March Highlights 2023
April Showers Bring May Flowers…but first, let’s talk about my March reading life. Four debut novels, tons of audiobooks, a favorite author, and some backlist beauties paired with a cozy cup of tea filled all my bookworm needs. Here are some of the books I read and where I landed with each of them.
Whether you read one or 21 books this March, I hope you feel delighted with all the words you consumed!
Stash: My Life in Hiding
I have got one hell of a book for you. Be prepared to feel all the feels with this one. Laura Cathcart Robbins’ memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding, is her unimaginable story of addiction and journey to sobriety. Page by page, she details her daily struggles with Ambien and alcohol. I love how there is some distance between when Robbins’ addiction was in full swing and when her memoir was published. I truly enjoy following her on social media and seeing how joyful her life is now.
My What If Year 1/22/23
I am so excited to share the first book to be published by ZIBBY BOOKS. 𝘔𝘺 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐𝘧 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳: 𝘈 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳 comes out on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟕𝐭𝐡. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
🎁2022 HOLIDAY BOOKS & PAIRINGS🎁
The 2022 Dear Mr. Hemingway Holiday Books & Pairings is HERE, and short and sweet—perfect for everyone exhausted from endless decision-making. In this year’s minimalist guide, I chose five books & five pairings that have DELIGHTED me every which way. This year’s lineup includes a scrumptious new cookbook, a mesmerizing book of poems, a musical memoir, a thriller in a secluded cabin, and a tantalizing tale of love and lust. My pairings are equally satisfying. They can be mixed and matched and open the doors to many products from pretty spectacular businesses. I hope you enjoy my holiday roundup for shopping made easy this holiday season! Be sure to click on the book pictures below to purchase these books for the book lover in your life. Don’t forget to click on the highlighted pairings as well. If you are looking for a more extensive list of Books & Pairings, check out my past gift guides RIGHT HERE!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS~NOVEMBER 2022
I am so happy to announce our #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS NOVEMBER PICK. We will be reading Stolen, by Elizabeth Gilpin. There is no doubt in my mind that this memoir won’t spark the most intense conversations. COME READ WITH US!
DEAR FRIDAY~10/14/22
October 14, 2022 Dear Friday! You are here again, and I am not mad about it. Monday holidays always throw me off and completely mess with my head. I basically had no clue what the date was or what day it was ALL WEEK. It all worked out because I
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS AUGUST SELECTION
Hello Gorgeous Readers! I am so excited to announce that after taking the month of July off, #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS is back with our August book selection. I hope you will join Katie and I AND all the fabulous readers over on Instagram for this online book discussion.
Listen Up
Spring is officially in the air, and my reading life feels wonderfully on point. I constantly switch up genres to keep up with my ever-changing mood, and it’s the #1 reason I hardly ever get bored with my books. Today I am sharing two books that could not possibly be more different from one another, yet both were captivating in their unique way. A memoir about healing from trauma while climbing Mount Everest and a work of spectacular fiction that involves dead bodies and over-the-top rich people is what I am talking about today, so listen up.
Nutcrackers & Handsprings: Books About the Cutthroat World of Ballet and Gymnastics
Today I am sharing four books that capture the fierce passion and wild side of ballet and gymnastics. Scandal, abuse, injuries, eating disorders, and love fill the pages of today’s reads. The lineup is dripping in all of the blood, sweat, and tears that we love to read about. And GUESS WHAT? Legwarmers and leotards are entirely optional. You can be captivated by these stories from the comfort of your living room couch wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. How great is that!!!!
Golden Ticket
As we all know, you can’t judge a book by its cover, which is why I absolutely love reading memoirs. Memoirs give me a sneak peek into someone else’s life. I am a fly on the wall somewhere different. Somewhere vulnerable, somewhere true. Whether I am laughing, crying, learning or relating, memoirs are personal treasures that writers share with their readers. I just finished reading Miseducated: A Memoir by Brandon P. Fleming and my eyes are wide open. I challenge any reader not to be inspired by this fantastic read.
Try On Your Dreams For Size
Erin French is the owner and chef of the critically acclaimed restaurant, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧, a 𝘛𝘐𝘔𝘌 world dining destination, in Freedom Maine. In her new memoir, Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch, French shares how her world famous restaurant came to be. From roaming barefoot across a 25-acre farm as a child, to her personal and culinary journey through the years, French’s memoir is DIVINE.
Guest Writer~L.A. Detwiler
I am over the moon to have USA TODAY Best Selling author, L.A. Detwiler on the blog today. Detwiler is the author of The Widow Next Door and several other chilling page-turners including A Tortured Soul, which I really enjoyed.
Fashion Scenes & Low Rise Jeans
Gabrielle Korn, a digital media expert, former editor at Refinery29 and former editor-in-chief of Nylon shares in her new memoir, personal essays relating to this very issue. Her story is an eye-opening, contemporary account of how damaging the fashion and beauty industries have been (and still can be) to women. Her writing is fresh and alive and pretty much blew me away. I hope you will read her book and find wisdom and courage in her words.
Kelly’s Top 10 Books Of 2020
Here are my Top 10 Books Of 2020 in random order! Whether I laughed out loud or was completely moved, each one of these books spoke to me in a unique way!
How To Save A Life
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
Every time I read a memoir I say to myself, “ Kelly…why don’t you do this more often?” I have always been fascinated by other people’s stories…Sometimes it’s me being nosey 🤣🤣, but mostly I enjoy reading about someone else’s journey and perspective on life. Memoirs to me ignite empathy and understanding.
Girls…Run The World
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
I am coming at you today Mr. H. with a whole lot of girl power. I hope all your “masculinity” can handle it 😂. I am talking about the fabulous Glennon Doyle and Jen Hatmaker! These two motivational ladies are the “QUEENS” of self love and all things good in the world. They know how to navigate the murky waters of religion and sexual identity. With empathy, they champion those who struggle.
“Ernest”Chitter Chatter
Dear Lovely Readers,
I am excited to announce The Dear Mr. Hemingway Book Discussion Group….”Ernest” Chitter-Chatter With Kelly & Friends. My goal is to connect all of my readers (and me too) with a wide variety of fabulous books and incredible authors. Not only will you have the chance to discuss a monthly book with other book lovers from around the world, but you also will have the opportunity to connect with the author as well. All your burning questions can finally be answered by authors you know and love. Not too shabby.
July Discussion Read
Hello Lovely Readers,
I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their summer. Over here at Dear Mr. Hemingway, I am constantly developing new bookish ways we can all connect over our love of reading. This month, I am hosting a book discussion on an extraordinary memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin…Call me American.
Audio Books Worth Your Hours
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
I have written to you about my love of audio books before. In my days, they were actually referred to as “books on tape”. I still catch myself saying that from time to time…especially when my kids look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. Anyway, do you know how many times I have fallen asleep listening to your book, The Old Man and the Sea? Well, it feels like a thousand.
Guest Writer~Fiona Davis
Dear lovely readers,
Today is another fabulous day on the blog. It is the fourth week of the Dear Mr. Hemingway Guest Writer~Author Edition series. I am so thrilled to tell you about today’s author, Fiona Davis. Let me first start off by saying that Fiona is the National Best Selling author of The Dollhouse (Dutton), The Address (Dutton), The Masterpiece (Dutton), and most recently, The Chelsea Girls (Dutton).
The Best Books of 2019!!!
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
Can you believe that today is the last day of 2019? The last day of this DECADE???? This year has turned out some tremendous reads. Today I am sharing my top nine reads of 2019. Whether I was excited, crying, horrified, or genuinely scared, these nine books delivered the feels!!!!
Whistle While You Work!
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
Oh, how I love a good memoir, especially one that I can read in just one sitting. Maid, by Stephanie Land, will have you glued to your seat until the very last page. Land shares her experience as a single mom who lived in poverty while cleaning houses for a living. She is smart, hardworking, and determined to make ends meet for her and her daughter.
A Memoir That Makes You Go 😱
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
I just read a memoir that I most certainly could not put down. I found the pages of this book practically turning themselves. Readers will absolutely escape their own reality and be transported back to Westover’s childhood where they will be thanking their lucky stars it was not their own. I was beyond captivated by Tara Westover’s story and utterly baffled by her childhood and family dynamics.