Dear Mr. You | 
pickIf not for Litsy I wouldn‘t have known about this book. I appreciated how Parker tells her life story in short chapters, detailing the men that have made an impact on her life. Her writing was a surprise and a delight.
1. Italy, France, Israel
2. Browsing a book store, spa treatments, curling up with a good book
3. The tagged book ~ a cleverly told memoir
4. My friends on Litsy
so-soI wanted to LOVE this clever memoir, beautifully written by actress Mary Louise Parker but unfortunately the epistolary style left me feeling detached to the content and some letters felt unnecessary or inconsequential compared to others. A quirky & quick read but one that unfortunately will not be amongst my favorites. I know @KarenUK and @Megabooks enjoyed this book, so if you trust their opinions ( which you should) I say give this book a go!
I‘m SUPER EXCITED for these handpicked choices from one of my FAVORITE readers (and friend) @Megabooks 💜💜💜Both books have been on my #ReadersRadar ‼️Thank you for this wonderful birthday gift 💝 📚#LittensAreTheBest 😘😘😘
pickTake note Juliana Margulies, it is possible to write a non-boring celebrity memoir without spilling the tea.
Parker writes letters to the important men in her life. Family, like her father and grandfather; her neighbor; her emergency contact; her childhood priest; and my favorite, one to a loin cloth wearing man named Blue from her pre-fame days. A very creative epistolary memoir!
#7booksin7days #7days7books ##day 6 here‘s another that stayed with me !
pickMary-Louise Parker is a writer. Yes, she's also an actor. But this memoir, told in a series of essays addressed to men in her life, men who are identified most often by station or function or position ("Dear Former Boyfriend," "Dear Mentor," and so on) rather than by name, is simply gorgeous. It's whimsical and serious and heartbreaking. ⬇️
#Top10ofthedecade #NonFictionEdition
@Cinfhen
I‘m not a big non fiction reader as you know.... but these are my favorite ten I‘ve read, published in the last ten years....
Looking at them, I realized almost all of them made me cry, or moved me in some significant way...
Now off to mull over my Fiction choices..... much more tricky! So many amazing books to choose from....💕
so-soI liked the idea of this book. She really took the epistolary style to a different measure and it was very interesting. But, I wasn‘t a fan of how abstract it was. It was almost hard to follow and it didn‘t have a flow. Overall, the writing was good and unique.
pickI cheated and got the audio book but really enjoyed that it was read by the author. While some of it seemed a little too out there for me to grasp, the majority was super enjoyable. Her style is so dry, it had me laughing out loud. The letters to her father hit hard, in a beautiful way. And the letter to her young daughter‘s future boyfriend was perfect!
#Heyjune
Today‘s song choice made me think of books I love that involved letters #frommetoyou
The tagged book was such a unique memoir- her life told through letters to men in her life.... a Grandfather she never met, ex boyfriends, her daughter‘s future partner, even a taxi driver she once encountered...
The writing is great, capturing moments in her life with real honesty and often gratitude, without any snark or meanness, which I loved... 💌
#emojinov #📫 Some absolute favorites of mine where letters play a part.... I adore both the epistolary books on the top row.... Mary Louise Parker‘s memoir in letters to the men in her life was so honest and moving.... and in both Swimming Lessons and Atonement, letters are integral to the plot....
so-soSome parts were strong and some seemed like a bit of filler, but I enjoyed this quick read.
pickLovely writing -smart, poetic, funny and emotional. I loved her ability to recognize the moments that matter - insignificant conversations, acts of kindness, fleeting encounters that meant so much. I aspire to be mindful enough to remember those moments in my own life with such clarity.
Positive and full of gratitude, the lack of meanness was so refreshing in a celebrity memoir.
This book of letters to men in her life will really stay with me.💕
I hope she writes something else but couldn't finish this one too disjointed
As my audiobook is coming to an end, I'd like to ask you guys for recommendations on nonfiction audiobooks! I've listened to some, mostly by actors (Cary Elwes, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari and also actress-singer Carrie Brownstein) and would love to know what other NF audiobooks (whether by celebs or not) you'd recommend! Thanks!
Made some unconventional chicken asparagus carbonara while listening to Mary-Louise Parker read her book. Unconventional because I didn't realize I had no Parmesan and used mozzarella instead. Not the best alternative but hey no one complained! Even the egg-hater 6yo!
so-soThis was equal parts compelling and frustrating. Some passages were great, very profound with a lot of worldly wisdom. In other passages, she came across as a bit flaky, and the stories were very disjointed. Overall, for me at least, this still is worth reading. The premise has inspired me to use a similar format for some journal exercises. I think it will be very therapeutic. 3.5⭐️
I really like the concept of this book so far, writing letters to all of the people in your life who have made an impact in some way or another (even if you haven't met them). Might be a good journal exercise. ❤️
#audiocooking - listening to this fun audiobook while making foolproof salmon (well I used steelhead this time but I usually make it w salmon). It's covered with herbs (I used cilantro), minced shallots and lemon zest, sits in a bed of olive oil and baked in a 250F/120c oven for about 25 min. So good
pickOh my god. This. Freakin'. Book. Beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted. I'd be lying if I said "Dear Cerberus" didn't make me openly weep. Whether you're a MLP fan (I am) or not, this book is worth the read.
pickThis was equal parts beautiful tribute, caustic burn, and emotional explosion. This #audiobook made me sob ugly tears in my car at 7 a.m. This audiobook made me want to never take a cab in New York. This audiobook made me want to call everyone who has ever been my best friend and ask them about how their parents are doing. This audiobook made me want to eat raw oysters and speak to someone whose language I don't understand and hug firefighters.
I absolutely adored this whip-smart collection of letters written by MLP to the men in her life from her father to her daughter's future boyfriend and all sorts of men in between. Although she doesn't dish and identify any of the celebrity recipients, I'm 99% sure both Michael Chabon and Bruce Springsteen,two of my faves, got a missive. MLP reads the audiobook which is a real treat. Just a beautiful book. #epistolary #readjanuary @RealLifeReading
panI think she is a wonderful actress but as much as I thought I'd like this, I was bored. She seems to try too hard to be quirky as opposed to being a natural look.
#Recommendsday
For today's pick, I'm going with something that feels holiday-like to me. This is a series of letters that MLP writes to various men in her life, from her father to a man she never meets, just sees across the room. Thoughtful and well-written. A great read.
pickDamn, Mary-Louise Parker can WRITE. In this unique debut, she writes a series of letters to the men who have shaped her life—from her grandfather and her uncle to an oyster picker and a goat, the letters are deeply human, clever, and poetic in nature. It's the kind of book that everyone can connect with in one way or another, and it leaves you feeling sort of hopeful and good about humanity.
Damn.
these are the books I'm currently reading in rotation. I can't seem to read just one book at a time. lol to each their own.
has anyone read any of these?
pickFinished my last #beachread on my final evening of vacation while waiting on the sun to set. I loved this book. I didn't want to love it, and discovering that Parker is such a lovely writer is a thing I wasn't prepared for at all. The premise was very off-putting, but the essays themselves are really beautiful. I also wasn't prepared for the crazy-intense emotional reactions I felt. Thank goodness for my sunglasses hiding my tears!
I'm loving this, but V is concerned that "there are no pictures in this book."
I have 2 audible credits and don't know what to download. 😩 I love Non-Fiction just a teensy bit more on audible than fiction. I'm thinking Lab Girl, but what are your favorite audio nonfiction books?
#audiobooks #nonfiction
#augustphotochallenge For today's laid back book, I'm choosing Mary-Louise Parker's (yup, THAT MLP), Dear Mr. You. This is a book of letters to various men in her life from her father to a guy she admired across the room. Memoir-ish, but not quite a memoir. Her writing is lovely. Not plot driven, this is a nice laid back read.
pickI just finished this book and I really enjoyed it. I pretty much cried for every piece in the second half. I may have also done some fist pumping....👊 Faves include Dear Mr Cabdriver and Dear Uncle ❤️❤️❤️
About to start listening to Dear Mr. You for the #24in48 - I work all weekend so cross your fingers I can got more read!
pickDid a road trip with Mary-Louise Parker this weekend - absolutely fantastic!! Not a straight narrative but glimpses of life through letters. Didn't expect to love it - wonderful.
pickI know MLP best from her West Wing days. As a celebrity memoir addict, I can say this is one of the most unique. Some of the letters didn't interest me much. But most were captivating and fascinating in how she framed her life in relation to the addressee. I recommend it. Especially the audio.
pickThese stories remind me of my own insecurities and paths taken. It is a love story of those important men in Parker's life. A book of gratitude. Favorite-- Dear Abraham. Great collection!
bailed
