Airplane Reading

I love a good book on a plane. Add in a cheese plate and I'm set for the rest of the flight 😉 Here's what I brought on our recent travel to and from California...

1. Girl, Wash Your Face

Y'all, this one has been everywhere. I'm sure you've seen it all over your social media, and for good reason! It's bright and happy, like having a cheerleader looking over your shoulder. 

Amazon Synopsis:

With wry wit and hard-earned wisdom, popular online personality and founder of TheChicSite.com founder Rachel Hollis helps readers break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled and exuberant life they are meant to have.

Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son’s request that she buy a necklace to “be like the other moms,” Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.

I hadn't realized how "self help-y" this novel was until I opened it. I feel a lot of the advice was either common knowledge or things I already know/believe (choosing your attitude, for example), but it's still nice to have a reminder and hear it again. What I enjoyed more was the direct memoir part - the author's story was unique, inspiring and interesting.

Amazon: 4.9/5

My Rating: 4.4/5

2. The Perfect Mother

This thriller came up on my Amazon "you might like" list. Bonus - it's set to be made into a movie starring Kerry Washington!

Amazon Synopsis:

They call themselves the May Mothers--a group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month. Twice a week, they get together in Brooklyn's Prospect Park for some much-needed adult time.

When the women go out for drinks at the hip neighborhood bar,they are looking for a fun break from their daily routine. But on this hot Fourth of July night, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is taken from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but her fellow May Mothers insisted everything would be fine. Now he is missing. What follows is a heart-pounding race to find Midas, during which secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are destroyed. 

The "May Mothers" reminded me so much of my own Scottsdale "Boys Club" - we were a group of six moms who all had baby boys within months of each other. Those early months you're just surviving, and we went through it all together. There's nothing like the friends you have your first babies with! Of course, none of our newborns went missing, which brings me to this point: if you're currently pregnant or have a newborn, this book might not be for you (unless you can do an exceptional job of removing yourself). I think the content will just hit too close to home. As for the writing quality, I wouldn't put it up there with Gillian Flynn, but it's the same genre (thriller with twists), with maybe a bit of Liane Moriarty thrown in.

Amazon: 4.2/5
My Rating: 4.3/5

3. The Flight Attendant

Max pointed out it was very "meta" that I was reading this on a plane. It was actually the best plane read out of these three because it had so much going on - a true page turner!

Amazon Synopsis:

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police - she's a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home - Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it's too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? 

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.

The whole "I'm a drunk and can't remember what I did" schtick seemed like a repeat of The Girl on the Train, but I let it slide. I appreciated that the setting and content was a bit out of the norm than what I typically read (the novel starts in Dubai, includes some of Europe and touches on Russian government and intelligence). Also, it was fun to get a glimpse into flight attendant life (especially since our former babysitter left Alabama last year to move to Dubai as a flight attendant for Emirates!). Overall, I'd recommend! 

Amazon: 3.9/5

My Rating: 4.3/5

SaveSave
SaveSaveSaveSave