Thursday, May 12, 2016

20 BOOKS you NEED to read NOW!

20 Books You NEED to Read This Spring

By: Kelley Amstutz
05/12/2016

 

Henry Ward Beecher:


I am a BOOK LOVER. 

It's not a secret. I just found a gift card for Barnes and Nobles...no idea WHEN I received this GC, but I went to load it to my account and lone behold...I still had some $$ left...like just waiting there for me...seriously (I said to myself) WHAT!!! So, this called for SHOPPING (duh!) and that lead to books...books...and more books.  I love real deal, hard bound books, but with this FREE MONEY...I got a variety (say what?) and now I have books stacked on my nook app....like there weren't before my free money shopping spree, right!  And there are now books stacked (like STACKED) on my nightstand, which has lead to HUBBY asking me when I am finding the TIME to read all these GEMS.  This leads to the depression part of LIFE....NOT ENOUGH TIME TO READ... (WAH)

Oh well... I can't stop the #obsession.  The struggle... oh yea...ITS REAL!!!

So, of course, I had to put together my LIST of MUST READS...twenty six (26) - yes I said it...of these BOOKS that you MUST...absolutely NEED to read....N O W !!!


What are you waiting for? 

Ready...

SET....

G O ...







A House for Happy Mothers: A Novel, by Amulya Malladi


Two women. Two continents. One goal: to save their families. A House for Happy Mothers tells the touching story of Priya and Asha, two very different women brought together through India's rising surrogacy industry. While Silicon Valley resident Priya has everything she can imagine, she is unable to have children, leaving her to turn to someone who can. Across the world in a small southern Indian village lives wife and mother Asha, who checks herself into the Happy Mothers House, a baby farm where she is housed while carrying a child for a couple oversees. Together, the two women restore faith in each others lives by bringing a new life into the world.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It's a feel good story that warms the heart and makes you proud to be a woman.



The House of Bradbury, by Nicole Meier


Mia's life is not going quite as she'd hoped: her debut novel is being panned by the critics, her relationship with her Hollywood producer fiancé Carson has just gone down the drain, and she's now living in the carriage house of her judgmental sister. However, when Mia learns that the legendary writer Ray Bradbury's house has been put up for sale in Los Angeles, she feels compelled to buy it, convinced it will give her inspiration again. And it just might, but not in the way that she anticipated.

Why I'm looking forward to it: Who hasn't wanted to live in a famous author's house and felt lost after a major life change?


A Criminal Magic, by Lee Kelly


In an alternate Washington D.C. during the 1920s, magic is real and it has just been outlawed. The prohibition leads to a dangerous and booming magical underworld, one that young sorcerer Joan Kendrick becomes a part of when she accepts a job offer from the Shaw Gang, D.C.'s number one crime syndicate. When she meets fellow sorcerer and undercover prohibition trainee, sparks begin to fly, and not just in the figurative sense.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It reignites our inner Harry Potter obsessions with magic and mystery while providing a dangerous, romantic twist!
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All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation, by Rebecca Traister


Journalist Rebecca Traister provides a historical and cultural account of unmarried women in America who have helped to shape the nation. Extensive research covering class, race, sexual orientation, and more, presents compelling anecdotes about the single American woman—old and new—and how sometimes being a lady and on your own can bring about massive social change.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It's basically a well-informed book version of the message in the Beyoncé video and we are here for that!


The Full Catastrophe, by Karen Elizabeth Lee


Lee's memoir chronicles her recovery and salvation after her husband Duncan (whom she planned to divorce after 14 years of emotional abuse) dies of cancer. Left to face her own demons without Duncan's ranting to keep her company, Lee turns to Jungian psychology in order to make sense of her life. What she finds are the strength and tools that may help her finally resurrect it.

Why I'm looking forward to it: This feels like the perfect mix of a psychological study paired with inspirational self-help.


The Ex: A Novel, by Alafair Burke


Jack Harris' life was shattered after the sudden death of his wife Molly. Three years later, after putting the pieces back together, he meets a beautiful stranger who shatters his world once again—only this time he is being framed for a triple homicide. Olivia Randall, Jack's former fiancé, happens to be one of New York City's elite criminal defense lawyers, and comes to Jack's rescue after hearing about his arrest. But the man she once thought she knew may not be as innocent as she thinks. Alafair Burke's complex characters and mysterious plot line in The Ex will keep you at the edge of your seat and wanting to know more after each page.

Why I'm looking forward to it: If you're a fan of Gone Girl, you'll love The Ex. It's got a little love, a little scandal and a little mystery. The perfect read for a night in.
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Glass Shatters, by Michelle Meyers


Charles Lang wakes up in a house he does not recognize, without any memory of who he is or where he came. As he explores the mysterious, abandoned home he begins to discover bits and pieces about his life such as his status as a brilliant scientist and his wife and daughter, both of whom went missing years ago. Haunted by memories that may or may not be his, Charles soon realizes that his only hope of finding his family is to go deeper into the recovery of his jagged past.

Why I'm looking forward to it: A mystery, an unpredictable narrator, and a strange setting all add up to create the perfect formula for a suspenseful thrill ride.


The Hole in the Middle, by Kate Hilton


Outwitting co-workers, hosting dinner parties with double-digit guest-lists, and sticking to her guns in PTA President persuasions – all in a days work for Sophie Whelan. What can't this woman do? With Sophie's 40th birthday dangerously approaching, she can't help but feel that her existence is bursting at the seams. Nonetheless, a opportunity from her past resurfaces, forcing Sophie to choose if her life's current chaos is a blessing in disguise, or the biggest mistake she's ever made.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It's heartfelt, hilarious, and it's an international best-selling debut! Count us in.


Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, by Roxane Gay


Author of Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay leaves us feeling full with her latest memoir Hunger, her story of weight, self-image, food, and the balance between feeding yourself emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Gay tells her story of how she turned to food to hide from life's burdens, and ultimately became a different person. She writes from an honest place that makes it easy for any woman to relate to her struggles.

Why I'm looking forward to it: We love books that display vulnerability as a strength and not a weakness, and Gay's memoir is a great example to learn from.

 Reading Below

Innocents and Others, by Dana Spiotta


Among the smog of 1980s Los Angeles, best friends Carrie and Meadow are both successful filmmakers, having grown up in the city of angels all their lives. But the common interest tends to end there, as the two disagree on everything else from life and love to the films that they create. Told in a masterfully non-linear format that intersperses chapters with documents such as interviews and film theory paragraphs, Spiotta paints a painfully real picture of two women trying to come to terms with themselves and each other.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It speaks to our nostalgia for L.A. in the 1980s while the content and experimental writing promise to make it a new staple in contemporary fiction.

 What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, by Helen Oyeyemi


What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours is a series of intertwined stories that revolve around the idea of keys, both literal and metaphorical. These special keys open a heart, a house, and a diary, and lead you into labyrinths to the other side of the story. Oyeyemi's creativity and mystical style keep you hooked and entertained from one story to the next.

Why I'm looking forward to it: It bounds multiple stories and unlocks hidden niches of your imagination that you didn't even know existed.







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I strongly recommend my eBook, The Social Media Manager Kit by Kel (w/ bonus) in order to get you started. It will include templates for emailing potential clients or those you landed a completed job with, it will allow you to focus and challenge you to keep moving forward. 

This life, working at home, being financial free and with my family, is something that I used to dream about

Today...
  • I am living it. 
  • I am loving it. 
  • I am making it my life! 

Need More Help?  

Check out my eBook, Make your Dream a Reality in 30 Days or Less! - a jump start guide with templates to get you ready, set and ROCKING this Social Media Manager gig!







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