Summer Reading Check-In... :-)

Me :)

Happy October!! Now that Fall is here, this might be a good time for me to check back in with my (nerd alert!) summer reading list, which can be found here. I didn't end up reading all of the books on my list (yet)- I still have 2 that I haven't read and a bunch of new ones... thanks to Borders and their going out of business sale. Because you may or may not be interested in my book reviews of all of these books, I thought I would just jot a few key points down- if you are interested in hearing more, shoot me an email!

• Brave Girl Eating by Harriet Brown was fabulous. A must-read for parents or family members who have raised/lived with someone who has struggled with an eating disorder. It was an extremely quick read- took 2 days, and tears were shed. It's full of anguish- but abounding with hope. It depicts the experience so accurately and honestly.
• Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich- an analysis of this book is more appropriate for another blog, not mine:)- but another must-read. It is a social commentary (written back in 2001), and one that I enjoyed for how it challenged my thinking.
• I loved Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein, which I wrote about here and here. If you have a daughter, want to have a daughter, are a girl or are interested in girl culture, it is worth picking up. I have been telling everyone I know to read it.
• The two books I have yet to start are Life Inside the Thin Cage by Constance Rhodes, and Rock What You've Got by Katherine Schwarzenegger. They both look great- and I'm excited to get started with both... one of these days.
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, took me awhile to get through- I'm not sure why, but it didn't captivate me quite like I've heard others report. Still an entertaining book, written uniquely from the perspective of a dog. Haha.
• Love, love, loved the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin- highly recommend it.
• Goodbye Ed, Hello Me by Jenni Schaefer- a great book about life in recovery from an eating disorder, and a follow-up to Schaefer's Life Without Ed.
• I picked up a few of Geneen Roth's books- Women, Food and God; Breaking Free From Emotional Eating; and When Food is Love- and while her books tend to be very similar, I think they have a lot of value. I hadn't read any of these before, and wanted to see if they might be a helpful resource for clients! I will write more on her books in another post. My favorite book that she has written is called When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair- it is also on my list of things to blog about:).
• I read a memoir called Designated Fat Girl by Jennifer Joyner- her journey through gastric bypass surgery. It's a book that highlights binge eating disorder- and is a very heartfelt, emotional story. Will be writing more about this book, gastric bypass surgery and lap band surgery in the future.

While I could probably go on for awhile, I won't :) I would encourage you to check out some of these books if any of these topics appeal to you- if you are looking for something that is not on my list (that is related to topics I discuss on my blog), let me know and I might be able to direct you to an appropriate resource addressing the particular topic. And, if you have read any books recently that you recommend, please let me know! My reading doesn't end just because the summer did. :)