Are you guys proud? I actually finished September’s books before the end of the month! With a week or so to spare even!
MINE:
Hardcopy // The War of Art
THIS book!! If you are in a creative position. If you are running like hell toward a goal (to quote Susan who also suggested this book to me), a calling, a future, read this book. If you are wrestling with fear and failure and inspiration and resistance, it is for you. It is short spurt like chapters that you can pick up for 2 minutes or pour over for an hour. You can easily revisit ideas with its smart headings. It was so validating to hear how a professional versus amateur works. It kicked me in the pants and reminded me why I keep pressing forward and working hard. This quote about finally embracing our true paths particularly struck me:
“We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us. What will become of us? We will lose friends and family, who will no longer recognize us. We will wind up alone, in the cold void of starry space, with nothing and no one to hold onto. Of course this is exactly what happens. But here’s the trick. We wind up in space, but not alone. Instead we are tapped into an unquenchable, undepletable, inexhaustible, source of wisdom, consciousness, companionship. Yeah, we lose friends. But we find friends too, in places we never thought to look. And they’re better friends, truer friends. And we’re better and truer to them.”
Audio // A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
I am so conflicted reviewing this book because the subject matter is freaking hard. The hardest I’ve read. When you read a summary of the book you’d feel like the author was assaulting you with the material. Like, really? It’s just all too much. Somehow though this author weaves the sadness through happy and hopeful things. Instead of real time storytelling, the hard parts are recalled or retold making it a little easier to swallow. I still skipped parts and really struggled through some other parts. I would never recommend it to anyone because of this reason. Yet, it deserves all its awards and accolades and praise. This is why I read. To have insight into situations I would otherwise have no clue about. Reading provides me with an empathy and understanding you can’t get without being closely tied to an experience. If you want more info email or DM me, I don’t even really want to use the keywords that would describe the subject matter.
image via Bramble and Thorn
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Wall Street Journal • NPR • Vanity Fair • Vogue • Minneapolis Star Tribune • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Guardian • O, The Oprah Magazine • Slate • Newsday • Buzzfeed • The Economist • Newsweek • People • Kansas City Star • Shelf Awareness • Time Out New York • Huffington Post • Book Riot • Refinery29 • Bookpage • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus
WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE
A MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
AND NOW! For the happy kiddie stuff!
OURS:
I have shared these Stephen Krensky books before but I have added to our collection and Raleigh is obsessed so here we go again! Can I live in these books? These illustrations by Sara Gillingham give me life. So bright and fun and empowering for kids to see all that they can do and how far they’ve come even in a short time. I Am So Brave! // Now I Am Big! // I Can Do It Myself!
Love this one’s use of color to give each bed ownership and personality.
This is from 
Such a luxe use of color. I also love that this door folds in and out so you can clean up the look of the room in a hurry! Awesome use of space. 
