CFB Book Club: Winter 2017

It’s time for the first Book Club update of 2017, and let me just say that I am psyched. As you know from the last update, I kept this year’s reading goal at 24. I feel like I’ve been devouring books in the past couple of months, which is great. But I know, like everything else, my reading habits ebb and flow, so we’ll see if I can keep this up. For now, though…

Here are the books that I have made my way through so far year:

(1) Sing to Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who’s Next by LA Reid

When I made my list of books to read, this wasn’t on it. But thanks to BookPerk, I started off the year with this surprise entry from LA Reid.

The music industry has always fascinated me, so I couldn’t resist this memoir about Reid’s career.

The books take us from his very early days as a musician in Cincinnati to very recently in LA/Atlanta/NYC – dropping stories on his time working with everyone from Whitney Houston and TLC to Usher, Outkast, and Justin Beiber.

Always interesting to see how a mogul becomes a mogul, especially in such a crazy industry.

(2) Mom Boss: Balancing Entrepreneurship, Kids & Success by Nicole Feliciano

I have been keeping a close eye on Nicole and the entire MomTrends team for a while now. When I decided to start taking blogging more seriously, they quickly became a source of inspiration, Nicole a virtual mentor of sorts.

Imagine my excitement when she released a book!

While I was able to pull some really practical advice, I was looking for a little more of that.

On the flip side, the book is a major source of inspiration for any working moms looking to transition into entrepreneurship and needing to see it’s a real option.

(3) The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find & Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna

Well, that was not what I was expecting.

I suppose you never know what to expect out of a book ranked under “self-help” and “happiness,” but…

I flew threw this one in less than 24 hours.

It was something of a pep talk in book form, filled to the brim with inspirational (read: Pinterest/Instagram-worthy) quotes.

There was nothing too profound or anything you haven’t heard before, but anyone needed a quick boost of encouragement to follow their dreams has come to the right place. Basically, there’s nothing we can’t do!

(4) The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

This time around it was reader’s choice for the book club at my office, and, wouldn’t you know it, my pick was selected.

Luckily, everyone seemed to really enjoy it…

Except me.

The story follows four adult siblings as they navigate their forthcoming inheritance, and how one of their actions affects all of their windfalls.

I was always taught not to count my chickens before they hatch, so all I wanted to shake some sense into these characters who seemed to make one bad decision after another.

(5) The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Kids Effectively by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell

If you’ve never read Chapman’s original The 5 Love Languages, you should.

This take focuses on how to use those same languages (words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, quality time, receiving gifts) when dealing with your kids.

It’s so rewarding to learn how to love your children in the ways that benefit them the most.

You can also learn to how loving them in specific ways affects them differently, and even about the best way to discipline in accordance with their love languages.

Good stuff!

(6) Thirty-One Prayers for My Husband: Seeing God Move in His Heart by Jennifer Smith

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, but it is exactly what is says it is: one month’s worth of daily prayers that wives can pray for their husbands.

It touches on everything from praying for him at work to praying for his confidence and leadership.

Each day’s entry is only about a page, making it a quick and easy way to connect with God. 

Keep your husband and your relationship at the forefront of your prayer life – something that I really believe can make a relationship great.

 

(7) Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

In case you’ve been living under a rock, another one of Moriarty’s novels – Big Little Lies – has been adapted as a mini-series for HBO.

It’s been getting raves, which gave me high hopes for this book. I will say this for Moriarty: she can write a page-turner.

Unfortunately, the big reveal wasn’t worth it to me. There is so much build-up that once you finally learn what happened that fateful afternoon at the neighbor’s house, it’s pretty disappointing.

The character and their journeys are interesting, but the cause doesn’t seem to merit the effect.

 

(8) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling & Jack Thorne

I have always loved Harry Potter and the magical world J.K. Rowling created, which is why I was so excited to pick this one up (and why I really want to make seeing it performed on stage a priority).

I think no story will ever live up to the original, but I support anything that expands the universe of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic and Fantastic Beasts.

Reading as a script takes me back to my days in theater and that helps, too. It takes getting used to, but once you do, this is another one you can fly through.

 

(9) Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Speaking of flying through books, I read Anna Kendrick’s in less than 48 hours.

Just as you’d expect, this one is funny and more than a little defiant…and seriously, can we be friends? No? Can we grab a beer and make fun of some people? That’s good, too.

It’s always fun to hear (read) about all the work that goes into achieving that level of success, especially seeing that she has remained as grounded and humble as she seems to have.

Plus, this book gives me a boost of confidence that maybe one day I’ll have a memoir published, too.

So, there you have it. I’d say we’re off to a great start in 2017! I’m going to regret saying this come July when I have made no progress, but I’m feeling really confident that I’m going to crush this year’s reading goal…which means it’s recommendation time! I have my list of 24 books that I want to get through this year, but should I finish all of those, what do you think?