1. What are you currently reading?
Becoming by Michelle Obama. Am I the last one to read this? It was the best-selling hardcover book of last year, and it's been sitting on my TBR pile, literally, for 11 months!
Shame on me for taking so long to get to it. I'm not very deep into it yet, but I'm entranced. She writes about her girlhood, just 20 miles/20 minutes from where I grew up, and I recognize and appreciate the authenticity of her recollections and her writing. I look forward to the rest of her journey.
2. What did you recently finish reading? Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie by Carly Simon. And now I've got another First Lady! Only this book is very different from Becoming. It's not a cradle-to-grave look at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, it's the story of one specific relationship: the friendship between Carly Simon and her New York/Martha's Vineyard buddy, Jackie.
It's a strange little volume, because Carly Simon is a complicated woman and that colors her relationships. But it has some very poignant, touching moments. Example: Carly unexpectedly hears a song on the radio ("Her Town, Too") by her ex-husband, the love of her life, James Taylor, and it shakes her. She shares this with Jackie, who commiserates. She says for her, it's "Greensleeves (What Child Is This?)" that brings "Jack" back to her, and at the most unexpected times. I'd always assumed it would be hearing one of JFK's speeches, in his own voice, that would bother her. But it was this ubiquitous Christmas carol, his favorite, that touched her most.
It's these "girlfriend" moments -- two women sharing themselves at their most unguarded -- that makes this worth reading.
3. What will you read next? I don't know.
You're not the last one to read Becoming because I haven't either! I like the idea of listening to the audio book version.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the last one to read Becoming, because I haven't read it, and I haven't even had a chance to find a copy yet, because my library doesn't have it. xD Sounds like a good read, though, and hope you continue to enjoy it! Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteHere's my WWW post.
I might get the audio version of the Carly Simon book--it's narrated by Elizabeth McGovern. An interesting choice.
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