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What I’ve been Reading instead of Scrolling
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This year, I’ve been swapping social media scrolling for reads and resources that actually save me money, spark ideas, and give me something lasting to ...
Sections
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How To Read for Less
Because I’m a Veteran 🇺🇸
Professional Development Reads 🎯
Finance & Wealth Management 💚
Feminist Finds 📕
Self Care 💋
How To Read for Less
Love books but hate the price tag? This section is all about budget-friendly ways to keep reading without overspending. From free library apps like Libby and OverDrive to affordable subscriptions, Substack newsletters, and hidden deals, you’ll find p...
📖 How to Read Books for Free with Libby & OverDrive
One of the easiest ways to recession-proof your reading list? Borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free using your library card.
• Libby App: Download Libby and connect it to your local library c...
Use Your Local Library Card For Kindle Books
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Lately, I’ve been reading Substack newsletters instead of scrolling social media — it’s such a better way to spend my time. I get thoughtful essays, book recommendations, and ideas I can actually take with me.
From this roundup, a few favorites I re...
The Substack Stars: 15 Newsletters That Your Favorite Writers Can't Get Enough Of
Because I’m a Veteran 🇺🇸
As a veteran, I am drawn to stories that reflect service, sacrifice, and the lessons of history. I enjoy military history, strategy, and even the philosophy of war, and now in my MBA program I often connect those lessons to leadership and business. T...
As a military veteran, I have always enjoyed military history, military strategy, and the philosophy of war. I enjoy reading Clausewitz, and now that I am in an MBA program, I am really enjoying exploring how military strategy forms the foundation of...
Death of an Aquanaut Revealed
#ad Women’s voices in the history of war are often under-heard, yet some of the most profound insights come from those who lived it, observed it, and wrote it. Women Who Wrote the War is one of those rare collections that lifts female perspectives fr...
Women Write the War: Voices Behind OIF
Professional Development Reads 🎯
These books I recommend because they dive into leadership, communication, and personal growth. They’re short, practical, and full of lessons that can be applied to everyday challenges at work or in life. Perfect if you’re looking to sharpen skills or...
#ad 📖 The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni
Summary:
This leadership fable lays out four “obsessions” that great executives never abandon — building clarity, overcommunicating vision, reinforcing priorities, and focu...
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
#ad 🐧 Our Iceberg Is Melting — John Kotter
Summary:
A short fable about a colony of penguins who discover their iceberg is melting — a metaphor for leading change in uncertain times. It introduces Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Change in a story that’...
Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing & Succeeding
Finance & Wealth Management 💚
Clear, approachable guides that make money and investing less intimidating. These reads focus on building financial independence, smart habits, and long-term wealth without complicated jargon.
#ad 💰 The Simple Path to Wealth — J.L. Collins
Summary:
This personal finance classic teaches the Boglehead Method: invest in low-cost index funds, live below your means, and build long-term wealth without stress. Collins lays out a simple roadmap ...
The Simple Path to Wealth (2025 Edition)
#ad 📘 The Little Book of Common Sense Investing — John C. Bogle
Summary:
Written by Vanguard founder John C. Bogle, this classic explains why low-cost index funds are the smartest way to invest for long-term wealth. It cuts through Wall Street hype...
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
Feminist Finds 📕
Collections of books, essays and cultural commentary I recommend that explore gender, equality, and the experiences of women. Insightful, funny, and sometimes uncomfortable in the best way — these books encourage reflection and conversation.
#ad ✍️ Men Explain Things to Me — Rebecca Solnit
Summary:
A sharp and hilarious collection of essays that inspired the term “mansplaining.” Solnit unpacks how women are routinely dismissed, silenced, and undervalued — often in situations as absurd a...
Men Explain Things to Me
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📚 Bad Feminist — Roxane Gay
Summary:
A bestselling collection of witty and honest essays that explore race, gender, pop culture, and the contradictions of modern feminism. Roxane Gay blends personal stories with cultural critique, showing how it’s ...
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
#ad ☀️ A Thousand Splendid Suns — Khaled Hosseini
Summary:
A powerful novel that can be read as a global feminist text, expanding Western readers’ understanding of women’s struggles in different cultural and political contexts. The story follows Mar...
A Thousand Splendid Suns: Hosseini, Khaled - Books
Self Care 💋
Wellness reads that focus on balance, mindfulness, and taking better care of yourself. From skincare to self-healing, these titles I recommend to help reset your routine and nurture your mind and body.
#ad 🧴 Skincare: The New Edit — Caroline Hirons
Summary:
This updated edition of Caroline Hirons’ bestselling guide is considered the Holy Grail of skincare books. Hirons, a globally recognized aesthetician and industry expert, breaks down what actu...
Skincare
📚 Substack: A Great Place to Read & Discover Your Next Book
Substack isn’t just for newsletters — it’s one of the best places to discover new books, authors, and ideas. Writers share essays, excerpts, and reflections that give you a glimpse of ...
Substack: 12 self-care rituals that have actually made a difference
#ad 🪞 Clarity & Connection — Yung Pueblo
Summary:
A bestselling collection of short reflections and poems on healing, self-awareness, and relationships. Yung Pueblo explores how clarity within ourselves helps us form deeper, healthier connectio...
The Inward Trilogy
Relationship Reads ❤️
I recommend these books that explore love, communication, and connection. These are the kind of reads that help you understand yourself and others better, whether it’s about dating, long-term partnerships, or friendships. They mix practical advice wi...
#ad ✨ The Astrology of You and Me — Gary Goldschneider
Summary:
A fun and beautifully designed astrology guide that shows how zodiac signs shape relationships, communication, and compatibility. It breaks down how to connect better with friends, fami...
The Astrology of You and Me: Understand & Improve
#ad 🌱 The Inward Trilogy — Yung Pueblo
Summary:
Yung Pueblo’s trilogy is a modern guide to healing, mindfulness, and self-growth. Through short reflections and poetry, he explores how looking inward creates clarity and how that clarity can transfor...
Clarity & Connection (The Inward Trilogy)
#ad 🔥 Burn After Writing — Sharon Jones
Summary:
A guided journal filled with thought-provoking prompts and questions that encourage deep self-reflection. It’s designed to help you explore your past, present, and future honestly — and then decide i...
Burn After Writing: Jones, Sharon - Books
Lifestyle 🌱
This section is all about the little things that make daily life brighter, calmer, and more stylish. I recommend these books because they are fun read and range many topics. Such as green plants that bring life into small spaces to cozy home essentia...
#ad 🪴 Green Plants for Small Spaces
Summary:
A practical guide for anyone who wants to bring greenery into a small apartment, balcony, or patio. These plant picks are low-maintenance, space-friendly, and versatile enough to thrive indoors or outdoo...
Green: Plants for Small Spaces - Chongue
#ad 🇨🇦 Where the River Narrows — Aimée Laberge
Summary:
A sweeping historical novel that follows generations of a French Canadian family, weaving together themes of identity, love, and cultural heritage. It blends storytelling with a strong sense ...
Where the River Narrows: Classic French & Québécois
#ad 🥣 The Chicken Soup Manifesto — Jenn Louis
Summary:
A one-of-a-kind cookbook dedicated entirely to chicken soup recipes from around the world. From comforting classics to unique cultural variations, it’s a go-to for cozy meals and inspiration to...
The Chicken Soup Manifesto: Recipes Worldwide
#ad 🐦 Backyard Bird Guide
Summary:
A handy little book that makes it easy to identify birds right outside your window or in your yard. With clear photos and descriptions, it’s perfect for beginners or anyone who wants to connect more with nature fr...
Birds Of California
Philosophy Finds 📖
If you’re looking for books that challenge the way you think, these are the philosophy reads I recommend. From Camus on absurdity to Arendt on politics and morality, each one offers perspective on how people search for meaning, handle power, and resp...
#ad 🎭 The Carnivalesque — Mikhail Bakhtin
Summary:
Bakhtin’s influential work introduces the idea of the carnivalesque — a philosophy of culture where laughter, parody, and festival challenge authority and social norms. He shows how medieval carniv...
Rabelais and His World, a new translation
#ad ☀️ The Plague — Albert Camus
Summary:
A landmark novel of existential philosophy, The Plague tells the story of a city under quarantine during a deadly epidemic. Camus uses the outbreak as an allegory for the human struggle against suffering, ab...
The Plague: A new translation by Laura Marris
#ad 📘 Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Banality of Evil — Hannah Arendt
Summary:
Hannah Arendt’s groundbreaking analysis of Adolf Eichmann’s trial introduced the idea of the banality of evil, that devastating harm can be carried out by ordinary people wh...
Eichmann in Jerusalem: Banality of Evil