Guest blog site: The Ardent Biblio
Ally Boudreau
Your twenties are when you learn the most– about life, love, yourself, your interests, just about everything. Your brain finally develops fully, and life throws big-girl things at you like rent, a 9-5, student loans, all at the same time. We all know life can feel overwhelming and mundane. Escaping to a fictional place or reading advice from someone who was once in your position feels like asking an older sister or an aunt how they dealt with their twenties. Personally, I’m a sucker for memoirs. Learning about people’s real-life experiences with motherhood, dating, drugs, mental health, friendships and more allows us readers to not feel alone. Knowing others have gone through post-grad blues, therapy, and dating apps allows us to find humor and relatability in our hardships. As I embark on this journey known as my twenties, I’m excited to read some insightful books that might just (hopefully) hold my hand through it.
Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
In this memoir, Dolly Alderton tells us all her stories about parties, dates, friends, jobs, life, and love in early adulthood. She finds humor in growing older and experiencing adulthood. “Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all”.
The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
Another memoir about honesty and the hardships of life, this has been on my TBR forever. This mother recounts the tragic events she experienced with her husband and daughter, and how her ideas of death, marriage, and motherhood were completely changed forever. I actually get to read this for one of my classes this semester.
Girl, Interrupted – Susanna Kaysen
I must have a thing for memoirs. This classic is about a young woman sent to a psychiatric hospital (the same one Sylvia Path went to) and what she experienced there. Something about this just feels right to read as I enter the insanity surrounding adulthood.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break The Silence – Michele Filgate
The work of fifteen writers mesh to tell stories about their relationships with their mothers, children, and motherhood. Your twenties are for healing relationships with your mothers and your children. It’s time to learn and grow.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation – Ottessa Moshfegh
This novel dives into mental health, drug use, and the loneliness that encompasses your twenties. The main character literally hibernates for months, which may sound appealing but turns out to be her worst idea yet. I read this book this summer and found it incredibly interesting and for lack of a better word, weird.
Let’s face it, your twenties are hard. Beautiful, mundane, full of life, and a test. They look different for everyone—whether you’re in college, working, becoming a mother, finding love, healing your relationship with yourself, learning, or growing up. As our brains fully develop, we are tested and realize how little we know about life. Your twenties are an awakening, and what better way to get through it than reading the experiences and wisdom of those who have been through it. I’m excited for this decade, this journey, this revelation for myself. I’m sure I’ll add to and update this TBR throughout my twenties, and I’d love to hear what you’re all reading as well.
