A rare weekend blog post, but I wanted to share some of my favorite recent books, movies and podcasts before I sign off for a bit in prep for Baby DiMaggio to join us 🙂 One of the books is the best book I’ve read recently and I’m really obsessed with these podcasts right now so I didn’t want to delay on sharing with all of you!
What I’m Reading:
The Heart’s Invisible Furies-This book… oh my gosh, all the feels for this one. This is one of the best books I think I’ve read in the last few years and if you can get over the fact that it is 500+ pages, I promise you will love it too. The book starts off with a teenage girl in Ireland who is shunned by her community for getting pregnant out of wedlock. She makes her way to Dublin where she gives her son up for adoption. The book follows his life from childhood, through school years and adult life- trying to find himself and his place both in his adopted family and Ireland. I laughed, I cried, I really couldn’t get enough of this book and found myself wanting to read it every day. Highly recommend!
Educated– If you liked Hillbilly Elegy, add Educated to your reading list next. Educated is a memoir by Tara Westover, a girl who literally never attended a day of school during her childhood as part of a survialist Mormon family in Idaho. At the age of 17, she leaves behind the only life she has ever known and enrolls in BYU, stepping into a classroom for the first time. Tara’s amazing spirit and drive end with her gaining a PhD from Cambridge University, but what she learns about herself during the journey may be even more important. To me, memoirs like Tara’s are super interesting to read because they share a view of life you would have no exposure to otherwise- her writing makes it even better to read.
The Dazzling Heights– My lighter read for the month after the other two… The Dazzling Heights is the second book in the Thousandth Floor series which is like a futuristic Gossip Girl that I first introduced you guys to in last month’s reading post. I won’t say too much in case you want to join in on the fun of these books, but book two picks up with the characters where we left off in 2118 in New York City- there are a few new characters introduced, one who I really like despite being a bit of a con-artist and another minor character from book one that is out for revenge. It’s a Young Adult book at it’s finest and I think I read this one in 24 hours. I actually liked book two better than book one and am very much looking forward to number three coming out in August!
What I’m Watching:
Molly’s Game– Such a good movie and Jessica Chastain is amazing in it! Based on a true story of Molly Bloom, an aspiring Olympic skier turned host of some of the world’s highest stakes, underground poker games. You’ll absolutely love Molly and her attorney played by Idris Elba. Perfect for your next movie night in!
I Feel Pretty– Went to see this new Amy Schumer flick with a couple of girlfriends a few weeks ago and it is the perfect girls’ movie night pick. It is obviously funny with Amy Schumer as the lead, but the story line is really cute and uplifting as well. Amy Schumer is pretty down on herself about how she looks, her dating life, career (or lack thereof) when she falls off a bike in a spin class. After the fall she starts seeing herself as the most beautiful woman on the planet and with her newfound confidence, she goes after what she wants.
What I’m Listening To:
As I traded in the gym the last few weeks for long walks, I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts so my podcast rec list is a little heavier than normal! I’m loving all three of these though for completely different reasons.
Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations– In her new podcast series, Oprah interviews a variety of people- from authors to actors to thought leaders- with the intent to inspire and make you think. I absolutely loved her episodes with Reese Witherspoon (obviously) and got a lot from the episode with Shonda Rimes. I loved hearing about her year of yes via the podcast and how she took back her life both by saying yes and saying no. With a ton of episodes available, I like that I can scroll through and pick one that looks interesting to me to listen to whenever I want.
Royally Obsessed– Y’all know I am royals obsessed (exhibit 1 here)… so this weekly podcast that shares the week’s Royal news is my new favorite. With all the excitement of the new Prince Louis, Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding and just whatever else is going on in Buckingham Palace, this podcast is a really fun way to catch up while listening to two friends chat about it all. It’s relaxed, fun and I’d definitely like to share a Pimm’s Cup with the two ladies that host it.
Young Adulting– After being a fan of Grace’s blog for years, I had to give her new podcast venture with friend, Becca Freeman a listen. Each week I look forward to a new episode- it is basically like talking to two of your girlfriends with the gals sharing career advice, friendship advice and dissecting Young Adult books from the point of view of two 30-something year old women. Their analysis of The Thousandth Floor was amazing, so if you’ve read that series from my recs above you have to check out their “book club” discussion on it too!
That’s all from me! What have you been reading, watching and listening to this month? Leave your recs in the comments below so we can all share!
xoxo, Jenna
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