This was a nice month of reading with quite a range! We went from a comforting book of illustrations to one that dissects the stock market crash of 1929 with a fine-tooth comb. It’s all about balance!

Dear New York, I Love You by Ria Sim

Blurb: Celebrate New York’s colorful streets, classic haunts, and simple beauties with these intimate sketches.

My thoughts: This is mostly a book of illustrations, but they are so well done that I want to get a physical copy of this book! The account of Ria Sim popped up in my Instagram feed recently, and I instantly fell in love with her drawings. They’re just cheerful and comforting. This book features her illustrations of various places around New York City throughout the seasons. This book would make a great gift!

The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin

Blurb: Legendary editor Judith Jones, the woman behind some of the most important authors of the 20th century—including Julia Child, Anne Frank, Edna Lewis, John Updike, and Sylvia Plath—finally gets her due in this “surprising, granular, luminous, and path-breaking biography” (Edward Hirsch, author of How to Read a Poem).

My thoughts: I LOVED this book! I was drawn to this book because of the show Julia on HBO. Sadly, the show only got two seasons because it was a wonderful watch that I couldn’t get enough of. If you’re a fan of food or Julia Child or the 60s, I think you’d love it as well. One of the show’s main characters was Judith Jones, and the actress who portrayed this real-life publisher was so lovable.

The real Judith Jones is the one who helped catapult Julia Child into superstar status. She published her cookbook at a time when doing so wasn’t popular. Judith also helped publish Anne Frank’s diary. She was a revolutionary, and I admire her even more after reading this book. I also learned she struggled with endometriosis and felt an even deeper kinship with this incredibly impressive woman.

Champagne: How the World’s Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times by Don and Petie Kladstrup

Blurb: Throughout history, waves of invaders have coveted the northeast corner of France: Attila the Hun in the fifth century, the English in the Hundred Years War, the Prussians in the nineteenth century. Yet this region – which historians say has suffered more battles and wars than any other place on earth – is also the birthplace of one thing the entire world equates with good times, friendship and celebration: champagne.

Champagne is the story of the world’s favourite wine. It tells how a sparkling beverage that became the toast of society during the Belle Epoque emerged after World War I as a global icon of fine taste and good living. The book celebrates the gutsy, larger–than–life characters whose proud determination nurtured and preserved the land and its grapes throughout centuries of conflict.

My thoughts: I had no clue what was in store when I started this book, but I’m glad I read it! The Champagne region of France has had a tumultuous, traumatic history over the centuries, and yet, they’ve survived. The lengths the locals went to preserve the vines, grapes, and bottles of champagne during battles and war were fascinating to read about. It made me appreciate my beloved bubbles even more!

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Blurb: From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, “the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis,”* comes a spellbinding narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history. With the depth of a classic history and the drama of a thriller, 1929 unravels the greed, blind optimism, and human folly that led to an era-defining collapse—one with ripple effects that still shape our society today.

My thoughts: I’ve always been intrigued by the 1920s and the Great Depression that followed. I kept seeing this book everywhere and thought I’d tackle it, despite knowing nothing about the finance world. If it were possible to have negative knowledge about the finance world, that is how I’d describe my understanding. This was still an interesting read, though. It details the stories of the players involved in the stock market crash, and I appreciated the narrative woven in with the more cut-and-dry financial terms.