{ homemade turkey burgers }
{ kind of jumped on the Kylie Jenner lip train** }
Since I’ve had some major downtime this month, I’ve been able to sort of kick back and do one of my favorite things ever: READ.
Every time I’ve had anything bad happen in my life I turn to books.
I find that they suck me into a different world where I can turn my brain off. Take a moment. And reflect subconsciously.
I guess reading has always been extremely therapeutic for me.
( I always joke with Michael that I knew I wanted to marry him when I found out he was a big reader. No matter how busy he is with work/life, he ALWAYS makes time to read everyday. To me, thats a very attractive trait in a man or woman ).
As my business has grown, I noticed I wasn’t making time to read…SCREW THAT.
& what a BULL SHIT EXCUSE, there’s always time if you make time, right?
SO I’ve changed my thought process. I’ve made time to kick back & just read. It doesn’t have to be some gnarly, intense book, it could be something light & girly, but I believe that making the effort to read everyday is good for your soul, good for your brain, & good for your sanity.
Do I sound crazy or are we on the same page here ( lol )?
{ a rad illustration drawn by a TSC reader }
Anyway, I decided to compile a little list of what I’ve been loving this month…
1.} The Cartel by Don Winslow: I just started this last night & I’m almost half way through. IT’S SOOOOO GOOD. If you’re looking for an amazing read, START THIS BOOK. Again, I haven’t finished it but so far it’s been ADDICTIVE.
2.} Down The Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison: DON’T LAUGH because this was awesome. I loved it! Holly tells it how it is. She shares an inside look into life behind the Playboy gates & a peek inside Hugh Hefner’s crazy world. This is the perfect book for someone who just underwent intense surgery because it’s light & really takes your mind off anything negative. Highly recommend this juicy autobiography.
3.} Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? ( And Other Concerns ) by Mindy Kaling: very funny, cute, & a quick read. Mindy makes you LOL. Again, a perfect post-surgery book.
4.} The Book of Joan by Melissa Rivers: HILARIOUS. My girlfriend, Gillian, recommended this to me & it did not disappoint. Firstly, Joan was my spirit animal. Her daughter, Melissa, does an eloquent job of remembering her mother in a witty, seriously funny way. And obviously Joan was a fucking spit fire. Highly recommend this one for a good laugh. Next up: want to read all of Joan’s books ( she has like 4! ). She laughed through her adversity…& looked fab at the same time.
5.} In My Shoes: A Memoir by Tamara Mellon: Tamara is a balls to the walls business babe. She is the co-founder of Jimmy Choo & super inspiring. This book really resonated because Tamara kind of started from the bottom & created a massive empire.
6.} Suja Juice Solution by my girlfriend, Annie Lawless & Jeff Church: I really, really loved this book. It’s full of awesome recipes, easy tips, & clean ideas. There was so much thought that went into this book & I use it all the time when I’m cooking. I love this breakfast recipe & this is kind of a spin on one of their drink recipes!
7.} Blogging For Creatives by Robin Houghton: this book is awesome if you’re in the blogging world. It’s a quick read with insightful tips. I would recommend this to someone who is new-ish to the blogging community.
8.} 10 Pounds in 10 Days by Jackie Warner: this was research for The Skinny Confidential Bombshell Body Guide. I love reading about other fitness gurus tricks & tips. This book has AN AWESOME list of foods to eat & foods to avoid if you’re looking or optimal weight loss. Jackie is sassy pants & a total wellness inspiration.
9.} Confessions of a Catholic Cop by Thomas Fitzsimmons: I love this author because he always writes about real deal New York City Bronx crime. He was a former cop who actually has seen the worst of the worst. And shocker, I love reading about cops, gangs, jails, etc. & this writer gets it.
10.} A bunch of James Patterson books because they’re quick & light reads. After a while you start to see the way he writes & it’s gets a bit repeatitive. But the first couple of books are fun if you want something kind of mindless.
Also, I started the autobiography Finding Me by Michelle Knight ( the woman who was held captive for 11 years & found in Cleveland ) & couldn’t finish it. It was WAY too sad. She is amazing but I had to put it down halfway through. I will try to finish it when I’m feeling better, health-wise.
Here’s my list for the next month: Shogan by James Clavell ( << Michael’s recommendation ), I, Justine ( << she’s a top YouTube vlogger ), Primates of Park Avenue ( MEOW! Should be interesting… ), & Girl on the Train ( << a reader’s recommendation ).
{ easy post workout smoothie: 1/2 banana, handful of berries, kale, bee pollen, chia seeds, & turmeric }
{ gold lamé x a leather moto }
So ya, there’s my list. Like I said, sometimes it’s fun to just read a light girly book & sometimes it’s nice to dig a little deeper. Hell, sometimes I love to even listen to books on tape ( currently: Diane Keaton’s autobiographies ). Oh, can you tell I like autobiographies??!
What is your favorite book lately & why? I would love recommendations. Obviously I’m home, resting, & trying my best to heal so literally any book you guys suggest is a real lifesaver to pass the time.
Hope you all had a fun, chill weekend!
– lauryn, xx
** Kylie Jenner lip train note: I have to admit I had a weak moment a few months ago & purchased this weird contraption called Candy Lipz. Since I’m a blogger, I’m always trying to test out new things…this one was a REAL FAIL. Basically you put it around your lips & er, uh it’s a lip plumper device designed to shape, contour, & enhance the lips naturally and instantly. AKA sucks the blood to your lips making them look bigger. I thought I’d share it with you guys because for as many awesome products, there’s always a few losers. This one was a real LOL. Do yourself a favor & use lip liner instead ; ).
{ summer whites }
You really should read Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. It’s so beautifully written, it will warm your heart.
I love squeezing in time to read…I don’t get to do it as often as I like either. I just started reading Down the Rabbit Hole and I can’t wait to get further. I always loved Holly on The Girls Next Door 🙂 I need to read Blogging for Creatives…added it to my cart! Thanks for the recommendations. Have a great day!
Alexis @ http://www.chemistrycachet.com
Loved In Her Shoes! Check out #GIRLBOSS by the founder of NastyGal, The Woman I Wanted To Be by DVF, Chanel Bonfire (amazing memoir about a dysfunctional family), My Paris Dream (biography about a woman who moved to Paris to become a fashion journalist) and The Chocolate Money. Love reading too if you can’t tell! X
Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw. I read it in 2 days (would have done it in 1, but you have to eat!). I laughed, I cried, I cried while laughing (literally sitting on my porch laughing out loud with tears streaming down my face. Cool.). Shane is hilarious and amazing and so inspiring.
Crazy Rich Asians and china rich girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
I just devoured The One and Only by Emily Giffin. It was a quick, cute, girly read.
Love that you recommended the book about the founder of Jimmy Choo! Will definitely have to read it, we love books about girl bosses.
Xx,
The Twinne Twins
http://www.twinneblog.com
Love all of these picks!
That’s so weird, as I’ve been thinking that a lot lately too. I haven’t been making time to read, and when I have any spare time, I’ll just like zone out on my phone or do something like that, which isn’t productive at all. It’s really, as you mentioned, one of the most important aspects of influential people and smart business folks. I’m going to read the blogging book for some tips :).
You probably already have The Secret? I think you’re living it right now, but Hero is also good to just remind yourself how powerful your thoughts are, law of attraction etc.
Thanks boo! Need to catch up here on stuff, appreciate this post.
xx Krista
http://www.hundredblog.com
Thanks for keeping in it real about the Kylie Jenner lip plumper or whatever it is and definitely picking up the Blogging book!
Stephanie
http://ishowedupinboots.com
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, and Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul by Deepak Chopra
Been needing some new book recommendations so thank you for this!! Hope you’re feeling better xx
love, delaney rae
You MUST read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Best thriller/mystery novel I’ve ever read. Books usually don’t freak me out but I legitimately couldn’t put this book down and was too scared to go to bed haha
lauryn do not waste your time with girl on a train – great beginning but ends soo flat. just not all its cracked up to be imo. although i do recommend the orphan train if u are looking for something about trains haha hope u are feeling great these days
Could you please post the recipe for those turkey burgers? They look amazing!!
How ironic! I just posted my list of books I want to read on an upcoming vacation and Down the Rabbit hole is on my list too. Don Winslow is a bad ass and all of his books are AHHH-MAZZING! Did you know he is kind of a San Diego local? Lived here for years while researching and writing and has a cabin in Julian. I got to hear him speak at an event at Warwicks in La Jolla and he is the real-deal! Both the hubby and I read all of his books.
Amy Poehler’s Yes Please book…it is FANTABULOUS! so funny, you won’t be disappointed. Also Grey, if you’re into the whole 50 shades thing 🙂
I lovedddd The Book of Joan, it was just so entertaining and make sme wish I could have met Joan in person.
xx,
Susie
http://www.SequinsandStrawberries.com
Your complete aura & vibe to tsc just resonates that “Light is the New Black” could be your soulmate book. It sure is mine! Changing my life! So ridiculously inspiring. Especially helpful while you’re in recovery mode.
http://www.lightisthenewblack.com
“Your suffering happened for you, not to you.
As hard as it is, the things that almost break us apart are also the things that came to make us whole.
To re-jig things enough to get you back into alignment.
To smash the pieces, which were stuck together in the first place.
To shake your foundations so you build new ones that no situation or person could ever break.
So love your suffering and don’t fight it. It’s there to lead you back to your most authentic, biggest, brightest self.
The wound is where the light enters.”
I LOVE reading!! The Mindy Kaling book is one of my favorite autobiographies — so clever and hilarious! I’m currently reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and I absolutely love it.
You should bump The Girl on the Train to the top of your list! Honestly, it was SOOO good. Probably my favorite in a while. Also, I just got into this young adult series called The Selection. Super easy read, but there is love, princes and princesses and definitely a bit of drama. I highly recommend it for somebody on the mend just looking for a light feel good 🙂
xo Annie
http://www.laircake.com
I loofa reading! Especially in the summer time outside by my pool! I just finished The Underwriting by Michelle Miller and I totally recommend! It’s about the collaboration between Wall Street and Silicon Valley and all the trouble that ensues!
I’m currently reading A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout; it’s a memoir about a woman who was held captive in Somalia for 15 months. Definitely a page-turner so far. Reading can be so therapeutic! Xx
One of my most favorite books in the world is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and is written SO creatively. The pages of the book are even physically designed in a way that helps you feel what the main character, Oskar, is feeling – hard to explain but you’ll see what I mean just flipping through the pages.
My other favorites are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I’m currently reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac (trying to read a few more classics!) and I love it.
For a super light, fun murder mystery, try the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries. Super sexy, comical, and TONS of fashion.
You should read The Forgotten Garden, The Chocolate Lovers Club, and Training Camp next! Training Camp is a great one for personal development, and the other two are just really fun reads during down time 🙂
I loved I Take You by Eliza Kennedy. It’s a great quick read and I think you’d totally want to hang out with the main character. Happy reading and I hope you’re starting to feel better!
still lolo by lauren scruggs is a great book, it is inspiring but still a quick read! she is a beautiful person inside and out. also, sarah’s key is a good thriller about the holocaust in france
I can´t recommend you a book because I have not read anything lately but you helped me a lot because I was trying to sort this out with your post and I am definitely going to get the Don Winslow one. Looks like a promising book for a beach weekend! Yay! Thanks!
I would recommend a fabulous new book by Michelle Rusk, “The Green Dress”. This is a capture your soul type book within the first few pages. It’s a lovely book that incorporates a love story, a bit of a mystery, and the importance of valuing someone’s history and personal story. I kept turning the pages and ultimately had that “yes” moment as the story came together. I would recommend that you put this story at the top of your list! You won’t be able to put it down. I promise!!!!
Yess! I’m always looking for new book reccomendations so thank you! I’m actually super excited to buy a few of these!! I’m currently reading Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler and its OK…so I’ve been scoping out my next read. Interested in the Cartel, blogging for creatives, confessions of a Catholic Cop and finding me.
OMG totally just bought that candy lips thing and LOVE it! I think its hilarious when my husband walks in and I have an apple on my face but whatever! haha xo C
Getting There: A Book of Mentors is THE BEST book I have ever read. So motivational and offers incredible advice from some of the worlds leading individuals. A must read!
Thanks for the inspo! I actually went to the library this A.M. for the first time in forever and have spent the day devouring Lena Dunham’s ‘not that kind of girl’ ( so far really good and funny!) I have fallen out of the habit of reading, and as a former book worm, didn’t realize how much I’ve been missing it. I loved checking through the comments for ideAs too. I feel like this would be a great post to do a few times a year so we can all update our reading lists. Thanks again!
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, is a life changer if you want to get real with yourself.
And if you like autobiographies, have you read North of Normal by Cea Person? It’s an amazing story about a girl who grew up in the wilderness with a cray cray family (think nakedness, sex, drugs, bear meat…), and grew up to be an international super model. Fascinating story of child development and overcoming your past. Not a sad read like Finding Me!
This is my favourite book. It’s fiction but it really had great, deep and real messages. I think if you have a hard time with living a ‘free’ life then this is what you should read… It’s called Bright Side by Kim Holden! Honestly, I doubt you’d finish it without tears!! Let me know if anyone reads it:))