Before we begin, look to the right. If that doesn’t say you’re following the blog make sure you put your email in and I’ll send you free downloads from here on out!
In 2017 I started a list of my goals and accountability tracking for the year. I reached and exceeded every goal.
Download Your Yearly Goal Sheet For FREE Here!
If you’re looking for more book or podcast recommendations you can 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!
Read For Entertainment
TRUST EXERCISE BY SUSAN CHOI
This was named as the most anticipated novel of 2019 so obviously my interest was piqued. It revolved around what happens when a first love between high school students is interrupted by the attentions of a charismatic drama teacher in the 80s at a performing arts school. This was well-written although some people might find it a bit dramatic at the ending. Reading this book by a Pulitzer-prize winning author will entertain you with a side of feels.
The Kiss Quotient by HELEN HOANG
This fictional novel was named ‘A Cosmopolitan Title to get excited about in 2018.’ Stella is an extremely intelligent woman who works with algorithms to predict customer purchases. A demanding work schedule paired with Asperger’s has created a fear of doing so much as kissing. So she decides to hire an escort to help her practice. This is the elevated, Cosmo-worthy book we’ve all hoped for. There are similarities to Fifty Shades but it’s much more lighthearted and story line featured on the characters. It’s fun, light-hearted and definitely for mature (age-wise…no ‘maturity’ required 😉
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
If Reese Witherspoon recommends this be on your reading list, you better add it! This reminded me a lot of Behind Closed Doors which was also a great thriller. This novel is juicy, manipulative and the last three-quarters on were my favorite part of the whole thing. This was so well thought out and written I’m recommending this as one of my Top Ten (or higher) books.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The first thing I enjoyed about this novel was listening to the Irish narrator (Aoife McMahon) on the audiobook version. This gives you high school flashbacks of friend groups that grow up around each other with feelings, relationships and secrets are flying around. As time passes on, the story follows the boy and girl through awkward phases, growing pains, deep-dive conversations and more. It’s the ‘It’s not the same with anyone else’ type of love that you only get from knowing someone since the very beginning. I wouldn’t call this the most thrilling or eventful novel but if you’d like a nostalgic, feel-good light romance as a distraction, here ya go.
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
This really caught me off guard…but it gripped me from the beginning. This was described as a ‘dystopic feminist revenge fantasy’ that tosses you into the lives of three sisters on an isolated island, raised to fear men. A husband and father started the island to protect women from the chaos and violence of men and have insanely tortuous and cult-like rituals. When two men wash up on shore the expected sibling rivalries and sexual tendencies come to the surface. This read was a non-stop haunting, thrilling, raw read and I absolutely loved it. I think it would also make a great TV show similar to what they did with The Handmaid’s Tale.
Read For Improvement
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
This reflects the author’s (born in KCMO!) one-year attempt to get to happiness and fulfillment. We all try to get to a sense of more fulfillment, the danger and worry of wasting your life away and getting to a place where you’re happy. Especially with trying situations, personally and professionally, this was a great reminder to reflect my own habits and inspiration for new things to try. In my *FREE DOWNLOAD* resolution and goal-setting sheet I follow a few categories and ways to fulfill what I want to do and who I want to become. I absolutely fall under the ‘Do It Now’ rule she followed which is basically not putting off anything that can be completed in under one minute.
Not That Bad by Roxane Gay
“All of it is terrible but not that bad.” Wow did this hit my heart hard. This book is a compilation of first-person essays read by the contributors themselves. This book tackled the situations they faced in rape culture (rape, sexual assault, harassment, etc.) This is extremely candid and, if you’ve experienced anything like what these people describe, it’ll be an important and eye-opening read for you as well. Even if you haven’t or don’t think you have then this is especially important for you to read or listen to.
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!
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Writes inspiring blog posts and is an all around good person. Would always love working with her.
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Local Collaborative is such a great business to work with. Marin assisted me with my website redesign and gave me some marketing tools and tips to further advance my business. Within a week of my hiring her, my website was complete! She was efficient, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful. On top of that, she was so patient and answered every single question I had. She took the time to explain to me each step in the process, in addition to giving me a walk through of the new platform so that I would be able to make any small changes on my own. I now feel that I can begin the next step in my career as a photographer, with a website that reflects my style and who I am. Thank you so much Marin!