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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Book Club-- February

Hi friends! Today is my monthly book review and apparently this month I was really in the mood for memoirs because all 3 of the books I read were memoirs. Of the 3 I read, I only really loved one of them. Let's get started...



The first book I read this month was Sisters First by Jenna and Barbara Bush. This book was cute, but I didn't love it. I liked the stories about their memories with their grandfather and father both being in the White House, and how important it was to George H.W. Bush that they still grow up as normal and down to Earth as possible. I really appreciated how hard their families tried to make sure they had normal lives considering their lives were anything BUT normal. That being said, sometimes the book was a little boring because their lives really weren't that different from anyone else's!
The second book I read was Becoming by Michelle Obama. I started this book loving it, but by the end of the book I was ready for it to be finished. Did any of you read this?? I'm curious your thoughts. I thought the beginning 2/3 were so inspiring. I loved how she discussed growing up poor on the South side of Chicago yet not letting any of the negative circumstances in her life keep her from being successful. She talked about the things her family did to help them rise above poverty and how hard each of them worked. I loved her stories from Princeton and Harvard and her early years as a lawyer after graduating. I loved hearing about how she and Barack met, fell in love, and began their life as newlyweds. It all started to go downhill for me once she moved into her new role as the First Lady, and I think it was because she had proven herself to be such a strong willed woman in the first 2/3 of the book, and then all of a sudden that changed. She was pretty open about not loving the intense security she was constantly under and she did not like everything she did being overanalyzed. I guess I just didn't like how the tone of the book went from inspiring and empowering to "I didn't like this and there wasn't really anything I could do about it". It completely changed the tone of the book for me. I wished the book had kept the positive feel all the way through to the end. I'd love to know your thoughts if you read this book!! For my local friends who read it, my conservative friends hated it and my liberal friends thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (anyone surprised by that??). Nobody else I know seemed to have a mixed reaction.
The third book I read this month was Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon and I really liked it! I think I liked it so much because it was light and easy after Michelle Obama's book (especially the downer ending). I breezed through this in 24 hours and loved how much it reminded me of some of my Southern friends here in Charlotte. I'm originally from Ohio, so some of the more "extreme" Southern things were surprising to me when I moved here. I think this is a good book to read if you are from the South/currently live in the South, enjoy learning about new cultures, want some delicious but not-so-healthy recipes (I'm just saying, we know Reese doesn't eat this stuff THAT often...), or just want something light and easy to read after a heavier book. 

I kind of liked the idea of reading all from the same genre in one month. Maybe I will try that again in the future. If you read anything good that you'd recommend this month, leave me a comment below! Or please, if you read Becoming, let me know your thoughts!!

8 comments :

  1. I have Sisters on my kindle waiting to be read and I am dying to read Michelle Obama's book, but I think I want to listen to it on Audible.

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    1. I listened to the audiobook version and loved it! I love when the author reads the book.

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  2. I couldn't get through Becoming, I think I got about half way. It just couldn't hold my attention. Some of it was really interesting though!
    I'm next in line at the library for Whiskey in a Teacup! Really looking forward to flipping through it!
    -Kristen www.kristenwoolsey.com

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  3. I read Sister's First last year and really liked it! I liked the insight into the Bush girls lives and now I'm reading Laura Bush's memoir so it's interesting to see her view points on the same stories. I plan to read Michelle Obama's at some point so it's good to know your thoughts on it. I have Reese's book and I've been using it as a coffee table book (it's so pretty lol). I NEED to actually read it soon!

    Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams

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  4. I heard an interview with the Bush sisters on the RISE podcast and fell even more in love with him. I've been meaning to pick up the book. I LOVED Reese's book and devoured it in a day also. Have you tried any of the recipes from it yet?

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  5. That interview is what made me decide to read the book! I haven't tried the recipes from Reese's book yet, I may start with the Sun Tea... Simple and easy!

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