Nan McCarthy

author of Since You Went Away, Chat, Connect, Crash, & Live ’Til I Die

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I loved this book for a lot of reasons. Michelle Obama grew up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago—the same neighborhood where my mom grew up, and about three miles from the neighborhood where I was born (Cottage Grove Heights). Reading about her childhood brought back a ton of memories of my early years on the South Side of Chicago as well as stories my mom told us about her own childhood. It was also really fun reading all the behind-the-scenes stories of Michelle’s career, how she met Barrack, and what it was like raising two kids in the White House. The only part where the book lagged a little for me was near the end where Michelle wrote about her many accomplishments as First Lady. I was already aware of a lot of this stuff—I’m especially grateful to her & Jill Biden for their work supporting military spouses (Joining Forces)—but I was more interested in the personal stories and things that weren’t already public knowledge. I get why it was necessary to include all that in her bio—she accomplished a lot! This was an outstanding, compelling story about a fascinating woman during an important moment in American history. If you love biographies / autobiographies as much as I do, I highly recommend Becoming. • #MichelleObama #Becoming #autobiography #nonfiction #SouthSideChicago #SouthShore #JoiningForces #militaryspouses #milspouse #lovetoread

If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief over a few plot points, this was a super fun read. Five women enter the remote Australian bushland on a corporate retreat; only four come out alive. Talk about office politics! 😂 I loved the police investigator character (Aaron Falk) in Harper’s first book, The Dry, and Falk is no less enchanting in this one. If you’re looking for an entertaining, quick read, give Harper a try. I’m looking forward to reading her newest book, The Lost Man. • #JaneHarper #ForceOfNature #TheDry #AaronFalkseries #suspensefiction #pageturner #lovetoread

Security consultant Gavin de Becker is in the news lately due to famous client Jeff Bezos, who hired de Becker to investigate American Media Inc., parent company of the National Enquirer, on its alleged attempts to blackmail Bezos. • Best known for his 1997 book The Gift of Fear, de Becker followed up in 1999 with Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane). I read this the year it came out, when our sons were nine and six years old, because I was concerned about keeping my kids safe in an unsafe world. In his first book (The Gift of Fear), de Becker promotes the idea that we should harness our fear of people and situations and listen to our gut when it comes to avoiding violent individuals and unsafe situations. Protecting the Gift applies that concept to parenting, where de Becker provides tips on not only how to detect people who might be harmful to our children but—most importantly—how to teach our children to trust their instincts about people and prepare them for being out in the world on their own without becoming overly fearful. • I highly recommend this book for parents with children of any age. As someone born & raised on the South Side of Chicago, I’ve always been hyper-aware of my surroundings, but the tips de Becker provides take trusting one’s instincts to a whole new level. I’m absolutely certain I’ve avoided potentially dangerous situations any number of times after reading this book 20+ years ago. As Elvis once said, “Trust your gut, ‘cuz your gut doesn’t know how to lie.” • Oh, and one more thing. How in the world is it that guys somehow still think dick pics are sexy and / or a good idea? • #GavindeBecker #ProtectingtheGift #TheGiftofFear #JeffBezos #theNationalEnquirer #nonfiction #parenting #trustyourgut

#latergram #westbottomskc #goodbyejanuary #onward

A few of my favorite places. #latergram #hometown #chicagohighlights #sweethomechicago #picasso #chicagopicasso #daleyplaza #cloudgate #anishkapoor #thebean #milleniumpark #palmerhouse #palmerhouselobby #ceilingfresco #louispierrerigal #millerspub #statestreet #southloop #southside #whitecastle

#shoppingwithmylove #vintageshit #shoppingisfun #westbottoms #firstfridaykc #kansascity #kcmo

#neighborhoodwalk #awalkinthepark #awalkwithmylove #myhappyplace #loosepark #kcneighborhood #snowstorm2019 #kcsnowstorm #winterwonderland #kansascity #kcmo #nofilter #igkc #igkansascity #instakc

Stay safe out there. #snowstorm2019 #snowstormkc #kcmo #kansascity

I loved Richard Lloyd Parry’s People Who Eat Darkness (it’s one of my favorite true-crime books), and his latest work captured my interest in much the same way. In March 2011 a 120-ft tsunami hit northeast Japan, killing more than 18,000 people. One of the worst aspects of the tragedy were the unnecessary deaths of 74 children at Okawa Elementary School, who could have escaped the tsunami were it not for the negligence and poor decisions of the teachers and administrators in charge at the time. Parry focuses on a few of the families whose children either perished or escaped the tsunami, making the story extremely personal and gripping. My husband and I lived in Japan for three years so I found the up-close insights into Japanese culture and how the families dealt with the tragedy especially engrossing. Most Westerners think “sayonara” is what Japanese people use for “goodbye,” but in most cases “sayonara” is too formal & final for everyday leave-taking. Instead, the schoolchildren who left their homes for school that morning used the more informal and intimate “itte kimasu” to say goodbye to their parents—“Having gone, I will come back.” And in response, their parents, who had no idea they’d never see their children again, replied with the usual “itte rasshai”—“Having gone, be back.” #GhostsOfTheTsunami #RichardLloydParry #tsunami2011 #nonfiction #JapaneseCulture #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #lovetoread

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Blog (26)
Books (23)
- biography/memoir (5)
  - Live ’Til I Die (5)
- fiction (14)
  - Chat: book one (3)
  - Connect: book two (3)
  - Crash: book three (3)
  - Since You Went Away (Part One: Winter) (3)
  - Since You Went Away (Part Two: Spring) (1)
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NOW AVAILABLE

Since You Went Away, Part Two: Spring

Since You Went Away, Part Two: Spring Nan McCarthy (Rainwater Press, 2017) 226 pages F I C T I O N…

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