What I’m Reading (11.7.22)

Everything’s Trash But It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2018

I liked Phoebe Robinson’s first book of essays, and I was hoping for more of the same magic in this book, but unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. In this collection of essays, Phoebe covers a range of topics, from the problems with white feminism to societal beauty standards and more. She has a really powerful essay where she breaks down her history with money and the time period when she had $19,000 of consumer debt to her name. That essay made me feel a lot less alone in my own struggles with money that I experienced in my twenties and part of my thirties. But not all of the essays worked for me, such as the one on singleness. For most of the essay, she describes some of the benefits of being single but a lot of the benefits were just a bit concerning to me. “You don’t have to hide purchases from your partner!” “You can watch whatever shows you want!” etc. I get that she’s trying to have a comedic angle, but some of this made me wonder how many toxic relationships she’s been in. Hiding purchases from your partner is not normal! My main gripe with this book, though, was the writing.  Phoebe had so many important things to say in this book, but it was hard to read about the importance of intersectional feminism when all of her points are drowned out in a sea of silly hashtags, fake URLs, and meandering analogies that don’t make any sense. All in all, a book that had a lot of potential but unfortunately, not one I would recommend to many people.

To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn (★★★☆☆)

E-Book • Libby • Historical Romance • 2009

I am continued to be flummoxed about the fact that the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn was chosen out of every other Regency romance series to be adapted for Netflix. Like, I am so glad something was chosen because romance is such a popular genre but there are way too few adaptations of our beloved books. But damn, this series? Nahhh. I was looking forward to reading To Sir Phillip, With Love, since it’s Eloise’s story and she’s the Bridgerton I feel most connected to. I just love her spunk and her wit and her desire for things other than marriage and motherhood. But those are the things I get from Eloise from Bridgerton, the TV series. Eloise in the books is very, very different. She starts up a correspondence with a man named Sir Phillip after she finds out his wife has died, as she was Eloise’s distant cousin. And then, out of the blue, in one of the letters, Phillip proposes marriage to Eloise, which she was not expecting. And yet… the request intrigues her, which is why she finds herself fleeing town and hiring a carriage to meet him. At his house. Without telling him she is coming. IN REGENCY TIMES. I mean, this would be a crazy thing to do today, but it’s especially odd in the 1800s for an unmarried woman to leave her family, not tell them where she is going, and travel to a stranger’s house. It’s a very odd choice, but whatever, I went along with it because sometimes, that’s what you have to do in romance novels. The rest of the novel played out in a mostly pleasing way. I did love Eloise and Phillip’s connection to one another, mostly because Eloise is sunny and chatty while Phillip is more introverted and broody at times. There were themes of depression and mental illness running through this novel and I think Quinn handled this topic very poorly. Obviously, mental illness was not something that was handled well by anyone in the Regency era, but I think there’s a way to stay true to the reality of that time period while handling the topic with the care it deserves. That aside, I loved Phillip and Eloise together and I think these kids will make it work. And I’m super, super interested in how their story will be portrayed on the Bridgerton series!

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy (★★★★★)

Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction • 2022

While I am still WILDLY UNCOMFORTABLE with the name of this book, I understand why McCurdy named her book this way and I think she deserves to feel whatever way she wants to feel about her mom. Jeannette McCurdy is a child actor who got her big break as Sam Puckett on iCarly, which was a Disney show starring Miranda Cosgrave. I never watched the show, but it’s one I was somewhat familiar with. This memoir delves into the dark side of child acting, and it’s one that is deeply sad and incredibly infuriating. Throughout her life as a child actor, which is something she only did because she was pushed to do it by her mom, she endured countless years of abuse at the hands of her mom. Her mom encouraged her to have an eating disorder (she eventually struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, and is now in recovery). Her mom was also emotionally manipulative and sexually abused her until she was 16. This memoir is difficult and I think it’s going to make me look at all child actors in a very new light. I listened to this book on audio, which McCurdy reads, and she has a mostly flat affect throughout the book. I didn’t mind it, but it could bug some people. This memoir was powerful, visceral, and filled to the brim with trigger warnings so please take care. I am so glad McCurdy is in a space where she can talk about the abuse she suffered and the help she has gotten since, and I can only hope she continues to heal from this traumatic upbringing.

What are you currently reading?