Book Report

Early mornings at my mom’s house have always consisted of hot tea (green for the girls, black with milk and sugar for Mike) and reading. Sometimes magazines get swapped across the living room; sometimes we just sit in silence and devour our latest books. Dan is not an avid reader. Though he’s perfectly content with perusing Ebay (tuxedos are his latest obsession) or Yahoo or being a good boy and reviewing the thousands of pages of music he has to memorize. Here are three books that have recently found homes in my purse and on my nightstand.


The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke-Suze Orman
I am a total nerd when it comes to personal finance and love knowing what is best for my moola. Suze is beyond knowledgeable and writes in a very straight forward manner so as to eliminate any confusion. This book covers everything from saving, investing, student loans, retirement, buying a house, starting a career, and using debt wisely. I immediately bought a copy for my sister and her husband because I think it is a fantastic reference book to have on hand for the next, oh…10 years. Suze is my BFF. I like to reference her in my daily conversations.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Series-Stieg Larsson
I rebelled against the popularity of these books and refused to read them until basically every single reader I knew told me I HAD to read them. So I did. And I loved them. I’ll say it took me a while to really get into the first book but then it was full speed ahead, read it for six hours on a Sunday and not feel satiated until I finished. Knowing that the author is deceased, I purposely made myself space out the three books so that I could linger in the Swedish mysterious thrillers a little longer. Hands down a great series…and now I want to visit Sweden.


Here on Earth-Alice Hoffman
This book first came into my life in high school and I think this is my third time reading it since. Alice Hoffman’s characters are so beautifully real—both simple and complex—that you can see yourself inside their lives, struggling with realities of love, obsession, and home. The novel is set in rural Massachusetts in a village outside of Boston. It’s the kind of place where legends stain the cloth of real life so that no one knows for sure if the village was once covered in foxes or if the founder actually fled his home during a great storm. This story calls for tea, a cozy reading nook, and thick wool socks as you follow the characters through the deepest winter of their lives.

I just picked up Something Borrowed (is it cheesy or as good as the movie looks?) and Strengths Finder 2.0. Any must-reads on your list?