Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This is hands down one of the best books on US race relations I have ever read. Also one of the best books I have ever read, period.
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness
Trigger warning: this book contains discussions on sexual abuse and addiction issues.
JVN, thank you for being so honest with the readers in this incredible memoir (and for being the beautiful human you are).
Kick Ass with Mel Robbins: Life-Changing Advice from the Author of “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins
In this audiobook, we hear the life stories of eight incredible individuals.
First, I was surprised how good each and every one of them were at talking. The live sessions of them with Mel were really enjoyable and we, as listeners, really feel the emotions in their room through their voices, pauses, and word choices.
Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
This book is amazing! Written as a memoir and unlike historic textbooks, Nina gave her readers an insight of what life in East Germany was like with an intimate approach. We follow her family story as her mother, Hanna, fled East Germany in hopes of being free, and how Oma and the others dealt with their life behind the Iron Curtains. The book is very sad and depressing but has a happy ending. I cannot recall how many times I’ve cried reading on subways, in coffee shops, and once on a plane over East China Sea. Forty Autumns is emotionally compelling and very enthralling. All the personal stories of Nina’s family members were all very dramatic, making the book even more interesting than plain memoirs.
Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, performed by L.A. Theatre Works