My Own Magic: A Reappearing Act by Anna Kloots

I once dated a man who did not like it when I read a book in bed, and so I stopped. This is wrong for so many reasons, and if you know me, you know that one of my greatest joys is reading a book in bed. But back then, I wanted his approval, so I pushed down my love of reading, and turned off the light. In "My Own Magic," a memoir by Anna Kloots, she shares a similar story of when she put aside her dreams and aspirations to marry a magician. After meeting him at 19, she fell head-over-heels in love with a much older man, who also happened to be from her hometown in Ohio. She gave up her life in London and New York, to support him on his magic show tour, first across the United States, and then Europe, and beyond. At first, the glamorous life of being the wife and assistant to a famous magician was exciting. They traveled the globe, performed on cruises, and always seemed to be packing their suitcases for another adventure. However, their marriage was all smoke and mirrors. Not only did the magician not respect or nurture her, he steam-rolled right over her, always putting his ambitions and opinions first. Anna, the younger sister of talk show and fitness star Amanda Kloots, began to feel invisible in her marriage until her husband came right out and asked her for a divorce. It was then that she could no longer be invisible, and had to carve out a new identity for herself. She soon took her love of travel and turned it into a career. She packed her bags, moved to Paris, poured herself a glass of champagne and got on with the rest of her life. I have been following her on Instagram since 2020, and I found her memoir, and her posts always inspiring. I can't wait to see where she travels to next. You can follow her too at @annakloots To buy this book on Amazon click here.