said something along the lines of: "Writing is hard, and it feels hard. But that doesn't mean you can't be a writer." Yes!
Pineapple Street
I couldn't wait to plunge into Pineapple Street. I expected it to be the next Nora Goes Off Script. However the novel didn't quite live up to my excitement. It's an entertaining story about a rich family in Brooklyn and the different paths taken by the three grown children, but I wouldn't necessarily "put this novel straight into my veins," as one reviewer so wishes she could. Pick this up for the beach; pass on the IV.
Happy spring reading,
AES