Happy Monday! I’ll be off to Ireland this time next week – ahhh! I am so excited and can’t believe our trip is finally here. A quick programming note, this will likely be my last What I’m Reading post until June. I’ll be taking the next two weeks off blogging as I travel and then will be spending a few weeks recapping my trip. But I plan to write a post reviewing some of my recent favorite reads in late May, so be on the lookout for that!
For now, let’s review the books I finished last week:
Hot Asset by Lauren Layne (★★★★☆)
This was a fun romance, although it made me extremely anxious at times. The novel is about Lara, who is an SEC investigator, and Ian, who is an investment broker and learns that he’s being investigated for insider trading (and this is after he hits on the woman who’s investigating him). Such an interesting premise, but I was so anxious that Ian would be arrested, even though I was positive he was innocent. I was also curious as to how the author would navigate the potential moral/legal complications of Lara and Ian being in a relationship since she was investigating him. Thankfully, it all turned out well in the end (not a spoiler; this is a romance, of course, it turns out well in the end!), although I found the reason why Ian was being investigated fairly hard to believe, but alas. Suspension of disbelief and all that.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (★★★★☆)
In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brown delves into her research about shame and vulnerability, and how to stop trying to live up to this ideal of being what we think people want. Part of that acceptance is honing in on our faults, our mistakes, and our perfectionist tendencies, and not beating ourselves up for any of it. One of the questions she asked early on in the book that really got the wheels spinning for me was this: “What’s the most courageous thing you could do for yourself when you feel small and hurt?” I’m a sensitive person, so feeling small and hurt is basically a daily occurrence for me. It’s made me sit back, recognize what I actually do when I feel hurt and vulnerable and ashamed, and how to have a healthier approach to it. Anyway, this book was great and I highly recommend it!
I’m currently reading…
> Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan, on audio. This novel is so fantastic and listening to it was the right call. Music plays a big role in the book so they play music throughout the novel, and it adds something really special to the reading experience. Plus, the narrators are phenomenal.
> So Over You by Kate Meader. I’m so close to finishing this hockey romance! I don’t know how I feel about the hero. There’s something about him that’s rubbing me the wrong way, so I hope he redeems himself by the end.
> All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner. I am really enjoying this novel (I’m about 150 pages in). It’s about a woman who becomes addicted to painkillers in order to deal with her life (difficult daughter, absent husband, father with Alzheimer’s), and explores how pervasive addiction can be.
What are you reading?
I’m reading “A Woman is No Man.” It’s a debut novel about an Arab family living in NYC. It’s a dual narrative novel as it features the story of 2 women – a mother and daughter. It’s really sad to read about the patriarchy that is prevalent in their culture. Women have no power and are not valued. It’s really sad to read. I’m really enjoying the book so far even though it makes me sad to read about the reality of this family’s life as I know this story plays out in people’s lives. Before this book, I read Inheritance by Dani Shapiro which I LOVED. It was a 5-star read for me, and I’m pretty stingy with 5-star ratings.
Your Ireland trip is SO SOON!! Ahhh! I’m so excited for you!