You know there’s always a catch. What did Addie give away in exchange for her life of freedom? It takes a really strong woman to live a life destined to be forgotten. “And this is what she’s settled on: she can go without food (she will not wither). She can go without heat (the cold will not kill her). But a life without art, without wonder, without beautiful things—she would go mad. She has gone mad.”

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian is a feminist retelling of King Arthur’s origin story. Elaine the Mad is our lead and the main reason Arthur becomes King at all. You witness the adolescence of all the classic names – King Arthur, Lancelot, Gwenivere – and how they grow up as best friends on Avalon. And then you see some powerful women STEAL 👏🏻 THE 👏🏻 SHOW 👏🏻 to get Arthur on the throne.

I wish I could read this book all over again for the first time. Bee is a neuroscientist who is recruited to co-lead a project at NASA with her grad school arch-nemesis, Levi, and Levi is the most caring, thoughtful, sexy, dark, I-am-going-to-take-you, male lead we all want up in our NASA lab. You won’t put this title down.

From Matthew’s relationship with his father, to his time in Australia with the Dooleys; from the labor, sweat, and success of Dallas Buyer’s Club, to his wet dreams that lead him to the Amazon and later Africa to fight the toughest tribesman within the three nearest villages- this book is a wild ride. And everything is true. I don’t want to ruin any of the stories for you. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. CLICK NOW. RIGHT HERE. SO SO GOOD.

This is the book that made Matthew McConaughey decide to go to film school. Without this book, McConaughey would have become a lawyer as his family planned. I am without doubt, regardless of his profession choice, we would still know the McConaughey name because that’s just the type of guy he is. But aren’t you even a little bit curious to read the words that changed his life?

Rachel Rodgers asks you to imagine your dream life, and then do the math. Find the cost, and figure it out. Until you work the numbers, you will never know. This exercise turned my dreams into an actual real-life plan. I know this sounds too simple, but it will give you the evidence you need to keep moving forward.

Do you know the you who does sleep math when their alarm goes off, trying to see how many times you can hit snooze and calculating multiples of nine before you absolutely have to get out of bed? That was me. But not anymore thanks to Robin Sharma. “Own your morning. Elevate your life.”

Mel gives you the heart to heart talk, and subsequently, the kick in the ass you need to stop waiting for motivation or some cosmic sign. Motivation is bullshit and unpredictable and never there when you need it.

A woman who can’t do much more than turn her head is the villain, and she seriously scares me. That’s how good Hoover is at immersing you in the Crawford family’s world.

Geoff Colvin is not wrong. “Talent Is Overrated.” I completely agree. Our society “celebrates achievement—we worship celebrity—but we virtually ignore where it comes from.”

If you have a job you hate, if you struggle with seeing the bigger picture, if you haven’t gotten to the point where solving the problems that define your job get you jazzed up, then you need to read The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday for a true reset. Your problems are daily gifts. This book is a guide to appreciating everything you used to find painful.

With the movie here as of last Friday, this book jumped to the top of my reading list. I would say The Great Gatsby is a short and important read. Most of American society hails Gatsby as the American dream.

This book gave me hope and left me feeling completely empowered.

Being that I am female and far from being married or having children, I am constantly thinking about it.

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano is more of a French culture book than a diet book. No major secrets for weight loss are revealed, but I received a lot of très Français tips on life.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith is a fun crime/mystery novel. It kept me engaged, turning the page, and wondering what’s next. Strike and his smart secretary are a great detective team. Obviously JK Rowling knows how to write, but it’s not Harry Potter.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri is the most beautiful and melancholy book of short stories I have ever read. If Lahiri was a dentist, then she would definitely be a periodontist.

I am a huge Mindy Kaling fan. Let this be said.

But, her book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, was a huge disappointment. She was trying too hard. I would call it a wannabe version of Tina Fey’s Bossypants.