Required Reading: Lesson One

I think it's safe to say I've been reading a lot this year, maybe even more than last year... quick check shows I am 18 books ahead of last year... and I think it's time I shared some of these lovely books with you. I'm not doing the books of (enter month here) this year because honestly, I didn't think I would read nearly as much as I did in 2011. How wrong was I?

I figure it's time to showcase some of my favorites of the year thus far... here they are, highly recommended. Three of which I've read twice this year... yeah, twice... oh shoot, so maybe I'm only 16 (I'm not finished with the second reading of TFFS yet) actual books ahead...but the reading time was still there, does it still count? Whatever, I'm counting it.


Looking for Alaska by John Green
I just introduced myself to John Green this year, starting with a book called An Abundance of Katherines. It was awesome and good and I really did like it. I'll probably have to buy it now that I think about it. I just can't get enough of his writing. Looking For Alaska took AAoK and blew it out of the water, in fact it blew everything out of the water for me. Everything I thought I liked best, every favorite book was pushed to the side. This is in my top 5 of all time. Could I list the rest? Probably not, they change frequently, but still. Top 5. I wrote about it here a while back and after rereading that I can't say anything more. This book makes me believe that guys can love girls and that books are meant to be reread many, many times.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
And then there was this book. While LfA changed everything, this book came and rocked me even more. I sobbed so hard and had so much hope at the same time. I realize that I haven't done a Between the Lines post about this book and I need to. So fantastic. I rarely buy books in hardback (unless they are the two others in the picture...) but it got to where it was the only thing I wanted to read (and it was the second reading) and so I caved. Watch, in a month it will come out in paperback. But it doesn't matter. I love this book so much.

Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
Okay, finances and such are definitely not something I get excited about unless I find a nice $20 in a pair of pants that I had forgotten about. This being said, I know at 26 it's definitely time to get a hold of these things and have an idea of where I am at and where I want to be. This is not a book about growing millions and millions of dollars like the title might suggest, it's about knowing where you are at, knowing where you want to be, figuring out how to navigate the difference and stay smart about it all. It has been quite helpful and will stay on my bookshelf for future reference when home buying, life insurance or 401ks and Roth IRAs are something I can deal with and worry about. I suggest it highly if you are confused about all of this stuff like I was (and admittedly still am a bit).

Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin
I loved The Happiness Project, I read that a second time right before 2011. I'm pretty sure I will get a used copy in paperback and go through it one more time. As much as I liked it, I liked Happier At Home even more. For some reason her projects connected more to me this time. I'm going to be thinking about my own Happiness Project and what timeline it's going to have. I'm pretty excited. The book was such a fast read, so easy to relate to and I found a lot of wisdom in it.

The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte
Oh Fire Starter Sessions, how I love you so. I went through this book once and had a hard time getting a lot out of myself. I loved what was being said, I loved reading it and I felt a spark of hope but it wasn't quite reflected in my answers to the worksheets until the second go through. I'm still in the middle of it and I still have some room to dream and think bigger but I've made a lot of progress and that's saying a lot. I've read many, many self-help/motivational/whatever you want to call them books and this one has helped me the most. Maybe because I was tired of reading books, getting excited and then forgetting all about it, I'm not sure. All I know is that I love this book and re-reading I just keep finding and re-reminding myself of things I need to know. I suggest this to any creative person, any person who is incredibly hard on themselves, I recommend it to anyone who's willing to do some work.

What books have left you feeling awestruck lately?

xoxo