Book Club: Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

The book in 3 bullets

* Preserving a friendship through changing lives.

* Heartbreak and self-forgiveness through 20s and 30s. 

* Learning the difference between intensity and intimacy.

Who is it for?

* If you are in the midst of changing dynamics in a friend group (i.e. career, love, etc.).

* If you would like to become a better friend to someone and to yourself.

* If you want to learn more about meaningful love within friendship.

Why did I read it?

* It was an accident. I’ll save the details for the Audio Deep Cut. I kept reading it anyway.

* I wanted to know how I could preserve some of my friendships as people’s lives were changing via marriage, careers, etc.

* I wanted to know what I should be doing to adapt to these new dynamics and the introduction of people I didn’t account for (i.e. lovers of my friends).

What does it help with?

* Learning to become a better friend through thick and thin.

* What matters in a relationship? Both platonic and romantic. 

* How to be independent as you spend more time without your friends.

What I got out of it

* How to appreciate the new dynamics within an old friendship. 

* What it means to be at peace with yourself and the relationships around you.

* Learning the difference between intensity and intimacy.

Top 7 Quotes

* How her value increased, the more history we shared together, like a beautiful, precious work of art hanging in my living room.

* I know what it is to love someone and accept that you can’t change certain things about them;

* More often than not, the love someone gives you will be a reflection of the love you give yourself. If you can’t treat yourself with kindness, care, and patience, chances are someone else won’t either.

* Breakups get harder with every year you get older. When you’re young, you lose a boyfriend. As you get older, you lose a life together.

* It is no person’s job to be the sole provider of your happiness.

* The older you get, the more baggage you carry. When you date at twenty-five, everyone walks into the bar with a very neat, light carry-on.

* “Is what all life is?” Margaret asked soothingly, putting her arm around her. “Fucking . . . Tottenham Court Road and ordering shit off Amazon,” she replied.

Su Hawn’s Potent Mix (Books to read together)

* Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

* The Fault In Our Stars

* Mating In Captivity