Have You Read This?

I couldn't put it down...

What are your thoughts on psychological thrillers or mysteries? If you asked me a year ago, I would roll my eyes and say no, never. I'm convinced when my friend died last year that her love of mysteries, dark twists, and intrigue passed into me. This year, I've been tearing through some amazing ones, like The Girls by Emily Cline and Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Haeberlin. I read them via eBook for free by using my library card (I've talked about it here before). I love the pace, the unreliable narration, and the rush of excitement as it gets going and secrets are exposed. 

This book. This book. I was captivated from the first page, and ended up skipping half a work day to finish it, because I couldn't get over the mystery. Two girls have gone missing from a very small town in North Carolina within the past 10 years, both under very suspicious circumstances, and the main character is wrapped into her past to uncover the truth. Told backwards, you think you have all of the information up front but that is the farthest from the truth.

One of the quotes chosen at the beginning of part three (I believe) is the philosophy that life is better lived forward but understood backwards. I couldn't agree more. I was transported not only into the storyline but also to the place I grew up in New Jersey. All the Missing Girls made me nostalgic, appreciative, and downright in love with the messy complexities of the words 'going home'.

Needless to say, I'll be eagerly awaiting more books by Megan Miranda. 

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+ Read any good books lately? I'd love to know!    

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7 Books Perfect for Commuting

Sometimes you need to be whisked away from the everyday, boring commute. If you get to work via the subway, are a consultant who travels via plane multiple times a week, or need an interesting audiobook for your drives into work, these seven reads are sure to help you pass any length of time...

The Girl from the Sea - Shalini Boland

I haven't read this one yet, though I just received an excellent recommendation from a friend of mine. A girl washes up on shore with no memory of how it happened, and it's her experience of amnesia and running into the people who she can no longer recall that bring her back. It's officially on my holds list.  

Perfect for: commuting back from work and at home sipping a glass of wine, lengthier trips preferred

Lie Still - Julia Haeberlin  

I am so obsessed with Julia Haeberlin's books. She crafts the most gloriously horrifying twists into beautiful writing of psychological thrillers. The last two I read had me clearing my meetings and workouts in order for me to finish, so...

Perfect for: commuting back on a Friday and a weekend free of plans, lengthier trips preferred

Devil in Spring - Lisa Kleypas  

Sometimes, you don't want something scary or overtly educational when you're going too and from work. That's when I usually turn to romance novels and traditionally deemed 'beach reads'. This is the latest historical romance novel by Lisa Kleypas (correct me if I'm wrong) and the first one I've read of hers. I was absolutely addicted and read it when I woke up and before bed until it was finished. A marriage of convenience coupled with high passion and great humor, this book couldn't be better.

Perfect for: commutes when you don't have to pay attention but might be disrupted, any length

The Girls - Emily Cline

Young author gets a wild advance to write a book that closely parallels the Manson murders. I sat on the waiting list at the library for four months and checked every morning to see what number I currently held. When I finally had the book, I was stuck in my final weeks of college work, but I read the book in every moment of my free time. While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was well-written  and eerie. Plus, the cover art is so gorgeous, I want to buy it in hard copy just to keep on my book shelf. 

Perfect for: commutes to work, any length  

Weird in a World That's Not - Jennifer Romolini

I bought this book after reading several poignant articles about interviewing and owning your individuality in the workplace. I would read them avidly, scroll down to the bottom, and see they were excerpts from Romolini's new book. I finally decided I had to read the book and purchased it to read and read again. I haven't regretted it at all, and I know it will come in handy this week without a doubt.

Perfect for: commutes to an interview or new job when you're a self-classified weirdo, any length

The Grownup - Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn wrote spine chilling Gone Girl, in case you've been living under a rock lately, and this short story is a quick, fun way to transport you out of current life and into a spooky read . I devoured this in one sitting, and while the ending was kind of predicatable, the fact that it was a short story made it like watching a movie. 

Perfect for: commuting to work, at least 45 minutes each way or longer plane rides for consulting or interviews

The Year of Yes - Shonda Rhimes

If you need a self-confidence booster, no one does it better than white-hat wearing, gladiator, Shonda Rhimes. This book, from the first page of quotes (where she quotes her own script, aka being a badass), is inspirational in a nontraditional-inspiration-script way. She talks about her experiences being a total boss, how she's managed it all, and how her world changed by saying yes more. 

Perfect for: commuting to work, any length

+What did you think of these seven books for commuting to work? Have you read any of them? 

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Book Club: Lindy West's Shrill Pt. II

We're chatting about Lindy West's up-front honesty. 

This book is doing a lot for women everywhere. 

There is a fabulous article on Slate praising West as "she attacks entrenched sexism with skilled polemic". West has such an articulate voice in defending women and their choices. She unapologetically questions others who get in the way of women, and I couldn't be more happy to have her as a role model to young women and girls. 

Here on The Guide, we celebrate the every woman in whatever body, lifestyle, career, or love she chooses. Reading Shrill seems to embolden us even further to draw attention to the controversies we see in our lives and then call out the unfair societal expectations that accompany them. Whether it surrounds abortion, periods, fat-shaming, love, or anything else (so everything else) women are criticized about, West has broken it down and shared her opinion. 

What do you think? Do you like how strong her voice is in this work? Or do you think it's a little too forward? Let's discuss in the comments below.  

For next time (August 8th), finish it up! 

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