Joseph Jarrett

By now, you all know that I love to give credit to the artwork that is rooted in my soul. Usually, you see me paying homage to music, but not today. In today’s edition, I am going to do a deep dive into some books (both fictional and non-fictional) that hold a piece of my heart each. There is something so beautiful about the art of writing. You just never know how something you thought in your head and put on paper might just be the thing that saves someone.

            I have always considered myself an avid reader and a novice writer. Ever since I was a kid, I never struggled to take time out of my day for books or stories. In fact, I have always craved it. I want to know more, see different perspectives, and hear new ideas. There is so much beauty in the written word.

            For each of the books I cover, I will link the Goodreads page and explain to you why it hits so hard and differently for me. If you love a good dissertation, buckle up because here it comes.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195820807-just-for-the-summer          

I read this one for the first time while sitting on the rooftop porch of a house in the Outer Banks. It was the perfect environment for a summertime love story. But there was something about the way Abby Jimenez panned out the characters’ thoughts and emotions that made me change my viewpoint on love. I loved this book so much that I made a certain page my phone’s lock screen picture for about a year. On page 392, Jimenez writes out the true way leading man Justin feels about leading lady Emma. The portion I am talking about is too much to quote in its entirety, but here’s a line that actually made me cry:

“This is the kind of love that forever is made of. Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.”

            There’s a section of the internet that praises “men written by women,” and there is something to be said about that. These leading men really do change your outlook in female-written works. By the time I finished the book, I came to the realization that I never wanted a Prince Charming. Rather, I wanted a Justin. An ordinary man who has an extraordinary personality, a man who loves with the force of nature, and makes things feel okay when they definitely are not. I tried my best to give the men I wrote about their due diligence, but it was nothing compared to this. I do not know that I have experienced a Justin yet, myself, but I am hopeful I will one day.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150487-red-white-royal-blue

I never really expanded into LGBTQ+ literature until I was a young adult. It was not available to me in my tiny Catholic high school, and there was also the fact that I didn’t come out and openly explore the culture until I was eighteen. Everything changed when I got my hands on this masterpiece. My hopeless romantic spirit could not handle the intensity and the palpability of the love that grew between Alex and Henry. I always dreamed of an excitingly scary romance, but never to the scale of what this fictional First Son and Prince of England had to deal with. Despite that drastic difference, I still felt very seen by this work. Specifically, I saw a lot of myself in Henry. The boy who wanted to live as himself to the fullest, but felt held back by the chains of being a pathological people pleaser. It was Henry versus societal norms, family traditions, and a whole lotta bad history. Love changed him, though, and helped him find his way. There’s something to be said about that.

And for my all-time favorite book…

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

           https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480479.Under_the_Tuscan_Sun

Goodness gracious! You could never convince me there is a story better than this one. While I absolutely adore Diane Lane’s performance in the 2003 film, there’s something so special about the true Frances’s words and experiences. It’s real and authentic. Does it get any better than that? While I may not have survived divorce and rebuilding an old Italian villa, I have survived heartbreak and done things to help me move forward and rebuild my life. Every time I have been let down in life or love, I take a moment and remind myself that it is simply a stone I am patching in the villa that is my life. Frances taught me that it is okay for me to broken and unsure, but that I also need to give myself grace and find beauty in the cracks. I gift this book often to friends and possible romantic interests. It does not matter of they are broken or not, the story resonates with literally anyone. We are all human, we all have things to work through. Some fun stories set in Italy just make it sound so much better.

…

            There you have it. My top three books and sources of inspiration in all that I do. While I may not (yet) be on the same caliber as these writers, I look to them whenever I struggle. If they can create such magical stories and words, then maybe I could do someday. Maybe I can be that author for a new, young writer who has zero idea what they are doing. We all deserve a chance to learn.

            Connect with me and let’s continue the conversation! Tell me your top three books and why those authors’ words stick out to you. Let’s be humanistic about this one.