Author: readandwright1

I love the start of a new month. And it’s even more exciting that this new month is a Monday! Monday’s aren’t always my favorite day of the week, but I do love a fresh start. I traveled this weekend and got hit by a wicked cold, so I’m excited to be feeling a little better and start this month off on the right foot.

I read seven books in March and that has generally been my monthly goal! It’s been nice to stick to in this first third of the year. But I have a lot I want and NEED to get through in April! Here’s what I plan on reading this month:

1. American Princess
2. The Kiss Quotient
3. Otherwise Engaged
4. Royal Wedding
5. Divergent

Those are the five I am planning on getting through this month, on top of whatever surprises I stumble upon at the library, on Overdrive, or get recommended!

This month is very exciting because it marks one year of Read and Wright! We have a lot of exciting things planned to celebrate the one year anniversary and I can’t wait to share them with you! What are you excited about for April?

*I do not own the image. It is from Google Images.*

I’m having one of those moments where I literally cannot believe the month is over. March felt so.long. at times but also like I blinked and I missed it. Especially looking back on what I read this month, I’m like “what?!” Living in the world of Eleanor Oliphant feels like it was a year ago and getting through Nine Perfect Strangers feels like it was a different lifetime. 

This was a really great month for reading, and there’s still three days left! I’m currently on my way north to celebrate the first birthday of our dear friends’ twin girls! Wanna talk about time flying, I cannot believe they are already one! 

Even though there are still a few days left in the month, I don’t post on the weekends! And I want to kick April off with my TBR and a little celebration. The month of April is my 1 year anniversary of blogging! I can’t believe that either. 

So, here’s what I read this month. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

You can read my full review here, but I really loved this book. I know it’s been floating around a lot of people’s pages, but I think it is with good reason! It’s a slow start and a style you have to get used to, but once you fall into step with Eleanor, you’ll want to walk with her forever. I really loved this book. 

Haunted in Hollywood

Okay, this was an impulse buy during the Barnes and Noble sale event. It was $5 and looked like a silly, light read. After Eleanor, I needed a parent cleanser and something light. I read it in a day, which was nice but it isn’t anything anyone NEEDS to read. 

Where’d You Go Bernadette 

This book intimidated me for the LONGEST time. My friend Megan recommended it to me constantly but I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. Sometimes I can be weird with recommendations; reading is very personal and taste is really subjective. I never want to offend anyone over a favorite book and sometimes I just don’t trust hype. But when it came to Bernadette, I love love LOVED the hype. I think it read it at the right time in my life. It discusses the importance of the artist’s need to create. As an actor, I am an artist and I definitely feel the void in my heart when I’ve been absent from the stage too long. 

Nine Perfect Strangers 

UGH. MY FRIENDS. I’m just gonna be as blunt and brutally honest as possible: this book was a waste of my time. I know Liane Moriarty is a popular author, but this was a horrible introduction to her writing. I don’t even know if i’ll give any of her other stuff a chance if I’m being honest. Just not my thing, yeah? 

The Admissions 

This was an impulse read at the recommendation of Elin Hilderbrand. I love a writer who also reads and promotes other authors! I pushed back some of the books on my TBR just to get through this relatively quickly (it was a library loan) and I pretty much flew through it. This story keeps you reading and I thought the overall thesis of the book made sense and was relevant. Some parts felt rushed while other parts seemed too drawn out, but overall I was a big fan of this book! 

Marriage Vacation 

Eh, I could have done without this one. But I love the show Younger and it was a quick, cute listen on audio. 

My Oxford Year

I finished this last night and I’m very satisfied with this read. It was quick, it moved and held my interest, and I loved the characters of Jamie and Ella. Had I known it was going to take a Me Before You turn, I honestly don’t know if I would have picked it up. But I am very happy I did! Like I said on Instagram at one point, I really thought it was going to be a memoir and that’s why I was initially drawn to it. Not a memoir, but definitely memorable. 

And that’s a wrap on March! Although I do have two very long car rides ahead of me, so anything is possible. 

I had a review scheduled for today but I didn’t finish what I planned on finishing…I guess reading 600 pages while sick was a lofty goal. So I thought I’d just pop on here and update you all on what I’m currently reading: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan. 

Okay, just think I’m dumb…but I thought this was a memoir (lol). I’m not mad that it’s fiction, but I started reading it and was really confused. Once I clued in, I really started enjoying it. 

I love the use of poetry and I’m already living for the dialogue. When Ella looks at Jamie and says, “Dr. Davenport” and his response is “Sexy, innit?” I just about swooned on the subway. It seems like such a fun read and I’m glad to have gotten it from the library! 

*Update*

I am now nearly 500 pages into it and it has taken a TURN. Like, my heart is broken. I love Jamie and Ella so much.

I’m reading it through Overdrive and I love it, but more and more I’ve been wishing for physical copies of the books I’m reading. But living in a tiny NYC apartment doesn’t really allow for that unfortunately! And my wallet prefers the library and ebooks as well. 

What are you in the middle of reading?

Last week, we had the honor of being featured on How They Asked, a website devoted to sharing proposal stories! It’s a fun website and Instagram to go through if you have some time to kill. I never used to be a crier, but now I will cry through a beautiful wedding and proposal! Buckle up for a text heavy post. 

On this Wedding Wednesday, I thought it could be fun to share our engagement story, in more detail than I did for How They Asked. Truth be told, I never thought we’d be featured so I didn’t dive into as many details when they asked! 

Nick and I have been dating since we were 18, our freshmen year of college. We met while we were both dating other people and quickly became best friends. I wish I could tally the amount of times Nick would announce, in front of other people, “I could never date Phoebe, she’s my best friend. It would be too weird,” and I’d be mortified. I definitely had a crush on him, especially after we were both single. 

That “only best friend” thing didn’t last very long. One night in the student center, where we spent A LOT of our time talking over coffee, he gently slipped into conversation that the next girl he was going to date, was me. I remember freezing and giggling, unsure what to think. 

He walked me back to my dorm and it was snowing. I looked up at him and thought, “This is it! He’s going to kiss me!” But he didn’t. We shared a long hug, and all those stupid sparks people talk about? Definitely there. To this day, he talks about that moment and how he froze because it seemed too perfect: the snow, our conversation, the giddy feeling we both had after confessing our mutual “like” for each other. He was afraid he’d mess it up! And that is one of my favorite things about him. 

Fast forward 6 years, 3 months, and 10 days, we found ourself traveling to Lake Placid, NY. We love the Adirondacks and go to Lake Placid every Memorial Day Weekend to kick off summer. When we went the year before, I thought MAYBE he’d propose. This time around, I was sure there was no proposal on the horizon. I kept telling everyone who asked, “No, we’re not getting engaged in 2018. It’s just not going to happen.” 

I was getting pretty impatient. I had a lot of friends who had been with their significant other for way less time, but they were getting engaged and married. I had to keep reminding myself that our lives were different, we had careers that were incredibly important to us and marriage just wasn’t in the cards yet. And I convinced myself really well apparently! I just thought, “Maybe sometime in 2019.”

So it didn’t seem weird to me that Nick kept asking if I really loved Lake Placid, if that was going to be “our place” for the rest of our lives—somewhere we’d bring kids, buy a vacation home, visit often. Nick is a planner and he LOVES details. Plus I had a lot going on work wise and in being a part of my friend Grace’s wedding. 

So when we went away, I decided to get my nails done. Nick thought that was a great idea, because I never treat myself to manicures. I almost didn’t do it, because it seemed silly to spend the money, but he insisted I treat myself. If I didn’t, he would pay for it! Again, not weird, because he offers stuff like this all time. In the end, I thought he was right: I deserved a $40 manicure, cause I never do stuff like that. 

We were renting a cabin and I was super excited to see it plus visit our favorite stores and restaurants. I can be VERY indecisive so I told Nick all I cared about was that we had a balcony or deck with a water view. I was hoping it would be warm enough to swim, but the forecast seemed rainy and chilly. “Oh well,” I said to Nick on the way up. “We can be cozy in the cabin and just relax!” But he was dead set on hiking. He was so worked up about it and I didn’t understand. But like I said, he’s a planner and this had been planned into the weekend. 

Friday was super chill and mellow. We stopped in Lake George for brunch, walked around and explored some of the shops there. Then we drove further north to Lake Placid. Our cabin was so cute and and perfect (if you ever go, ask me for the Airbnb reservation—we LOVE the host and have stayed at some of his other properties since!) but it was starting to rain as we headed out for dinner. 

It was a full downpour as we walked to town, but miraculously cleared up and we were able to enjoy our meal outside. We walked Main Street and popped into the shops that hadn’t closed yet. And then we paused for a photo in front of Mirror Lake. I captioned it, “Adulthood isn’t always fun, but growing up with you sure is,” because that’s how I felt! Little did I know in less than 12 hours that would be even more true. 

We woke up Saturday morning and it was slightly gloomy. Nick got dressed into his “new hiking clothes” that he was insistent on buying. If you’ve seen our proposal photos, you know he wore pants and a colored shirt. All “hiking efficient” and sweat proof, but I wore an old pair of sneakers, yoga leggings, and a workout top. I looked at him and said, “Howdy Ho, Ranger Joe” because he looked like a park ranger! He laughed and we were on our way. 

There is such beauty in the 46 Peaks that make up the Adirondacks. We chose to hike Mount Jo, which is one the easier peaks with the best views. We didn’t know if the weather would hold, so didn’t want to find ourselves stranded mid mountain in a rainstorm. 

We met a few people on the trail, but mostly we were alone. We decided to to the “shorter, more difficult” trail up and the longer, easier trail down. As we began, the sun came out! And it quickly got HOT. I forgot bug spray and was getting eaten alive, so I said we should give up, that it was okay not to go to the summit. Nick was so angry at me for suggesting that! That we weren’t quitters and the summit wasn’t much further. He was behind me and I said, “Why do you care? It’s not like you are going to propose at the top” as a JOKE. He’s a better actor than I am, because he didn’t betray anything! 

We made it to the top and there was a young family there. We talked a bit and then when it was just us, I pulled out my phone to take some pictures. I said, “I wish I brought my little tripod, so we could get a good picture of us!” And Nick said, “I brought mine!” And I immediately loved him for his insane planning of the weekend. He thought of everything! 

We posed for a few photos, and then he told me to look out at the view, so he snap that photo. My thought? “He knows I only do this for the instagram photos” and turned around. He snapped a few pictures and then told me to turn around, and when I did, he was there on one knee. 

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SURPRISED OR SPEECHLESS IN MY LIFE. To this day, I love our story because I always told him I wanted to be completely 100% surprised. And man, did he pull that off. 

If you read this far, thank you! I love that I will have this documented somewhere, because it is one of my favorite memories of all time. 

Raise your (virtual) hand if you are a fan of the show Younger! I am a HUGE fan of it. Not only because I will love and support Hilary Duff until the day I die, but I also adore Sutton Foster and think the story is just so.good. 

If you don’t know, it’s about a 40 year old woman, Liza, who gets divorced and needs to go back into the work force since her daughter is headed off to college. Liza has spent the last 18 years caring for her daughter, so that gap on her resume sends a lot of potential employers in the opposite direction. One night, she meets a younger guy at a bar and he says she can’t be more than 26. With that in mind, Liza begins working for an elite publishing house, Imperial, as a 26 year old personal assistant. 

That’s a very basic overview, but in her time working for Imperial, Liza falls for her boss, Charles Brooks, whose wife left him and their two girls. Enter Pauline Turner Brooks, the author of Marriage Vacation. 

I think it was a really cool marketing ploy for the creators of Younger to have Pauline’s book actually written. It is technically ghost written, since Pauline is fictional, but as a fan of the show it was really interesting to see her side of the story. 

As a woman, I feel like I should support all women and their choices on motherhood and their careers. However, it’s really hard to sympathize with Pauline’s character. She’s not a bad person, but even reading her “memoir” I still find myself sympathizing with her daughters and husband more. She left without warning, without telling them, to go to the other side of the world to find herself. 

I will support any woman who feels they have lost their identity to motherhood. But I don’t think Pauline did it in the right way. But that’s the whole point! 

I liked reading this book, but it didn’t change my opinion of the character. I still root for Charles and Liza and hope that Pauline finds purpose with her career and a new partner. 

Tell me I’m not the only fan of the show!

In the wake of the college admissions scandal that came to light in the last few weeks, one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand, shared one of her favorite recent reads,  related to the news: The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore. I love Hilderbrand’s books (if you’ve been following for a while, you know this) and I was really fascinated by the news so I decided to give this one a try. 

I was immediately sucked in. 

My favorite characters were Gabe and Cecily, but I think there were a lot of qualities that made the whole Hawthorne family interesting and compelling. Personally, I felt like I had a lot of pressure on my academic performance in high school; I went to an a girls college preparatory school, where everyone was smart and everyone had a bright future. 

The Admissions deals with the competitive nature high school students deal with today to be accepted into these elite universities. Nowadays, it’s not just enough to be the smartest or most well rounded. You have to be “special”. 

But what happens if your parents lied to you your whole life and what you thought you wanted was part of those lies? 

Angela Hawthorne is one such student, with a Harvard Alumnus for a father and a New Englander mother who saw they had a bright child and exploited that potential from the age of three. All the Hawthornes are working hard, with Harvard in sight. But all the attention on Harvard has allowed some very important things and people fall through the cracks. 

Without giving too much away, I think this book is an intelligent and important read. It’s a great reminder that no matter what age, we all have autonomy as a people and our thoughts, feelings, and expectations should be considered. I’m not a parent yet, but I hope one day I will be an ally for my child in all aspects if their life, without losing my own personhood.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a few pieces that I could have done without, just because they seemed unnecessary and weren’t fleshed out overall. But in the end, it was a great read and I think every high school senior and parent of a high school senior should read it! 

It’s been a week! A long one for sure, but I was super productive. I always have to wait to finish these posts on Thursday afternoons, so it’s nice to look back on what happened! 

I wish I finished more this week, but if I was reading more than one book while slugging through Nine Perfect Strangers, I would have DNF’d even faster than I did the first time! 

Books finished:

Nine Perfect Strangers—read my brutally honest review here. Yikes, sorry to anyone who enjoyed it! 

Currently: Admissions and Marriage Vacation 

Next Up: All the Crawdads Sing and My Oxford Year

What I Bought This Week: Otherwise Engaged by Lindsey J. Palmer 

Loving: Still on an oatmilk latte kick but also loving Cadbury caramel mini eggs (oops)

Wanting: Spring weather or a snow day—two complete opposites, I know! 

Wedding: I’ve been loving focusing on little details and ideas! Getting a lot organized and all that. 

I hope you had an awesome week. Some days I can’t believe how fast the time is flying, and other times and I am so grateful because I’m really looking forward to so much in the latter half of the year! 

What did you read this week? 

Oh my god. I have never given a book 1 star in my life but WOW. I did not like this book. It was a struggle to get through and none of the characters were likable until the very end. Masha is a nutcase and not in a fun way, like Amy in Gone Girl. (I think I need to check my mental state for saying that Amy is fun…but you catch my drift, yeah?) I am really disappointed in this book and don’t even really understand how it was published. It felt so disorganized and I’m confused by the point and how at the very end, Frances was the last voice we heard from. I am not a published author, so I can’t be that critical. But I’m just shocked by it; the structure, the subject matter, the lack of resolution. All around, I just don’t know what its point was supposed to be. 

Alright, if you’re in the middle of it and don’t want to DNF it, here are some positives I was able to pull out: 

1. The Marconi family story line is very compelling and relatable. I was impressed by the discussion of mental heath and its importance. I liked Napolean and Heather and Zoe a lot; I think they were my favorite characters. 
2. It has MOMENTS, albeit very few, that get your heart pumping with anticipation. Once the plot picks up, 55% of the way through the book, it’s kind of a fun read. KIND OF.  
3. It’s a great reminder that we are in control of our own lives. Changing your appearance on the outside will not change on your feel on the inside unless you put the work in. 

Other than those points…wow. This was a struggle and I’m honestly proud of myself for finishing it. It feels like a trophy for mediocrity in literature (lol). I’m sorry Liane Moriarty, but I wish this wasn’t my first read of your work! It just really missed the mark for me.

Should I give any of her other books a chance?! I’ve heard The Husband’s Secret is popular.

I love a good wedding, always have, always will. I’ve always been fascinated with people’s relationships, so it’s not surprise a lot of my favorite books revolve around weddings. I thought I’d round them up and share!

The Royal We

I LOVE THIS BOOK! If you’ve been around awhile, you’ll know this is a yearly reread for me. Especially if you love the royals, like I do, I think you’ll find this one super fun. It’s sweet, drama filled, and sexy. Apparently there’s a sequel coming out?! It’s also been optioned for a film by Lauren Graham! 

Beautiful Day 

Another day, another love of Elin Hilderbrand’s books. Beautiful Day is about a young woman getting married on Nantucket. She lost her mother when she was young, but she put together a special notebook detailing how she thought her daughter’s wedding should be planned. This one is emotional, but a really lovely read. 

The Perfect Couple

This Nantucket wedding doesn’t quite go as planned and is the complete opposite of Beautiful Day! It’s suspenseful and dramatic. Not my favorite Hilderbrand, but definitely a fun read! Keep your maids of honor close, brides! 

The Princess Diaries—The Royal Wedding

Who loves Princess Mia? Confession: I never read the books. But I did read this book when it came out! It’s about Mia and Michael’s royal wedding and it’s a super fun one. I’m actually planning a reread of it this month! I sat down to write this post last week and remembered it. Luckily, you can totally read this without having read the other books! 

Remembrance 

Like The Princess Diaries, I didn’t read The Mediator Series until after I’d read Remembrance. I.love.this.series. So much! I think it might be one of my favorites of all time. Remembrance is about getting Suz and Jesse to the altar, among all the paranormal that Suz generally has to deal with! 

If you have any recommendations, please let me know! As you can tell, I’m really into wedding content lately. Oops? 

Have a great Wednesday! 

The weekend got away from me completely! I took the train home to spend some time with parents and for an audition and we were so busy! I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with my mom after everything that happened. I’ve so glad we made the decision to have our wedding when we are, because it seems like she’s ready to be a part of the planning process now. 

I’ve had this post idea brewing in the back of my mind since I started this page! I was browsing Barnes and Noble last week and then had a display of “Page to Screen” books and it seemed like the perfect time to share! 

Crazy Rich Asians

I’m pretty sure this is the only book I’ve ever read where I preferred the movie! If you’ve read the book, I know it’s a struggle to get through. Books 2 and 3 are MUCH better but the movie is a delight! 

The Help

I love love LOVE this book. I don’t like the changes the movie made or what they eliminated, but it is one of those movies I will always stop channel surfing to watch. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

I like all the Harry Potter movies, it’s a great way to get my Hogwarts fix if I’m in the mood but don’t have the time (or room in my bag) to reread the books. I think the first one does the best job of staying true to the story. I do love Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 for it’s book to screen integrity! 

Do you like when your favorite books are made into movies or shows? I love what HBO did with Big Little Lies and I hope more books take that route!