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The beauty of being quarantined during the summer is having ample time to read. I spent hours on the weekends reading in the park with the sun on my skin and the wind blowing. I lucked out this summer by reading some page-turners. From love stories to rights movements to life’s pondering questions, these books were hard to put down. I highly recommend adding each and everyone to your reading wish list.
One of the most complex books I have ever read, Mrs. Everything follows the lives of sisters Jo and Bethie Kaufman. It starts in the 1950s in Detroit, Michigan when Jo and Bethie are little girls. Bethie is feminine, helps out with cooking and housework, while Jo is more of a tomboy, always finding herself in trouble. As we follow the two sisters through the following decades we see how they transform through trauma, injustice, heartbreak, and mistakes. But through it all the sisters are always there for each other, a shoulder to lean on. The book throws a lot at you and it can be very uncomfortable at some points, but it accurately depicts life in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. A time where women were expected to stay home and take care of the kids. When the Civil Rights movement and Woodstock shook the country. The revolutionary start of the fight to love whomever you please. A time where women had to act and look a certain way that society placed on them. How Jo and Bethie’s lives completely change individually and with the times was in itself interesting. Adding on all of the historical events of these transformative decades, it was hard to put down.
Review and Spoilers
I have to admit I almost stop reading within the first 100 pages. A lot comes at you fast with the death of their father and the uncle molesting Bethie. And when Jo’s friend Lynnette said while she was at camp, the camp counselor showed all of the girls how to masturbate, I thought WHAT THE HECK? What camp is this? I have never been to a camp where the counselor even spoke of such things let alone did it to each girl in the cabin. It felt so far fetched, way too much, and all uncomfortable topics. This is not what I signed up for. I had recently read Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, so was expecting another easy read but this time about sisterly love. I am so glad I pushed through and continued because it was one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I loved how both Bethie and Jo exchanged roles in life; Jo being the straight and narrow mother in Connecticut while Bethie becomes a free-loving hippie. I loved that the author included the Civil Rights movement as well as the peace, love, and drugs of the 60s and 70s. Then on top of that with women and LGBT rights. All of these movements shaped an entire generation. I loved that Bethie turned into a hippie and fell in love with Harold– which I was rooting for to happen from the moment they met. I loved that Jo finally had the courage to be with Shelley (cried a little when they reunited) and started doing things for herself like travel. I almost threw the book out the window in anger and solidarity when I found out Jo’s husband was cheating on her with her neighbor friend, but then stopped when I realized this was actually a good thing for Jo. When Bethie was raped I felt horrible for days, and when she got an abortion I was shocked and disgusted by the doctor’s comments. I do wish Bethie didn’t get tied up with Dev but then would she end up at the compound in Atlanta where she would eventually run into Harold again? Life always comes in a full circle and things tie together with an invisible thread. Through the twist and turns of the sisters, I always felt like I was rooting for both of them. There was never a time I favored one sister over the other. Their fights were stemmed from love, not resentment or competitiveness. Their storylines had such depth to them, there was a lot to unravel. Overall I found this book to be one of the most fascinating, complex reads.
Who doesn’t love Lauren Graham? As a lifetime fan of Gilmore Girls and recently a fan of Parenthood, I couldn’t wait to read this book. As I do with all biographies, I listened to Talking As Fast As I Can on audiobooks. Lauren Graham herself narrated the book, which makes it extra special. It was funny, informative, and heartwarming. Even though I have been a fan of Lauren Graham since I first heard her utter the word “coffee”, I didn’t know that much about her life. Sure I knew she was a talented actress that could sing (Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist), say dialogue as fast as any other actor, and has been dating her on-screen brother from Parenthood for over 10 years, but there was so much I didn’t know. I knew nothing about her upbringing, how she skipped a grade in elementary school, and my favorite part of the book- behind the scenes of each show. But it was more than just the due diligence of biographies, she gives a lot of life lessons that I took to heart. She talks about relationships, how it took her longer than most to find a partner. Her story with Peter Krause is cute; how they met. She felt sparks during the first encounter but didn’t get together until years later. That life is all about fate and timing. In her career, being an actor getting rejected and still believing in yourself. I often think about this quote in the book “As my friend Oliver Platt used to say to me about hopes and dreams I’d share with him: ‘It’s coming, just not on your time frame.” I refer to this quote when I so desperately want something to happen. It’s as if Lauren and I are friends and she gave me great advice. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls or Parenthood or Lauren Graham herself, I highly recommend this book!
Dannie Cohen has her entire life figured out. She is about to get her dream job, has the perfect boyfriend, and lives in an amazing apartment in Manhattan. Dannie has her life mapped out, unlike her best friend, Bella, who sails through life on impulse and fantasy. On the night of Dannie’s engagement, she finds herself transported for only an hour to 5 years from now where her life is completely different. Each day Dannie tries to change the course of her life and the inevitable day she envisions. In 5 Years is about friendship, love, heartbreak, and fate. It’s a page-turner where the story completely surprises you throughout. It leaves you questioning life; is everything we are going through in life by chance or by fate. Do each piece of the puzzle eventually add up together, only we don’t know it until the end. It’s about letting go of control of what we think life should be to let life unfold. I think it is a great book for any age, but especially those in your 20’s and 30’s where the future seems uncertain.
Review and Spoilers
At first I wasn’t too sure if I liked the book, but I think that is only because it’s too relatable. You think your life is going one way then it completely changes in a second. Having your life plans completely interrupted hits too close to home for us all. Seeing Dannie’s picturesque life, or what she thought was, completely shaken up and diverged into a new path can bring up fear in us all. I spent the entire book not wanting things to happen- the breakup, Bella’s cancer, Aaron, and so on. When they introduced Aaron I thought, well great, now I dislike the main character who is obviously going to steal her best friend’s boyfriend. Then when Bella got cancer I thought, so Dannie is a terrible person for eventually hooking up with her friend’s fiancé after she passes. But once you realize why and how things play out, you understand and sympathize. You root for Dannie to have a happy ending, to finally be able to let go of control and hopefully end up with the cute doctor. I actually really loved that she flirted with the doctor at the end, it tied the theme of the book in a nice little bow; everything happens for a reason. If Bella never had cancer, would Dannie ever leave a relationship she was settling for and meet possible love of her life? It’s a reminder that even the bad things in life have meaning, that something good comes out of it. Right now we are all in a period in our lives of uncertainty. Whether we lost our jobs, broke up with a significant other, feeling lonely and lost, or sad and angry, there are meanings and reasons behind all of this. I choose to believe there is something good that will come out of all of this for all of us. I have to. Anyway, back to the book. What I loved most about it is the friendship between Dannie and Bella. Two childhood friends who are completely different, keeping this family-like relationship throughout all of life’s ups and downs. The book never pins the women against each other. Sure they admire one another and are jealous of certain aspects of each other’s lives, but they would always put the other one first. It wasn’t a book about two women fighting over a man, it was about two women who deeply love each other and would do anything to make the other person’s life a little better.
