Two months into 2020 and I’m still on track to hit my goal of reading 52 books this year. So roughly 1 book per week. This month I read some seriously great books that I cannot recommend enough.
What I Read This Month:
The book that seriously inspired me:
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
I already did a longer blog post about what I learned from this incredible book. Simply put, it’s one of my favorite “self-help” type books I’ve read in recent years because it was SO actionable. I really loved that it was self-help but with a bit about Marie Forleo’s life woven into the book as well.
Marie Forleo is one badass business lady and I’ve been following her career and work for years. In this book, she breaks down her key theories to success. I appreciate her no-bullshit New Jersey style of writing. What can I say, I love a strategically placed f-bomb.
I’m still not crazy about non-fiction as a whole. There were a few nights where I got home from a long workday and my brain was totally mush. On those nights I ended up reading a different book because I just couldn’t handle non-fiction. But overall I really loved this book and found it to be both inspiring and also motivating.
TLDR: If you’re feeling stuck in a rut and are looking for a book to get you inspired, look no further.
My Rating: ★★★★
The book I’ve been DYING to read:
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Oh my god was I excited to read this book! I feel like I’ve heard every single blogger talk about it and now I get WHY. This book officially comes out March 10th but my friend that works at Simon and Schuster kindly hooked me up with an advanced copy after I begged for one on Instagram. Thanks Rachel 💗
Young lawyer Dannie has it ALL figured out and she’s on track to hit every one of her major goals: Get married to her long term boyfriend before age 30 and stay on track to make partner at her dream law firm.
On the night she gets engaged (and nails a super important job interview) Dannie has a bizarre dream 5 years into the future. She’s wearing a different engagement ring and the guy next to her definitely isn’t her fiance.
Over the next five years, her bizarre dream will slowly start to come true in a way she never could have imagined.
This book was my perfect type of book, it wasn’t just a cheesy rom-com but also a book about friendship, relationships and the realities of life. As someone who once upon a time thought I had the perfect 5-year plan for my life, I could so relate to Dannie.
I fell in love with Rebecca Serle’s writing style and characters. I couldn’t devour this book quickly enough.
TLDR: SUCH a good book about love, friendship and what happens when your plans for life go totally haywire.
My Rating: ★★★★★
The book that made me happy I’m no longer a teenager:
Anna K. by Jenny Lee
This book, which comes out tomorrow (3/3), has been pegged as Gossip Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians. It’s about the insanely rich private high schoolers of NYC and Greenwich and the drama that goes down between these students.
At first, the book feels a bit tedious. It’s a lot of bragging about expensive clothes and fancy designer handbags. Once I started to get to know all the characters I found the book to be way more enjoyable. There are plenty of love triangles, drunken nights of debauchery and hurt feelings. I kept thinking this book is a reminder of how happy I am to no longer be 16 years old…
I’ve never read the source material Anna Karenina (classics are not my jam…) so I had no clue where the story was going to go and parts of it left me seriously surprised. It wasn’t my favorite book that I’ve read recently, but I definitely didn’t hate it.
FYI: I snagged my advanced copy because it was a Book of the Month pick for February.
TLDR: If you loved Gossip Girl and Crazy Rich Asians, this is the book for you.
My Rating: ★★★
The book that took me by surprise:
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
After reading In Five Years earlier this month I knew I had to read Rebecca Serle’s other fiction book The Dinner List. I had seen this book a million times at The Strand while trying to find a returned advanced copy of In Five Years hidden in the stacks.
The basis for the book sounded meh to me: you know that icebreaker question if you could have dinner with any 5 people dead or alive who would they be? For Sabrina, her dinner party actually happens on her 30th birthday and she finds herself out to dinner with her favorite professor from college, her dad who she hasn’t spoken to in years, her ex-boyfriend Tobias, Audrey Hepburn, and her BFF.
I ended up really loving this book (and it made me wish Rebecca Serle had MORE books for me to devour.) The story alternates between this surreal dinner party and also tells the story of Sabrina and Tobias’ rocky relationship. I found myself emotionally destroyed at the end of the book — and then had to go be perky and teach a barre class shortly after. I definitely recommend it as a book and really want my mom to read it next so we can discuss it.
TLDR: An emotional but enjoyable read about forgiveness and understanding problems from the past.
My Rating: ★★★★
I really enjoy non-fiction but I totally get the feeling of coming home after a long day and choosing something fiction instead. Sometimes my mind just can’t be bothered with non-fiction, LOL. “In Five Years” sounds like a great read (how fun that you have a friend working at Simon and Schuster), now I can’t wait for it to come out! Thanks for sharing, Kayla.
Kathryn • simplykk.com