What I Read, May 2024
Despite it being Maycember or maybe because of it, I read six books this month. Three were audiobooks which I listened to while doing birthday party prep, house chores and more- it felt good to be back on the audiobook train after a bit of a hiatus last month (blamed that on the new Taylor album haha). Reading before bed is also such a nice part of my bedtime routine and I feel so much better when I can do it, so I tried to make as much time for it as I could this month. My favorites from the month? For audio, I was super engrossed in Private Equity, the memoir of a woman working as an assistant to the CEO of a successful hedge fund. My favorite fiction read was This Summer Will Be Different- it is Carley Fortune’s newest and it is a great beach/summer romance read.
What did you read in May? I’d love to add any of your favorites to my reading list!
Good Material- Andy’s girlfriend, Jen recently broke up with him and he’s moved back home, is adrift, unsure of what to do next and wondering why his career as a stand up comic hasn’t taken off yet. Andy goes through the post-breakup phases of crying, going out with friends, starting to date all while trying to figure out what happened with his relationship. Towards the end of the book, you heard about things from Jen’s perspective and I really enjoyed that part- probably the part I enjoyed most of the book as some of the earlier chapters felt a little slow with Andy in his post break up state. Out of this month’s reads, this one would be lowest in my personal ranking.
The Husbands– This book was highly recommended by one of my favorite bookstagrammers Jordy’s Book Club so I was excited to pick it up. When Lauren comes home from a night out, she suddenly has a husband she doesn’t remember in her flat. She looks around and there are wedding photos, text messages with him and more, so it looks to be real. When this husband goes up to her attic to change a light bulb, a new husband comes down from the attic with her apartment slightly changed, new wedding pictures and messages. She soon realizes that her attic holds some sort of magic in which her husband- and her life- changes every time he goes up.
This Summer Will Be Different- Loved Carley Fortune’s first book so I was excited to try this for a fun summer read. Lucy is visiting Prince Edward Island when she meets a gorgeous local shucking oysters at a restaurant. After a steamy night together, Lucy discovers he is Felix, her best friend Bridget’s brother. Unfortunately Bridget had a rule before their trip to her PEI family home- don’t fall in love with my brother. Flash forward a few years and Bridget has fled to Prince Edward Island unexpectedly the week before her wedding and asks Lucy to meet her there. Felix is there too and Lucy is trying to keep her distance- unsuccessfully- while helping her best friend. This is such a cute summer romance with forced proximity between the love interests as well as “forbidden love” of your best friend’s sibling. There are some steamy scenes so just know before you go in!
What I Listened To- Audiobooks Of The Month:
The Age of Magical Overthinking- I loved Amanda Montell’s Cultish (a must listen audiobook if you haven’t yet) and heard her new one was great so used it to get me out of my audiobook rut! We’ve probably heard of magical thinking or the ability to manifest something. In the digital information age, Amanda argues that we aren’t just magically thinking but magically overthinking due to our access to more information than ever before. With a combination of her own personal stories, analysis of cognitive biases and a look at trends in our digital world (think Instagram/Tik Tok manifestation coaches), Amanda Montell delivers on another great (audio) read!
Private Equity- Saw this mentioned by a few people I follow on Instagram so downloaded it. Carrie Sun is an extremely smart MIT grad, former analyst, MBA drop out who moved to NY to start in a writing program despite a fiance who wants her to stay home. While there she is looking for a job to support herself and gets a rare opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious hedge funds in the world, she says yes. Carrie is hired as the personal assistant to the hedge funds uber successful, billionaire founder. Private Equity details her journey of finding herself amidst the job that causes her to lose herself, her hopes and dreams and her health, both mental and physical. I thought this book was SO interesting and love these kind of behind the scenes type things like when she is describing lunches at Nobu or extravagant gifts the assistants of the hedge fund would receive. If you liked the show Billions- the author consulted with the show’s creators!- you will like this book!
Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About The Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans- Hunt, Gather, Parent is an interesting parenting book analyzing how do cultures that live in a hunt and gather type society raise their children. Author Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff visited Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families in the Artic Circle and Hadzabe families in Tanzania with her three year old daughter to find out what it is they do to raise helpful children (who don’t complain!). The stories she shared are truly amazing and the entire book is filled with tidbits I found insightful. One thing I liked about this book as a parenting book is it isn’t one where you feel like you have to follow a “script” for successful parenting- it had lots of little things you can incorporate into your parenting style. Like any parenting book, I don’t think it is all a one size fits all and there were some extremes I personally don’t align with- like having your child schedule their own extracurriculars and figuring out their own rides/transportation there. Overall I thought this was a very interesting parenting read and I’ve used a few tips from it myself!
What did you read this month? Will you be adding any of these books to your reading list?
xoxo, Jenna
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Welcome to the party! I’m a Boston girl with a serious sweet tooth, an online shopping addiction and a love for entertaining! Did I mention I believe that every party deserves a signature cocktail?
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