Glitter & Grace

I used to be a voracious reader. Growing up, it was my main afternoon and weekend activity. I loved the feeling of a new book, ready to be discovered. Around the time I started college, I stopped reading as much. This was mostly because the rest of my life became more busy and interesting (a good thing) but I still miss the relaxing yet stimulating adventure of a great book. So, I’ve resolved to incorporate reading back into my daily routine. I thought that it would be fun to share with you some of the books I’ve finished recently – a book club, of sorts! If you like this idea, I’ll continue posts like this every few months. Let me know in the comments below – have you read any of these? What books have you enjoyed recently?

• It Was Me All Along – Andie Mitchell: This is a very poignant memoir about one young woman’s weight loss journey. Even for those of us who haven’t faced such a big challenge, I think we can all relate to her struggles with body image and self-confidence. I definitely recommend!
• Dataclysm – Christian Rudder: This one is for fans of Freakonomics and Malcolm Gladwell. Rudder takes data from some large social and dating companies, like Twitter and OkCupid, and extrapolates fascinating facts and trends about the people behind this data. It’s an interesting read that seems especially relevant for young adults working in tech.
• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo: I’m sure you’ve heard of this international hit by now. I’ve been interested in minimalism for a while now (see my capsule wardrobes), and this is a great handbook about living with less stuff. Some of my favorite tips: declutter all at once, purge by category, and, most importantly, focus on the items that spark joy.
• Luckiest Girl Alive – Jessica Knoll: I picked up this book because it was touted as the new Gone Girl, and whipped through it over the Thanksgiving weekend. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite – the writing was only ok, and the characters weren’t particularly compelling.
• Year of No Sugar – Eve O. Schaub: In this memoir, a mom describes her family’s year-long experiment to completely avoid all refined sugar. Although none of the events chronicled were particularly riveting, I did appreciate all of the information packed in about sugar’s pervasive (and dangerous) place in our culture.