HEY YOU!

Today is Thursday and I am currently mourning over the fact that all my friends in Connecticut have a Snow Day (yes, proper noun in my world) and I’m stuck dealing with Atlanta’s bipolar weather patterns. In the spirit of Snow Days (and me not getting any), I am working until 2pm and then cuddling up on the couch to do some much-needed reading. I can’t begin to tell you the difference it has made in the last year to start picking up books (real ones… with covers and spines…) instead of my phone at the end of a long day. I feel healthier, happier & smarter. You asked for this list… I’m answering. 

Also- It took forever (really) but I linked all the books up with Amazon since I love you so much and love Amazon a lot too. 

Dig in. Enjoy. And comment below with your current reads + favorites! Happy reading!

tying you closer than most,

hb. 

 Classics are like vitamins, you should have them everyday.

• Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank. :: gimme, gimme.
• Their Eyes were Watching God, Zora N. Hurston :: gimme, gimme. 
• Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Book Thief, Markus Zusak :: gimme, gimme. 
• Wise Blood, Flannery O’Connor :: gimme, gimme. 
• Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky :: gimme, gimme. 
• To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee :: gimme, gimme. 

Books for #bosses

• The Big Life, Ann Shoket :: gimme, gimme. 
• Safe People, Henry Cloud :: gimme, gimme. 
• Make it Happen, Lara Casey :: gimme, gimme. 
• Chasing Slow, Erin Loechner :: gimme, gimme. 

Nonfiction I will forever keep on my bookshelf.

• Wild, Cheryl Strayed :: gimme, gimme. 
• Tiny, Beautiful Things, Cheryl Strayed :: gimme, gimme. 
• Eat, Pray, Love, Liz Gilbert :: gimme, gimme. 
• Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire), Jen Glantz :: gimme, gimme. 
• Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari :: gimme, gimme.
• Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle :: gimme, gimme. 
• Love Does, Bob Goff :: gimme, gimme. 
• Scary Close, Donald Miller :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion :: gimme, gimme. 

Mackenzie’s picks

(I asked my fantastic literary agent Mackenzie Brady Watson to weigh and recommend her top 5 books for today)

• Dust Bowl Girls, Lydia Reeder :: gimme, gimme.
• Evicted, Matthew Desmond :: gimme, gimme.
• The Female of the Species, Mindy McGinnis :: gimme, gimme.
• The MARCH trilogy, John Lewis :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Handmaid’s tale, Margaret Atwood :: gimme, gimme.

Fiction picks for 2017

• The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah ::  gimme, gimme. 
• The Trespasser, Tana French :: gimme, gimme. 
• Me Before You, JoJo Moyes :: gimme, gimme. 
• All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Wonder, Emma Donoghue :: gimme, gimme. 

For the writer in you

• Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott ::  gimme, gimme. 
• On Writing, Stephen King :: gimme, gimme. 
• Big Magic, Liz Gilbert :: gimme, gimme. 

A bunch of books featuring crazy chicks gone psycho.

• Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn ::  gimme, gimme.
• Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn :: gimme, gimme. 
• Good as Gone, Amy Gentry ::  gimme, gimme.
• All the Missing Girls, Megan Miranda :: gimme, gimme.
• Swimming Lessons, Claire Fuller ::  gimme, gimme. 
• Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Woman in Cabin 10, Ruth Ware :: gimme, gimme. 

Books to grow you spiritually.

• Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Genesee Diary, Henri Nouwen :: gimme, gimme. 
• Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen :: gimme, gimme. 
• Meaning of Marriage, Tim Keller :: gimme, gimme. 
• Blue like Jazz, Donald Miller ::  gimme, gimme. 
• Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster ::  gimme, gimme. 
• Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson :: gimme, gimme.   

On my docket for 2017

These are books that I’ve either never read or plan to read for a second (or fifth) time in 2017. I can’t speak for all of them since I don’t know all the content yet but I compiled this list with the help of reader junkie friends and the “12 Banned Books Every Woman Needs to Read in Her Lifetime.” 

• Beloved, Toni Morrison :: gimme, gimme. 
• Hallelujah Anyway, Anne Lamott :: gimme, gimme.
• The Fran Lebowitz Reader, Fran Lebowitz ::  gimme, gimme. 
• The Mothers, Britt Bennett :: gimme, gimme. 
• Mad Girl’s Love Song, Andrew Wilson :: gimme, gimme. 
• The Color Purple, Alice Walker ::  gimme, gimme. 
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou :: gimme, gimme. 
• Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell :: gimme, gimme. 

A Subscription for Bookworms

I don’t spend a lot of money on myself. When I do, I am very careful with every investment. However, I made the choice to invest in a Book of the Month subscription this past November and I honestly cannot shut up about it. I’ve gotten three books delivered to my doorstep so far and each one has been exactly matched to my personality and the genres of books I like to read. Book #4 (Behind Her Eyes) just shipped!

If you love books and love being in unofficial book clubs then this will probably be your jam. You get all hardcover books. You get to keep them. A lot of the titles are newly released or not even out yet!

When I signed up, BOTM gave me a link to share with friends. This link will get you 3-months of BOTM for $30. Dig in and let me know what your first pick is!