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!

Just like with my blog, I want you to have a glimpse into what inspires, motivates and teaches me.

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.) Now that we’re a few months into 2018 I wanted to do an accountability check with you and give you some ideas on what’s coming up. I am going to focus on the books I’ve been reading since I see so many people asking for suggestions. I will also be adding my adventures and hikes in a separate section so keep an eye out!

Every few weeks I will share my Top Fiction and Non-Fiction books I use for improvement in my personal and professional life. I had filmed a video for this but it was too choppy and just not fitting right. Would you rather see a video or a blog post for Book Club? Please leave your recommendations below!

Check out all of my Book and Podcast Club posts here. 

Read For Fun

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 

I really enjoyed this book but I really love the Hulu series. By the time I read this in January 2018, I had seen the advertisements for the show so it helped me visualize. It felt like I was reading something from 1900 but it’s actually set in the future. Atwood wrote so descriptively that the series is close to what I was picturing and they added on to what wasn’t mentioned in the book. Must read and watch.

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

I’ve really grown to love Karin Slaughter’s books. She’s a writer whose name I have actually remembered and have sought her books out. They all follow the same murder mystery genre but the twists and turns she takes you through makes it exciting. This particular book is one of her more recent and will unfortunately sound pretty familiar to what we hear about in the news these days. If you think you know what will happen, just hang in there.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

See what I told you about her books? This is the most recent one that I have finished. I think it could have been taken down a little bit but it was another creepy and disturbing book that I could easily see as an episode on television. It is staged in Atlanta and surprised me with the main character. For only have three main characters she did a great job of building out a story line.

 The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

It was fun to find out this book was based here in the PNW but I’m just hoping it doesn’t creep me out on my next hike. The ending and the thought process Denfeld put into each of her characters was with every intent and purpose for a great story. I loved how she told you the backstory, the current story and the happy ending. She makes you feel bad for the bad guy and that takes some talent.

It’s Always The Husband by Michele Campbell

Judge a book by it’s creative, beautiful cover…like this one! This is what happens when you mix college best friends with their adult life problems mixed with murder. It’s entertaining and reminded me of Gone Girl. I listened to this as an audiobook and it helped hearing the story from different voices.

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

***TOP TOP TOP PICK!*** Must read. This book blew my mind. It’s creepy, sick and thrilling enough that it had me literally page turning not wanting to put it down and there’s not many books that do that for me. It’s a CSI and Criminal Minds Movie Merger. She imagines things that happen after event and goes into fairly disturbing boundaries and crosses the line. You should be a more mature reader (probably 18) to read this because of the story and content. I looked up any other books this author wrote because her story line and storytelling were that intriguing.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I’ve heard of this book and heard of Lauren Oliver. I thought this was an interesting concept and would like to see it as a movie. It gave me a mix of Hunger Games + Handmaid’s Tale + Get Out. Sounds weird, right? They’re trying to fight the government for everyone who thinks that love is a disease. She finds out some secrets that have been kept from her and I want to see what happens in the next two novels.

 

Read For Improvement

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

This book will have language so be warned if that is something that will offend you. The striking title on a bright orange cover will pull you in and it gives you the masculine energy version of You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. This is a book that was fun to read because I kept taking ideas and notes out of it but I’m okay not owning it. It walks you through what to give an F about and what not to. (Psstt: I wrote a post about this on my Instagram.)

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

This is a book dedicated to women in the workforce. Sheryl talked about this topic in her 2010 TedTalk and is the COO of Facebook. It was interesting to hear the stories of struggles she dealt with in her position and comparing them to what I was also going through in a similar time. If you are a woman in a leadership role or want to be in the future this is an informational and fairly quick read. This will be the easiest access to a mentor you can get.

Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth by Mika Brzezinski 

No matter your views on the Morning Joe or not, Mika provides some badass advice to women about asking for a raise, knowing what you are worth and how to get it. This came to me at the perfect time as I was actually going through a similar situation and while the tips were ones I have heard before, she elaborated on topics, was transparent about her personal examples and gives you motivating encouragement to get out there and be fearless about what you are hoping to get. I heard this at a great time for me just like people who decide it’s finally time to enhance their marketing saw my business debut and reached out. What you put out you will attract. Keep pushing.

Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins

I listened to the audiobook of this and it was more like a motivational podcast for me since it took less than two hours to listen to. It is very similar to a lot of his other materials and just what you think of when you hear Tony’s name. If you’re looking for something that will prompt you to think, motivate you or increase your work productivity this is it. I liked how he had his own speaking parts along with the narrator and he included pauses to write down ideas and go through exercises with him.

Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines

Smart things he learned doing stupid stuff. I was really hoping this would be more real estate, entrepreneur and investment based but it was very similar to his wife’s book Magnolia Story. He did let you in on several mistakes he made in his business and how he corrected them and he spoke about how he found balance in her personal and professional life which is what this book club is all about.

 

 

You’re probably here for the FREE stuff, huh? Not a problem. 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 2018 from Local Collaborative I mentioned to track your goals and adventures for the rest of the year.

 

Cheers!

Marin

PS: Have you left a review of Local Collaborative yet? I know people are interested to hear from those that have worked with me. Won’t you help them out by reviewing me?