I used to read all my books digitally, but I’m on my computer so much lately that I can’t stand looking at my phone for much longer. I love having a physical copy of my book in my nightstand and at home so whenever I have downtime, I turn to reading instead of scrolling mindlessly through social media. Below are my favorite books I read through February and March!
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott – 2.5 stars
I’ve taken to describe this as “Fault in Our Stars but with cystic fibrosis” to my friends. The story is good, but the writing is very simplistic. I will say that the movie was one of the truest adaptations from a book that I’ve ever seen. I read the book a week before seeing the movie and several of the scenes were literally word-for-word what the book said. I almost NEVER say this, but I would recommend seeing the movie instead!
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
The Myth of The Nice Girl by Fran Hauser – 5 stars
So, so good – practically the career girl’s bible. I have recommended this book to just about everyone I know lately and I need to keep recommending it over and over! I cannot say enough good things about it. This book has amazing advice in it and I have been referencing it a ton, especially in my job search.
A candid guide for ambitious women who want to succeed without losing themselves in the process
In The Myth of The Nice Girl, Fran Hauser deconstructs the negative perception of “niceness” that many women struggle within the business world. If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective, but if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch.
Hauser proves that women don’t have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful. Sharing a wealth of personal anecdotes and time-tested strategies, she shows women how to reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like. Her accessible advice and hard-won wisdom detail how to balance being empathetic with being decisive, how to rise above the double standards that can box you in, how to cultivate authentic confidence that projects throughout a room, and much more.
THE MYTH OF THE NICE GIRL is a refreshing dose of forward-looking feminism that will resonate with smart, professional women who know what they want and are looking for real advice to take their career to the next level without losing themselves in the process.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler- 4.5 stars
I love Amy Poehler so much. I ‘read’ this through audiobook while running. She’s so funny and since Amy read her own book, it felt like I was just hanging out with her on my runs! I even found myself laughing and smiling while running and that doesn’t happen often, haha. Would recommend for an easy read.
In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.
The Incomplete Book of Running by Peter Sagal – 4 stars
I love reading about people’s personal experiences with running and this is no different. I would say if you aren’t a runner, this might not be super interesting, but I liked it. Peter talks all about his relationship with running, including being a guide runner for a blind man during the Boston marathon bombing.
Peter Sagal, the host of NPR’s beloved show Wait Wait..Don’t Tell Me and a popular columnist for Runner’s World, shares his insightful and entertaining look at life and running that explores the transformative power of the sport.
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza – 3.5 stars
This book was interesting at the start but dragged near the end. I enjoyed the premise but I honestly found myself disappointed by Charlotte’s actions at some points. However, I liked reading a book about a powerful woman and her path to success.
Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. Still reeling from a presidential election that shocked and divided the country and inspired by the chance to make a difference, she’s left behind her high-powered job in Silicon Valley and returned, with her husband Max and their three young daughters, to her downtrodden Pennsylvania hometown to run in the Rust Belt state.
A searing, suspenseful story of political ambition, marriage, class, sexual politics, and infidelity, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is an insightful portrait of what it takes for a woman to run for national office in America today. In a dramatic political moment like no other with more women running for office than ever before, Jo Piazza’s novel is timely, engrossing, and perfect for readers on both sides of the aisle.
What are your favorite books?
xo, Hannah