January Book Review
I made it my goal to read 52 books this year. In January I got in 7 and I have to say I was pretty pumped.
I actually really enjoyed most of the books, in fact 6 of them I gave a full 5/5. I'll link all the books at the bottom if you're wanting to grab one!
Where the Crawdads Sing - This book was so good! It really was the perfect book for me to start off my challenge with because it reminded me just how much I loved to read. Set in the south it was part romance, part murder mystery and just a really good read.
The best part was the ending which was a total mic drop & something that I didn't see coming at all.
I feel like there is so much more about this book that I want to write but telling you any more would just spoil it. Go and grab it, you won't regret this one!
2. Didn't See That Coming - Y'all in 2019 I went on a BIG Rachel Hollis kick. Like she was the bomb.com & everything she touched was gold. This one just didn't do it for me. She gave some tips on pushing through hard times but mainly it seemed to be a repeat of things she's previously said in the plethora of books, blogs, and podcasts of her's that I've already read or listened to.
Maybe if I was going through something crazy tough the outcome would have been different for me. But alas it just seemed like a lot of high level things that truthfully you already know.
Please don't take this the wrong way, Rachel Hollis is still my girl, I just didn't love this one.
3. Girl Stop Apologizing - So I doubled down on Rachel Hollis this month. I've had this book since it was first released and for some reason never jumped in. I had a moment this month where I need something to sort of smack me across the face & give me a bit of a reality check. I opened this book up and never put it down, it did opened my eyes to exactly what I needed.
Honestly, this book is just going to call you on your crap. The things that you know you shouldn't be doing but that you are. It's also going to put some things into context for you, definitely giving you that ah-ha moment. It's really just holding a mirror in front of yourself, asking you to take a deep look and then giving you some tools to transform into a better version of yourself.
I'd recommend it!
4. Untamed - Full disclosure, before I read this book I really knew nothing about Glennon Doyle except that she was the Christian woman who divorced her husband to marry Abby Womback that famous soccer player. I feel like there's a lot out there in the media about this book and truthfully, I grabbed it because it's on Reese's Book Club and the cover is super pretty. I had no idea what I was jumping into in advance.
What I took from this book it that it's okay to (and we should) focus on own needs and what WE truly want vs. conforming to the typical stereotypes that society puts on us. Example: as a mom society says you need to do XYZ for your child even though XYZ makes you absolutely miserable and you doing XYZ has zero impact on your child's health, safety or general wellbeing. This books says why would you do that? If it doesn't make you happy, if its not filling your cup, then stop.
That's a pretty generalized example, the book goes into so much more details and the examples are way more intense. With that said, the whole concept is if you're not happy and you're not the best version of yourself, you're honest true self, then you're not the best mom, the best wife, the best worker, etc. By being your authentic self, even if its hard and even if it goes against society/expectations, making you the best version of you will in turn makes you the best mom you can be, the best wife and so on.
I think when you look at it in that light you'll find yourself really pondering what's your priority. That for me was really powerful.
5. The Nantucket Inn - This was such a fun easy read! You really jump right in and get invested in the characters & they're stories. I've visited Nantucket a few times as I had a friend who lived and worked summers there for a few years, so it was fun to read about places I'd been and restaurants that I had eaten at. I will say I was sad when it was over and immediately when to Amazon and ordered books 2 & 3 :)
If you're looking for something fun and lighthearted this is it!
6. Culture Code - This to me was an eye opening book. It really gives great insight into what makes groups of people and teams great. Culture is all about trust and vulnerability & this book gives amazing details and stories of how Pixar and the Navy Seals and several other amazing groups and organizations operate, all centered on trust and vulnerability. It also talks about organizations and groups that don't operate with great cultures and the negative impact it can have on the people there. Little things like saying 'thank you' to each other seems silly when you're with someone every day, but its something as small as that, that can have a huge impact on your culture!
7. Seabreeze Inn - This was another great and easy read. It started a little slower than Nantucket Inn, but once I got hooked I was in. In fact I was so hooked that I broke my no Kindle rule and downloaded books 2, 3 & 4 on my phone. I finished them all in two days and was completely disappointed that book 5 isn't out until May. Really well written, easy to get completely invested in & lots of suspense as to where the storyline is going. I totally thought one thing about someone was going to happen for most of the book & I could not have been more wrong!
PLEASE let me know what you're reading! I'm always looking for more suggestions! XO
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