Thank you to LibroFM and Simon & Schuster Audio for a copy of Mary Laura Philpott’s memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives.

I have to confess that the combination of the title and the turtle on the cover drew me to Philpott’s memoir, and I knew nothing about the author or subject matter prior to enjoying the audio version of Bomb Shelter. Luckily, judging a book by its cover is a perfectly acceptable way of finding new books and in most cases, as with this, it’s a gut instinct worth following. The turtle plays a minor, yet impactful role in Philpott’s life and if you’re an animal lover like me, you will connect with this moment.

Philpott has a wicked sense of humor. In Bomb Shelter she deftly balances humor with very personal topics, such a serious medical condition that is affecting her teenage son and a revelation from her father regarding the nature of his job when Philpott was a child, which inspires the title of the memoir. Philpott’s memoir is funny and profoundly affecting.

I was cleaning my kitchen while listening and the last paragraphs are so beautifully written with such an inspiring sentiment, that I paused with sponge in hand and was tearing up. Bomb Shelter is not only a book that I enjoyed immensely and will recommend widely, but it is book that I will purchase to give as gifts to friends.