Summer Book Club: July
Reading in the summer wasn't always as fun as it is now. I am happy to get back into reading and making time for myself to read more. I love reading now under the summer sun or in the shade poolside, it wasn't fun when teachers assigned you books to read during the summer (I had my own stack of books I wanted to get through), but I was pretty nerdy and would usually read the assigned reading plus my own choice of books. This month I started off strong and instantly breezed through 4 books consecutively. I ended the month on the 5th book, but got a little discouraged and have been slowly finishing it (will include that one in the next book haul). The other four books were amazing and kept me hooked. Here are some of my suggestions if you are looking for some juicy summer reads!
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The all encompassing theme of my books this summer has unintentionally been NYC. Starting with the John F. Kennedy JR saga with memoirs from his closest confidants and their time with him in the big city to a fictional story of the art come up of the 1980s NYC and finally to a more dark/underground version of the city with a hilarious and eye opening memoir by Cat Marnell a former beauty editor and full on drug addict.
Fairy Tale Interrupted
Rosemarie Terenzio
So I was 9 when JFK Jr's flight crashed tragically that summer in 1999. I knew virtually nothing about his impact and legacy. This book is a memoir by his right hand woman and one of his closest, best friends. Her insight provides a glimpse into his life and time with Carolyn Bassette and the years leading up to the fatal crash. It is a great, quick read and spoiler alert: the ending is sad.
What Remains
Carole Radziwill
Going along with the JFK Jr theme this book was written by Carole Radziwill (a new RHONY addition) She was married to JFK Jr's cousin Anthony Radziwill and tells her story and close relationship with John and Carolyn in the days of dealing with her husband's cancer. This story is even more of a tear jerker.
The Other Man
Michael Bergin
Yet another person very close to the Kennedys who wrote of their time with them. I have yet to read this book, but it is written by Michael Bergin who dated Carolyn long before she became Mrs. JFK Jr. This is probably the juiciest of all three and I should have brought it on my vacation to read as well.
Tuesday Nights in 1980
Molly Prentiss
What a literary joy this book is. I saw one of my former classmates who became a writer recommend this book so I knew it had to be good and it really was! I already have passed it along to two people (including Gigi) who have sped through it. A fictional story of artists and the art scene in NYC in the eighties. Molly Prentiss' first novel is brilliantly written and her metaphors and descriptive writing makes you feel like you are there experiencing all the wonder, hope and loss of this story. Highly recommend especially for people who are writing, it will inspire you to write expressively and let your creativity flow.
How to Murder Your Life
Cat Marnell
Not gonna lie I honestly thought this was a book about murdering your life in a good way like slayyyy haha so as you can imagine I was quite surprised to read about this dark, funny memoir from Cat Marnell. A stream of consciousness remembering her journey to her magazine career in NYC and her pill popping antics. You will murder this book in about a day and get some good laughs and insights into a different, darker world that isn't always honestly discussed.
Please leave your summer picks below I need some more reading for upcoming travels!
