Happy end of April! This month absolutely zoomed by. I can’t believe I found time to get through three books, but I did, and I’m going over each one of these today. I’m a firm believer in self development books, but I’m just as much of a fan of reading anything else that catches my eye. My favorite part about this month’s books was the lovely mix I had of self development, romance, AND autobiography. This month, I listened to Me Before You, read The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, and now am currently reading the Defining Decade.
Me Before You
This book was a first in two ways: I had never listened to an audiobook before and certainly hadn’t come across a romance novel since the eighth grade. I love podcasts, so I figured it’d be nice to have a ridiculously long one to always listen to. Overall, I really liked trying out audiobooks, though it did take a bit of time to train myself to listen and not miss anything. I still love reading books the most, but listening to them is a fun alternative. About the actual book, Me Before You was simply amazing. Jojo Moyes got a hold of my heart with this one, and before I knew it I was deeply invested in the characters. This book isn’t your typical love story. It’s unconventional, and I personally like love stories much better this way. Will is a quadriplegic man who can’t see the beauty in life anymore after a car accident that bound him to his wheelchair for life. Louisa is a young woman who still lives at home and doesn’t feel the need to do anything remotely adventurous and exciting. Moyes crafts their story beautifully, and I think that hearing the story instead of reading it made it even easier to connect. For a person who doesn’t have much interest in romance novels, Me Before You was the exception for me. Not to mention, every time I think about the end, a part of me is still shocked.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
First off, Issa Rae is fantastic and this book is equally as great. Getting a peek into what made Issa into the woman she is today made me feel incredibly connected to her, as if we were already friends. Though I may not have been as “awkward black girl” as she was, her experiences in school and feeling the need to prove her blackness really resonated with me. As a child, I felt that way countless times until I began to feel more comfortable with myself. To have her display her life in a way that was humorous but also not denying her struggle, made this book one to remember. To put it simply, this was one of those feel good, humorous, “Ugh, I FEEL you girl,” books that I just couldn’t put down.
*Trigger warning: there is a small chapter about her experience with dieting and her relationship with food that doesn’t refute that the thought pattern she has surrounding the need to be skinny and eat less is unhealthy. The chapter could very well spark thoughts and feelings supporting unhealthy eating habits in those that battle disordered eating.
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter -- and How to Make the Most of Them Now
Seriously...read the book. I am OBSESSED.
I’m not finished with this book yet, but WOW, has this one blown my mind. Meg Jay is taking so many millennial thought patterns and turning them on their heads, exposing what it’s truly like to be in your twenties and ways to make the most of them. A little background: Meg Jay is a psychologist and uses her twentysomething patients as real life examples of problems they’ve had, their thought patterns, and how they eventually handled the issues they were battling. I especially love this book because it comes from a therapist’s perspective. Most people I know still tend to reject the idea that therapy might actually helpful to them. This book is setting the example that therapy is a very normal thing for people, not just those who struggle from mental illness, which I think is super important for others my age to know. Let’s put it this way: I raced home to read The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, but this one I always regret not taking to work to read on my lunch break. For anyone in their twenties, or those who want to understand us, this book is a must-read.
To all my fellow bookworms out there, any book recommendations? I’ve got the whole month of May ahead of me and no books yet in the queue. Make sure to let me know in the comments!