I burned through a stack of ebooks during the month of February. Reading has cemented itself into a bi-daily ritual that I indulge in during the Pamper Pirate’s morning nap and the hour prior to my bed time. The majority of the books I read this month had the common theme of motherhood.
This is what I read in February:
I preordered Cameran Wimberley’s book, One Day You’ll Thank Me: Essays on Dating, Motherhood, and Everything in Between as soon as I heard it was in the works. I identified with her as the one time-reluctant mom who still struggles with balancing motherhood with pursuing a fulfilling professional life.
My favorite part was how she kept it real; it is the same reason most viewers loved her on Southern Charm. I needed to read her take on motherhood in the Instagram age when everything appears picture-perfect. I appreciate how she frequently wrote the joke about herself prior to picking on anyone else; not taking oneself so seriously and being able to make fun of oneself is a quality I admire in others. This was a book I did not want to put down.
Falling in line with the theme of motherhood, Small Admissions from Amy Poeppel is about a young woman who takes an admissions role in a tony Upper East Side prep school where getting a child accepted is a blood sport.
The book changes narrators and I found myself peeved as the protagonist’s older sister but perhaps that was because I saw a lot of her negative traits (control freak) in myself. I got into the book as soon as I caught on to the cast of characters.
As our gym has been shut down and it is freezing outside, thereby eliminating the potential for a jog around the park, I am going through a chubby phase. I know it, I have accepted it, and I am amped for it to warm up and to improve my mile pace.
My “gains” was my inspiration behind picking up Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza. I enjoyed their book The Knockoff, and in fact may have purchased both books at the same time. It was a delicious read and I am happy I finally treated myself to it.
Decidedly longer than my other books this month, The Secret History by Donna Tartt was a heavy read. I purchased it because of its spiritual connection of Bret Easton Ellis and by proxy, Jay McInerney.
The Secret History is a new classic right? Pun not intended. Want to understand the pun? Read the book!
I bought and read Primates of Park Avenue, the chronicle of motherhood on the Upper East Side by Wednesday Martin upon its release back in 2015. I distinctly recall digesting it on a flight with my then boyfriend, now husband from Minneapolis to Anchorage.
If several of the chapters made me emotional back then, the entire book hits different now that I am a mother. And while Wednesday Martin and I disagree on a few things – she wanted a Birkin while I want a Kelly – Primates of Park Avenue is impossible not to get sucked into, as a member of the motherhood or not.
Remember what I said about Cameran Wimberly joking at the expense of herself? Rachel Dratch is a pro at it and I loved her memoir Girl Walks Into a Bar…
So many celebrity biographies and memoirs conclude their books with a happy ending. Super awkward for those who then go on to divorce spouses whom they claimed were endgame within their narratives. What I think is remarkable, and my favorite part of Rachel Dratch’s book is that she leaves it open ended in a co-parenting relationship.
Mrs. by Caitlyn Macy is a Big Little Lies for the east coast set. The narrator switches between several mothers and fathers who have children attending the same UES preschool. The book unravels almost as a whodunit but rather than uncovering a murdering, I found myself reading to uncover who dies.
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