I read this month! Not much, but I did it! Joy of all joys.

Two entire books. Otherwise I’ve just been listening to a lot of podcasts (My Favorite Murder, Deep Dive, Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out) and watching a lot of television (Midnight Mass, Morning Show, Squid Game–like everyone else).

The links used in this post will take you to stores that help support our bookstore, Twice Told Tales in McPherson KS.

The Wise Women by Gina Sorell
Pre-order your hardcover copy here. Pre-order the audiobook here.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: give me a contemporary novel about families and I’ll happily read it. This book was very good (not mind-blowing or anything). It’s got all my favorite things: adult siblings, substantial character development, and a fun kid to tie it all together.
In this book, we follow two adult sisters–daughters of a famous advice columnist, as they’re trying to navigate adulthood while following their mother’s sage advice. In the end, and this is no spoiler at all, sometimes just because something is “good advice” or whatever–it’s not the right advice for you. Learning that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to living life has been one of my favorite lessons that I’ve learned in my life and I think that’s why I enjoyed this one so much.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed novels by Emma Straub and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney–two of my personal favorites.

This book will be published in April 2022.

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Order your hardcover copy here. Download the audiobook version here. I recommend buying both–I know it’s a lot but do it.

I generally shy away from celebrity memoirs but I know that Stanley Tucci is beloved by many, so I felt compelled to order a few copies for the bookstore. Much to my surprise, this book sold out in two days. I did not expect that.(And when I went to refill, it was on backorder because of ~supply chain issues~.) And also the touch and feel of this book is nothing short of delicious. It feels so good to hold in your hands. So when Libro.fm (an excellent audiobook amazon-alternative which helps support our store), offered to let me listen to this book for free I was like, “Sure why not.” If for no other reason than to get the pleasure of listening to Stanley Tucci talk to me about pasta for a few hours.

I was hooked from the beginning. Look, it’s a simple concept, Stanley Tucci tells you about different meals he’s had throughout his life–starting with things his mother used to make, things he ate when he was a broke actor, things he’s eaten since he’s had much more money (including a hilarious story about something disgusting he ate in France with Meryl Streep), all the way through to things he was eating while undergoing cancer treatments. We learn about the people he loves and the places he loves. AND LOOK you know me, you know that I have very little patience for the musings of men. But goddamnit, I loved this book. I really loved it.

And I’m going to buy a hardcover copy so that I can have access to all of the dozens and dozens of recipes scattered throughout.