Books To Read In Quarantine

Did you know that there’s a The Skinny Confidential Facebook Group that’s dedicated to a book club? You have to join the main group on Facebook, then just search The Skinny Confidential book club & join.

Books are such a theme on this blog. Reading is such an important part of my life. When my mom passed away, reading really got me through it. I would immersed myself in books & it was this form of escapism I guess.

When I was pregnant I read a lot, & since Zaza arrived, I’ve still been making time to read.

If you’re quarantined like the rest of America & watched everything on Netlfix already ( LOL ), here are some books that I highly recommend. Let’s get right into it.

♡ Recovering From Reality by Alexis Haines

Alexis is a wealth of knowledge especially when it comes to addiction. She is a sobriety advocate ( her & her husband even own a treatment center ), a mother of 2, author & podcaster. Oh, & a doula too. No big deal.

You may have heard of Alexis before from The Bling Ring & the TV show Pretty Wild. She was recently on the blog for a little q&a talking all about her experience & where she is in life now. In her book, Recovering From Reality, Alexis shares her battle with depression, substance abuse, sexual assault, social media, struggle & shame. But she also talks about how pain can be the best teacher & how she used her own pain as opportunity.

Definitely check out her book & her podcast. It’s real, raw & offers insight into addiction.

♡ The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt

Katherine recently came on The HIM & HER podcast for the second time ( if you haven’t listened to her first episode, check it out here ). Her book, The Gift of Forgiveness is… you guess it …all about forgiveness. This book is a must read & full of the most incredible stories. You’ll even hear from the mother of one of the shooters from Columbine, as well as Katherine’s own personal path of forgiveness.

Katherine is a friend & is just a lovely person. I have massive respect for her for bringing these beautiful stories to life. Also be sure to check out her post on TSC where she talks about rescue dogs, skin care & her favorite cocktail.

♡ Acid For The Children by Flea

First off, if you haven’t read Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, who was also in The Red Hot Chili Peppers, you HAVE to. It’s an amazing book. He is just as good a storyteller as he is a songwriter. Needless to say, I was so excited when I heard Flea came out with a book too.

Truth be told… it’s not as good as Scar Tissue, but honestly, it’s hard to beat. Acid For The Children is still a really good book though, & I do consider it a must-read. Michael especially liked it.

♡ My Fair Junkie by Amy Dresner

After hearing about Amy Dresner on Alexis Haines’ podcast ( see above for the scoop on Alexis & her book ) I had to read her book. Amy is straight to the point & blunt, so naturally I fell in love. She is someone we need to get on the podcast!

Anyway, this book is not for someone who is conservative. It’s so truthful with no sugarcoating, which I fucking loved. She’s an over-sharer & I think she does a really good job of portraying addiction.

♡ Suzanne Somers ( in general )

So in love with Suzanne Somers right now. I’ve read her autobiography After The Fall, & now I’m onto Keeping Secrets, which I got at the library. So in general, all of Suzanne’s books are must-reads. I want her on the podcast ASAP. I feel like she was very TSC-esque in the 70s & 80s, & still is. You guys, she’s written 28 books. You can’t go wrong.

Her latest book is called A New Way To Age & it’s all about the latest holistic antiaging methods. She explains how no one has to age the way their parents did & getting older can still be filled with freedom, vibrancy, & health.

♡ Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Highly recommend this book. I read it right after birth & it’s just amazing. Jessica is so vulnerable & really shows herself in a new light. She talks about everything from being molested, to her marriage with Nick Lachey, to the relationship she has with her family. She goes through her journey with alcohol & pill addiction to plastic surgery.

Autobiographies & biographies are my favorite kind of books to read, & I found this one to be really refreshing. You won’t be able to put this down. If you’re more into audiobooks then this is a good one because it’s actually Jessica who reads it!

♡ You Only Get One Life by Brigitte Nielsen

Who remembers Brigitte from Flavor of Love? LOL.

Not only was she the star of that show, but she also used to be a huge Hollywood actress & model, plus she was married to Sylvester Stallone. Like I said, I’m into biographies, so it’s no surprise that I found her book. Seriously guys, I’ve read so many random books, you’d find people in my list who you had no idea even wrote a book.

Throughout the pages Brigitte talks about being bullied & about her whole childhood in general. She’s goes into her marriage with Sylvester Stallone ( which is super juicy ) & her journey with alcoholism. If you’re into reading about people’s lives, then I highly recommend this book.

♡ Girl On Fire by Cara Alwill

Cara is a friend of mine & you guys may know her from the podcast & the blog. She really is a dynamic force & you should really follow her on Instagram.

She just came out with her new book, Girl On Fire, & it’s all about living your own dream & going down your own path. Cara empowers women by spilling truths for women entrepreneurs ( but all women too ). One of the main points of her book is that YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE’S PERMISSION TO DO ANYTHING.

Launch, adjust, stop the excuses, just do what you want to do. She encourages women to publish that book, design that clothing line, launch your own podcast, you get it. Cara has also written Girl Code, The Champagne Diet & Style Your Mind For Success– every time she releases a book I dive right in.

♡ Nobody Wants To Read Your Shit by Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield wrote one of my favorite books called The War of Art ( no, not The Art of War ). It’s all about defeating your internal resistance to break down barriers to accomplish what you want to accomplish.

His new book, Nobody Wants To Read Your Shit, was mainly written for writers to help them go back & forth between their point of view & the point of view of their readers ( consumers ). It teaches people to evaluate their writing, content, whatever it may be, by asking ‘is this interesting? Is this fun? Is my consumer bored?’

Especially into this because I feel that providing value is extremely important, especially in the influencer space. This book is relatable because right now, you need to stand out on any medium. It helps you figure out how YOU can standout & what makes you sparkle.

♡ The Mexican Keto Cookbook by Torie Borrelli

You guys might remember Torie from her her post on detoxifying your kitchen. Her cookbook is so good & such a niche. What a festive way to eat delicious Mexican food but still stay healthy!

“It’s packed with authentic, full-flavored, health-conscious recipes designed to burn body fat. It includes the science behind keto, guides you on how to execute the diet effectively, & provides more than 100 amazing recipes.”

You can expect recipes for Chicken Tortilla Soup, Goat Cheese Enchiladas, & Spicy Cilantro Chicken Wings- YUM.

So, those are all the books I have been reading whenever my boss Zaza lets me. LOL.

If you’re interested in more books, I got ya covered. We have a big time book club going on over here, so here are a few of the latest:

♡ 5 books to keep you entertained.

♡ 5 books for business.

♡ more of my favorites here.

Chat soon. Stay safe.

x, lauryn

+ the book light that I like to use at night. 

++ scope some of Michael’s book recs here.

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