Members of the RFM team share books they’ve recently enjoyed. Maybe you will, too!
I was tickled pink to see University of Richmond grad Kelly Corrigan on Today recently, promoting her new book, Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say. After thoroughly enjoying her first two books, The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue, and seeing her speak at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on one of those book tours, watching the interview on Today was like being reunited with an old friend, one you sort of forgot about, but remembered you really, really liked once you saw her again.
For her latest installment, Kelly sticks to her autobiographical writing roots, and shares with us the twelve most powerful things we can say to one another, weaving stories of her family and friends throughout the sage advice. Her writing style is casual and conversational, making you feel like you’re cozied up on the couch with her, sipping tea and hearing about her dad, lovingly known as Greenie, or her friend Liz, who she lost after a valiant battle with ovarian cancer. She reminds us that our words matter more than we often realize, and phrases like I was wrong or Tell me more or I love you can make all the difference in the world. The chapter titled No shows us how ahead of her time Kelly’s mother was when she learned to say no to things she didn’t want to do, decades before it became trendy to do so. The next chapter, Yes, simply lists things Kelly will always say yes to, and that’s when I knew we really would be friends if we ever had the chance to get to know each other.
I’m sure some of you reading this went to UR with Kelly, and I hope you’ve kept in touch with her. She seems like the real deal – a keeper of a friend and such a talented writer.
