Natural Disaster: I Cover Them, I Am One is Ginger Zee's memoir. I'll be honest that aside from Ginger providing the weather each morning via my morning show of choice (Good Morning America, obvs) and being a contestant on Dancing With the Stars I knew very little about her life outside of the ABC Network. I was pushed to read this when I saw Ginger's interview with Robin where she shared that the book included her mental health struggles. One of these involved here checking into a mental health facility just one week before she started on GMA. This book was emotionally honest and so refreshing. For better or worse, Ginger shared every step of the way that got her to where she is now. I read this cover to cover on a plane ride (To be fair, while I do read fast, I flew Dallas to Portland, so I had some time), and it was just outstanding.
Read this book if - You're a fan of GMA and/or Ginger Zee. You appreciate a memoir that doesn't just cover the happy stuff.
Letterman was another book I read on my trip. Spoiler Alert: This one is about David Letterman. The Late Show with David Letterman was always my late night show of choice. I used to love the compilation books of Top Ten Lists as a teen, and in my twenties and early thirties, I regularly tuned in. While I spent a lot of time watching Dave, I didn't know a lot about him pre-Late Show. This is a book written by a super fan who does a deep dive into finding out all things Letterman. It was really fascinating to see what Dave could have been, including doing daytime talk and game shows. I always appreciated the unique brand of humor Dave had, and this was a "behind the scenes" look at how that was crafted. Also, it made me miss Letterman, but happy he's got new stuff on Netflix to fill the void.
Read this book if - You are a fan of David Letterman. Otherwise, I'm not sure you'd enjoy this one as I did.
Soar With Your Strengths is the original "source text" for the concept of CliftonStrengths (aka StrengthsQuest). I've been working with Strengths for a lot of my career, and I'd somehow never read this one. The edition I found was even before the assessment was even a thing. I appreciated that this helped me understand where the stuff I've been referencing for years legit came from. It's a little odd that I've waited this long to take it back to where it all began, but also I feel like having all the practical experience was a good full circle reflection. I'm definitely planning on infusing some of this book as I continue to work with Strengths going forward. Also, if you ever want to talk Strengths, HMU.
Read this book if - You have worked with CliftonStrengths and like understanding where it came from. You've taken CliftonStrengths and want to know more about how to put it into action.
Who Do You Love was predictable in the best of ways. When you read Jennifer Weiner, you know what you're going to get, and this was no different. The premise of this one begins with a chance meeting in a hospital of a girl with a congenital heart defect and a boy who's unexpectedly there. From there, they become connected, but at the same time, they can't get their timing just right for THREE DECADES of life. I'm going to go ahead and tell you surprising no one that this has a happy ending. However, despite knowing that was exactly where this was going from the first page, I still devoured this one. I've read a fair amount of JW, and this is one of my favorites.
Read this book if - You are looking to read a rom-com in book form. You are okay with a book where you know exactly how it's going to end, but you'll still read a story to find out about how they get there.
