Tonight I’m Someone Else by Chelsea Hodson

“I have so much hope I don’t even know what I hope for. I might be better as an idea, you said, and it was hard not to agree --- everyone is better in theory.”

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. To be honest, I first noticed it when I saw a picture of Kendall Jenner reading it on a yacht in Miami. It caught my eye, so I looked it up and it looked interesting. I finally ordered it, not really knowing what it was about besides a collection of essays. This book is amazing! I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time. The way the stories are seamed together works so well and the stories are relatable for me. I haven’t had something inspire me to write as much as this has. Every night I would read some of it, I immediately felt the need to go write about anything and everything. It felt good writing again.

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain

This is an iconic book. Not just because of the story it shared but also how it shared it. It’s an oral history of the start of the Punk scene with dozens of people interviewed. The first time I saw this structure of book was when I read Meet Me in the Bathroom. It doesn’t have any type of narration, it has the people who were there tell it, which makes for an interesting read. While the original punk movement was somewhat short lived, it still had such a huge influence on style, music and beyond. I’m a sucker for music history books and this did not fail to captivate me on a genre of music I didn’t know much about.

Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer

This book is by a former senior advisor to President Obama. What really stood out to me about this book was that it wasn’t just a memoir of his time during Obama's time, it was also a look at how the media shaped the presidency and what should be done differently. The book was written in 2018, which kind of seems like a long time in political years but it really showed how Obama’s election, with the help of the media changed how campaigns worked. Then Trump's election also changed how campaigns worked. He offered his advice and perspective on the future of elections. Overall this was a nice quick read that let me relive the Obama years.

America’s Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr. by Steven M. Gillon

I have such a fascination with the Kennedy family, I have watched a handful of documentaries on them and have a stack of books collecting dust. I will eat up anything in relation to that family. There was one of the most notable people in the family that I didn’t know too much about though, John F. Kennedy Jr. I knew the basics, the son of JFK and Jackie and that he died young in a plane crash with his wife, but beyond that I didn’t know too much. This book was a great way to dive into the story of JFK Jr. It began with his birth and ending with his fatal plane crash, and everything in between. He was such a fascinating person and I didn’t expect anything less from him. What I appreciate about the book is that it went into detail about his life, but wasn’t so detailed as to come off as a sensational book, an expose just to get some book sales. Highly recommend this book, if you’re into those kinds of books, but I must warn you, it’s a thick one. I like thick books and I cannot lie ;)

Anthony Bourdain The Last Interview & Other Conversations

Anthony Bourdain means a lot to me, I have a whole post dedicated to him. So buying this book was a must for me. It’s a compilation of some of his best interviews. While I could have easily gone online and found them all, it's nice having something like this where it’s all together and curated.

Unwifeable by Mandy Stadtmiller

This book was a gift from a friend and at first I was indifferent about the book. I started reading it with no knowledge of who Mandy was but as I kept reading, I just got hooked on it. What really captivated me about this book was how candid she was about her alcoholism and her sex life. While to an outsider her life might have seemed glamours, she talked about what was really going on in her life and showed her flaws. Like the title says, she talks a lot about being single and how her age affects her perception of dating and that dreadful feeling of being forever alone. At the end of the book, she finally realizes that the best thing is being happy with herself and of course that’s when she ends up meeting the man she marries, so, you know, that gives me some type of hope.