“Tiny Beautiful Things,” Cheryl Strayed
I don’t normally lean towards reading collections from advice columns (although I love listening to podcasts, shoutout to @DearSugarRadio!), but as I enjoyed Strayed other two books, one her memoir Wild and the other her novel Torch, I decided to read her other published work. Let me say, I was not disappointed. Each of her responses is a gem—a delightful, insightful gem. There is no subject too trivial nor any condescension in her writing; she comes off as compassionate and warm and loving. I enjoyed one of her final pieces of advice to all 20 somethings: “Stop worrying about whether you’re fat. You’re not fat. Or rather, you’re sometimes a little bit fat, but who gives a shit? Feed yourself…You don’t need a reason to leave. Wanting to leave is enough. Leaving doesn’t mean you’re incapable of real love or that you’ll never love anyone else again…Be brave enough to break your own heart.” That’s only a short excerpt from her answer, but you get the idea. Strayed has had innumerable life experiences and doesn’t hesitate to share any of them.
“His Last Letter,” Jeane Westin
Here is some more Tudor history for you in the form of England’s last Tudor monarch…maybe you’ve heard of her? Elizabeth I, Gloriana, Regina, Bess… these are just some of the names she is known by, and this historical fiction novel focuses on Robert Dudley’s last letter to Elizabeth, and their relationship in between the 50+ years they spent together. Of course everyone knows that Elizabeth never married, but she had a very close relationship all of her life with Dudley, who was almost never far from her side. This novel explores this dynamic and shows both of these historical figures as mere humans.