This week marked the end of the first third of the year! I can’t believe it’s already May. It doesn’t quite feel like May yet, but I’m hopeful.
I figured it’s a good time to reflect and recap what I read and drank during the first four months of 2019! Maybe you’ll be inspired to pick up one of my book recommendations or a glass of one of my top five wines.
If you love a good “meet-cute”…One Day in December by Josie Silver
I had intentions of reading this in December, but didn’t get to it until January (oops). It’s a cute read. When it came out at the end of last year, there was a lot of buzz comparing it to the movie, Love Actually. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t like Love Actually. So while the premise sounded fun, I was skeptical about liking it. Other than taking place around the holidays in London, I didn’t find it similar to Love Actually. Although, if I was forced to compare it, I feel like it’s most similar to the Keira Knightley plot line. But the whole point of Love Actually is that there are 30 bajillion other storylines happening at once, right?! This wasn’t like that. Anyway, I digress; what I’m trying to say is it’s a cute, quick read. It’s enjoyable whether you like Love Actually or not! But maybe read it in December.
If you love listening to celebrities read their memoirs…Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling (audiobook) and The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman (audiobook)
I can’t be the only one who only likes to listen to celebrities read their own memoirs. However, here’s where I may differ – the only books I will actually listen to are celebrity memoirs. I won’t listen to other non-fiction or fiction. Why? I blame Anna Kendrick. I listened to her audiobook Scrappy Little Nobody (phenomenal, BTW) on a solo trip to Maine (where she’s from) and I was hooked. I felt like I was having a conversation with her on my long drive. Since then, I only listen to audiobooks when I’m traveling alone and only written and read by celebrities.
If you love The Office and Mindy Kaling, definitely check out Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?. It’s very funny and BJ Novak even makes a few special appearances. I enjoyed her humor and was not disappointed.
I love Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. I think they are the most hilarious people ever. So clearly I had high expectations for The Greatest Love Story Ever Told to be HILARIOUS. However, it wasn’t as funny as I was hoping. Still, I love them together and it was still enjoyable listening to them banter back and forth.
If you’re a big fan of Elin Hilderbrand or books that take place on islands…Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Check out my blog post on Winter in Paradise here!
If you consider yourself a Creative and enjoy non-fiction…Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Good God, I love this book. It made the leap to one of my favorite books of all time. It really helped me out of my writing slump. My copy is so marked up with margin notes and stickies. Every time I feel uninspired, I just open to a random page. Elizabeth Gilbert is incredible. Recently, I was interviewed by the lovely ladies of The Celestial Thread. One of the questions they asked me was about muses and I had to talk about Gilbert’s book. Here’s my quote:
“Recently I read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, which is a non-fiction book about living a creative life beyond fear. She has an interesting thought. She says that ideas are living, breathing things with consciousness and will. In order for ideas to be made manifest they need to collaborate with a human. Gilbert says that ideas swirl around us, searching for a willing partner. Once an idea find someone, they will try to get that person’s attention; if that person proves oblivious, the idea will move on to someone else. That’s how I’ve recently been approaching my writing. I’m trying to pay attention more and let ideas know that I am a willing and able partner. I think my writing has grown tremendously just from being open to the possibilities.”
Check out my full interview with The Celestial Thread here!
If you’re a classics junkie…Emma by Jane Austen
Check out my blog post on Emma here!
If you’re excited for debut authors or just love a mystery…Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Check out my blog post on Where the Crawdads Sing here!
If you love children’s literature…Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
This book is breathtakingly beautiful. The illustrations alone are reason enough to buy it, but the story is even better. It’s a wonderfully simplistic story of acceptance and love. I’m buying this for every child in my life.
As for what I’ve been drinking, I have to mention some of the wines I’m excited about. First and foremost, I drink a lot of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s been my favorite varietal for a long time. Lately, I feel like my love of Sauvignon Blanc has been given a resurgence. With the weather warming up, all I want is a perfectly chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc. However, as much as I would like to, I understand that I can’t pair every book with a different Sauvignon Blanc. So I’ve gathered my top 5 favorites at the moment.
These are the bottles I’m currently reaching for:
- 13 Celsius (Marlborough, New Zealand) – My husband and I discovered 13 Celsius on our trip to Newport, RI in April.
- Kim Crawford (Marlborough, New Zealand) – In an interview I recently read, Giada De Laurentiis mentioned Kim Crawford as one of her favorite Sauvignon Blancs. I had to check it out!
- Villa Marie (Marlborough, New Zealand) – At my husband’s work Christmas party, I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and loved it. I forgot to ask the bartender what kind it was, so I looked on their drink menu online and found it.
- Echo Bay (Marlborough, New Zealand) – Sometimes I like to check out wine.com’s suggested wines. This one did not disappoint.
- Dreaming Tree (Sonoma County, California) – While visiting my parents, my mom and I took a trip to the liquor store in search of a specific wine. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but we decided to try Dreaming Tree instead. It was a good decision.
As you can see, I’m a sucker for Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. I don’t see that changing any time soon!
Cheers!
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What books have you read so far this year?
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What’s your go-to wine?
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*I was not compensated for my review. All thoughts and images are my own.*
Keri Reads 