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Showing posts from March, 2023

My Life by Bill Clinton

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So... My Life by Bill Clinton is one of those books that I moved around in my to-be-read pile for years. Yes, you read that right, years. I long wanted to read it in an attempt to better understand what happened when his presidency because his presidency changed the way I view both Democrats and Republicans, but I kept putting it off for a multitude of reasons. I wanted to read it to understand his point of view, particularly about his presidency. Clinton's telling of his life before his presidency is more interesting and more detailed than I expected.  As verbose as he is by his own admission, I often felt like what he shared walked a fine line between emotional detachment and overly emotional. I felt like I got some insight into his presidency as well as his life leading up to his presidency, but the details seemed to obscure the person behind the persona. Some of the paragraphs just listing things that happened during a month felt a bit mundane. His descriptions of his rel...

Write On, Sisters! by Brooke Warner

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  Write On, Sisters! Voice, Courage, and Claiming Your Place at the Table by Brooke Warner addresses the issues women have faced in the writing world and publishing industry throughout time without getting bogged down in negativity. Warner also offers insight in the changes women have made and how changes in society are related to women who write. There are moments when Write On, Sisters! seems a bit redundant, but that redundancy also seems to drive home the point that women have to claim their place at the table and then hold on to it while not getting trapped in the room where the table sits. Toward the end of the book, I couldn't help but think instead of claiming our place at the table, maybe we're upending the table and building a brand new one that fits us - all of us -better by being more inclusive and diverse.  Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: My Life  by Bill Clinton We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal  by Chi...

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Evidence of the Affair: A Short Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid is an engaging novella told through letters between two spouses who have discovered their spouses are having an affair. Set in the 1970s, the letters lend an intimacy that at times feels voyeuristic but also lends to a sparseness that feels right as each letter writer only reveals as much as he or she wants to reveal at any given time. It's easy to want to make assumptions, but much more enjoyable to let the story evolve. I was more curious about what would happen next than about wanting one thing or the other to happen. I enjoyed Evidence of the Affair far more than I expected to. Check back soon for my thoughts on other books I'm reading including: My Life  by Bill Clinton We Should All Be Feminists: A Guided Journal  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Collected Poems of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Reviews will be posted as I finish these books. Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on t...