Racking up the Reads: February
Another month, another beer!
Hey Book Babes-
I hope you’re all sticking strong with your book goals for the year. I’m happy to say that I read 6 (can you believe it, SIX!!) books last month, which now feels like a tough goal to keep up with as we’ve moved into February. I’ll chalk it up to January being eighteen years long, and no one is allowed to judge me if my number is way lower in Feb. Friends don’t judge friends on their reading progress, don’t forget that.
So, let’s get into February…
In honor of Valentine’s Day and Black History Month, I’m leaning hard into love, as well as empowerment, which are the two emotions I am feeling strongly right now. So many books fill me with the warm fuzzies when it comes to love - stories of best friends, stories of romantic partnership, stories of lost love even - but the BEST kind of love stories are the ones that make you re-fall in love with the life you have, and make you incredibly thankful for the path you’re on. Some of these stories are hard to read, they contain subject matter that makes us cry, but they ultimately make us think, and invite us to grow.
So, you guessed it, my picks this month are three books that sat with me for months, and gave me that warm finish- my favorite book hangovers if you will. Which leads me to the beer…
Bourbon Cru… a beer that may not be my number one love, or my favorite hangover, but is a beer that feels deep and complex. A delectable beer with medium body and brilliant clarity after months of barrel aging, Bourbon Cru contains flavors of almond, toffee and oaky vanilla, as well as notes of dark cherries, raisin, and subtle hints of plum, which when combined with its caramel overtones, creates a sense of harmony and a smooth, robust and warming finish.
So, grab a Bourbon Cru, and let’s dig in.
#1: The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
This was my first read of the year, and honestly, I’m still thinking about it. The story follows 26 year old Lucy, who, like most of us at 26, just wants to skip to the good part of her life - past the entry level jobs, past the swiping on dating apps, past the cheap and leaky apartments. With the luck of a wish, she wakes up 16 years in the future with what she thinks is the dream life, but is it? A story that reminded me that the journey along the way to the destination is so important, there’s no need to rush to finish that Bourbon Cru. Savor it.
#2: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Talk about a book that wrecked my soul - well honestly, most books by Taylor tend to leave me sobbing, laughing, and wanting more - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the life of Evelyn Hugo, as told by Evelyn Hugo. When Monique, a young reporter, is chosen to interview and write a biography for THE Evelyn, she’s not sure why she was picked. But hearing the starlet recount the glamorous life she lived in Hollywood, and the seven husbands she acquired along the way, Monique finds herself learning more about friendship, ambition, and great love, and discovers she is more connected to this story than she originally thought.
#3: Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
A book to read, and then age (barrel age, get it?) with. Uncomfortable Conversations really dives into the ways we, as humans, can begin to have some, well, uncomfortable conversations around systematic racism and learned behaviors to make positive change for the future. I found this book to be incredibly beautiful, hard to read, and hard to put down, as Acho offers a safe space to sit and digest even the simplest of questions surrounding a not so simple issue. He invites the readers into friendship, into compassion, and ultimately, into open discussion, which I think encompasses a robust and warming finish.
I love sharing these with you every month, and hopefully you’ll find a new book to read and to love, but if not, that’s okay- there’s always next month. Keep coming back to explore reads that are maybe a little darker, some that have you asking “but does it make sense”, and some that are just good old tropical beach reads. See you next month…
Paige Kinder is Hardywood’s Event Manager and handles all private events - large and small! She’s a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a degree in History. She loves a good Pils and her dog son Ben.