Beguiled By Books

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Book Recommendations & Reviews - September 2021

Lately, I feel a pull toward fiction books right now after a nearly two-year binge of non-fiction. My book buying habits have NOT diminished, much to my wallet’s dismay, but I have finally found quite a few digital books via the local library to offset my ‘buy it now” habit. Teehee

Here’s what I read this month:

  • City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

  • The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab

  • The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t - Robert I. Sutton

  • City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

  • How to Lead When Your Boss Can't (Or Won't) - John C. Maxwell

  • Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl

  • A Little History of Ireland - Seamus MacCall

  • Loonshot - Safi Bahcall

  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz

  • Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare

  • Eight Ways to Tequila - Tricia O'Malley

Here are my favorite books I read last month and what I look forward to reading in the next month.

Fiction

The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab

Why I Liked It: After The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, I want to read all of Schwab’s work. The Near Witch did not disappoint. It was quick, exciting, and ended beautifully. Not to mention, I love how Schwab writes: quick, concise sentences with punchy chapters. You’ll sail through the book eating up every word and sad to close it when it’s done.

Non-Fiction

The No-Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t - Robert I. Sutton

Why I Liked It: I feel like the No-Asshole rule should be a given, but this book goes into detail explaining the types of A-holes and all the ways they kill workplace culture. I do feel the book was a bit slow in the middle (Chapters 2-4), but then picked back up at the end. I loved The No-Asshole Rule because it was published in 2007, before people were open and aware of boundaries, self-worth, and what a good job is or is not. This book is even more relevant today as Millenials and Gen-Z grow into the workforce and how we can so easily shape the future if we simply try.

I’m looking forward to reading the following next.

Fiction

  • A Darker Shade of Magic - Victoria Schwab

  • The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

  • The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow

Non-Fiction

  • You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters - Kate Murphy

  • The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

  • Between the Stops - Sandy Toksvig

  • Zero to One - Peter Thiel

 

What are you reading this month?