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In 2017 I started a list of my goals and accountability tracking for the year. I reached and exceeded every goal. (You can see that post on my personal page here.) If you haven’t read my other book reviews from this year you can catch up here.

The goal of this section of the blog is to share a glimpse into what inspires, motivates and teaches me. Out of the books I read, I only bring up the ones I would suggest taking a look at…there are still a few that get left out; entirely based on my own opinions.

So where do I find all these books to read? Lots of places. I follow the Book of the Month Club on Instagram and I get weekly suggestions from my daily news source, theSkimm. You can sign up for free here using my referral code!

This was compiled from November and December 2018.

Read For Fun

 Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

A romantic love story set in Italy and Hollywood, this novel takes you back and forth in time and place. This story spans fifty years between people who dreamed of loving each other but cannot find each other or reconnect. There were lies, deception, missed connections and sacrifices. The story revolves around several characters interfering in one another’s lives with surprises and rocky navigation written with descriptive, rich language and telling a beautiful story. It’s less about travel and more about the depth of the characters. While I don’t think this is one that’s the most memorable, it could make for a great romance novel, beach read or audiobook for background noise.

 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Russia Investigation PTSD? No worries this is much, much different than that. It focuses on an in-depth character named Count Alexander Rostov who is a Russian aristocrat. He is convicted (Wrongly? Read it and find out) and is sentenced to confinement in the attic of a luxury hotel. While this might sound luxurious for some of us, the Count finds himself in a deep depression and is saved by the hotel staff before jumping off the roof. He finds a new purpose in sharing his knowledge of manners and etiquette which he shares as an employee, mentor and friend to others in the hotel. This book follows Alexander, the loveable Count, and his tribe in a journey of triumph and complications in communist Russia. Interesting but an easy read.

 Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win by Jo Piazza

This book stood out because of the political climate and was #GirlPower without being super feminist. It was entertaining, heartbreaking, realistic and entertaining enough I could picture it as a TV show. I finished this fairly quickly so it’s great to read on a weekend or during a short trip. This was well-balanced and so well written I recommend to all!

 We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

If I could make it mandatory to read one book this year, it would be this one. When the author, Georgia Hunter, was fifteen years old, she learned that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. We Were the Lucky Ones was born of her quest to uncover her family’s staggering history. While this novel is inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family, the author explained “The story that unfolds in We Were the Lucky Ones is based on true events. Every significant movement, incarceration, brush with death and escape described in the book actually happened.” The Kurc family is separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive—and to reunite—We Were the Lucky Ones is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds. This will draw you in, keep you there, take you on an unbelievable ride, pull your heartstrings and make you hold your breath. This is a must read. 

 Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

I completed this audiobook in less than three days. I felt like hearing the character’s voices helped jump into the story. This is usually not a book I would ever have picked up or been interested in but it was raw, authentic, emotional and it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. If I only had a select few words to describe this book I would say it starts off as a young-love romance and the intentions of a happy marriage every new couple has. But after years of infertility and the pressure and shame from the Nigerian culture, they face polygamy, murder and several other high-stake costs of the ‘happy life.’ 

 Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

This was so.good. There are two books with this title so make sure you double check the author before reading. Behind Closed Doors has you cheering for the murderer throughout the novel and takes you through the physical and psychological life of domestic abuse from the wife’s point of view. What you would most likely suggest the husband is already two steps ahead of. This jumps between Past and Present chapters in the most seamless way and I came back eagerly waiting to read it every time. 

 Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

You can’t afford not to read this. This novel was written by the ‘characters’ and tells the true story of how their lives intersected. The book was also released as a movie in 2017. It was recommended to me by a friend and you can easily have it read in 1-2 days. It revolves around a white couple in Forth Worth who begin volunteering with the homeless when they come across a black man named Denver. Denver tells his stories about growing up on a Louisiana plantation and the unimaginable life obstacles and pain he had to face; ultimately deaths of everyone ever close to him lead to his being homeless. As the title suggests, the couple and Denver find out how the other reflects so much in them and 

Read For Improvement

Straight Talk For Startups by Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman

This book was gifted to me by a family who created their own startup business and I was excited to find it was broken down by these 100 rules into chapters; making it a lot easier to read through. They had examples of moguls you always here about, lessons learned from personal experience and went fairly in depth on investors, funding and liquidity. While this is nothing I see Local Collaborative going through any time soon it was great information for on boarding a team and being aware of what OTHER clients who are startups might face. 

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I finally came up on the waitlist for this instantly famous non-fiction novel and it was just as entertaining as you’d think…I finished it in two days. There will for sure be a dedicated post to just this (or even 12,390 posts) so make sure you’re following on the right. I love books like this so much that I filled up an entire sticky note on my desktop with favorite saying, pieces of info and story prompts. My favorite thing about listening to the audio book was hearing the famous speaker’s voice motivating you and the Q&A at the end. It’s a great read for women and young girls and, even if you don’t share in the publicly embarrassing stories like she does because that would be weird, you will internally relate. 

 Unlimited by Jillian Michaels

While I didn’t hear a ton from this book that came across as groundbreaking, I did find a few good examples of the hard-ass approach that Jillian Michaels is famous for. Unless you’re a fan of Jillian then I don’t think you’re missing much. Every chapter is filled with examples from her Biggest Loser contestants. One of my favorite excerpts in her last chapter was the difference of quitting vs. letting go because I resonate with that daily. 

There will be more in-depth blogs coming up on the self-improvement books especially so make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out. Simply enter your email in the Follow box on the right and let the world wide web take care of the rest!

You’ve read through my opinions so you deserve some FREE STUFF! Make sure you are following the blog (upper right of this page) to get free downloads in the future. Once you’re following, go ahead and download this document: GOALS FOR 2019 from Local Collaborative I mentioned to track your goals and adventures for the rest of the year and into 2019.

Cheers!

Marin

PS: Are you enjoying these blogs? Have we worked together? I would love to get your short and honest review on my Facebook page. Thanks in advance!