The way to my heart is through a good book. Talk to me about what your reading and I'm yours for hours. I will come away from our conversation with gusto saying, "[insert your name here] is my favorite person." One of my Christmas gifts from my husband in 2018 was the book Educated by Tara Westover. The memoir chronicles Tara's story of education after being raised the daughter of survivalists in the mountains of Idaho. I'm thrilled to start off my 2019 reading list with this book.
While I didn't fulfill my goodreads challenge of 20 in 2018 year. I was able to read some pretty amazing books thanks to my friend, Libby. Here are three of my favorites:
It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell
In this memoir, Andie chronicles her weight loss journey. But more than the physical struggle of losing weight, Andie speaks openly about the mental struggle. How, if you don't put importance on the person inside, you do injustice to the journey your body goes through on the outside and I would argue vice-versa. One of my favorite sections is when she describes the cycle of dieting that leads to eating a whole chocolate cake, to eating no chocolate cake, and finally eating a piece of chocolate cake. As a self taught baker and chef, Andie's love of food comes through in her descriptions. Her memoir made me simultaneously motivated and hungry.
p.s. She also has a cookbook called Eating in the Middle....the Jerk Shrimp recipe is amazing.
The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall
The Book of Polly, was not only a wonderful book, it was a great listen. The audio book provided another level of reading that I'm not sure that I could have reached on my own. Simply to hear the word "varmints" made me laugh out loud. The novel follows the quest of a young girl who's constantly worried her aging mother is going to die. It tells the story of their connection to each other, despite Polly's age, quirks, and general disposition. It's both heartwarming and hilarious.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
The Alice Network is my perfect type of novel. Kate Quinn mixes both World Wars, feminism, and a Scotsman into a novel based in some truth. After reading the Alice Network, I found myself wanting to know more about Evelyn Gardiner and added her to my list of bad-ass women to research. While I admit not as intriguing as Eve's story, the character of Charlie St. Clair allows the reader to participate in her coming of age story and rejection of "proper" society. A page turner from beginning to end.