Here is a list of "must read" books for creatives and entrepreneurs!  My favorite books listed here include stories of women CEOs, one-woman operations and businesses and people following their dreams and helping to make the world a better place in the process.  Enjoy! 

1.  "In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney". I have loved reading Design*Sponge for as long as I can remember and LOVED reading this book, which highlights 100 creatives in an interview-style format.  It's breathtakingly honest and raw, beautifully written and formatted, and gorgeous to stare at all day long.  My little daughter loves it and asks me to read it to her, too, so it's basically just the best book ever written.  Just trust me, you need to own this book.  

2. "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.  This book puts a lot of things in perspective.  You don't have to be an organizational freak to read it, either (I'm a little disorganized!).  It just helped me to realize that what I own should bring me joy and what I am holding onto may not have value.  It's a wonderful book and it's an amazing reminder.  In a crazy world, it's important to stop and take the time to put perspective back into our lives and this book does just that! 

3. "You are a Badass" by Jen Sincero. If you hate inspirational or self-help books, this one is for you.  There's ABSOLUTELY no fluff here, and its why I love this author so much.  Jen Sincero gives actionable, brave and courageous, and hilarious perspective in this book.  I love it and I appreciated how it focuses so heavily on gratitude as a key to happiness.  I also love that she says bad words and does irreverant things.  Because that's just so important, too.  

4. "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp.  I have read and re-read this one countless times.  I love to read about the habits that other creatives develop to give themselves structure to be creative. Freedom, walks, naps and cocktails are featured, so it's basically the book I live by.  Read it!  And re-read it every year for good measure.  And then highlight it.  

5. "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" by Mason Currey.  I love LOVE LOVE this book.  Again with the rituals.  Why do I have a ritual fetish?  Well, I will tell you:

1. I work for myself.  
2. I need someone out there to tell me to do things in order because otherwise my creative side takes over and I go wild.  
3. I love traditions.
4. I love drinking coffee every morning and need validation.  
5. I love naps and I need to know that important people throughout history also appreciated the "siesta".  
6. I am secretly (or publically?!) really nosey and love knowing what people do all day with their lives.  

The end.  Read it! 

So, my only remaining thought is, what is your favorite book?  Comment below! 

xo 

Megan 

The 14 in 2014 online book club has returned in 2014!  Our first pick is "Where'd You Go Bernadette" by Maria Semple.  I loved this book, immediately upon beginning.  Turns out that the author worked in writing sitcoms in her past and this book reads just like that; fast-paced, hilarious, touching and addictive!  And the hilarious, snarky email banter between characters Soon-Lin and Audrey had me in stitches.  (note: this book club is so effective, because of the awesome ladies in it!  I have been trying to do this kind of thing for years and never actually did it.  Read more about that here. I never read any of those books listed...so sad!)  Join us on Facebook!

Read more here about what the NYtimes had to say about this awesome book pick for our club.

"The tightly constructed “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is written in many formats — e-mails, letters, F.B.I. documents, correspondence with a psychiatrist and even an emergency-room bill for a run-in between Bernadette and Audrey. Yet these pieces are strung together so wittily that Ms. Semple’s storytelling is always front and center, in sharp focus. You could stop and pay attention to how apt each new format is, how rarely she repeats herself and how imaginatively she unveils every bit of information. But you would have to stop laughing first." (NYtimes) 

Also, how adorable is Bee, the main character?  She is one of my favorite leading ladies for her curiosity, uniqueness and ability to stand apart from her granola-eating, Seattle, prep-school buddies. Bee's parents Bernadette and Elgin are so wonderfully flawed and real that a real parent like myself cannot help but love them.  And the end of the novel, well...gasp!  I loved that too!

What did you guys think?  Join us for February's book "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed.  

Last year's 13 in 2013 book club included the following:

"The Light Between Oceans", Mindy Kaling's hilarious memoir, Gone Girl, Flight Behavior, Sweet Tooth, The Normal Bar, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, And the Mountains Echoed.

More book reviews here (ideas for book club!):

"Sightseeing"

"American Dervish"

Guest post written by Kate.

"I thoroughly enjoyed Mindy Kaling's first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? As I read the book, I heard her voice in my head for each and every word. All last year Hulu kept recommending her show to me, and I kept thinking, "I know I am going to love but I really just don't have the time now Hulu!" When all season finales were over for the year in May, I gave in and watched the entire Mindy Project in two days. Similarly, I devoured the book in 72 hours or less. Mindy has a knack for writing, and like her role model Tina Fey, is hilarious and wise at the same time. The book actually reminded me of Tina's Bossypants a lot. It is always interesting to learn how people go from awkward teenagers to Hollywood actors and writers. It is also so refreshing to hear someone talk about mistakes and immature office shenanigans without sugar coating it. Everyone makes mistakes, maybe not everyone has a chance to storm out of a writers meeting and throw a hissy fit, but not everyone gets to work with Steve Carrell either. My only complaint was this- it was too short! I can't wait to read more of her writing in the future."

Stay tuned by more guest posts by Kate, she's pretty darn great! ;)

So, did everyone finish reading "The Light Between Oceans" and have a little time to recover? All I have to say is that our August book ("The Secret Keeper") better be happier!

I knew I was done for as soon as I met the main characters, Izzy (really!??) and Tom.  However, despite the UBER depressing story of love, lies, deception and parenting, I truly liked this tale.  The details about Australia were compelling, the narration about life as a lighthouse keeper was interesting, the tale of baby Lucy was heart-wrenching and I could not put the book down.

However, I was literally sobbing at the end.  I was snorting-alone-on-the-couch-style crying.  A bit intense!

I especially loved the tender moments between Tom and Lucy and the description of their beautiful connection.  Also, I loved to see how the resolution of the tale worked out.  Don't worry, I won't spoil any more!

What did you think? Also, how beautiful was the cover art?

June's Book Club pick was "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns".  The book was set in Afghanistan, just as his others were, and told the tragic tale of the interwoven lives of several people living in the transitional years before, during and after the Taliban in Afghanistan.  The story was EXTREMELY sad, the book club was a little up in arms about reading such a depressing book (sorry girls!), but Hosseini writes so poignantly and with such talent, that the terrible tale of others disaster and misfortune is still a compelling tale.  We all cried, right?  I hope so.

I always enjoy a story that has the "Crash movie effect".  In other words, everyone's lives are interconnected and woven in such a complicated and interrelated plot.  In the end, the sad tales of one's life are related so closely to the plot of another and it is so very intriguing  to me at least!

What did you guys think?

Join our book club here: 13 in 2013 on Facebook.

Next up, "The Light Between Oceans" for July.  (It's realllllllly good!)

Also, have you checked out this blog (Joy the Baker)?  She has a great round up of Book Club ideas and a collaborative summer reading list!  I love it.  We may have to continue this Book Club for years and years, to get through all of these books! :)

I'll be the first to admit, that I was very skeptical when Jessie picked this month's book.  I fear the self-help section of the library and often get giggly and immature about relationship books in general.  However, "The Normal Bar" surprised me with its practical advice, interesting statistics and constructive, interesting ideas for increasing "normal" in relationships. What I found most interesting is that the advice that was intended for couples can be used in all relationships, including those at work.  In my high school Spanish classroom, I deal with a variety of personalities with an even more vast variety of backgrounds.  At times this can be frustrating but with new, refreshed eyes, one can see that all that needs to be done is to "establish a new normal" as this book suggests.  With a standard of behavior, people (students) can learn how to accept their surroundings and work to achieve the standard set by that adult.  It's all so intriguing!

What did you think, "book clubbers"?

Also, I loved the Book Club questions provided by the Normal Bar site and thought that I would share the answers to some of my favorite questions with you to get the discussion rolling.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Not really.  I think that there are "crushes" at first sight, but my definition of love depends very heavily on a long-friendship followed by more love. :)

Do you believe friends make good life partners and lovers?

ABSOLUTELY!  I love my best friend.

Do you think sharing the same religious and/or political views really make or break a relationship?

I do not think that this is as important as similar life-perspectives.  When people are of different religious backgrounds, they may still share the same perspective on issues that they consider important.  Also, spiritual feelings can be very different between people of the same religion *I have seen this a lot among Catholics!.  Political views are a little trickier in my opinion because people LOVE to talk about politics at dinner, parties, happy hours, etc.  Sometimes its fun to debate, but both parties have to be interested in the debate (and debate fairly!) or it can kill a relationship, in my opinion.

Does money buy relationship happiness?

Nope.  I sure hope not!

Do you believe it is OK to keep financial information from your partner?

I do not.  But, I am not sure that this is part of establishing the "normal bar" in each person's relationship.

What is the most fulfilling aspect of your relationship?

Prepare yourself for sappiness...

I love having a smiling person come home each day and seeing the reaction on my two year olds face.

I love having someone who consistently supports, believes in me, encourages me and challenges me.

The (other) most fulfilling thing is having a best friend who I also have a crush on, still...after a long, long time!

"Gone Girl" rocked my scaredy-cat socks off! Almost every single "twenty-something" that I have asked has said something along the lines of "I couldn't put it down" or "wow, it was addictive" in regards to this dysfunctional marriage murder thriller. Read more here about what the New York Times has to say about it.

What do you think, fellow "book clubbers"? And anyone else who has read it?!

Here's my take: I liked the action and the twisted relationship and plot surprises. However, I was not able to leave a lot of the description in the book. I've always had a wild imagination and some of the gory details made me literally shiver for days. (I'm a weenie.)

I have one more complaint... I'd say that this book has "DaVinci Code" syndrome. What I mean by that is that it seemed to be written as an intended future screenplay and not as a good old fashioned honest book. While many books do end up as films, I don't necessarily think that they have to be written as such. Otherwise, it was a great thriller! (It will make a great movie someday!!)

I'm going to have to admit to you Book Club ladies, that I cannot, for the life of me, get through Flight Behavior! I think the details about the butterflies are super interesting but I am getting lost in all of the description. I will keep trying, promise! I tried to read "Poisonwood Bible" last summer and had the same experience. I remember liking the characters and the idea of the book, but struggling with all of the details. Barbara Kingsolver, help me out!

What do you ladies think!?

Here's the NY Times review, if you'd like to take a look.

Off to read more...

Ok book clubbers, what did you think of our February pick by Kate?  "Sweet Tooth" by Ian McEwan was a good read that got EXCELLENT at the end.  Just in time, because I was a little bored and distracted during the middle, but I am easily distracted.

What did you gals think?

I loved the ending so much!!!!

Next month's book is entitled "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver (thanks Helen!).

Happy reading gals! :)

Hi there! Lets read 13 great books in 2013...shall we?

First book (my choice, Katie gets to pick February's!): "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". So far, I'm in love! It's compelling! Written in a series of letters which go back and forth from an amazingly unique and refreshing group of very eclectic characters, I literally can't put it down. Love that!

Have you read it?

Want to pick the next book? You do...

Get in on the (nerdy) fun!

I just finished one of the best books I have read in a long while. I cried. It was so darn good.The best part is that I get to teach it this school year!

Julia Alvarez is an amazing author and I could devour anything she writes. Her stories come alive so much that you become convinced that you are a part of the families in her tales.

In "Before We Were Free", Alvarez tells the tale of a young girl during the dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. The story is told from Anita's 12-year-old perspective and is absolutely enchanting. I felt like I was 12 again with a crush on a boy, worrying about what to say in school and dealing with my family. She weaves into Anita's story the history of a dictatorship, where Trujillo stayed in power for 31 years and left an indelible mark on the Dominican people. This book is fantastic and I 100% recommend it to "Spanish junkies" or "bookworms" alike.

Enjoy! M

Yesterday, I was listening to NPR and heard about a new and fascinating book written by an Muslim-American author and his experiences growing up in Minnesota. The book is entitled "American Dervish" and profiles a young, Pakistani born boy who lives as the extreme minority in suburban Minnesota prior to 9/11.

Adding it to my "list of books to read in 2012". Have you heard of any other new books that I should add?

NPR Fresh Air Review

NY Times Review

New book to read!  I am currently working on "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave.  It is a story of two opposite worlds colliding - that of a Nigerian girl (refugee) and a British Magazine editor.  Just started the other day, so I will keep you posted!

To read more about the book, see this article from the NY times (link below).

From what the article describes, I am in love with the book already.

"Like Little Bee, Sarah is a survivor. But the lessons of the past are not enough to steer either woman to safety. Instead, in a world full of turpitude and injustice, it is their bold, impulsive choices that challenge the inevitability of despair, transforming a political novel into an affecting story of human triumph."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/books/review/Elkins-t.html

Happy reading!

M