Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

My weekend listen: Nobody Will Tell You This But Me, written and read by the author, Bess Kalb. Bess is a TV writer and New Yorker contributer who adores her grandmother, Bobby, and is doted upon and adored by her grandmother. When Bobby dies at 90, Bess brings her back to life in this debut memoir, sharing stories, advice, humor and a genuine intergenerational love between grandmother and granddaughter.

It is a short listen at just a little over four hours. I love when an author reads their own work, especially when they are so talented at it! I also find people who write for television have a unique gift when it comes to memoirs, and that gift is one more reason to listen.

The stories themselves, the words of wisdom, they are not necessarily original, but ubiquitous. Kalb paints a picture of a culture and era that I usually find in historical fiction. What is most moving and memorable is the way love, appreciation, gratitude and their opposite emotions validate a lifetime of exchanges and experiences, and point the reader to their version of those resonating memories. Heart warming, funny, bitter sweet…all there! Feel the feels and read or listen to Nobody Will Tell You This But Me.