Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Zauner’s book is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. The devastation of losing a mother, trying to piece together who that woman was, intense memories around the smells and tastes of food, coming of age with parents who are far from perfect, told all with wisdom, […]
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis Such great insight into our decentralized state being ill-equipped for a national public health crisis. I love how Lewis finds the human characters to tell this story through. So compelling as I try to understand what happened, what went wrong, how did we get here. About Premonition: […]
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam M. Grant I really loved the end of this book where it encouraged young people to not feel confined by early career choices or expectations! Such important advice for a happy life. About Think Again Think Again is a book about the benefit of doubt, […]
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad I picked up this memoir on the recommendation of several people and sent it to my daughter who was on her own cross-country odyssey in a van with her dog. I just finished it myself as I travelled the Pacific Northwest with her. […]
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz This was a fun read for the mere fact the author revealed so much about the world of being a writer and the ins and outs of the publishing industry. It was a world she displayed with authority and a healthy dose of sarcasm. She also wove two threads […]
The Privileges by Jonathan Dee The writing in this novel was very good: smart, witty, revelatory. The early chapters which depict a boozy wedding weekend and a mother getting through an endless day with her young children had me excited and optimistic about the reading journey I was heading on. Even the husband’s lack of […]
Animal by Lisa Taddeo I listened to Animal on audio which was really well narrated by Emma Roberts. That aside, once I got to the end, I had to immediately begin listening all over from the beginning. It’s that kind of book, so set aside plenty of time. This debut work of fiction is so original […]
The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein This book was prescribed in a bibliotherapy session and coincidentally read while cleaning out my own home of twenty years. Trigger alert if you are, or ever had to deal with a hoarder. The core word to […]
The Heart by Maylis de Kerangal The human organ at the center of it all, around which so much is attributed. The love, the imagery, the life – the heart is more than a pulsing muscle. This novel is successful in its ambition to capture everything, from the poetry of the heart to the science […]
This essay was originally published on Medium.com under the title “Returning East: Lessons Learned on a Pandemic Road Trip.” Whereas our trek West as our road trip began in January had been motivated by the urgent need to arrive, our return trip was intentionally drawn out, our desire to avoid returning to reality for as […]
