I always try to start the new year reading a book I expect to love. I had seen Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation on so many bookstore shelves, and the cover is pretty eye catching (especially with the use of neon pink). I originally thought this was a memoir but quickly learned it was fiction. I read this quickly and immediately ordered another Moshfegh novel. My Year of Rest and Relaxation is 304 pages and I flew through it. It's about a young woman who decides she wants to sleep for an entire year.... this book is not about self-care.
I saw this on a "best of" list from Obama a few years back and felt compelled to read it. I have always been drawn to the "maid plot" - movies like Sunshine Cleaning and Maid in Manhattan, heck even Blue Crush, really interested me a lot growing up. That's not to say I like cleaning, I hate it, but I respect the work.
Given the year(s) we've had we figured we could use our tiny little platform of our moms and their friends to shout out some independent bookstores that we love for independent bookstore day. Don't kid yourself, Indigo is our favourite place to waste an afternoon, but we know indie bookstores are important and need our love more than ever right now.
I have recently become obsessed with reading books by authors about writing. I also mentioned in a recent review that during the pandemic I had this craving to buy every single novel by Margaret Atwood. After reading her debut novel The Edible Woman I decided to pick up her take on writers and writing.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to read more Nick Hornby since I really enjoyed About a Boy (one of our first reviews, linked here). When the pandemic started I binged the TV adaptation of this starring Zoë Kravitz and it inspired me to add the book to my list. I really hate that I read it right after Heartburn because it was also SO good and I hate reading two amazing books back to back, even though I know that sounds dumb (as I write this I am now on my third amazing book in a row and it is stressing me out).
I've had this book sitting on my shelf for about a year and recently decided to read it after listening to Dax Shepard talk about his relapse. Shepard was very publicly sober for 16 years and recently relapsed after an ATV accident. The podcast is titled "Day 7" and I had been saving it for a few days so I could listen while out on a walk. He tells his addiction story very plainly and I found the episode very moving. Even if you find Shepard obnoxious (which is common), I'd still recommend you check it out if you're interested in addiction/sobriety.
