Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash…
Book Review…Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Summary by Goodreads: No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone…
Book Review…The Martian by Andy Weir
Summary by Goodreads: Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with…
Book Review…A Deadly Wandering by Matt Richtel
Summary by Goodreads: One of 2014’s most original and masterfully reported books, A Deadly Wandering by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Matt Richtel interweaves the cutting-edge science of attention with the tensely plotted story of a mysterious car accident and its aftermath to answer some of the defining questions of our time: What is technology doing to us? Can our…
Book Review…Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Summary by Goodreads: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has…
Book Review…A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Summary by Goodreads: A grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict…
Self Love Sunday… Watch Netflix’s Dumplin’
Welcome to Self Love Sunday! Here I will be sharing inspirational movies, podcasts, TV shows, articles, poems, personal essays, and other random thoughts that have lifted me up. Hopefully they have the same affect on you the next time you’re feeling a little down on yourself. XO – Alex “EVERY body is a swimsuit body.”…
Book Review…Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
Summary by Goodreads: Milk and honey’ is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. ‘milk and honey’ takes readers through a journey…
Book Review…Twisted by Hannah Jayne
Summary by Goodreads: When her father is accused of being a serial killer, Bex becomes the ultimate bait in this game of cat and mouse Bex is ready to start a new life in foster care. There, she won’t be known as a serial killer’s daughter. Though her father was never tried for the murders…
Book Review…Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Summary by Goodreads: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck.…