Saturday, December 22, 2012

I've been Reading a Few Good Books

Reading memoirs about now sober people has been a hobby of mine for years. I keep waiting for Anne Lamott to write one because I love her and would totally follow her advice just because she said so. I have read Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp more times than I can count. (You can read about it here) I borrowed it from a friend years ago. I've read it so many times that I had to finally throw the raggedy book jacket away. (Is there a statute of limitations on "borrowed"? I think by this point I should just call it "took".) I also love Mary Karr's Lit. (Here it is)

I think it made me feel better about the way I drank to read about women who also drank. A lot. (And by a lot I mean drank a lot, not felt better a lot. That part was only a little.)

I've been reading two books these past few weeks that have helped enormously. Don't be put off if you aren't a parent, they both have some solid suggestions. You can substitute words like husband, partner, or cat for the children ones.

The first is Mommy Doesn't Drink Here Anymore. (voila!) Reading it helped me realize that to get sober you have to stop hiding, put yourself out there and ask for help. OUT LOUD.

Another is The TurnAround Mom. (ta da!) I bought this at the same time I bought the Mommy one a year or so ago. And then it disappeared. Only to reappear two nights ago while I was looking for something to read. Wooo ooooo ooooo (make mystical noises here y'all if mine doesn't make sense). :) It is chock full of the good advice every  recovering  living person needs to see from time to time. My favorite bit was about really looking into your children's eyes several times during the day. You could do this with lots of people. I have conversations all the time and then realize I wasn't even paying enough attention to remember if I'd even seen the person I was talking to. But don't get too creepy about it. Freaking people out might not be the best esteem builder.

Sixteen days today! La la la. :)

8 comments:

  1. I liked "Lit" a lot, but -- and maybe i'm the only person on the planet who feels this way -- but i found Caroline Knapp's book to be too much. It was making me feel like having a big drink of wine while i was reading it (she romanticized drinking a bit too much for me), and so i had to abandon it half way. no, really. i might be the only person on the planet who isn't in love with her... I did like "Dry" and, of course, Jason Vale's book :)

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  2. Mnnnnmmm. I agree "Drinking..." but I still really like it. Prob. because 15 years ago it was the first book I'd ever read where I understood exactly where she was coming from. And that someone else in the world drank like I did and felt bad about it. Maybe not *only* person not in love. :) Must get Jason Vale book.

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  3. Hey, congrats on your 2+ weeks of not drinking. Welcome! And Happy Sober Christmas to you! xxx

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  4. I love love love Anne Lamott!
    http://runningonsober.com/2012/10/13/words-for-the-weekend-breathe-anne-lamott-and-the-vigil-volume-xiii/

    Knapp's book is probably my favorite of all the sober books. I could relate to every aspect including the eating disorders and losing her parents. She has a book of essays out called The Merry Recluse that you may like too. So sad that she is gone too soon. I also loved Dry by Augusten Burroughs and Sober Truths, The Making of an Honest Woman by Jill Kelly.

    I haven't read Lit yet, because I want to read Karr's books in order starting with The Liar's Club and then Cherry. I hope to start her books soon!

    A lot of us liked and could relate to "Undrunk" by Scoblic too. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, but liked that running helped her get sober.

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    1. Have you read "Help Thanks Wow" yet? It's on the way from amazon and I wish it would hurry up already!

      I'm re-reading "Drinking..." for the millionth time. Reading I'm-not-a-drunk-anymore memoirs is almost a hobby for me. I'm up to the part about Julian. (what an a-hole!)

      Jason Vale book on the way w/Annie's (yep. we're that close. I wish! I really wish she was my neighbor. She and Catherine Newman http://benandbirdy.blogspot.com/ They complete me. ;))

      I'll check out your other recommendations too. Thanks!

      Amy

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    2. Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining. ~ Anne Lamott

      One of my favorite quotes of all time!!!

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    3. Nope, haven't read "Help Thanks Wow" yet, but I WANT to! I've been stuck in the Game of Thrones series, but I'm almost done with it. So many books, so little time, haha.

      If you wish she was your neighbor, you'll love Michele's post here, SHE MET HER at a recent signing!I'm so jealous!

      http://mishiam.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/an-open-letter-to-anne-lamott/

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  5. So many books, so little time. I have an invisible tattoo of that on my forehead.

    We are now an official Anne Lamott fan club, and we might need our own Facebook page. :)

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