After seeing Hamilton in New York, I poured over the making of the musical in this gorgeous book detailing the play’s creation, from its inception to blockbuster, from Lin-Manuel Miranda lounging on a pool floaty thing while reading Ron Chernow’s tome entitled Hamilton on vacation one summer to creating a once-in-a-lifetime Broadway musical of now mythical proportions.
I mean, I’m trying to wrap my head around reading Chernow’s 700 page book and going, “Oh, yeah, I’m going to turn Hamilton … [Read more...] about Hamilton the Revolution

What if Hillary hadn’t married Bill? How would her life have been different? Would she ever have been elected president? That’s what this re-imagining of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life explores in Curtis Sittenfeld’s clever and entertaining novel about a Hillary that falls in love with  charismatic, brilliant (philandering), handsome Bill Clinton but doesn’t marry him. Imagine that! … [Read more...] about Rodham

Have you ever wondered “Is the world going to catastrophically end because of global warming and other factors associated with the destruction of our planet?” while also going about your regular day, like life is both normal and not normal? If so, you’ll relate to the mom protagonist of Jenny Offill’s new novel about how we navigate our daily jobs, families, relationships, and interactions with others amid a world teetering on the edge.  It’s a brisk read that will leave you wanting to talk … [Read more...] about Weather

I often drink two glasses of wine at night. For years, I’ve been trying to stick to one glass. I think I want the second, but the reality is that it just makes me tired and less productive.
Atomic Habits is literally helping me achieve my goal. The following idea is one that really impacted my behavior.
First, Clear emphasizes the power of 1 percent improvements, that tiny habits are the building blocks of big results.
Next, instead of focusing on a goal i.e. “I will lose ten pounds” or “I … [Read more...] about Atomic Habits

Tim Ferriss is a well-known writer and business leader. He has been called “a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk” by The New York Times.
Tim reminds you that you are the author of your own life, and it’s never too late to replace the stories you tell yourself and the world. It’s never too late to begin a new chapter, add a surprise twist, or change genres entirely.
In his latest book, he asks over 100 people (of note) a series of carefully curated questions.
One of my favorite … [Read more...] about Tribe of Mentors

Abolitionist and feminist Lucy Stone became the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. Just before graduation at Oberlin College in 1847, she was awarded a great honor—to write a speech for commencement. The only caveat? She had to choose a man to read it. She declined.

But she would make her voice heard as she traveled throughout the country speaking out publicly against slavery at a time when it was considered verboten for women to speak in public. Her speeches would … [Read more...] about Leaving Coy’s Hill

Sister Corita Kent’s (1918-1986) artwork and philosophy inspired people to observe life up close, like a microscope, or to look at something upside down. She encouraged people to find joy, reject criticism, and to keep on creating whatever is in your heart and mind—to see beyond what is and to imagine all that could be. 

She made bold art pieces that spoke out against injustice, poverty, and war, and inspired others to stand up for their beliefs. But at the age of 51, she broke away from the … [Read more...] about Make Meatballs Sing

Eddie Gallagher was the poster boy for the Nay SEALs. He led the Alpha platoon to Mosul in 2017 to help dismantle ISIS. The Navy was going to give him a Silver Star for heroism.

So when Eddie was arrested in 2017 just after returning from Afghanistan, a different story began to emerge about who this SEAL icon really was. David Philipps’ compelling book sheds light on the courage of the SEALs who risked their careers and lives to tell the truth about Gallagher’s mismanagement, disregard for … [Read more...] about Alpha: Eddie Gallagher and The War for the Navy SEALS

Last month, I heard a young woman say, “You cannot become what you cannot see.”
I thought of the well-known fairytale Cinderella after recently reading Rebecca Solnit’s updated take on the old classic. Solnit is a brilliant writer, philosopher, feminist and author of a number of books, including Men Explain Things to Me.
She wanted her niece to grow up with the charm and transformation of the Cinderella story while working out a more palatable exit for Cinderella’s plight than the one we all … [Read more...] about Cinderella Liberator