Happy Memorial Day! I hope your day has been filled with BBQ, family, and fun! Today for my What I’m Up To post, we are going to be doing something a little different. The What I’m Up To posts will continue, but they will be interspersed with critiques and reviews of some of the albums I’m listening to, movies/ TV shows I’m watching, and books I’m reading. These will be more in-depth then the short overviews I typically feature. I would love to hear your feedback as always and if you have any certain posts you want to hear more about, I would be happy to oblige!

As you know, I’ve been reading “I’ll Drink to That” by Betty Halbreich for the last couple of weeks. I just finished it last night and absolutely adored it. Here’s why…

1. Betty is also a Lefty! As someone who identifies very strongly as left-handed, I love reading about other lefties. I had no idea Betty was a lefty and was so pleasantly surprised!

2. The book is candid. She doesn’t sugar-coat any of her life struggles or flaws, but at the same time, it’s not a sob story. She’s not asking you to feel sorry for her, she’s just being honest. Especially with an auto-biography, it was refreshing to read something that was infused with pain and heart-break, but also with joy and fulfillment. Life isn’t all tragedy or elation. There is a mix and to see that from someone else made Betty relatable in a unique way.

3. Betty is funny. She is honest to a fault, but not mean. Her stories are so outlandish, but she tells them in such a way that they are believable. She really is all that and more and she had me laughing through the whole book.

4. Finally, after turning the last page, I was inspired. This is a woman who is not afraid to get up and do things and to demand things out of the people around her and the situations she finds herself in. After reading this, I want to go out and do things!

So, to say I enjoyed the book would be an understatement. My only criticism would be that the chapters were a little long. Otherwise all I can say is if you haven’t already added this to your reading list, you are missing out. Until next time, XO