Happy Monday, y’all! Not only is it Monday, it’s the first Monday of June, which means it’s time to announce another book for my virtual book club – Mom’s Book Nook! As moms we give up many of our guilty pleasures when our kids are little. For me, that included one of my favorites, my monthly book club with my girlfriends. But I still crave great reads, friendly book banter and people to swap great book recommendations with – and so, Mom’s Book Nook was born! To join in, just read the selected book of the month. You can leave any comments, feedback or book recommendations in the comments below, and now, you can join in on our LIVE, monthly Twitter parties – tonight at 8PM ET.

Mom's Book Nook June 2015

Mom’s Book Nook

My book selection for May was Inside the O’Brien’s by Lisa Genova. I loved Still Alice so much in April, that I couldn’t wait to read Genova’s newest release.

Joe O’Brien is a Boston police officer, the patriarch of an Irish, Catholic family. He begins to exhibit changes in temperament and uncontrollable movements, and is ultimately diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. The book goes on to follow the family as his children grapple with their own genetically-destined fates, as they watch their father’s HD progress.

Just as Alice suffers the loss of her defining career and intellect in Still Alice, Joe’s illness also costs him is life-long career in the police force, as well as his physical strength. I appreciated that Inside the O’Brien’s depicted the experience of chronic illness for a more mainstream, middle-class family, who are forced to grapple with not only the medical realities, but also the financial realities of HD. I also found it ironic that both Alice and Joe shared similar misconceptions of their estranged parents, who suffered their same fates before them. While I didn’t love it as much as Still Alice, it was still a page-turner I found difficult to put down until the end.

#BookNook Twitter Party!

Want to delve into Inside the O’Brien’s even more?? Join me tonight for my monthly Mom’s #BookNook Twitter party. All are welcome. To join in, all you have to do is follow me on Twitter @PGPBMeghan. At 8PM ET, follow #BookNook, and tag all your comments and replies with it as well to be part of the discussion. I hope you will join me! We will talk all about Inside the O’Brien’s, as well as field recommendations for future Mom’s Book Nook books.

June 2015 Book

So last month, as I announced my book selection, I realized all of the Mom’s Book Nook selections had been books grappling with medical conditions – and I promised to change it up for June. The book for June is Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

I broke one of my cardinal rules last month, and I watched the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon, before reading the book. It definitely left me feeling like I had gotten an incomplete, but worthwhile story, and now, I have to read the book!

About the Book

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Wild was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as her first selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. The movie adaptation was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, with a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl and Laura Dern as Cheryl’s mother, Bobbi. Both Dern and Witherspoon were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances in the film.

About the Author

Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir WILD, the bestselling advice essay collection TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, the novel TORCH, and the forthcoming quotes collection, BRAVE ENOUGH. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages around the world.

Strayed’s essays have been published in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, Salon, The Sun, Tin House, and elsewhere. Strayed is the co-host, along with Steve Almond, of the WBUR podcast Dear Sugar Radio, which originated with her popular Dear Sugar advice column on The Rumpus. Strayed holds an MFA in fiction writing from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband the filmmaker Brian Lindstrom and their two children.

Thanks for reading with me and joining in on another month of Mom’s Book Nook. Be sure to join in and share your thoughts on Inside the O’Briens during our Twitter party on Monday, 6/1 at 8PM ET! Just follow me @PGPBMeghan and use #BookNook to be part of the conversation. If you can’t make it, feel free to leave your book comments and recommendations in the comments below. Happy reading!

Monday. 8PM ET. Mom’s #BookNook Twitter Party featuring #InsidetheOBriens #BookClub #readers #kbnmoms pic.twitter.com/ufEHx24PNF

— PGPBMeghan (@PGPBmeghan) May 30, 2015