Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

Loved this book and its exploration of the quandary of identity. I am particularly drawn to birth stories and how they shape a person, and in this case threaten to un-shape a person. Dani Shapiro is a master of taking a personal revelation and making it something more universal. This is an issue of our current age. The uncovering of previously unknown biological attachments is happening all around us. As I was reading Inheritance I thought of so many people I need to send it to – people who are going through similar things thanks to 23 and me or Ancestry.com.

If you love speculating family secrets, you will love Inheritance!!

Little Sister: A Memoir by Patricia Walsh Chadwick

Patricia Chadwick’s memoir is not only a fascinating story, but it is written with forgiveness and perspective. It is a mature woman’s assessment of her early years and in that I found it so refreshing and inspiring. What’s more, the idea of a sequestered Catholic cult having existed in the center of Cambridge, MA is a reminder that closed minds are everywhere. Sometimes you read stories of people growing up in small, remote towns where extremism is somehow understandable (Educated by Tara Westover, Boy Erased by Garrard Conley)… Read Little Sister as an eye opening accompaniment to those better known authors and the conversation gets really rich.

Waisted by Randy Susan Meyers

This story goes deep into the modern woman’s psyche around body image and weight. It is an important book that at once is a battle cry as well as a testament to the fact that we are not alone in our crazy thoughts and obsessions. It tackles important issues around race and friendship and the power of our families to do the most damage.

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl

I really enjoyed the insider’s view of Gourmet magazine and the Condé Nast empire. All the while Ruth Reichl’s observations are honest and peppered with tastes and scents and the appreciation for fine food. There is so much to enjoy about this book!

Come with Me by Helen Schulman

Loved A Beautiful Life and this has the same internet/technology gone askew feel. Also the fragility of a family and a marriage in these fast moving times is a paramount theme. Love reading about Annie and Dan’s navigation of a major betrayal, but most of all love Schulman’s fast-paced wit and observations of this crazy world we’ve created.