I love books! I was an early reader and often was reading more than one book at a time growing up. One of my most favorite places to go as a child and as an adult is to the library. I appreciate all the book selections in Reese’s Book Club and have written about many of them!
I wrote about Glennon Doyle’s book for Ms. Magazine: “Untamed”: Brave Means Living From the Inside Out:
Reading Glennon Doyle’s memoir, Untamed, is diving into an adventure of what we can become. We collectively grow stronger as we are more willing to ask hard questions…Reading Glennon Doyle’s memoir, Untamed, is diving into an adventure of what we can become. We collectively grow stronger as we are more willing to ask hard questions….When I chose to leave my marriage and the continent I was on, many people called me brave. I found it challenging because I did not feel courageous—and in fact looked both words up in the dictionary, often trying to understand what they were telling me. Continue reading
I wrote about Christie Tate’s memoir, Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, where she shares her shift from believing she will never be enough to having her dreams come true for Thrive Global.
Women in America often ask themselves, “When will it be enough?” and perhaps more importantly, “When will I be enough?”…I highly recommend this book which I loved and read all in one day. I felt like I was right there with her on the bad dates, in the group therapy sessions and I wanted to go grab some plates from my kitchen and break them when she broke hers. Keep Reading…
Watch our interview about her new book BFF on my podcast:
For Ms. Magazine, I wrote “Eve Rodsky Wants Feminist Partners to Play Fair!”
In order to pick up all of these “invisible” tasks, there is a cost to women’s health, professional goals and personal relationships. “This ‘time tax,’ where women are burdened with more than our fair share of childcare and domestic work,” Rodsky explains, “compromises every aspect of our lives—our relationships, career, sense of identity and physical and mental health. Our perception of men’s time as finite versus women’s time as infinite, or weighted differently in any way, must change if we ever want to achieve true liberation....But what also resonated with me was Rodsky’s definition of “Unicorn Space”—the “rare, magical and essential” time where one partner in a relationship gets to focus inward and “reclaim the interests that make you uniquely you, stoking your passion and driving you to be the best version of yourself.” Reclaiming this space is part of Rodsky’s second rule: reclaiming our right to be interesting. Keep Reading
Brene Brown’s book, Braving the Wilderness, is on the list and I wrote about her book, Daring Greatly, as inspiration for one of my 13 travel writing competitions!
“Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage.” I realized after reading her books and listening to her talks that I am doing enough. When my focus is on Courage, Compassion and Connection as my goals, I remember that I am good enough.
I wrote about Reese’s pick, The Rules of Magic, for Thrive Global in Escape into Fiction this Fall:
Many of the books on my list are set in other locations and times because I missed traveling. Magic Lessons begins with Maria Owens, “in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby.” Maria learns the “Unnamed Arts” and the story takes place in England, Curaçao and Salem, Massachusetts. I loved reading about familiars, green magic, Grimoire and the history of the mysterious Maria from the first two books.
It felt strangely familiar to read about how “in the year 1675, when Maria turned eleven, there was another epidemic, of smallpox. Some towns and villages were emptied of all of their inhabitants, and the doors to houses swung open and robbers ruled the roads.” I felt like part of the magic as this tale wove its way through different locations, family members and tragedies. Remember, “Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.” During this time of uncertainty between COVID and the election, I liked reading about “Avra kadavra, I will create as I speak, I will force into being that which is impossible and illogical, all that is against the rules of men.”
I also wrote about Untamed and Wild for Undomesticated Magazine in an article called A Reinvention Reading List about the journey to writing my memoir when “these books felt like a flashlight in the darkness of winter, and helped me find my way and myself again.”
I wrote about both Wild by Cheryl Strayed and The Henna Artist in this Ms. Magazine article called, “8 Books That Will Transport You:“
Wild came out in 2012 while I was on an 18-month adventure in South East Asia. During my travels, I conquered my fears and did two eight-day treks in Nepal with no sherpa. I fell madly in love with this book and Strayed’s honest account of the challenges on the Pacific Crest Trail. When she named her backpack, Monster, I remembered when I had a breakdown in the REI store because I felt so overwhelmed to think that all my belongings had to fit in the bag, and I had to lug it around with me.
I also wrote about Cheryl Strayed’s book, Brave Enough, which helped me feel braver!
FROM MS. MAGAZINE: 8 BOOKS THAT WILL TRANSPORT YOU:
While author Alka Joshi’s story starts in 1955 in Jaipur, India, I have to admit some of her descriptions reminded me of my travels there in 2013. I spent three months on the public bus traversing the sub-continent—and her descriptions of the colorful saris, delicate samosas and other tasty treats reminded all my senses (especially my sense of smell) of my adventures.
Women’s lives are intertwined from the village, to town, from one town to another and one life to another. The way that boys become men, and men act like boys, causes many dramas and traumas in this tale. The women find ways to run away from one life but are often surprised by the ways it catches up to you.
I was able to interview Alka Joshi for Thrive Global, “Writing and Rewriting during COVID with Alka Joshi.” And she interviewed me on her show, Reimagine:
I wrote about Alka Joshi’s second book for the Jewish Journal and cannot wait for book three! Read all about it here: Travel back to India: The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
I also wrote about The Secret Keeper of Jaipur for Thrive Global in an article called Sizzling Summer Reads: Feel All Your Feelings. What other books have I written about? Read more here on my portfolio page.
Thank you to Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine for creating Reese’s Book Club and bringing more light to all of these incredible books! I look forward to reading more of her picks and hope someday you might be reading my memoir on her list!
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