August 9th marked National Book Lovers Day, a holiday that admittedly I had no idea existed, but one that I’m a fan of nonetheless. As a diehard reading fan, I welcome any opportunity to celebrate all of the joy and knowledge my love of reading has brought me over the years. To me, reading is more than just a fun hobby that let’s me turn off my brain and enjoy being transported to another world. It’s also been a valuable tool in my professional career, with countless books from renowned business leaders offering a wealth of knowledge into how they achieved their success and how we can do the same. Additionally, reading is a huge asset in becoming a stronger writer and being more informed, two fundamental aspects of finding success in our industry. In other words, I think reading is awesome, and National Book Lovers Day is officially one of my new favorite holidays.
In honor of this special day, I compiled a list of some of my favorite books. Not to brag, but my taste in books is pretttttttyyyyy awesome, so I highly recommend snagging yourself a copy of each of these and enjoying them for yourself.
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Part love story, part analysis into race relations both in America and abroad, this powerful novel explores the role of race and identity, and how they are inevitably intertwined with society.
- Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich. The back cover of this collection of short stories reads: “Twenty years ago, Barney the Dinosaur told the nation’s children they were special. We’re still paying the price.” As we all know, the millennial generation has consistently been stereotyped as narcissists who expect participation trophies for every achievement. These satirical stories explore the “generation of narcissists-and the well-meaning boomers who made them that way,” and are each laugh-out-loud hilarious.
- 1984 by George Orwell. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this classic over the last few years, and every time I discover something new. Orwell’s explores the dangers of authoritarian governments in this famous gripping novel, and sends a message that unfortunately seems to resonate more and more as time goes on.
- The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. This book follows the topsy-turvy private lives of the reporters and editors of an English-language newspaper in Rome. Anyone who works in PR is bound to be enticed by a story surrounding the inner workings of a newspaper and the staff behind the news.
- The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen. At Fish, Bravo is our life and Andy Cohen is basically our lord and savior, so I would be remiss to leave off our #1 dude’s hilarious memoir. Chronicling a day in life of Cohen every day for a year, this book gives an inside peek into the life of the man behind all of our favorite guilty pleasure shows. An essential read for anyone who is obsessed with all things Bravo-related.
