Book Review- Brene Brown's Atlas of the Heart

Thank you to Libro FM for a copy of the audio version of Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart.

I have misjudged Brene Brown. I had not heard of her prior to working at a bookstore and based on the customers purchasing her books, I thought that she “wasn’t for me.” I was under the impression that she is a christian author and that her psychology books have a spiritual bent. That said, I was curious about her popularity and when the opportunity to try the audio version of her latest book, Atlas of the Heart, came up, I decided to give it a go. Atlas of the Heart is a far different book than I had assumed.

In Atlas of the Heart, Brown explores the language that we use to describe emotion. She explains the complexities within the words we use and how sometimes, the meaning of a particular word, might be different from our understanding. Brown’s book is shelved in psychology, but I connected with its exploration of language. This is equally a book about language. It’s beautifully and thoughtfully written. Brown uses photographs, personal stories, and art as an impactful way of explaining the connection between words and emotion.

In her charming and soothing southern accent, Brown narrates the audio version. She comes across as down-to-earth and relatable. My thoughts that her work might have a religious bent were unfounded. She simply mentioned a situation where she attended church, but overall, the book is very secular. I’m not sure if this is true for her other books and I’m not implying that there is anything wrong with christian books or any religious books for that matter, only that they generally don’t hold an interest for me.

Atlas of the Heart is gorgeous in presentation. The audio book comes with a digital guide, so that you won’t miss out on the visual elements. However, I just went ahead and looked at the physical book when I was at work. The hardcover would make a fantastic gift or personal library edition. I can imagine that Atlas of the Heart would be a book that people would reread or return to as a reference.

Book Review- Lauren Graham's Have I Told You This Already : Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Libro FM for both physical and audio arcs of Lauren Graham’s Have I Told You This Already: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember. I ended up listening to the audio version narrated by Graham.

In her second essay collection, actress and writer Lauren Graham shares more tidbits from her life, including her current television gig on The Mighty Ducks, her break-up with partner Peter Kraus, and how she handled the pandemic. Graham’s memoir is both humorous and reflective, a treat for fans, but truly a book that can be widely enjoyed, even by those unfamiliar with her work.

To me, autumn means Gilmore Girls and as we don’t have any new episodes in the works, a book from Lauren Graham is the next best thing. Graham lightly addresses the desire for more Gilmore Girls, but as she really doesn’t have more info on the subject, she doesn’t linger in Stars Hollow. Graham is expansive in her topics. I enjoyed her take on the importance of making friends both older and younger that oneself as a way to expand horizons. Graham has a very lovely friendship with Mae Whitman, who played Graham’s daughter on the television show Parenthood. Graham offers interesting insight regarding her experiences behind-the-camera, with both directing a television episode and pitching a writing project.The sweetest story involves Graham getting a new dog during the pandemic, while on location in Canada. I always love a good pet/human adoption story.

Have I Told You This Already is a mostly feel-good collection of essays that made me happy during this hectic holiday season.

Book Review- Constance Wu's Making a Scene

Thank you to Netgalley, Scribner, and Libro FM for providing me with both a physical and audio galley of Constance Wu’s memoir, Making a Scene. Although I received both versions, I ended up listening to the audio book, narrated by the author.

Actress Constance Wu shares memories of her childhood growing up in Virginia, her early twenties waiting tables and studying acting in New York, and her successful acting career.

Wu gained heaps of negative press when she spoke out about her unhappiness with the renewal of her hit sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. She was seen as ungrateful and a bit of a diva. Wu addresses this incident and gives her side of the story, which is quite compelling and heartbreaking. She also explains the frustration when so many people assume that the character she plays, Jessica Huang, is similar to Wu’s own mother. Wu makes it very clear that her mother bears very little similarities to Jessica, and that the very question is perpetuating stereotypes of Asian mothers.

Although Wu shares bit of her Hollywood career, a bulk of the book involves her childhood, including fond memories of her teenage job working at a bakery and her early love of performing in community theater. She had a fairly ordinary and quiet childhood. I’m only four years older than Wu and many of her stories of growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, especially with regard to technology, rang true to my experience. Wu speaks of her pre-fame years with mostly fondness. She also shares her challenging relationship with her younger sister, which I’m sure many people would find relatable.

I’m a fan of Wu as an actor, but I think I enjoyed this more for being a memoir about a woman from my generation. I found Wu to be very relatable and down to earth, definitely different from how the media has been portraying her.