Weekly Reads & More
A riveting autobiographical novel, a must read memoir, listens, & more
Hello!
I intended to get this out yesterday, but life happened so I’m a day behind on scheduled content. I hope you had a good weekend and a great month of reading in March. I enjoyed my reading so much in March! Something that pleasantly surprised me was having two five star memoirs…if you would’ve told me that at the beginning of March I would’ve been skeptical. One of the memoirs was The Tell by Amy Griffin which is an incredible story and one I continue to think about. I’ll share the other memoir below, plus the short, autobiographical novel I flew through over the weekend.
Recent Reads…
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton - Thanks to Knopf for my complimentary advanced copy
The publisher’s blurb says it all “The magical true story of a woman and an injured hare who taught her how to live again.” This memoir is that and so much more. It’s one of those stories that you truly have to read to believe. Her ability to put her thoughts, feelings, and actions (and inactions) into a beautiful ode to wildlife, humanity, and the magical connections that can exist between people and animals made this memoir an unexpected binge listen for me. The audio narration by Louise Brealey was top notch. There’s also a great interview between the author and the narrator at the end of the audiobook.
Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud, translated by Cory Stockwell
A powerful autobiographical novel of loss, the incandescent love that remains, and the small decisions that define the course of fate
Paced and structured with the inevitable suspense of a countdown, Brigitte Giraud’s tense and haunting novel follows one woman’s quest to comprehend the motorcycle accident that took the life of her partner Claude at age 41.
The narrator of Live Fast recounts the chain of events that led up to the fateful accident, tracing the tiny, maddening twists of fate that might have prevented its tragic outcome. Each chapter asks the rhetorical question, “what if”
I’ve included the exact blurb from the publisher because I think it fully encapsulates this riveting story. I did a combo print and audio (the narration from Mozhan Navabi was excellent!). At only 176 pages, this short novel packed a huge emotional punch. When I started it on audio, I thought it was a memoir because the story is based on the actual life and death of the author’s husband Claude, but it’s actually an autobiographical novel. Even though I knew what happened, the way she structured the novel, with a backwards time clock ticking and each chapter about the “what if” and the “if only” of behaviors, choices, and fate, I found myself hoping for a different outcome. I felt the heartbreak and the wish on the part of the author to recreate the events leading up to that fateful day and perhaps in some alternate universe have a different outcome. I loved this book! It will be one that haunts me.
Added to My TBR…
Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura
Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.
Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.
Now thirty-three years old, with the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, Cleo is taking her first real vacation in years. Except that with so much time to think, she can’t help but ruminate on her past—including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong . . .
Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, Make Me Famous is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman’s complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame
I really enjoyed the audio of Maud’s wacky debut My Husband, so I’m excited to give this a try (even though I’m the outlier who didn't like Daisy Jones & the Six)
Recent Listens…
Oprah's interview with Amy Griffin about The Tell on The Oprah Podcast was excellent - and the reason I decided to go ahead and read the book
The One You Feed Podcast - Unlocking the Wisdom of Dogs: What They Know About a Good Life. I loved this episode! And speaking of the good life- my dog Vinny knows how to relax:)
Of Note This Week…
I’ve recently discovered Life With Sandra Hart, an 85 year old super successful YouTuber and I’M OBSESSED! I’m slowly listening to her videos while out walking and this one - It Took Me 80+ years to Realize What I’ll Tell You in 9 Min - is a recent favorite.
In Case You Missed It…
** If you’re a free subscriber, you can use your single use free post (via the Substack App) to listen to this episode
Tomorrow, paid subscribers will be receiving the audio episode of my March Surprise Reads & More in which I’ll be reviewing three not yet shared publicly books I read this month— two fast paced mysteries/thrillers and one five star translated literary fiction that surprised me in all the best ways (tissues were needed)! I’ll also be sharing an upcoming new release that I didn’t finish, the recent bookish discovery that has me so excited, and a bonus amount of links including a month of gift links.
I hope you enjoyed this weekly catch up. If you have any thoughts on today’s newsletter, please share in the comments. Did you read, listen, or watch anything notable last week?
Have a great Monday📚
- Renee
I got the e-galley of Make Me Famous, and I requested it because of your love for My Husband! I also had two 5⭐️memoirs this month.
Make me famous sounds so good 🫡