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Real talk: I haven’t been this excited to listen to a memoir since Sounds Like Me by Sara Bareilles and Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile did NOT disappoint. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I loved getting to discuss this one with @staxsonstaxs so much because we just fangirled the whole time about how heartbreaking and funny and beautiful and incredible she is. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m not a big crier: I’m more likely to cry out of anger than anything else, but Broken Horses brought me to tears on multiple occasions - the first just three chapters in. Fans of her music probably won’t find this surprising at all, but Carlile is a born storyteller - her writing is beautiful, emotional, and cinematic whether it’s set to music or not. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Speaking of which: let’s talk about why you need to listen to the audiobook. If you’re gonna do this, do it right. I started the book in print, but Sam let me know that the audio is narrated by Carlile and interspersed with covers of the songs she talks about - Elton and Dolly and The Secret Sisters and more, along with songs of her own. Hearing her story from her, along with her beautiful(terrible) impersonation of Elton John was an absolute joy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Her reflections on everything from her family to her journey as a musician to forgiveness to the misogyny of modern day country to overcoming dyslexia and becoming a writer to reconciling her faith with her identity are explored so skillfully that I think anyone - whether you’re a fan or not - could find something to take away from this book. It’s a masterclass in memoir and one of my favorite books of the year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ TW: drug abuse, suicide via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CPn1unLrRlM/