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Ashley IN MEDIAS RES

• Think and Grow Rich for Women: Using Your Power to Create Success and Significance by Sharon L. Lechter * 

*Ashley wants to point out that she’s been waiting for this to come off hold at the library for over a month because she didn’t have time to finish it the first time… It’s a struggle.

Nikki IN MEDIAS RES

• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Ashley FIN

• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas
• The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
• The Simple Sabbat: A Family Friendly Approach to the Eight Pagan Holidays by M. Flora Peterson
• Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins
• Barbarian’s Taming (Ice Planet Barbarians #8) by Ruby Dixon
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control by Ryan Holiday
• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton (audio)
• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
• How to Grow Orchids by Fran Barnwell

Nikki FIN

• Scot on Her Trail (The Hots for Scots #2) by Caroline Lee
• The Earl’s Brazen Widow (Those Kilted Bastards #2) by Caroline Lee
• The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
• The Duke’s Virgin Sister (Those Kilted Bastards #1) by Caroline Lee
• Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
• A Scot Mess (The Hots for Scots #1) by Caroline Lee
• Barbarian’s Taming (Ice Planet Barbarians #8) by Ruby Dixon
• Lady Reckless (Notorious Ladies of London #3) by Scarlett Scott
• Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton (audio)
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• Blackstone Ranger Scrooge (Blackstone Rangers #6) by Alicia Montgomery
• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
• Viscount of Villainy (Sins and Scoundrels #6) by Scarlett Scott

Darling readers, is it weird that when I was pulling together the above lists from our Goodreads profiles, I was struck by the amount of bookish soothing I needed this month?  August was so extra in my house.  We had back to school, new schedules for everyone, a new middle schooler, the start of afterschool activities for both children, and it was so ding dang hot for at least half of that time.  I do not apologize for my comfort reads, and I do not feel feelings about their presence, I just notice.  I am proud of myself for not pushing (too hard) to read titles that didn’t feel right for the moment in time.  I leaned in, and I did what felt like the next right thing.  In the end, shouldn’t that be what our hobbies are about?  Soothing our souls during times that are challenging or overwhelming in some way?

Given all those comfort reads, I don’t have a ton to say about reading this month.  I met my basic goals of including some diversity among my authors and protagonists, and I honored the season I’m in, so all of those are wins.  I would recommend any title I’ve read for different folks at different times, and wish to remind folks that some are breezy and others will dig deep down in those feels and make you weep (I’m still glaring at you for that Romantic Comedy and especially Happy Place).  I am thoroughly enjoying our Maas Adventure so far as we accompany Celeana on her hero’s journey and observe as the ensemble cast grows and develops too.  I think this idea is one that is sticking with me lately, so I’ll leave you with it: this last month, my reading list is challenging me to consider people’s backgrounds, to be more communicative, and to lean into my feelings.

How is your reading life helping you to grow or develop lately?   

~Nikki 

While Nikki talks about her comfort reads within a season of transition at her house, I really want to discuss what is probably my favorite book of the month. It’s a nonfiction title written by a Black male author! Die with Zero sounds like a book you’d read on your deathbed when in all actuality it is a book you want to read while planning your LIFE. It is about dying with zero money leftover but it’s not about just having no money. It is about not leaving the people and charities money from your estate, but it’s also about giving them the money to do good when they need it now. 

Bill Perkins discusses how there’s a balance between our health, our ability to earn money, and the time of our lives where our enjoyment of money is the greatest. Meaning we get the most life and experience out of the dollars we spend. He repeatedly reminds us that when we are 80 years old we won’t need $10,000 to go on an expensive ski vacation, because we (more than likely) would not have the energy or health capability to ski. Even if we had the capability, perhaps the risk of an accident is too great to contemplate at that age. So, a $10,000 ski vacation would be better off spent doing before you’re 45, or even before you’re 35! But what typical 30 year old can afford a $10,000 vacation? Not many of them – however, most 65 year olds can. So, why don’t we ‘borrow’ from our future earnings for these once in a lifetime events and experiences? And not in a way that we’re going into great amounts of debt for them, but in a way where we’re perhaps not saving as much in our retirement accounts this month, or putting off making another big purchase for a few months (like a car or house). Our income typically grows the older we get, and our ability to make more money doesn’t decrease over time the way our ability to enjoy our money does. The same reason why we would spend money on ourselves when we’re younger rather than just hoarding it for a future we might never get to see, is the reason we would give away our money to our heirs and our favorite charities while we are still alive. If you have children, it is more likely that they could use money to help them through college, go on a once in a lifetime trip, or put a downpayment on their first house. By the time you pass after a good long life at 85 years old, your children are typically in their late 50s or  60s and would not really have a big NEED for the money you would leave them. But their need for the money when they are younger so that they could enjoy life while their health and energy allows is top notch financial planning. Perkins isn’t saying don’t save for your ‘golden years,’ but he is saying don’t hoard for your golden years by avoiding enjoying your younger years. Make memories with your people now, give to your favorite charities while you can see the good it does, give of your time now if you don’t have the treasure you’d want to give. The short explanation is take care of future you but not at the expense of the you that is here now, with the people you have now. LIVE NOW.

And, there you have it. A title that gave me big feelings and a mindset shift towards big goals.

~Ashley

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