My Favorite Books of January

Last month, I was lucky enough to actually have time to read a couple books! This month...not so sure! But I personally love reading more than any other leisurely activity, so I'm going to start sharing my monthly favorites. Let me know if you've read them or plan to read them, or if you have your own recommendations that you think I might like!

Last month I didn't read any novels, but I read one inspirational book and one book by one of my favorite celebrities. Aside from reading novels, these are probably my other two favorite genres to read. Funny-ish self-help and funny celeb memoirs.

You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

I know I mentioned this book one other time, in my New Years post. But it was just so great that I'll talk about it again.

When I read books like this, I always end up feeling like I should go out and accomplish big things! Which is awesome. I loved her book because it had a lot to do with finding your calling. Plus, I was reading it right at the beginning of the year, so it put a lot of ideas into my head about creating goals/other important stuff like that. I love Jen Sincero's conversational tone and her real-world analogies that went along with the advice she was giving. Basically the point of the book (in my opinion) was that you're probably the one standing in your own way when it comes to reaching your true potential. And then she goes on to explain ways to stop doing that thing you're doing that stops you. It is PACKED with info! Totally worth buying to keep around.

If you like when authors use bullet points/numerical order and lay everything out really simply, this one's for you. If you like books that will make you change your ways in order to be successful in your endeavors, this one's for you. But if you hate that style of writing and only want to read books that tell you what you're doing already is perfectly fine behavior, don't buy this one...crazies.

Favorite quotes and passages:

On your calling:

"Much of the time we pretend we aren't clear on what our calling is when what's really going on is that we're horrified to face it because it seems too big or too impossible to make a living at or completely out of the question for us.

But what if you had the audacity to leave your excuses and your shame about wanting to be huge and famous behind and really went for it full-on anyway? What if you decided to do the most outrageous, most exciting thing you ever dared to fantasize about, regardless of what anyone, including your terrified self, thought?

THAT would be living."

On making it happen:

"If you want something badly, even if you don't have any evidence that it's possible for you to attain, believe it is anyway. Fake it until you make it. Do it in spite of yourself. Act as if."

On making money:

"You can't charge less than what you're worth and expect to flourish, because you'll be pissed off."

On what's in the way of your calling:

"Procrastination is one of the most popular forms of self-sabotage because it's really easy."

Oh, and LOVE YOURSELF.

I Hate Everyone, Except You by Clinton Kelly

Soooo...I wanted to read Clinton Kelly's new book even before I met him. Of course, I had watched him on What Not to Wear and now watch him on The Chew, but I didn't realize how hilarious he actually is. Luckily, Boswell Books was hosting Clinton for a book signing and (yay for me) I went. He told me he loves my name. And wants to hang out.

I made ONE of those facts up.

Celeb memoirs can go either way for me. I generally only read the ones of people that I already like, so that helps, but his was truly funny. He tells the stories of basically the most pivotal moments of his life through entertaining anecdotal tales. He also hops around in time, from childhood, to when he met his husband, back to his teen years, to the beginning of his career, and so on. There were a couple points where I laughed out loud, and I don't do that super often when reading.

If you are a fan of Clinton Kelly, you'll love his book. Even if you're not a super huge fan and just watched What Not to Wear or The Chew a few times, you'll probably still like it. It's just funny. And spirited. But if you don't care for any of those topics and are really picky about what you find to be funny, then maybs you should steer clear of this one.

Favorite quotes and passages:

On proper grammar:

"If you and I strike up a conversation at a cocktail party, will I notice if your subject is singular and your verb is plural? Of course. But I won't mention it, at least not to your face. I'll just tell all my friends that, to maintain their own high social standing, they should avoid being seen with you in public."

On being President (post medicinal marijuana ingestion):

"CLINTON: Oh, when I'm president, I will institute a Contraception On-Demand program the second I'm sworn in.

RENEE: Can you explain what you mean by Contraception On-Demand?

CLINTON: Drones."

(same conversation, later)

"I've got a real problem with Chinese restaurant-style religion. 'I'll make two choices from Leviticus and three from Deuteronomy, and ignore the rest because they inconvenience me.'"

On "the Switch":
"The second time I met Damon was the first time I felt the switch, one of those moments when someone, or perhaps something, bigger, in the cosmic sense, pulls a little lever and - CLICK - the track you've been traveling on is no longer your track. The old track just disappears behind you, as irrelevant as yesterday's train schedule. CLICK. You're going somewhere else now. CLICK. There's no reverse. CLICK. Your reality will never be the same."