The weekly post

The one where the reading groove comes back

Happy February, friends! I am starting this month feeling so incredibly invigorated by the great books I’ve read lately, the wonderful people I’ve connected with in recent weeks, and the anticipation of this week’s Silent Reading Party. Life has been swirling at about a trillion miles per hour, and it’s been the greatest reprieve to slip into the pages of a good book in the early mornings before work, in the final moments before I go to bed, and all weekend long as I attempt to reset my battery. I’ve connected with so many of you about what you’re reading and what is resonating, and that has been the greatest January bright spot.

This month, my goals are to continue reading for a few minutes at the end of each day - even and especially if that’s all I can squeeze in - and take advantage of some work travel at the end of the month to make my way through a handful of longer reads that have sat on my coffee table for months. I’d love to hear from you about what is in your February queue, and I hope you’re taking care wherever you find yourself these days.

Currently Reading

ONE DAY by David Nicholls. When I saw that this had been adapted into a limited series for Netflix - releasing sometime this month - I knew it would be moving to the top of my queue. The premise, as far as I understand it, is that two people meet on a July day in the late 80s, and it follows their story on that same day over the next twenty years. I’m only a few chapters in so it feels too soon to tell, but I love stories where time itself nearly acts as its own character, and what I’m really enjoying so far is that the reader gets the inner dialogue of both characters woven together through each scene. I’ll almost certainly have this book in tow this week for Silent Reading Party (RSVP down below) and will be back soon with a full report!

Recent Recommendation

NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT by Annabel Monaghan (4.5 stars). This book came highly recommended to me by many fellow rom-com-connoisseurs, and after finishing it in just two days, I absolutely understand the hype. Nora Goes Off Script has about the cheesiest, most stereotypical plot you could expect: Nora writes screenplays for The Romance Channel, but when her own marriage ends - not with a bang, but with an underwhelming sizzle - she writes a full-length feature film that brings the biggest names in Hollywood directly to her backyard for filming. The actor who portrays her ex-husband in the film sticks around for a week after filming, and… you can probably see where this heads next.

But that’s the unexpected greatness of this book: it’s not predictable, and it doesn’t follow a traditional romance roadmap. Annabel Monaghan offers a fresh take on classic tropes, all while making clear that we can celebrate, rather than patronize, the romance genre. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and in the words of one of my dear friends, every time this book could have become cheesy, it didn’t. The writing here is strong, and the characters are developed in such a deeply relatable and authentic way. I love that we have a woman in her late 30s with kids as the main character, and her inner dialogue is realistic and clear-eyed. She knows she will get over heartbreak, she knows when she is getting swept away, she knows she will have to put on a brave face for her kids, and she knows when she goes too far in putting on that act for them. This book is a light (and quick!) read, and it also offered me opportunities to reflect on my own relationships and expectations.

Recommend for… fans of Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon, and the gift of Nora Ephron

Up Next

GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton. I just picked up this book this past week, and I cannot wait to get started. I’ve read Ghost and Everything I Know About Love by Dolly, and I love her crisp, direct writing style - so much so that I purchased this book without even reading the back cover. I find myself laughing out loud, writing in the margins, and journaling extensively after reading Dolly’s works, and I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this next adventure.

Read Ahead

It’s finally here! Silent Reading Party is happening this Wednesday, February 7 at Lost Gen Brewing in NE DC. Arrive anytime between 6:30-7:00 to order drinks and food (there’s a food truck onsite and you can also bring/order outside food), and then we’ll read quietly from 7:00-8:00pm, with plenty of time afterwards to keep reading, socialize, grab more drinks, etc. Please remember to update your RSVP via this link. Excited to see you!

Three Words

Inspired reading community.