Regardless of where I’m going I never leave the house without lip balm, sunscreen and a book. If for whatever reason I get stuck somewhere I’ll at least be equipped with the essentials (and yes, a book even accompanies me on a grocery run). My moto especially rings true in the Spring and Summer months. Vitamin D and the company of a few paperbacks were particularly lovely ways to bask in the slow living of long April days.
For the overthinkers: As a highly sensitive person who tends to give too many, I found The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck incredibly refreshing. It surprised me how quickly I ate this up.
Readers will find brutal honesty and wit mixed into this helpful survival guide as it teaches less about winning or succeeding and more about losing and letting go.
It may sound dreary but it’s frankness is what I imagine turned it into a New York Times Bestseller. If an author or main character displays vulnerability and an awareness of their flaws, trust can be established. It’s difficult to resonate with perfection.
Often times self improvement shelves are shrouded in shallow affirmations and toxic positivity. For me it becomes white noise. Instead, this book reminds us to lean into hard feelings i.e our fears, limitations, and egos. The mild discomfort is what gets us to really reexamine our values so we can weed out what’s taking up unnecessary space in our lives. I imagined the persona of Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld in my head offering me one reality check after another.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck empowers you to accept what you can’t control and make decisions on the suffering you do have control over. I found it enlightening in a non-cultish way and entertaining till the last pages.
4.75/5 mugs
Trigger warning: there are themes of verbal and emotional abuse and entrapment throughout this novel.
Not for the faint of heart: As the name suggests, Behind Closed Doors is a suspenseful page-turner about the chilling truth behind a marriage far too good to be true.
The way the author weaves through the past and present sinks you into the cat and mouse chase. With sweaty palms, I had to read it’s final chapters at the beach in order to sooth my anxiety.
As a retired true crime junkie, I would trade a well-written fictional psychological thriller over binging Dateline or Forensic Files any day. My next few reads in the coming month will be lighter fare.
4/5 mugs
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