Sponsored by Mulholland Books.
Isaiah Quintabe—a young, unlicensed detective from East Long Beach—and his masterful sidekick, Juanell Dodson find themselves at a crossroads in this latest installment of the IQ mystery series. Author Joe Ide is a crime writer’s crime writer, and he’s filled his best novel yet with desperate souls, courageous outcasts, and truly evil villains. With deft plotting, lacerating humor, and a keen eye for the ways in which characters rise or fall based on their ties to one another, Smoke is Joe Ide’s crowning achievement.
Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!
Today is Plan a Solo Vacation Day, which doesn’t seem very exciting while we are all dealing with the current global panorama. However, it’s the perfect time to plan the amazing vacation you will go on once we are all vaccinated and able to jetset again. If you need some inspiration on how to plan the most epic solo trip, then look no further than Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir that launched a thousand trips.
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Around 30, Elizabeth Gilbert was already going through a midlife crisis. She had everything a woman is expected to want: husband, house, career, but instead of finding fulfillment, Elizabeth was consumed with anxiety. After going through divorce, depression, and a failed rebound relationship, Elizabeth decides to take the radical step of leaving everything behind to find out who she really is and what she really wants.
In full disclosure, Eat Pray Love is one of those books I was excited to read, but it didn’t live up to my high expectations. However, I will never regret reading it. Although I read this book long after the hype around it was gone, I understand why it inspired so many people to go on their own journey of self-exploration around the world. Who wouldn’t want to escape the everyday rat race of life to find peace through hours of meditation or eat the best pizza and pasta in the world?
Despite being annoyed by Gilbert’s self-centered nature, I cannot deny her witty, funny, and engaging writing. Whenever I felt like I was at my wit’s end with her antics, she would win me over with another observation and anecdote that made me chuckle or smile. It’s been a few years since I’ve read Eat Pray Love, but sometimes I find myself thinking about it. Most of the time, I think about the pizza that was so good, it’s almost worth dying for.
If you are like me and prefer to read books once everyone stops talking about them then I invite you to read Eat Pray Love. If it does nothing else, it may inspire you to finally take that solo trip to find yourself.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
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