issue 3

sry it's been so long </3

My guys!!!

My bad. Life, you know? Among other things I started a new job and it has been a whirlwind. But, don’t worry; I have good book content for you. Some 5 star reads, some 2 star reads. I’ll be breaking everything up into several issues so as not to overwhelm you with all this greatness.

Let’s get into it.

Finished

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

★★★★★ | Audiobook

My (not exaggerating) favorite audiobook listen. That’s of all time. The narrator was unreal. You may be thinking “Jillian, I don’t like Sci-Fi. I don’t want to read this.” and that is where you’re wrong. You may not like sci-fi (not usually my bag either) but you DO want to read this. I’m pulled in immediately when the main character and I start on the same page—zero idea what’s happening or how we got where we are. It’s fast-paced and feel-good. The story follows a man who wakes up inside a space ship in outer-space, who doesn’t know who he is, how he got there, or what he’s supposed to do. You’ll be hooked. The narration is so clean and accessible, the story clips along, and the characters. THE CHARACTERS.

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

★★★| Audiobook

Okay, if you’re going to read this one you also have to do the audio version because GUESS WHO READS IT? The queen herself

My friend Holly recommended this one to me because 1)Meryl (so proud to be an a-Meryl-ican, @Dallin Brown) and 2) Nora Ephron—like ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Nora Ephron. Who knew she was a novelist before she gave us “When Harry Met Sally”? It serves a day-to-day life drama with a dry sense of humor. I feel so out of my skin (in a good way) when I read about people who handle a situation the opposite way than I would have. It’s mildly uncomfortable but one of my favorite things about reading. This book follows a cook-book writer who finds out her husband is having an affair. Apparently Meryl and Jack Nicholson (lolol what a team though) made this into a movie in the 80s. Like WOW.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

★★★★ | Physical Book

This sucker was literally I think the first book I ever put on my Goodreads TBR list. Like, look at that ‘Shelved’ date:

Sometimes when I read a ‘classic’ (almost every time, actually) I go “Oh, okay I get it. This is why we’re still reading this.” No exception here. Again, an example of reading characters who are acting and thinking so unlike me and being absorbed by it. This classic begs the question “What makes a monster and what makes a man?” Instead of his outside appearance showing the effects of age and evil, Dorian Gray’s portrait reflects this decay while he appears young, beautiful, and charming forever. It has early phycological thriller vibes.

In the Middle of

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

50% done | AudioBook | *Book Club pick

So far this is giving “inspired by Project Hail Mary” vibes (scientist, sci-fi, problem solve as we go). It follows a man who is kidnapped (can adult dudes be kidnapped?? what word do we use there?) and wakes up in a world where he is still himself, but the himself he could have been had he chosen his career over his family.

New to the To Be Read pile…

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer

Something my therapist used to repeat to me is “Be curious”. Like, a lot. I am someone who likes to control their environment which makes curiosity kind of hard to come by at times. But anything that promises to give me a bigger life?? Hit me baby one more time.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Never read any Sylvia Plath before (I feel like this is a shameful confession) and I was in NYC at the Strand and picked up a copy (I bought like 4 books, all could have been bought at home. I felt like it was a pilgrimage or something??). TBH, she seems kind of spooky to me. Probably going to try to do this one in October to honor that spook.

What a time, what a time, what a time. I am runnin on empty these days-I’m sure I’m not alone. Wherever you are, may your tank get a little boost today-maybe even just enough so that the gas light goes off <3.