Last weekend, we ventured to Texas for a wedding. The wedding was spectacular, the bride was beautiful, and the BBQ was delicious. In the words of my BFF, 10/10. Sitting in an airport, then flying home gives me the perfect excuse to read. I was determined to finish Girl, Stop Apologizing before we left. Luckily, I did, so I could read More Than Words while we dealt with a two hour delay before getting home.
As a result, it’s two for the price of one day at Another Year of Books.
Book Read: Girl, Stop Apologizing
Author: Rachel Hollis
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 12
Rachel Hollis thinks women need to live up to their potential by stopping the excuses, adapting our behaviors, and moving towards the skills we need to do so. In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Hollis uses her own experiences to motivate women. Split into three parts, Hollis first focuses on the excuses she feels women make - others are better, we’re bad daughters/mothers/sister/etc., there isn’t enough time. She then moves to adapting better behaviors and habits to overcome the excuses - like doing something for 30 days makes it a habit, or it being okay to say no. Hollis finishes with skills we as women should adapt. This included things like planning, writing down your goals each day, and always have your eye on the roadmap.
Hollis’s goal? Make women better versions of themselves.
I will never claim to be 100% confident, but reading Hollis’ book did not motivate me one bit. She is a successful motivator, who owns a multi-million dollar company and an incredible social media following. At times, I could get behind what she was saying - things like finding an hour for yourself every day, whether it’s at 5 AM or 10 PM, or being able to do things that inconvenience others (if I want to do something, I should do it!).
But other times, I had to force myself to keep reading. I was annoyed that she told me to always ignore the “I feel fat” thoughts, but instead of embracing it, she had a boob job after she had her last child. I didn’t agree with Hollis saying you should not leave something or be more independent if you didn’t have the financial means (if you’re in something bad - get out, not matter what). I know that Hollis has a crazy following, that her books have changed lived, but this book may be for others, but the majority of the time, it was not for me.
Long story short, I was happy to finish it to start the next one. I had hopes for it.
Book Read: More Than Words
Author: Jill Santopolo
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 13
In More Than Words, Jill Santopolo tells the story of Nina Gregory, the heiress to the Gregory Hotels. Following her father’s death, Nina begins to question who she is and what she knows. She has been taught from early on, that reputation, legacy and the family name is everything. Her father has basically hand picked her boyfriend Tim, who has been a family friend for years.
Then Nina discovers things about her father she never dreamed of, and begins to see everything, including her boss Rafael, a candidate for New York City mayor, in a new light. As she begins to embrace her new role as head of Gregory Hotels, Nina learns to stand her ground, to defend herself, and go after what (and the guy) she wants.
This book reads quickly. When I say quickly, I mean that I read ⅔ of it in 1 day. I was sitting in an airport for most of that, but still. It moves fast and has a predictable end. It was a welcome read after the previous.
When I heard Santopolo wrote another book, I was excited to read it. I enjoyed reading The Light We Lost a couple of years back (pre-blog), and was hoping I’d like this one. While yes, it has some romance, it is about a woman waking up and realizing what she is capable of. You could say Nina follows some of Rachel Hollis’ advice.
More Than Words was easy, it was enjoyable, it was a worthy “I’m stuck on the tarmac and need to distract myself” read. My suggestion - skip Girl, Stop Apologizing and go right to More Than Words.
Next Read: I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
