For April 2021, Jenna Bush Hager picked "Good Company" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney as her Read With Jenna book club pick.
"'Good Company' by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is filled with charm, humor and grace. I was captivated by the way the author writes intimately about human connection, including the ties between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and friends," said the TODAY book expert.
If you loved the book as much as Jenna did, D'Aprix Sweeney recommends picking up these five books next. From touching memoir to romantic comedy, there is a book for every book lover on this list.
And whether you're scrolling through to find a read for yourself or for a loved one this Mother's Day, there's a deal you can take advantage of. Bookshop, a website that supports independent bookstores (and one of Jenna's favorite things), is offering a discount sitewide. You can use the code MOTHERSDAY20 at checkout for 20% off all Bookshop purchases through May 10.
"Early Morning Riser," by Katherine Heiny
BOOKSHOP 20% OFF CODE: MOTHERSDAY20
Heiny's newest book, "Early Morning Riser" is a heartwarming novel about the chaos of relationships. Set in Boyne City, Michigan, the novel tells the story of Duncan, who despite being charming and kind, has slept with almost every woman in town. Jane falls in love with Duncan regardless but often wonders what it would be like to not have to share him with his ex-wife, his ex-wife's husband, his intrusive friends and the many other women of his past. Everything then changes after a car accident.
"It’s laugh-out-loud funny and moving," recalled D'Aprix Sweeney. "I practically read it in one sitting."
"Stray," by Stephanie Danler
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After writing her first novel, "Sweetbitter," Danler felt called to leave her life in New York City and return to Southern California. Once back in her hometown, she starts to work through the traumas of her childhood, one marked by growing up in a home torn apart by addiction. In "Stray," Danler writes about letting go of her past while fighting for a better future.
"Stephanie is a beautiful writer so this is a joy to read and it’s also a gorgeous look at her California," said the "Good Company" author.
Related
"So Much Blue," by Percival Everett
BOOKSHOP 20% OFF CODE: MOTHERSDAY20
Just like "Good Company," the plot of Everett's "So Much Blue" revolves around an affair.
D'Aprix Sweeney explained, "This novel is about an artist who has spent years working on a major abstract painting that he won’t let anyone see — not his children, not his best friend, not even his wife because he believes when she sees it, she’s going to understand his secrets, including an affair he had some ten years earlier in Paris."
The artist, Kevin Pace, finds himself questioning the choices of his past as they collide with the reality of his present.
"Goodbye, Vitamin," by Rachel Khong
BOOKSHOP 20% OFF CODE: MOTHERSDAY20
In "Goodbye, Vitamin," Ruth wasn't expecting to be moving back to her parents as a single and newly jobless thirty-year-old. When she arrives, she discovers her parents are hardly speaking and her father is showing signs of early Alzheimer's disease. In gut-wrenching yet funny prose, the author takes a deep look at grief, family and self-discovery.
According to D'Aprix Sweeney, “Khong manages to make this fraught situation funny and bittersweet and the book explores how a person and a family has to reconfigure around life-changing circumstances."
"Lost and Wanted," by Nell Freudenberger
BOOKSHOP 20% OFF CODE: MOTHERSDAY20
There is nothing particularly unusual about Helen Clapp receiving a phone call from her friend and former Harvard roommate Charlotte Boyce, except for the fact that Charlotte has recently died.
Helen, who has dedicated her life to understanding space-time, is suddenly forced to question her tightly-held understandings that have guided years of research. All the while, she is being pulled back into relationships and feelings from her past.
"It sounds like a mystery and it is a mystery of sorts, but it’s really about friends and lovers and the past and physics, which doesn’t sound exciting but in Freudenberger’s hands, is absolutely riveting," said D'Aprix Sweeney.
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For more book recommendations, check out:
- All of Jenna Bush Hager's book club picks
- Jenna Bush Hager shares 8 must-read books for any mom this Mother's Day
- 5 books to read if you enjoyed 'What's Mine and Yours,' by Naima Coster
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