I think I mentioned that I was burned out a bit on historical fiction and mysteries. That lead me to try to find a different genre and memoirs have been where I landed. I recently found and listened to the book Daffodil Hill by Jake Keiser.
I listened to the audiobook form and it was read by the author. I very much enjoyed that. Somehow memoirs seem a little more personal when the actual author is reading.
The author is very my struggling with her life in her 40s and is coming to terms with previous abuse, bad relationships, and lost pregnancies. I love her openness and her thought-provoking honesty. It is so refreshing.
Here is what Amazon had as an overview of the book…
“Jake Keiser (a female) was living the life in Tampa, Florida, running a high-powered PR firm and juggling drink dates, shopping sprees, and charity galas. But at age thirty-eight, following a failed marriage, a series of miscarriages, and a still-blistering breakup, she began to suffer from extreme anxiety. Hit with the realization that no amount of Botox could fill the hole in her heart, she decided to make the impulse purchase of a lifetime and bought a farm in the middle of nowhere, Mississippi.
Suddenly responsible for more than seventy-five animals and five acres of land, and with only one bar of cell service, Jake begins her search for inner peace. She learns to fix a well, haul wood, shoot a gun, and care for baby chicks, goats, turkeys, geese, dogs, and a cat, playing spa music for them when they’re sick and naming them after her favorite fashion designers. The only problem is that she still can’t figure out how to truly care for herself. Unable to escape the accumulated pain of her past, Jake hits rock bottom. With nowhere left to run, she’s finally forced to confront a bracing reality: The farm won’t save her. Only she can save herself.
Poignant, hilarious, and utterly charming, Daffodil Hill is for anyone who feels stuck—for those of us strapped to our desks and dreaming of an unconventional life, for those of us searching for something more. Most of all, it is for people who believe that the greatest love story of all is the one we write with ourselves.”
Amazon readers gave this book 4.6 stars. I am going to agree. The book had me engaged and wanting to read more.
You can find the book HERE if you are interested.
Daffodil Hill sounds like an interesting book. I need to check with library to see is they have in on CD.
Suleiko Jaouad has written a wonderful memoir. I just finished reading it- her life story living with cancer, but has a very uplifting ending. I don’t know if it comes in audio form.
jojo moyes, the giver of stars. yes, historical fiction, but really enjoyable.
Memoirs are a favorite genre for me. Julie Andrews Home (The Early Years) and Home Work (more about her career) were both interesting and entertaining.