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What I Read: October 2022

November 3, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

With Halloween now behind us, am I the only one feeling the urge to suddenly flip the switch for all things Christmas? I usually love the fall season, but this year, I feel ready to move on to the next thing. I haven’t actually pulled out my Christmas decorations just yet, but I get closer everyday. Now, if it could cool off just a little bit…

Back to the reason you’re all here- in October I read five books and despite my plans to read more horror this fall, that didn’t happen:
-Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
-Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
-Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
-Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
-The Cage by Bonnie Kistler

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I Read: September 2022

October 4, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I’m not really sure what happened, but this was one of my slowest months of reading in a long time. For some reason, it truly felt like the month of September flew by. I remember being excited about fall almost being here and, now suddenly, I’ve flipped the calendar over to October. Time is weird.

This month’s reads included a 50-50 split of fiction and non-fiction with the list featuring:

-Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
-The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart
-The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
-The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

What I Read: August 2022

September 5, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

August was… an interesting month for me. I was a sick for bit. I started a new challenge that could take me the next five years to complete. I celebrated a milestone birthday. Oh, and I finished writing my first book. (Future post on that coming soon!) It also in a way marked the closing of summer and the start of fall- even though the temperatures don’t reflect that quite yet. So, to say it was a month of change would be an understatement.

In terms of books (which is what you’re really here for), I read 7 books in August featuring both non-fiction and fiction:
-Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi
-Fear Is My Homeboy by Judi Holler
-Can’t Look Away by Carla Lovering
-Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
-The It Girl by Ruth Ware
-The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I Read: July 2022

July 31, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I feel like summer has flown by.

One minute I was talking about beach reads and eagerly anticipating my vacation and now I’m already checking Bath and Body Works collection of fall candles (my favorite, Pumpkin Bonfire, is already in stock!) and considering Halloween costume ideas. Time is strange.

July proved to be a slower month of reading for me and didn’t feature any non-fiction, but it did include several newer releases.

The list includes:
-The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
-They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
-The Power by Naomi Alderman
-One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose
-Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I Read: June 2022

July 2, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

Summer is here and my reads are starting to reflect that! This month’s list of reads includes Elin Hilderbrand’s latest novel and a fun YA thriller set at a summer camp:
-The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
-Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry
-White Ivy by Susie Yang
-A Gracious Neighbor by Chris Cander
-The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
-They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

Now, for the reviews!

2022 Summer Reading Inspiration

June 10, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

I love to read year-round, but there is something almost magical about getting lost in a good book during the summer.

Growing up, I was the kid to read every book on the required reading list for school, rather than picking just one, and would often read the books on my sister’s list as well.

After finishing school, I found myself missing that structure. With so many books in the world, it’s hard to know what to read next. But that’s when I discovered summer reading guides! It seems like almost every blogger, celebrity, etc., has a guide these days and I absolutely love it.

So, if you’re someone that’s looking to start reading more or just trying to identify the perfect book to pack for your vacation, I wanted to share a few of my favorite summer reading round-ups!

What I Read: May 2022

June 1, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I’m beginning to feel like I say this every month, but May had a good mix of books! Romance, running, & self-improvement.

I managed to squeeze in 7 books (though to be fair one was a novella and two of the others I started in previous months, but finally finished):

– Mother Dear by Nova Lee Maier
– Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
– The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson
– Mastery by Robert Greene
– The Willpower Instinct by Kelly
McGonigal
– The Other Man by Farhad H. Dadyburjor
– 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I read: April 2022

May 1, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

April was another 7 book month for me!

I read a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction covering everything from romance to octopuses to Japanese culture.

The list includes:
– Crooked House by Agatha Christie
– The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
– Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
– In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer
– The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
– Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
– The Book of Ichigo Ichie by Héctor Garcia & Francesc Miralles

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I read: February 2022

March 2, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 2 comments

It was a quieter month of reading for me.

I took a break from audiobooks after listening to Dr. Michael Greger’s How Not to Diet for nearly 24 hours and instead focused solely on Kindle books thanks to the Overdrive App and my local library.

Even with only four books last month, I still had quite a mix including self-help, a serial killer thriller, and one of the most unique books I’ve read:
-A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
-Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
-Discover Your Dharma by Sahara Rose
-The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Let’s get into the reviews!

The Best Books to Help You Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolutions

January 22, 2022 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

It feels like we just celebrated the new year, but somehow, we’re already nearing the end of January?! It’s bizarre, because I remember last January feeling like it stretched on forever. Time is weird.

While the end of January typically marks the end of people’s new year’s resolutions (some of mine included), I’m hoping a fresh surge of inspiration will help keep the momentum alive. For me, that usually involves sitting down with a book related to the goal I’m trying to accomplish. Whether your goal is related to fitness or creativity, I hope these books will help you as much as they’ve helped me!