What’s On Your Nightstand? Reading List & Book Recommendations {Caroline}

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ 2 Comments

Hello from the Depths of December!

Hi everyone! How is your week going? I can’t believe we are so close to the kid’s holiday school break, considering it feels like Thanksgiving break was just yesterday! We have been busy at work getting all our 2019 things tied up before we have almost two weeks off from school and this time of the year always feels like a race to the finish line.

We try to keep it low key with the holiday festivities but even so, it always feels like a lot. As much fun as this season is, the kids are always wired, the noise decibel is high, there is so much sugar EVERYWHERE and there are just so many things to remember(or a lot of times, to forget, in my case…ha)

I often struggle to try to find the right balance between being real and straight up whining and I think it can especially be hard online. Family life is great AND it can feel like so much. As the kids have grown older, some things feel much easier and some things feel SO much harder.

I have been feeling like I am treading water lately and while I know I am not alone it can sometimes feel that way. I am always grateful for friends, both in “real life” and online that remind you that NO ONE has it all figured out.

Today I am excited to introduce you to one of those people, my #bookstagram friend Caroline!

Meet Caroline!

Caroline and I connected over DMs on Instagram. Caroline is part of the amazing #bookstagram duo @texacalibooks. Friends Caroline and Nina share about all things reading and for this post, I asked Caroline to share how @texacalibooks came to be…

Nina and I went to law school together and have been besties ever since. Nina had the account for about a year called “One Awesome Book” and about 50 followers. She kept telling me to start one too since we constantly gave each other book recs.

We decided it would be more fun to do it together since we don’t live in the same city. So we changed the name, got me added, my obsessive personality kicked in and here we are !!

#Bookstagram Buddies

We may live on opposite sides of the country, but we always end up having so many things in common. Her kids are a bit older than mine so I always appreciate her great perspective and advice.

We love chatting books, work/life balance, and COFFEE and she is just one of the sweetest most genuine people and her writing always makes me smile. I am excited for you to learn more about Caroline today!

Nightstand Series Introduction:

My name is Caroline and I live in Los Angeles with my husband, who I met in law school, and our two kids – Alexa is 14 years old and Beckett is 11 years old. I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and went to the University of Arizona for undergrad and The Ohio State University for law school (go Bucks!). I am a partner at a law firm in Century City specializing in real estate finance and have been at the same firm for almost 18 years. Ack, I am old!

Simply put, I am a working mom constantly trying to find that elusive work-life balance and failing miserably. I work very long hours and every weekend so between that and having two very active kids who play club sports, there is not much time for hobbies.

My daughter plays soccer and is also on her high school lacrosse team and my son plays soccer, basketball, and baseball. Life in sunny California means club teams are year-round and I am that soccer mom who has a sweatshirt, tee-shirt, and hat for my kids’ soccer club that I wear while I pace on the side of the field.

I basically spend my time not working acting as their Uber driver to and from practices and cheering them on in games that are all over Southern California – as far south as San Diego and as far north as Santa Barbara. We had one weekend a few months ago where the kids had 9 games between them, all out of town and about 25 miles apart from each other.

But I do carve out a little time for myself every day by running about 3 miles very early in the morning (and in the dark!) before my kids are awake and I always make sure that I read before bed every night regardless of what time I am finally going to bed. I also have an intense love for coffee, Target, extra soft sweatshirts, sneakers, Hallmark movies, and Bravo shows.

We are family who loves to ski so we go to Utah every winter for a family ski trip and we also spend a week doing nothing but laying by the pool in Hawaii every spring break. In the summer our crazy lives come to a grinding halt because my kids each go to sleepaway camps in Wisconsin.

My husband is from Chicago so my son attends the same camp that my husband went to as a kid and my daughter attends the sister camp that is owned by a camp friend of my husband. So after a very hectic school and sports year, my husband and I have an empty house which is always weird. However, the time is filled quickly with work, scouring the camp websites for pictures of the kids and making sure that we are not messing up our son’s many fantasy baseball teams while he is away.

What Kind of Reader Are You?

I have been a reader my entire life. I was the dorky kid who brought a book everywhere with me. I remember being the only kid at sleepaway camp who actually read in the cabin during rest hour. The only time I had a lull in my reading was in law school because between all of the studying and working, there just was not time to read.

When I graduated law school, the chick-lit genre was just starting and authors like Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green, Jennifer Weiner, and Helen Fielding sucked me in immediately and kickstarted my love for reading.

What Time of Day do you do Most of Your Reading?

I read in the mornings when I am getting ready for work. I put the book on the bathroom counter, propped open with hairbrushes while I brush my teeth, blowdry my hair, etc.

My son also reads before bed so if I can take a breather from reviewing documents for work, I snuggle up to him with my book. Also, I always read a little before I go to sleep. And I suffer from insomnia so I often read my books in the middle of the night with my little itty bitty book light.

The ultimate is when one of my kids has an out of town game and there is not a conflict between the schedules so my husband drives and I can read in the car. Freeway reading is the best.

Favorite Book Genres

I am all over the board right now in terms of genres. I still love chick lit the best but I am also very into thrillers, young adult, historical fiction and contemporary fiction.

What Books Are You Currently Reading?

I recently finished American Royals and The Swallows and loved them both so much. The last book that really shook me and stayed with me long after I finished it was A Woman is No Man and I had a major book hangover after The Flatshare.

What’s Coming Up Next?

I am desperately waiting for the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and American Dirt!

Any Books You Didn’t Love?

My one real book confession is that I didn’t love The Goldfinch. It dragged on too long for me and I was impatient and bored.

What Are You Listening To?

I only listen to music in the car. My kids insist on it and I am usually at my office before I realize that I am still listening to whatever they put on. They went through a major Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen phase but now it is more pop music.

What Else is on Your Nightstand?

I always keep a glass of water on my nightstand because I wake up thirsty in the middle of the night. Other necessities are my glasses because all of my reading at work has made me absolutely blind and lotion (I have a whole routine at night where I put lotion on my feet and then sleep in socks and my feet are nice and soft when I wake up.)

I have an alarm clock, my phone, the remote control that I have to keep on my side or my husband will find it and put on sports, a picture of my kids hugging each other so I can remind them that they actually do love each other, candles because this is LA and we have earthquakes, a flashlight because this is LA and we have earthquakes (see candles), my Casper light which is my most favorite thing ever and a little ceramic keepsake that my mom gave me when I was a little girl.

On the shelf under my nightstand is my stack of library books. I am a big library supporter which I love because I never spend money on books and I don’t have to worry about clutter when I am done reading them. The downside is that it also means that I am always a little behind on the hot new books and I am beholden to the library due dates. The struggle is real!

Thank you so much for sharing with us today! I hope you enjoyed learning more about Caroline. <3

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!

Nonfiction November Book Recommendations {Nonfiction Book Favorites from 2019}

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ 1 Comment

Nonfiction November

Are you a nonfiction reader? I love a good nonfiction book, especially related to mental health and parenting. It’s no surprise that out of all the non-fiction books I read this year, those genres ended up being my favorites. If you are participating in #nonfictionnovember and are needing a few more recommendations to finish your month off strong, I have some great recommendations!

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

I first read Fair Play this past September when I received a copy from Putnam Books to review. You can read my full review of Fair Play HERE.

I was immediately enthralled with the concept of Fair Play and was talking all about all over social media. I was so excited when a few weeks later Reese picked it for her Hello Sunshine book club selection.

Fair Play was the perfect follow up book to All The Rage, which I am discussing below. As someone who has been parenting for 9+ years, we have fallen into many societal norms and expectations that we didn’t see coming when we found out we were going to be parents 10 years ago. This book helps you feel less alone and then gives you a proactive answer on how to alleviate it!

I ended up communicating with Eve Rodsky over direct messages on Instagram (which was also one of my highlights of 2019!) and we discussed how to make this plan work by not only our initial conversation about it but also ongoing. Eve had some amazing advice, namely, they don’t stop talking about it and they have a time each week when she and her husband sit down and reflect, manage and plan. While this may sound a little… unromantic, I will tell you, it is a lot more enticing than the worst R-word in parenthood…RESENTMENT.

All The Rage by Darcy Lockman

I listened to All The Rage on Audible and wow, what a powerful read! You can read my full review HERE.

In All The Rage, Darcy Lockman shares a well researched and relatable look at social expectations, male privilege, and sexism when it comes to parenting in the 21st century. Lockman uses studies, research, interviews with parents, and her own personal experiences which results in a well balanced and deeply impactful look at the gender inequity that working mothers still face today and the mental load women face as mothers.

Whether you are a parent or thinking about becoming one someday, this book is so insightful and thought-provoking. I appreciated Lockman’s personal experiences as they related to many issues we faced in our own experiences as partners and parents. While many people think “this won’t happen to me” a large percentage of family’s fall into the expectations that have become ingrained in our society.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a book everyone should read. You can read my full review HERE.

Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who shares her insights not only about her professional experience but her own journey through therapy. This book helps normalize therapy for everyone, and her ability to share the profound growth both she and her patients experienced was so honest and refreshing.

While Gottlieb includes many important psychological concepts, her writing is clear and conversational and easy for anyone to engage with. I found that there was a perfect balance with the personal stories that will also help her readers become more aware of their own obstacles and moments of growth as they move through this book.

To Have and To Hold by Molly Millwood

Motherhood is the hardest AND most wonderful thing I have ever done. While I am lucky to have had many conversations with the people in my personal life, never have I read something that explains the complexities of motherhood and marriage in such a profound manner until I read To Have and To Hold.

The highs and lows of parenthood, the immense love and also the intense quest to reclaim ourselves as women and partners when our lives will never be the same are so real and valid.

To Have and to Hold spoke to me on so many levels. Millwood’s ability to write with both her voice as a professional and her voice as a mother was a perfect balance. It is relatable and real and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I loved it so much we chose it for our first Better Together Motherhood Book Club selection this fall AND Molly was our guest speaker!!

Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

I learned about Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle on the 10 Things To Tell You Podcast episode about anxiety. I listened to this book on audio and while I think their intentions were good, I think listeners are either going to love their narration style, or not….for me, I was somewhere in the middle.

I did think the information they shared was fabulous and the explanation of completing the actual stress cycle was brilliant. Honestly, I had never thought about it in that way before and it makes SO much sense. That section alone made this book super helpful to me and I have been recommending it to so many friends.

They also included some great practical advice about choices we CAN make when we can’t always control outside stress in our lives. While it may not have been earth-shattering information, it was a great reminder of the things that we have control over in our own lives.

Suggestions like prioritizing sleep, connecting with others, and showing yourself compassion are such powerful and attainable things we can do right away to help our own responses to external stressors. So while this wasn’t my favorite audiobook, this WAS an amazingly helpful book and I added a hardcopy to my collection right away!

I hope one of these recommendations makes your nonfiction TBR list. <3

Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!

Recent Podcast Episode Recommendations {Favorite Podcasts)

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

Podcast Fan!

Are you a podcast fan too? I regularly share about podcasts in my Coffee Talk | Currently Loving…posts but I haven’t shared a full blog post dedicated to podcasts since this past January. Along with audiobooks, podcasts are one of my favorite thing to do while doing tasks around our house, completing errands, commuting or doing computer work.

Podcasts are the perfect companion for so many reasons and because they cover such a wide variety of topics there is a podcast for pretty much anyone. My favorite podcast series tend to cover motherhood/family life, true crime, book chatter, personal development and topics of connection with others. Today I am going to recap some of my favorite recent episodes from the last few weeks, so here goes!

Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher

I have subscribed to Goal Digger for a couple of years now. I don’t listen to a lot of her episodes with guests, but I love the ones about social media and business/work life when she is just chatting by herself. The Instagram Hashtag Deep Dive episode was so illuminating, especially because I am someone who uses social media at work and personally and basically everything I thought I knew about hashtags was wrong, ha.

Housewives of True Crime

It’s no secret that I enjoy a good true-crime series. I tend to go for the deep dive ones where they go in deep about one specific event or person. Gangster Capitalism, Believed, 22 Hours: An American Nightmare and Man in the Window are some of my favorite series.

More recently I have gotten into a few series where the podcast hosts share about all different stories, like The Housewives of True Crime. I enjoy the banter between Gretchen and Tabitha and t his episode was highly entertaining (especially as someone who also lives in a small town)although it’s definitely a little explicit if that kind of thing bothers you…

Sarah’s Book Shelves Live

If you are looking for something a little more wholesome but still thoroughly entertaining, Sarah’s Book Shelves Live is a must. It is one of the only podcasts I play while the kids are in the car with me, and they actually even request it which is pretty cute. I especially love the mini-episodes where she features Bookstagrammers. This episode with Elizabeth AKA @samandscout was especially amazing and I loved her perspective as a teacher so much.

The Stacks Podcast

The Stacks is another amazing book podcast and this episode with Jami Attenberg, author of All This Could Be Yours was awesome. I loved Traci and Jami’s conversation so much and Jami’s idea that everyone brings their own experiences to art.

I often find that people react so differently to books when they can relate to the topic a lot, or not. All This Could Be Yours is a dysfunctional family saga (you can read my review HERE) and I loved how she masterfully shared how situations like this are rarely cut and dry.

Morbid: A True Crime Podcast

Morbid is another one of those series that discusses random crimes and I have recently gone down the rabbit hole with this one! I think Ash and Alaina are hilarious together and they discuss true crime with the perfect amount of humor while also having so much compassion for the victims.

If you are looking for a new true-crime podcast to binge on, this is it! The episode they released today was just mind-boggling and I love how they discuss high profile cases as well as completely obscure one like this one.

So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

Farnoosh and I go way back. She was one of the first podcast series that I got into the outside of Serial…and when I saw she was interviewing Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play (you can read my review HERE) I couldn’t listen fast enough!\

I loved hearing their conversation about Fair Play as they are both working mothers and because I am kind of obsessed with both of them, it was amazing hearing them having a conversation together!

The Double Shift

I first learned about The Double Shift on The Best of Both Worlds Podcast when they interviewed the host Katherine Goldstein back in the spring. I recently was going back through older episodes and realized I have never listened to this episode…On Not Having It All.

I appreciated so much Goldstein’s vulnerability and openness to share both her personal, family and work challenges. I think we often see others address “problems” online and on social media once they are resolved. But we often don’t see the in-between moments of struggle and sometimes hopelessness. So many of us are in the middle of something, and knowing this can help make us feel less alone, even if our struggles are very different.

Committed with Jo Piazza

I was so excited when I saw that the third season of Committed was started this fall. I love Jo Piazza as an author (hello Charlotte Walsh Like to Win!!) but did you know she is an amazing podcaster and interviewer as well?! I love hearing about other people’s relationship dynamics so it is no surprise that a podcast all about relationships is right up my alley.

While I have so many favorite interviews in this series, this episode was one of my very favorites. Piazza is such a connector and you can see this with how she is able to talk with such ease with so many people about topics that aren’t always “the norm”. This episode was eye-opening and also such a great reminder about acceptance and realizing that what works for you might not work for others and vice versa.

Best of Both Worlds

The Best of Both Worlds Podcast is one of my old podcast standbys. I started listening to it right from the beginning and I have loved seeing it develop over the last two years. I love how Sarah and Laura unapologetically talk about how they make work and life fit together but also all the guests they have introduced me to.

Their recent episode about cooking for a family with Cassy Joy Garcia was fantastic! If you ask most parents, dinner time is one of the biggest stressors of family life, it certainly is at our house. Garcia discusses her tips and tricks as well as sharing about her book Cook Once and Eat All Week which has amazing reviews.

10 Things to Tell You

I first listened to Laura Tremaine back when she was on the Sorta Awesome podcast. I have followed her over the years (her BIAS series on The Smartest Person in the Room was AMAZING!) So when I heard that Laura was started another podcast geared towards connecting us with ourselves and each other, I was on board!!

I don’t think there has been an episode that I haven’t loved but this recent one about tips to organize your photos with Miss Freddy was excellent! Kristy and I teach a workshop about photo organization and I still learned some new ideas!

And because I love 10 Things to Tell You so much…here are three other episodes that I just enjoyed so much and cover basically my favorite topics ever, books and skincare(you can read my post about my own skincare routine HERE)

Ep. 14: Skincare & Makeup Favorites with Jamie Golden

Ep. 31: Best Books Lately with Alyssa Hertzig (Alyssa is one of my Bookstagram at @Alyssaisbooked)

Ep. 38: Books for Growth

Alright, I think that covers it for now! Do you have any podcast recommendations? I would love to hear!

Small Animals by Kim Brooks | Better Together Book Club November 2019 Selection {A Motherhood Book Club}

October 19, 2019October 19, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

A New Motherhood Book Club

We had a wonderful start with our brand new motherhood book club and had our first discussion and guest speaker last week! I am planning on sharing some of our discussion topics when I return from vacation but for now, you can read more about our first book club meeting HERE on Instagram. You can read more details about the book club in my blog post HERE.

November 2019 Better Together Book Club Selection

While many of you are too far away to participate in person, a lot of you have shared an interest in following along! We are excited to announce our second Better Together Book Club selection, Small Animals by Kim Brooks.

This book made my top books of 2018 list HERE, I discussed the book topic HERE and shared my full book review HERE. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts!

October 1st, 2019 Book Releases {New Book Publications}

October 1, 2019October 2, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

October Book Releases:

It’s October 1st which means we are starting a great month of new book releases! If I were a book, I would like to be published in October because not only is it the best month ever but it is my very favorite time of the year to read! There are so many awesome books coming out during the next few weeks and before the holidays when new book releases tend to slow down a bit until the new year.

Now that we are back into regular routines because of the school year, I am trying to get back into some of my weekly blog series too. I always love sharing new book publications and so here are some I am excited about today!

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky was released today and Reese’s Book Club just announced it is their October 2019 book selection! I love that it is going to get so much attention now because this topic is so important.

While we have learned a lot as the years have gone by, figuring out the daily logistics of life with work, marriage, kids and household tasks is a constant juggling act. Fair Play both takes on and tackles the topics of the mental load, second shift, emotional labor and invisible work that in the 21st century still cause a great imbalance in many families ‘ home lives.

Fair Play was a 5-star book for me and was such an awesome conversation starter in our own marriage. The book is relatable while also having a proactive approach to managing household/family/life tasks while also balancing your own goals and desires.

You can read my full review of Fair Play HERE.

It is also one of the upcoming book choices for our Better Together Book Club and I can’t wait to discuss it more then.

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

Can you believe I just read The Tattooist of Auschwitz two months ago?! It was on my TBR list for a while but when an ARC of Cilka’s Journey arrived in my mailbox I knew I needed to prioritize it ASAP.

Cilka was one of the characters in The Tattooist of Auschwitz and I was interested to learn more about her. Cilka’s Journey is a powerful story that was inspired by the true to life experiences of Auschwitz-Birkenau survivor Cilka who ends up in a Siberian work camp after being charged as a collaborator for “sleeping with the enemy”. This novel is not an easy read as it confronts the issue of rape during wartime.

While this story does focus on the atrocities that happened to Cilka(and many others), it also shares the heroic efforts she was a part of. Cilka has a compassion for others that guides her through the toughest of times and this part of the story was both heartbreaking and utterly compelling. How Cilka chose to use the gifts she was given to help others was so powerful and a reminder of the beacon of light in humanity even in the most horrific of times.

Your Turn by Dr. Tyra Manning

“Writing my stories helps me remember the good times and the worst of times, and offers me the opportunity to understand them. Writing and celebrating my stories helps me heal. Hindsight gives me many gifts: clarity, acceptance, forgiveness, and new perspectives on past experiences. I am not unique in having lovely and sometimes sad stories in my repertoire. Sharing our life stories teaches us that we have more commonalities than differences. It brings us closer.”

-Dr. Tyra Manning

I love anything that helps remind us that we are more alike than different. I have always been a big fan of sharing our stories because it can help us connect and also help us feel less alone.

Your Turn is a guide and collection of personal essays that demonstrates how to share more effectively and find meaning in the ups and downs of our lives. Manning shares her own personal stories while also providing writing prompts to encourage you to start sharing too.

Thank you to Book Sparks for sharing an advanced copy with me.

September 2019 Book Recap & Ratings {Monthly Reading Wrap-Up)

October 1, 2019October 2, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

Hello and Happy October!

September always seems like the longest month to me…well along with January! It is filled with lots of great things but it always seems to last forever. The good thing about it seeming to last so long is that I read a lot of great books!

September Reading Highs & Lows:

September was filled with a lot of amazing reading and a couple of books that were a bit of a disappointment…. My very favorite books of the past month were The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer and The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. They were not on my reading radar beforehand and completely blew me away! I also loved Fair Play by Eva Rodsky and Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur is now one of my favorite memoirs ever!

I really was looking forward to The Other’s Gold and The Nickel Boys and both of those were rather disappointing for me. I will include links to my book reviews of all of these in my recap below.

September Reading Wrap-Up:

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My book review of The Things We Cannot Say can be found HERE.

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can read my full review of The Dearly Beloved HERE

With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*My full review will be coming soon…

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My full review of Fair Play can be found HERE

The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

*My full review is coming soon.

If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

*My full review is coming soon.

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

*My full review is coming soon.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can read my full review of The Nickel Boys HERE.

The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames

⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can read my full review of The Other’s Gold HERE.

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can read my full review of Wild Game HERE.

American Predator by Maureen Callahan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

You can read my full review of Amerian Predator HERE.

Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

You can read my full review of Before and After HERE.

*The links above are Amazon affiliate referral links. When you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I receive a small percentage that helps support this blog at no cost to you. You can read more about this on my FAQs page HERE. Thank you!

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky | G.P. Putnam’s Sons {Book Review}

September 20, 2019September 16, 2020 ~ Genevieve ~ 5 Comments

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Book Summary:

It started with the Sh*t I Do List. Tired of being the “shefault” parent responsible for all aspects of her busy household, Eve Rodsky counted up all the unpaid, invisible work she was doing for her family — and then sent that list to her husband, asking for things to change. His response was… underwhelming. Rodsky realized that simply identifying the issue of unequal labor on the home front wasn’t enough: She needed a solution to this universal problem. Her sanity, identity, career, and marriage depended on it.

The result is Fair Play: a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities. Rodsky interviewed more than five hundred men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. With four easy-to-follow rules, 100 household tasks, and a figurative card game you play with your partner, Fair Play helps you prioritize what’s important to your family and who should take the lead on every chore from laundry to homework to dinner.

“Winning” this game means rebalancing your home life, reigniting your relationship with your significant other, and reclaiming your Unicorn Space — as in, the time to develop the skills and passions that keep you interested and interesting. Are you ready to try Fair Play? Let’s deal you in.

Publication Date:

October 1st, 2019

Genre:

Time Management, Gender Studies, Parenting & Family Life

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

My Review:

(LINK to Fair Play by Eve Rodsky)

If you follow me on social media, you know I have been going on and on about Fair Play but I am just so excited about it. I love parenting books, I love self-help and relationship books and as soon as I saw the premise of this I knew I needed to read it ASAP!

The Adjustment to The Roles in Parenthood…

The adjustment to parenthood did not happen super easily for us both personally and in our relationship together. It was a huge transition and we struggled in many ways as we navigated our new roles and expectations of one another.

“On many days, feeling the full weight of exhaustion that would seize me the moment my baby was down and I was finally offline, I’d wonder What did I do all day? When even I couldn’t answer the question, there was no doubt in my mind that I’d lost all control of my time. Sound familiar?”

Relatable and Proactive!

Not only is Eve Rodsky’s writing accessible and totally relatable, but it is also helpful! I love a good plan. I feel the absolute worst when life feels tough and I don’t know what my next steps are going to be. Even when things are still rocky, when I am moving forward, things always feel more manageable.

Rodsky created a simple and straightforward approach to help equitably restructuring the balance of domestic “duties” while also factoring in time to focus on creative and personal growth so that everyone feels fulfilled and happy.

While our relationship does follow a similar path as Rodsky’s (heterosexual married couple with kids) she has also done her due diligence. Rodsky worked with 500+ couples to include a wide variety of multiple social constructs that can alter perspectives, challenges, and accessibility so this book really is for everyone!

More Information…

Eve Rodsky’s Q&A on her own website is super informative if you are looking to learn more about why she took on this project. Resources like this are so awesome to help raise awareness of these important conversations that are so important to navigating family life.

Thank you to Putnam for sending this amazing book mail and to Edelweiss for an ARC ebook edition.

***On October 1st, 2019 Reese’s Book Club Hello Sunshine chose Fair Play for their October 2019 book club selection!! You can read more HERE on their Instagram page and this article is a great summary of what Fair Play is all about! Congratulations Eve, what a well deserved accomplishment! <3

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt {Book Review}

September 1, 2019July 5, 2020 ~ Genevieve ~ 2 Comments

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

Book Summary:

On a hot July night on Cape Cod when Adrienne was fourteen, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me.

Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention, and from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend. The affair would have calamitous consequences for everyone involved, impacting Adrienne’s life in profound ways, driving her into a precarious marriage of her own, and then into a deep depression. Only years later will she find the strength to embrace her life—and her mother—on her own terms.

Wild Game is a brilliant, timeless memoir about how the people close to us can break our hearts simply because they have access to them, and the lies we tell in order to justify the choices we make. It’s a remarkable story of resilience, a reminder that we need not be the parents our parents were to us.

Publication Date:

October 15th, 2019

Genre:

Memoir

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Review:

(You can find my referral link to Wild Game HERE)

Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur is a memoir that details the complicated and dysfunctional relationship Brodeur experienced with her mother, Malabar. This cycle spans several decades and although there is the storyline of how Brodeur became entangled in her mother’s affair, it wasn’t the most powerful part of this book for me.

What really spoke to me was how much this story shared the challenges of cycles repeating themselves in families. These complexities can continue to pass on generation after generation and Brodeur truly shows how hard dysfunction can be to break. The writing detailing how she confronted her past is raw and full of emotions and whether you can relate to this story or not, this is not a book to be missed.

Brodeur shares vividly, the complexities of their mother/daughter relationship, and how it has affected her from her childhood to now during middle-age. Whether it is in romantic relationships or the relationships she has with her own children, it heavily impacts her to this day.

Brodeur reflects so honestly about how challenging it was as she began to distance herself from Malabar as an adult. While she knew her relationship wasn’t “normal” or healthy, it was hard not to fall back into the paths which had been ingrained in her family for so long.

While this book wasn’t easy to read at times, I appreciated that it wasn’t black or white and Brodeur is able to look at this deeply conflicted relationship with humanity and empathy. I stopped and reread sections of the book because the reflections on the journey of finding herself while batting the undercurrent of her family dynamics were so insightful.

I also appreciated that she recounted the impact the other people in her life had had on her and her ability to move forward. Brodeur’s ability to share such introspection and poignant details amidst the difficulties she endured made this book what it was and it won’t be one I will ever forget.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Better Together Book Club | Charlotte, Vermont Public Library | A Motherhood Book Group

August 28, 2019August 30, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ 8 Comments

Connections Through Reading

One of the most wonderful parts of the online reading community is the connections I have made through it. I have met book lovers from all over the world as well as in our very small state of Vermont. While I love the reach online connections can allow you, there is something so special about connecting in person.

Last spring I had the idea of starting a local book club centering around issues that are not only a big part of my life but so many of the women around me. Through the help and support of our local library, this dream has become a reality. The Better Together Book Club is a book group focusing on motherhood and will be starting this fall!

The Better Together Book Club

My friend, reader, fellow mom and elementary school Literacy Coach/Specialist Kelly and I are delighted to be co-facilitating this group together! We have been working hard behind the scenes and couldn’t be more excited to finally be making this public! Information went out in the Charlotte Library Newsletter yesterday so we thought it was the perfect time to share online as well.

Book selections will change monthly and will be a mix of fiction and nonfiction, including topics pertaining to parenting, marriage, mental health, self-care and the work/life “balance”. We will meet and discuss the book and topics relating to it as well as enjoying some tea and light snacks. We are also so honored that we already have some of the authors scheduled to come when we discuss their book!

Our First Book Club Selection

Our first book club selection will be To Have and To Hold. While I am lucky to have had many conversations with the people in my personal life, never have I read something that explains the complexities of motherhood and marriage in such a profound manner until I read this book. The highs and lows of parenthood, the immense love and also the intense quest to reclaim ourselves as women and partners when our lives will never be the same are so real and valid.

Author Molly Millwood will join the discussion on Thursday, October 10 @ 7:00pm. Books are available for loan at the circulation desk. Registration is required by contacting Susanna or Margaret at the Charlotte Library at info@charlottepubliclibrary.org Once the spots are full a waitlist will be started. While this event is open to anyone in the area, priority will be given to Charlotte residents if a waitlist occurs.

Hardcopy & Ebook Copies

Charlotte librarians Susanna and Margaret have been so amazing at helping get this group up and running with us. Our October book, To Have and To Hold, is now available as a “Charlotte Only” book on Libby (which decreases the wait time significantly!). They also ordered 10 copies of To Have and To Hold which will be available at the library for pick up after Labor Day!

Book Club Ongoing Schedule & Communication

After our first event, The Better Together Book Club will continue to meet monthly at The Charlotte Library the second Wednesday of every month from 7:00-8:30pm. Subsequent books will be available a month before each book club so everyone has time to read them. All announcements will be shared and in our private facebook group which you can be added to once you are registered.

If you live in the area, we would love to have you join us! If you don’t, we would love it if you would like to follow along. We plan on sharing updates about each book club on my blog which will include our discussion questions and highlights of our discussion. I will also announce the next book we will be discussing at that time.

I just talked with Susanna and we only have a few spots left so if you are interested, shoot them an email at info@charlottepubliclibrary.org to register! And please feel free to email or comment below with any questions. **Update, as of 8/30/19 there is a waitlist for this group**

Being at Your Best When Your Kids Are at Their Worst by Kim John Payne | Shambhala Publications {Book Review}

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

Being at Your Best When Your Kids Are at Their Worst

by Kim John Payne

Book Summary:

“A practical, meditative approach that can be used in the moment to help you stay calm and balanced when your child’s behavior is pushing you to your limit–by the popular author of Simplicity Parenting.

When children are at their most difficult and challenging situations arise, how can we react in a way that reflects our family values and expectations? Often, when children “push our buttons,” we find ourselves reacting in ways that are far from our principles, often further inflaming a situation.
When our children are at their worst, they need us to be at our best—or as close to it as we can be. Educator and family counselor Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting, offers techniques that simply and directly shift these damaging patterns in communication and parental behavior. These grounded and practical strategies will help you:
• Slow down the interaction
• Be more in control of your reactions
• Open up a much wider range of helpful responses
• Sense what your child’s deeper needs are even though they are misbehaving
• Respond in a way that gives your child a feeling of being heard and still puts a boundary in place

Payne’s meditative approach can be done anywhere, anytime; it lifts you out of old, unwanted patterns of action-reaction and prepares you so that the voice you speak with is closer to the parent you want to be. His concrete and simple techniques can help you, and your children, be at your best, even in the most challenging of times.”

Publication Date:

September 3rd, 2019

Genre:

Parenting/Self-Help

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

My Review:

This title totally grabbed my attention and then I saw it was by the same author as Simplicity Parenting and I was sold. One of the most challenging parts of parenting is staying even-keeled and compassionate when the noise and chaos level is high, which is often…Our kids are wonderful and parenting is also the hardest thing I have ever done.

My husband and I often talk about the daily struggles being the hardest part of this stage of life. It can feel like a rollercoaster ride of emotions and there is this constant that can really push you to the limit. In addition to the needs of our children, we have the obligations of work, home and the daily expectations of just being an adult. It can be hard to find a balance between all of these and have a calm response when life is anything but that.

Kim John Payne writes in an approachable and relatable manner which makes this writing accessible. He then dives right into advice and tools about how to break the “action-reaction” response with your children. This sounds like it would be simple, but when you are in the thick of it it can be so hard. He then moves into a 4 step
“compassion response” that adults can use to respectfully and effectively communicate with children, especially when they are in crisis.

I love how he talks about the why and also the how of this approach. The idea of staying self-regulated when a child (or any person for that matter) is easy to conceptualize but often hard to execute “at the moment”. This book is a practical guide for any parent or person that works with children. I found it helpful AND encouraging which is the best combination when it comes to “self-help” parenting books.

Thank you to Shambhala Publications for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.