Books

What I Read in February

I’ve been reading for an hour or so before bed almost every night. I typically don’t read Friday or Saturday nights though, but five days a week? Not too bad. I had to start forcing myself to do it because I could feel my habits slipping a bit. Some nights I actually set a timer and tell myself, “just twenty minutes” and I usually read well past that because I’m into the book. And other nights, I put my bookmark ahead a few chapters as my “goal” for the night.

Becoming Michelle Obama

Okay, so I finished a few amazing books this month:

The Hate U Give: 5/5 Stars

This is an incredible book. I feel like it should be required summer reading for high schoolers. (But that isn’t to say that only high schoolers would like it.) It’s about a black high schooler who goes to a fancy private school but lives in Garden Heights– a poorer neighborhood. Angie Thomas captures so many issues (gangs, interracial relationships, police brutality, friendship issues, racism, and more) in the text, all from the perspective and the voice of a young teen. I have been wanting to see the movie that the book is based on but wanted to read it first. It’s going to be my next download.

Angie Thomas’ second book On the Come Up just came out and I’ll be adding that to my “to read” list as well.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry: 4/5 Stars

I have mixed emotions about this one. I liked it a lot in the end, but found it tedious to get into. (When I put it on my Instagram story, other people echoed the same sentiment so I was relieved that it wasn’t just me.) It’s by the same author as A Man Called Ove and it has a similar vibe to that book. It’s told almost like a real-life fairy tale with the main character, a precocious seven-year-old, finishing out a mission her late grandmother left her. It unfolds in the apartment building that she lives in with a quirky cast of characters.

Again, ultimately, I really enjoyed it– especially as the story started to become clearer and came together more.

The Proposal: 3/5 Stars

This was Reese Witherspoon’s book club selection and, while I was excited to read it, it kind of fell flat for me. I’d say this is more of a light beach read. If you want something cute and easy, then this could be a good option. The plot felt predictable and ends exactly how you’d expect it to end after reading just one chapter. I will say though, some of the scenes had me smiling from ear to ear as the cute romance unfolded.

Coming Clean: 4/5 Stars

I downloaded this after seeing it recommended on one of my favorite book blogs. I thought it was a really great memoir about growing up with parents with hoarding disorders. But more than that, I thought it was an excellent account of forgiveness, friendship, and family. It was hard to read at times, similar to how watching a show about hoarding might be, but I found myself silenting rooting for the author as she paved her own path in life.

Becoming: 5/5 Stars

I. Loved. This. Book. Honestly, I hadn’t planned on reading it because I thought everything you could possibly want to know about Michelle Obama was in the news already. Kicking myself for thinking that and not picking up the book sooner. The whole thing was incredible and I can’t choose a favorite part. It’s divided into three sections (“Becoming Me,” “Becoming Us,” and “Becoming More”) detailing her upbringing, the start of their relationship, and then their life in the White House. My biggest takeaway was just how “normal” it all seemed. It’s not like they just woke up one day in the White House with the POTUS and FLOTUS status. I thought the way she grew up, how every choice they each made led to winning the election was so interesting, and how she tried to find normalcy in a very abnormal life was fascinating. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the more private parts about the whole process– from campaigning to functioning as a family in the spotlight.

I’ve also never had so many people stop me about a book. I had it in my tote one day in NYC and literally four women stopped me asking me how much I was loving it and then we’d strike up a short conversation about it. I haven’t experienced anything like that since that one year when everyone (EVERYONE) on the subway was reading Gone Girl.

PS Here’s what I read in January

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27 Comments

Nina

I haven’t been reading as much this month but am completely ok with that. My terrible memory doesn’t recall whether you already picked up Educated by Tara Westover but if you haven’t, you should give it a go! Both my boyfriend and I loved it, which usually means the book has to be pretty well rounded since our reading tastes often differ… TW takes a very nuanced stance to her extreme upbringing, so depending on your mood you could read it simply for the captivating story or read it and ponder on the meaning of family, how memories are formed and changed over time, etc etc

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Nicole

I second that! Educated was AMAZING.

For everyone loving Becoming, I can’t recommend From The Corner of the Oval Office, enough. I just finished it and have been gushing ever since.

It’s the true story of a young, 20 something stenographers, time in the White House during the Obama administration. With all of the hookups and fashion paired with behind the scenes of working in the White House, it had a Devil Wears Prada vibe.

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Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

I read The Hate U Give toward the end of 2018 and loved it! I loved how HUMAN the boom was, and I hadn’t read a book in that writing style before. Haven’t watched the film yet but planning to get around to it eventually 🙂

I almost never buy books; I usually check them out of the library, find them online, or am sent egalleys to read and review. But the waitlist for Becoming at my local library was six months!!! So I went ahead and bought myself a copy off Amazon. Buuuut I haven’t gotten around to it yet because I have few library books I need to get through before I need to return them, as well as egalleys to read and review. Might have to just put my foot down, give myself a breather, and finally get around to reading Becoming! Also wow, I’ve never had anyone stop me on the streets to ask how I was enjoying a book! So wholesome :’)

I’m currently reading Little Fires Everywhere. (I knos, FINALLY haha) -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

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Effie Sapuridis

I have been telling EVERYONE I know to read Becoming. I’m not typically a fan of memoirs but I think Michelle Obama is a beautiful writer. There’s poetry in her words.

Beyond that, I found myself incredibly moved by the book and so, so motivated. I borrowed it from the library, but immediately bought it after finishing it because I know I’ll want to read it again. Just WOW.

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Crystal Konz

I completely agree about Becoming. The whole time I was reading it, I just thought, “This is just soooo normal.” Not in a boring way at all. I was very very pleased to hear that she really WAS NOT on board with much of his political career. It really helped normalize their relationship and it made me look up to her even more. I was so pleased to hear that she didn’t just roll over to his career (not that anyone would ever think she would. She is wayyy too strong for that.) I put it down a few times and had a hard time getting into it at first, but about half way through, I was hooked and needed to know every detail. She is so incredibly strong and inspiring.

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Elizabeth Sills

I loooooved Becoming. She is such a gifted storyteller, I found myself forgetting that I was reading about real aspects of her life. Easily one of the best books I’ve read in years!

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Nicole

My reading habits have been dwindling this month as well– I was doing the same “just 20 minutes” pep talk to myself before bed, and always ended up diving right into my books and loving it. Becoming is at the top of my list… Just waiting for my sister to finish it and lend me her copy! Can’t wait to see what you read next 🙂

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dana mannarino

Just added a few of these to my list! I slipped the month of February and didn’t finish a single book. I’m currently reading The Child (I’m into thrillers) so maybe I can finish by tonight 😉

The Champagne Edit

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Jordyn

I read Becoming this month as well and I echo your sentiment. SO GOOD! I’ve been meaning to read The Hate You Give so I’m adding that to next month’s reading list.

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Hannah

I haven’t read Michelle’s book yet, but I keep hearing only the most positive things about it! Also heard that John Green is going to be moderating a series of youtube interviews with her about it soon, which should be super cool to watch, especially if you’ve already read the book!!

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Brittany

Read Becoming this past month as well. I gotta say I didn’t love it. I liked it a lot but I didn’t love it. It was well written and learned a lot. But some parts of the book I wish there was more expansion on and she threw in a few anecdotes that could have been expanded more to make the book even stronger. I also kept thinking through a lot of it how much it focused on Barack-which makes sense in a way since it impacted her but I would have loved just more of her life. I thought the most interesting parts of the book were in the beginning before she even met him!

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Lexie

I’m a teacher and our middle schoolers were required to read The Hate U Give this past summer. So many of them came back from summer break and talked about how good the book was. I read it this fall and was blown away at how good the book is. It totally exceeded my expectations! It was so interesting to see a lot of what is going on in our world today through a teenager’s eyes.

I just watched the movie recently and loved it! Probably one of my favorite movies I have watched in a long time!

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Lauren

Hi, new follower here (just about 2 months). This is one of my favorite aspects of your blog as opposed to other strictly fashion blogs – brainy and inspiring. I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks at your recommendation and loved it. As a physician, I thought the historical account of informed consent was fascinating. Next on the list – Becoming. Thanks for these posts!

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Ashley S

I am reading On the Come Up right now (through my library app) and it is so different from The Hate U Give and just as amazing. I am in awe of how Angie Thomas can touch on so many life struggles yet not have those things define a character or overwhelm the reader. Totally recommend!

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Nicole

I LOVE that you’re posting the books you read here! My favorite thing to connect with bloggers about is books (in addition to fashion)!

I’m a high school teacher and while I don’t teach english classes, I know that one of the books they read together was “The hate u give”. I loved that book and am also excited about the next novel by Angie Thomas. The students seemed to connect well with the book too! It’s awesome when the students feel connected to books!

I LOVED Michelle Obama’s book! I was not thinking I would love it as much as I did! I didn’t really keep tabs on her life while she was in the white house, but reading her book was just so settling. Like you said, she made every transition just seem so “nomal every day concerns”, when really she was having giant changes! This book was up there with “Educated” for me! I love a good, encouraging memoir!

After reading “The Wedding Date”, I wasn’t going to read “The Proposal”. The first book fell kind of flat for me and I honestly couldn’t figure out how it go as much hype as it did.

A book I would recommend, if you haven’t read it already, would be “The Great Believers.” That is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year! The story of the AIDS crisis isn’t one I’ve seen much written about, and have really only seen in media through “Rent”. So this story came alive with a new perspective I think everyone should read!

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A Girl, A Style

Ooh yes, I’m halfway through ‘Becoming’ right now (I also need to force myself to read every night as I am already falling behind in my reading goals for the year) and absolutely LOVE it and her so much!

Briony xx

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Heather Mitchell.com

I appreciate your list and honest feedback! Becoming is in my lineup, I can not wait to dive into this one! I am currently reading a Non-Fiction piece that isn’t usually my style. Defining You by Fiona Murden. I would recommend this book to any person, especially women who are feeling stuck in their career. Or wanting to make a career change or simply wanting to identify aspects/strengths within themselves. It helps identify your skill sets (some you didn’t know about!) and illustrates how they are strengths and marketable strengths. #confidencebooster! It is amazing and I already notice a difference in my personal and professional self. Check out the author, she’s quite impressive! http://www.fionamurden.com
Thank you again for your wonderful recommendations!

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Natalie

Love this list! Also, absolutely love your shirt. Do you mind sharing where it’s from?

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Maman Patate

After you recommended it, I ordered “Coming Clean” on Kindle. I just finished reading it and it made a deep impression on me. I felt so angry with the narrator’s parents for not making their child’s wellbeing a priority. Then I started to think about our own living situation in our cluttered home and the lasting negative impact it might have on my daughters. I looked for more information about “hoarding ” and found some similarities with my own behaviour. Until know, I didn’t realize that I had too much stuff, I just thought that my house was “too small” and that I didn’t have enough cupboards. If only I could buy a bigger house and more furniture, everything would be tidy… Now I understand that after a while, even the bigger house would be cluttered. I’m still working on a solution. After reading “Coming Clean”, I understand that I have to get rid of things ( before I thought that keeping this stuff was ok and that I only needed to find a magical system to organize everything in my cluttered house). I have problems letting things go. In my bedroom, I still have an opened package of nursing pads. It reminds me when my daughter was born ( breastfeeding didn’t work out and I had to bottle feed her ). Meanwhile she’s nearly 3 and will start kindergarten. I won’t have any more children and I don’t need nursing pads any more. Since the package is already opened, it would seem gross to give it to somebody else. But I seem unable to simply throw it away… I don’t need more storage ( like I previously thought) but to let go of things. Otherwise one of my daughters will write the French version of ” Coming Clean”.

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